[MEMORY] The Gift of Music

Baby Sednai and Boston

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A large forest in Central Anaxas, the once-thriving mostly human town of Dorhaven is recovering from a bombing in 2719 at its edge.

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Sednai
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:04 am
Topics: 10
Race: Human
Occupation: Resistance
Location: The Stacks
: "Cypress"
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Plot Notes: Plot Notes
Writer: Quix
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Tue Jun 26, 2018 8:06 pm

Roalis 51, 2703
W
aves of tired heat radiated off of the sun-baked cobblestones and up the skinny legs of the two soot-covered children as they sat and sweated in the low, shady step of a dilapidated brick storefront. The smaller of the two human children was a girl of early adolescence with big, hungry eyes, dark skin, and a large raised symbol in her skinny neck. It seemed as though she had recently grown long legs, her stained yellow dress seemingly slightly too short just above her scraped knees. Beside her sat a stern-looking boy with a skinny face who was reaching the end of his childhood. He had watery blue eyes and a permanent smirk on his freckled face, and his choppy red hair was tucked oddly into his worn brown cap. The boy was digging green weeds out from between the cobbles with his long, bony fingers while the girl studied the large clock tower visible above the low buildings like a watchful sentinel. The shady, narrow street winding between the row of weary wooden and brick buildings was empty save for the two of them.

With a sudden cacophony of proud bells echoing down the streets, the clock tower beckoned in the new hour. Like clockwork, doors opened down the poor district of human businesses, workers spilling into the street as they were released from their jobs for the evening. The little girl observed them as they shuffled by, wondering what kind of places they return home to as their expressionless faces caught the dramatizing shadows of the setting sun. The boy grabbed her hand gently, and she turned her attention to him. He pointed subtly through the crowd. Upstream, an especially exhausted man with half-lidded eyes and an open satchel bouncing against his back yawned as he walked. The boy squeezed her hand excitedly.

“That’s the one, Seddie! Let’s get him,” he whispered briskly. Sednai could smell years of hard liquor between his stained teeth. She replied by returning a squeeze in his rough plan before they both jumped up and into the churning crowd. Sednai kept her eyes on the man and hungrily eyes the bouncing satchel, memorizing its beat. She deftly pushed between the large bodies pressing in aroundher until she was walking in sync behind the man. At her height, she could just see over the lip of the bag, just see the coin pouch nestled among pages of sketches and blueprints. It called out to her grime-covered hands, asking her to steal it. She, however, awaited Fahlo’s position as he drifted in front of the man like a card shuffled to the middle of the deck. She watched his hand, awaiting his signal. He turned his right hand until the palm faced her, the coin nestled in the rosy flesh glinting in the orange light of the early evening sun. She readied herself, hands hovering in front of her. Fahlo dropped the coin, and, as it clanged against the stones, he dove to catch it. The man recoiled slowly to avoid tripping over the low body of the boy, and Sednai let her small body crash into him. She snaked her small hand into his bag as she collided with his back, quickly locating the coin purse in the mental image she had put together of the bag, and pulled it away as she stepped back from the man, cocking her head at him like a confused dog. Annoyed by the two irksome children, he rolled his eyes and continued on his course, muttering about urchins on his way.

Sednai leaped to Fahlo, pulling him up from the ground and giggling with the feeling of victory as she weaves the two of them back past their former perch on the step to a narrow alley between buildings, barely big enough to allow Fahlo’s wide shoulders to squeeze through. Fahlo snatched the coins impatiently from her as she jingled the pouch beside her ear. He opened the pouch, counting the coins under his shallow breath.

So? How’d we do?” she asked with anticipation, grumbling as he pushed her nosy face away from the coin pouch. The pouch had been rather bulky and heavy in her hand, the size of roughly both of her fists. In her short-experience pickpocketing, it was a rather swell catch, especially coming from only one person.

“Good,” Fahlo responded, but his tone didn’t match. “It’s enough for a few meals and some new clothes.”

You don’t sound especially happy for it being so good,” she prodded, crossing her twiggy arms over her flat chest sternly. “Come on, Fahlo. If even I can tell that something’s wrong, you’ve gotta spill.

“You’ve been a lot of help, Seddie.”

Yeah?

“Yeah. So, I’m awful sorry about this.”

Sednai had nearly asked sorry about what? when she truly found appreciation for the weight of the coin pouch as it collided heavily with the side of her face, forcing her to stumble slightly and out her hands up defensively. Tentatively putting down her hands, she barely caught sight of Fahlo’s geeks as they retreated from the alley. She ran to the emptying street, watching him sprint away. She started after him, taking of her little dress shoes as she ran and threw them after that traitorous coward!

Fahlo!” she screeched hopelessly at him, not nearly as fast as the older boy as her now bare feet hit the hit cobblestones. Frustration and despondency boiled up inside her as she slowed to a stop at the end of the road and watched Fahlo’s retreat to the other side, her little fists shaking angrily. She retrieved the discarded shoe she had caught up to and hurled it again, nearly screaming as she watched it bounce off a building and into a storm drain.

Just my luck. Just my luck!” she yelled in frustration to the now empty street. First the money, then the loss of her only friend, and now, as she picked up her only remaining shoe, she only had one shoe.

What a greedy bastard. I can’t trust anyone on these stupid streets...” she rambled on, brandishing her limp shoe in case the world around her had anymore terrible fetishes to force onto her. She stomped over to the nearest doorway and sat exhaustedly in it, just daring the storekeeper to chase her away as she stewed angrily.

Fahlo was her most trusted ally and only friend, as it had been for the past six months. Both were parentless urchins abused by the world. Together they had perfected the art of pickpocketing, and, in the last two months, had collected nearly enough money to buy new lives in some imagined paradise outside of Vienda. They dreamed of their new life every nigh, imagining all the foods they’d enjoy and skies they’d sleep under in their utopia. That absolutely disgusting and greedy bastard had used her, however. What a liar, a cheat! Used her to get the money for his own life, own paradise, and here she was, yet again stuck in the street with no money, no friends, no allies, and one stupid shoe.

Oh, ticks and tocks,” she cursed wearily, her anger fading away into a somber loneliness and desperation. She pulled her knees to her chest, and prepared for another hungry night on the streets.
Last edited by Sednai on Tue Oct 30, 2018 3:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.

BURNED, NOT BURIED.

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Boston Brilliant
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 10:04 am
Topics: 4
Race: Human
Character Sheet: https://anaxasdiaries.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=228
Plot Notes: [url=http:/fullurl/]Plot Notes[/url]
Writer: Nate
Post Templates: [url=http:/fullurl/]Post Templates[/url]

Wed Jun 27, 2018 9:04 pm

Roalis 51, 2703
Sparks of red hot fire flared into the air and settled back down to the burning streets as the smith hammered away at the still glowing piece of metal. Each swing of the hammer was followed by a loud clang! that echoed through the sweltering crowded streets. Despite the chatter and the bustling of the city life, the working smith's hammer could be heard throughout the entire block like a one man symphony. Only one young, skinny boy, no older than eight, watched the smith work on some unknown tool. The boy's greenish eyes followed the sparks as they rose up into the hot air, seeming to be drawn to the blazing sun, then fail to reach it, and then fall to the burning stones of the street. To him, the sound of the hammer drowned out all the rabble, the people's voices were snuffed out, the noises of the city became faded, drifting further and further away from him. It was a strong temptation to reach out and grab one of the sparks, the burning orange and red color was almost alluring. A moth to the fire. It took all of the boy's will to keep his slender legs planted to where he stood. Well, his will, and a realization.

He was getting distracted again.

With a small shake of his head he brought himself back to reality, aware once again of the people, the city, and all the noises that came along with them. He also became of aware of what his task was and why he had journeyed from his home to this place. He had placed an order for a very special part to the project he had been working so hard on. The turning key to a music box he had spent weeks making by himself. He could've used any old turning key they had back at the shop, but the boy wanted his first real invention to be special, something unique that would separate it from the other music boxes that he and Belle worked to make. He had even given the box its own unique tune, something none of the other boxes had either. Now, after weeks of hard labor, he was nearly there. It had taken some saving to do, but he managed to get enough money to hire a local smith to craft the turning key. The smith, who was now staring down at him, seeming to have finished whatever he was working on and had noticed the young boy staring at him with wide and curious eyes.

Blast. He had distracted himself again.

A small, nervous smile on his face, the boy now walked over to the smith, looking up at him with expecting eyes. He cleared his throat once and spoke in a little, quiet voice, though he tried his hardest to make himself sound a bit bigger, trying to sound like Belle when she went shopping. "E-excuse me!" He let out a small nervous laugh, which was already going against his attempts at mimicking his mother, "Ha-heh-uh, duhhh, you! I hired you-uh-a week ago for the-for the..." he trailed off, now looking at his stained covered, untied, shoes as the blacksmith stared down at him. Most of smith's face covered in a thick black beard, all except for two burning brown eyes that sent a shiver down the boy's spine. Finally, he began to speak again, "...the key? The...the silver one? I'm Belle's boy?" the boy finished, still avoiding eye contact with smith. He brought a hand to his mess of hair, something that should've probably been combed before leaving his home, but he had left in too much of a rush to be bothered with such a thing. He ran his fingers through his hair, hoping somehow, by some random chance, this would give him the confidence to get over this social hurdle.

The smith reached down towards the boy's head, causing the boy to flinch defensively, raising his hands in a sort of young defiance. Though, for whatever fear the boy had, it was soon put to rest as the smith patted his head. The boy lowered his hands and the smith laughed in a jolly tone that caused his stomach to jiggle and his beard to shake. It was a saintly laugh of a kind soul, something that dispelled the tension the boy felt, though for now he kept his eyes lowered, a bit embarrassed about being scared. "Ha! Yes yes! I have yer key. It weren't easy tah forge, but it is done." This is what brought the boy's eyes back up to the large smith, a large grin replacing that nervous smile. The smith reached into a pocket sown to the side of his pants and pulled out a small, silver key. "Ya paid 'ahead of time, lad, so go on, take it and let me get back to work."

The young boy, still with a big dumb grin on his face, reached up and took the key. He bowed his head once to the smith. "Thank you so much, mister! It's perfect!" He giggled happily, his age showing as he did, and turned towards to street, a spring to his step as he stared down at the elegant key. The smith waved at him, still laughing in that joyful jolly tone, but it was missed as the boy was too enamored with his prize. He eyed over the details of the key and while they weren't worthy of any high praise from someone who truly knew art, it had won his heart. The hilt of the key had a floral design to it which would look lovely with the box. The rest of the turn key was rather simple, no elegant design or anything, which was done on purpose so it could actually turn the gears in the box, but it still looked amazing to the boy.

As he walked, admiring his turn key, he didn't quite pay attention to where exactly he was going. Rather he was just walking, holding the key and staring at its brilliant shine. Nothing could draw his attention from it, not the sounds of the people or the fact that he was bumping into most of them or the heat of blazing sun as it burned his skin! He didn't even realize as he turned the wrong corner into a quieter street and then a second wrong turn into an even quieter street, almost devoid of all life.

No, none of that seemed to reach him. Not even the despondent looking girl he passed seemed to draw his attention from the ke-wait...

His eyes lowered from the key and honed in on the sad mess of flesh that was what looked to be a young girl, maybe a little older than him. He lowered his arms to his side, key still tightly clutched into his right hand, and stared at the girl. He wasn't even quite aware that he was staring. There was just something about this moment that made everything stop for him, like a shower of cold water just splashed across his face or like the sensation someone got when they were punched for the first time in a fight, both of which he had experienced while living with Belle. There was something about this girl that just...made him stop. He couldn't really explain it further than that, but finally he managed to shake that feeling away and stepped towards the girl, the spring no longer touching his step.

He kneeled down a few feet from her, trying to meet her eyes. He continued to stare at her, like a dog would look at strange sound, tilting his head one way then another. Before either one of them could get the chance to speak a large grin grew on his face. He let himself fall back onto his butt, sitting down in front of the girl. He raised up one finger on his right hand, the key still wrapped in his palm, as he wordlessly asked her to wait a moment. He swung the satchel that rested at his side to his front and began to dig through the bag, searching for something. There clangs and chimes coming from the bag as gears and other strange parts rattled and tapped against each other. He seemed to dig around for a minute, maybe a little less until finally he found it, a small metal box with a unique floral design to it. The floral design seemed to be that of roses? Or maybe a lily? Or perhaps a combination of the two? In the front center of the box there was a small key hole to which the boy pulled out the key he held in his hands and slipped it in. Briefly, he looked back up to the girl, still grinning, and then back down to the box. He turned the key in the hole a few times and then...

And then music.

Music touched the street in a slow, yet pleasant wave. From the top of the box the turning gears could be seen through through a clear glass top. They seemed to dance along with the lullaby-like tune, though lullaby wasn't the right word for it. Maybe more like minuet, something that would be played during a slow dance. The pleasant melody seemed to be uninterrupted, this street was quiet enough for it to play without pollution of the bustling of a populated street. As the piece went on the boy would just quietly sit, observing the girl's face. He was looking for something specific in it. Something that he had heard of, but never seen. It was something, apparently, he had done when he first met Belle, but it was something that he could never understand until he saw it himself. So he waited, smiling softly at her, as the song played on.
User avatar
Sednai
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:04 am
Topics: 10
Race: Human
Occupation: Resistance
Location: The Stacks
: "Cypress"
Character Sheet: Character Sheet
Plot Notes: Plot Notes
Writer: Quix
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Thu Jun 28, 2018 12:24 pm

Roalis 51, 2703
The sharp pain of a brewing deluge of suppressed emotion stung Sednai’s eyes, nose, and throat as she sat crumpled upon the cool step. The world continued to church around her, not paying any mind to the broken form of a little girl it had, for 12 years, beaten and neglected. Miraculously, in the last months she had spent in the company, no, the family of vermin, she had managed to step out from under the rain cloud of the suffocating loneliness she had felt for years of her childhood and into the sunlight where she belonged, had a purpose, and had a hopeful destination. That was the funny thing about storm clouds, however; even if one gets ahead of a storm, the clouds will catch up if you don’t keep moving forward. Currently, she found herself in a rather deep puddle.

As she heard the slight scuffing of feet on the stone road, she gripped the single shoe defensively as she debbhed the hot tears that left salubrious lines on her dirty cheeks away. She sniffles and began speaking before even taking a moment to look at the stranger.

Aw, just leave me alone, would ya?” she began to say, stopping abruptly as she saw not a bully, but a young boy. She ran the sleeve of her dress across her face, watching the boy curiously from behind her bony knees. She watched him settle back onto the cobblestones, a small cloud of dust and dirt rising as he fell in contrast. The sight was peculiar, peculiar enough that Sednai capitulated as he put up his small finger. She rubbed her eyes again, her dark brows kneading as she watched him dig into th little satchel, her shoe sword drawn. The sound of clinking and scraping from the bag interested her, but she kept her guard up. That was something Fahlo had taught her: always keep your guard up when facing the unknown. Perhaps if she had kept her guard up around Fahlo...

No, she couldn’t focus on Fahlo, beeping her suspicious and narrow gaze on this boy instead. He produced a small metal box, and she recoiled into the doorway instinctively like a wild animal being shown an open flame, afraid of whatever this contraption could be. A weapon? A bomb?

A... a music box?

She scooted forward curiously, her attention drawn to the open box the boy had set on the uneven space between them. She eyed him warily only to find him watching her with a patient expectancy. She turned her eyes back to the box, felt her face soften as she watched the toy gears then beneath the glass.

It reminded her of the stories she had heard of a grand civilization under the ripples of the crystalline oceans. Here she was watching the world turn under the clear shield of glass, so close and enchanting yet unable to be molested and contaminated by the greedy eyes, fingers, and machines of gods, men, and galdori. The song, too, was the alluring song of the sirens themselves as they begged her to come meet them, knowing she would never make it to them. She could hear the metallic pins of the mermaids’ harps twanging elegantly their simple song and generously letting it echo into the surface world like the Fountain of Youth itself were spilling torrents into the streets. She reached her fingers forward shyly, wanting to caress, cradle, and protect the singing world in the box, warmed by the setting sun that had soaked through the boy’s satchel. She dusted away the dirt of civilization that settled upon every thing and person on the street, revealing the glimmer of the delicate vines and flowers beneath. The small key grazed her hand with every turn, softly. The music seemed longing and nostalgic. Were the undines longing to walk on land knowing they never would? It seemed every note that as the fabled step of a newly formed leg, like the first steps of a stilt-legged colt. The steps began to steadily slow as the former siren became more confident and composed, more human, until they finally stopped their singing, no longer wishing to sing a sirens song with humanity flowing through their blue veins. The key rested upon Sednai’s hand.

As the siren’s lament released her, her warm brown eyes shot up to gawk at the boy, the harbinger of this enchanting window into another world. She set the open box down in the cobblestones gently, hesitantly. The fingers of joy, awe, and serenity caressed her face, brushing away the tears, dirt, and short dark curls, then faded like embers flashing as the wind danced over them. She began rebuilding the spiked palisade of suspicion and cynical distrust aroundherself, drawing away from the boy.

Why’d’ya do that?” she asked. Yes, she concluded, this, like most acts of kindness given to her, was surely done with an ulterior motive. A ploy to get her to feel guilty and buy, for him to seem innocent enough to make a coin. She wrapped her long arms around herself and leaned against the building behind her, her eyes narrowed at the boy.



Last edited by Sednai on Wed Jul 18, 2018 3:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

BURNED, NOT BURIED.
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Boston Brilliant
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 10:04 am
Topics: 4
Race: Human
Character Sheet: https://anaxasdiaries.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=228
Plot Notes: [url=http:/fullurl/]Plot Notes[/url]
Writer: Nate
Post Templates: [url=http:/fullurl/]Post Templates[/url]

Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:16 am

Roalis 51, 2703
While the young, despondent girl’s eyes followed the turning gears of the music box, Boston kept his eyes on her. He watched her carefully, trying to read every slight movement of her body, they way her facial expression would react to each note as it danced upon the air, and tried to find any hint of a spark that may jump in her eye. He, of course, was listening to the music of the box, the nice tune he had worked so hard on, but there was something else he wanted out of this. He was searching for something specific in all those little movements she made and in eyes, a twinkle or perhaps a light? It was like he was trying to find some specific about her, but he just couldn’t do it.

When the box’s tune finally came to a slow stop Boston let out a small breath, not a sigh, but exhaling a breath he didn’t know he had held. By the end of it, the girl had not made the expression he had hoped for, but still! This was his actual first test run of the music box and, to be honest, he wasn’t sure if it was going to work or not. It was a relief to know it did and that he didn’t create an awkward situation in which he set down a box in front of a girl, turned a key, only for nothing to happen. He wouldn’t know how to get out of that situation other than apologize and explain what it was supposed to do.

The tune was exactly as he wanted it to be, every note was perfect, the way the tune danced through the air, and the slow quiet ending of it came at the right time, not a moment too late, not a moment too soon. It was the way he imagined it playing out. For a long time, he didn’t feel as though his invention was going to work or that it would break halfway through, or that the tune would be all wrong, but it didn’t do any of those. His first invention was a success, and despite the girl not having the expression he wanted, he did feel considerably proud that it went flawlessly. He had worked on other things with Belle, but this was his and he satisfied with it.

Now looking to the girl and realizing he was getting distracted again, he let out a small laugh, bringing a hand to the back of his head, running it through his messy hair. “Oh! Why did I do that? Well…” he thought on it for a moment, but truthfully, at first, he wasn’t sure why he did it. He gave her a thoughtful look, almost sizing her up as he tried to figure out exactly why he had decided to play her his music box. He stared into those suspicious eyes of hers, then at her dirty face, then down to her clothes which looked as though they could use some washing, and then at her shoes which were barely shoes at all. The answer came was slow to dawn on him, but he soon had it.

“Because I wanted to!” He rose his shoulders slightly, shrugging at the girl, a bright and cheerful smile on his face. “I-uh…huh, well!” He began to try and search for the right words to properly convey this idea to the girl. It was so hard to get the right words. He cleared his throat once and began again. “I saw you and just wanted to play you my music box! I made it myself and wanted to share it.” He tilted his head at her, blinking once. That glance she was giving him made him a bit anxious. “Did you-uh-like it? Was it good?” He blinked again, then a realization hit him. “Oh! Right! I’m sorry!”

He quickly grabbed the satchel that had been placed back at his side and swung it around to his front. He opened the unlatched cover and began to dig through it. “I’m so sorry! I should’ve done this first! I got distracted and didn’t even think about it!” He seemed panicked, almost a bit scared as he hurriedly searched through the satchel, the gears and parts clanging and clinging together more erratic than before. Finally, he found the treasure he was looking for! He pulled out a medium sized loaf of bread that was both going to be for lunch and for some birds. With a small grunt he broke the bread into two pieces, measured each of them, then gave the larger of the two pieces to the girl. If she refused to take it, he’d just dust off a cobblestone and set the bread down there.

“Sorry, you’re probably hungry! I should’ve given you this first! Oh! And I think I have some jam!” He began searching through the bag again, looking for a small glass jar of jam which was obviously secured in a side pocket of the satchel, sticking out slightly for anyone to see. Anyone except Boston, who had missed it entirely and was instead jingling through the parts and gears searching for the tasty treat. “Sorry!” He laughed nervously, apologizing once again, for the fourth time. “I know it is in here somewhere! Just give me a minute! After we eat I would love to hear what you thought of my music box! What I could do to make it better.” He looked up at her again, smiling that kind and cheerful smile that seemed to be usual expression.

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Sednai
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:04 am
Topics: 10
Race: Human
Occupation: Resistance
Location: The Stacks
: "Cypress"
Character Sheet: Character Sheet
Plot Notes: Plot Notes
Writer: Quix
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Contact:

Thu Jul 05, 2018 5:12 pm

Roalis 51, 2703
Compassion from a stranger was everso foreign to Sednai. She could vaguely recall the friend she had made across the fence at her master’s house, but this was something new. In the affluent neighborhoods, children were taught altruism and compassion; on the streets, they were taught to trust no one and help only those who could help them. The tense suspicion in Sednai’s body visibly relaxed as if her puppeteer had suddenly let go of her strings. The boy before her was so young and hopeful, his eyes not yet dulled by the dust of the streets. Throwing caution to the wind, Sednai hoped he wasn’t trying to trick her, but, deep down, she knew he was genuine. Tentatively, she smiled a close smile, and the muscles of her face that smiled rejoiced as they were put into motion. Sednai opened her mouth to thank the boy, to praise his work, but in an instant he was off rambling again. Her smile grew. She had lacked such attention from another for so many months that she had forgotten how it felt to matter as a human, not as an asset.

Sednai watched curiously as the boy dug frantically into his bag. She stacked her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands, and waited. She windrrrd what other worlds and wonders were in his satchel. With what she had witnessed, she was sure they were absolutely astounding. She was slightly taken aback when, instead of a glimmering trinket, he produced a loaf of broad. Her stomach murmured as she watched him break it, and she realized just how hungry she was. She took the offered piece greedily, but, as much as her stomach argued, she would not eat any until he ate some— or, as she listened, until the mentioned jam was on the bread. She had nearly forgotten the simple luxury of the sweet fruit preservatives she hadn’t tasted in ages.

She watched him rifle through the bag, her digestive organs growing impatient as she held the bread, so tantalizingly fulfilling, in her dirty hands. As he moved the bag, the glimmer of a jar from the side pouch of the bag caught her eye. A single glimpse of the purple-red ambrosia told her hungry eyes all they needed to know to identify the jam. Sednai pushed herself off the step and farther into the quiet street with the boy, plucking the jam from the bag and, after carefully moving the music box to a safer perch, sat back on the stone street just on the other side of the boy’s bag. She held the small jar out for him to take and readjusted her long legs— her cricket legs, as she thought of them— so as to sit in a more ladylike fashion with her brown legs tucked to her side under her yellow dress.

Sednai wouldn’t begin to eat her bread until she had jam and until the boy had taken his first bite. She was hungry, however, and ate quietly and quickly. After devouring her bread, Sednai turned her attention back to the boy. Her self-constructed walls of social and emotional protection had reduced themselves from 100-foot spikes with heads on the points to friendly white picket fences just tall enough to keep a yapping dog inside.

I can hardly believe you made that box yourself,” she said after dusting the bread crumbs from her hands. “That’s just about the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.” It was true, and she hoped the boy believed her. It was second only to a few Vienda sunsets.

It was like you shut a singing fairy in there, and sprinkled it with golly magic. Like…” she struggled to find a proper simile. “...it was like someone put a curtain over the stars a whole hundred years ago, and you removed it, and I saw the stars for the first time.” She pointed to the sky and imagined what it would be like to see the sprinkled snowflakes of winter stars for the first time.

Does any of that explain it? I don’t know any other words that could describe what you made. Maybe if I was smarter, but, I don’t think it gets better than that, mister. You don’t have to change a thing about that pretty little box,” she concluded, stumbling through her jumbled thoughts and hoping he had kept up. She had never been good at language, but she only wished her face could fill in the spaces her voice was missing.

BURNED, NOT BURIED.
User avatar
Boston Brilliant
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 10:04 am
Topics: 4
Race: Human
Character Sheet: https://anaxasdiaries.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=228
Plot Notes: [url=http:/fullurl/]Plot Notes[/url]
Writer: Nate
Post Templates: [url=http:/fullurl/]Post Templates[/url]

Wed Jul 18, 2018 1:51 am

Roalis 51, 2703
A sudden, surprised grin grew upon Boston’s face as he saw her produce the jar of jam he sought after. Letting out a small, nervous laugh, feeling a bit embarrassed about missing the jar to begin with, he reached for it, and popped it open. Using a small knife, he took out a small smidgen of the tasty jam and spread it thinly across his relatively fresh loaf of bread. Once he was all done he passed over the jam to the girl, a bright smile on his face as he did so. He would wait for her to finish spreading jam on her loaf before actually starting his. He was always told, at least by Belle, that it was impolite to start without making sure everyone was ready to eat.

As he chowed down on his loaf he watched her eat, his eyes gazing at her curiously. She was a fast eater, that or she was just very hungry. The thought of that made his stomach churn a bit. The thought that someone could just leave a kid out on the street to starve was…it wasn’t something that he wanted to think of. At least she had this now. She had this bread right now and hopefully that would be enough. That’ all he could really do for her, just smile, give her some bread, and play a tune on that music box. In the long run it may not be a lot, but it was something in the moment and maybe that moment would matter…

After they had finished eating Boston couldn’t help but beam proudly at her comments. The idea of trapping a fairy in a box made him laugh in a cheerfully playful way. The construction of the box was something so simple, but it had turned out to be something incredibly magical to this girl. It surprising to see how the little things could make people think in such whimsical ways. He gave a small nod to her. “Yep! I did make it myself! Took me a really long time, at least three weeks to get it all together!” He spoke in a very satisfied tone. “Had to use what we had around the shop, but I put together the spurs that actually play the song. I also ordered the custom key! I thought a nice floral design would suit it kinda nice. I think? I just wanted something nice to go along with my first invention!”

He had to think for a few more moments on that last thing she said. Pulling the curtain off the stars? He would have never thought that any of his inventions would have earned such a comment or praise. It was beyond bliss to hear something like that. Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming and he just had to sit there, think on it, and grin like an idiot (Something he was very good at.). She didn’t have that look on her face, but those words…those words hit Boston with a certain force that he felt like he was knocked back a bit. Like some great wind just pleasantly blew by him. Finally, he let out a small laugh. “Yeah…I think that does make sense?” He wasn’t sure of himself when replying, but that felt like the right answer. “It was something new and wonderful, I think is what you’re saying? And if it was as amazing as the stars…heh…” He could feel a tear welling up his eye which he quickly rubbed away. Couldn’t let anyone see him crying, that would only make him cry more.

He took another moment to just continue to digest her comment and then it hit him. “Oh! No no no! You’re plenty smart! You look smart and you look like you’ve been out here awhile. You must’ve had to be smart to have made it this far.” He grinned happily at her. “You’ve probably got loads of smarts up in ya!” He chuckled brightly again, not at her, but just a happy laugh. After a second of that he let out a laugh and slowly extended his hand to the girl. “I didn’t give you my name yet, did I?” His smile softened up and he looked at her with those two bright shining eyes. “My name is Boston Brilliant, one day I’m gonna be the best inventor ever.” He nodded confidently at her, a spark of determination firing in his eyes. He tilted his head at her. “What’s your name? What do you want to do?” He would keep his arm stretched out until she met it. “I’m sure whatever it is, both your name and what your goal is, it’s amazing in some way!”

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Sednai
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:04 am
Topics: 10
Race: Human
Occupation: Resistance
Location: The Stacks
: "Cypress"
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Writer: Quix
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Thu Jul 19, 2018 1:38 am

Roalis 51, 2703
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"With a name like Boston Brilliant, I'd sure believe you'd be the best inventor the world has ever seen. Especially if your very first invention is as amazing as this music box," Sednai complimented him with a grin as she took his hand in her own, dirty one. "When you're off in the world and famous, be sure to send me some letters of your inventions. It'll have to be pictures, though; I can't read much." She released his hand after a few vigorous shakes.

"My name is Sednai Igaluk," she exclaimed proudly. She had given herself the carefully chosen name after she had been shunned by her mother, a name that she thought of as her rebirth name, her phoenix name. She hadn't introduced herself much with the name, it was so new, and even fewer times was she given the chance to explain. "Sednai means 'big, bad woman,' and Igaluk means 'all-powerful,'" she added, motioning to the small muscles of her twiggy arms as she did so before inquiring, "Do you like it? I named myself."

Whatever his response, the proud smile on her face would remain, and she'd continue to field his questions with a passion alight in her hopeful eyes, a light that had been burned out for years. "There are a lot of things I want to do, Boston," she began, testing his name on her tongue. "None are nearly as exciting as being the best inventor in the world, but I like them. I want to learn to read and write real well so that when you send me those letters, I can surprise you with a letter I wrote myself with the greatest grammar and words and form."

"Once I learn to read, I want to write Fahlo, the boy who used me to take all my money, a real nasty letter with terrible words to make him feel right bad about what he did, so he'll feel sorry. I'll forgive him, of course, if he gives me my coins back. With my coins, I want to find out where the mines are that they take the bad servant children to, and I want to find my friend, Wikus. I want to hold onto his hand and tell him it's okay and that I won't let him get taken away. Then we'll plan our escape and find a place for humans to live all happy and free-like," she sighed whimsically, remembering nostalgically the friend she had lost, a mix of sadness and happiness playing across her daydreaming face as she thought both of his pain and the joy they'd feel in their reunification.

"When I find Wikus and a place safe for humans, we'll go find other humans and bring them with us to be safe and happy. Then we'll try to make the places that aren't safe better, so that everyone can feel the happiness we feel, and feel safe, and warm inside, like they can achieve anything they want. We're gonna be heroes, Wikus and me. You're gonna hear our names all over the place. They'll have articles about me saving everyone, and you making the most amazing inventions anybody's ever seen right beside each other on the papers one day, man, you just wait," she shook her head as she finished dreaming, visualizing the articles in the paper with her hands in the air.

As hopeful as Sednai was, there was always a lingering fear of everything falling around her. She, of course, had a second plan. She would go back to being a house servant and save every damned coin she received. She would work to find Wikus whether he was dead or alive. She'd kill the bastard who killed him if he was dead, but she'd apologize until the world ended if he was somehow alive. Fahlo, the clocking fool... she'd find him and sock him right in the gut and take his coins, then forgive him. No matter what happened or who she found along the way, however, Sednai was determined to make life for humans better, even if it was just one human, even if she died trying, she would make the biggest difference she could and the biggest effort she could without the help of magic or gods or whatever else the galdori had on their side.

"I guess one day I may want to meet up again with a world famous inventor and ask him to a lunch of bread and jam, too, if he doesn't forget me," she smiled at Boston before reaching for the discarded music box and twisting the key a few more revolutions, absolutely mesmerized once again.

BURNED, NOT BURIED.
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Boston Brilliant
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 10:04 am
Topics: 4
Race: Human
Character Sheet: https://anaxasdiaries.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=228
Plot Notes: [url=http:/fullurl/]Plot Notes[/url]
Writer: Nate
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Thu Jul 26, 2018 6:42 pm

Roalis 51, 2703
There was a certain new life that Boston saw in the girl’s eyes. To him she didn’t seem as despondent or as dirty or as poor. The more and more she talked the more Boston could see a certain form of brilliance to her. Despite all this girl had endured she still managed to be so kind and say such wonderful things about him. It made him feel…lighter? Like there was an air in him that made him float. It wasn’t that it was rare for Boston to experience kindness, but kindness from someone who had been through a long rough patch was…touching.

The idea of sending her letters despite her inability to read was somehow even more endearing then previous compliments to him. She was willing to go as far as to learn how to read and write to stay in contact with him. Well, maybe not just for him, but the notion was there and that was touching enough. At the end he finally nodded at her. “Yeah! The name is great! It fits you perfectly!” He exclaimed brightly, a smile just as bright on his face. While she didn’t look like a physical force to be reckon with she had her personality which was strong enough, much stronger than most people Boston had met.

As went on the name she had given herself only seemed more and more fitting. She was a strong girl and had big dreams, big goals! Well, wanting her money didn’t seem like a huge goal, it was honestly kind of silly to Boston, but wanting to write to her ex-friend and willing to forgive him was something that was very strong, at least in a different sense of the word. Gathering up the other servants and her old friend was another goal that only accentuated her strength. At to wrap it all up in a nice neat bundle she wanted to make a community where they could all live together, be free, and be happy. It was an amazingly beautiful and strong goal, and it was all coming from such a frail form, which only seemed less frail as she spoke. She seemed so big and large, like she was on top of the world. Boston had to blink a few times, trying not to get blinded by the mental image he had associated with her.

At the end of it all, all Boston could do was shake his head, not even aware of how bright and proud his smile was as he looked at her. “No! You don’t have to worry about that at all.” He closed his eyes and pointed a thumb into his chest. “Boston Brilliant never forgets a face of a friend.” He looked at her, now nodding at her. “I’ll be happy to share a lunch of bread and jam with such a strong leader!” He leaned forward a bit, though still a good distance from her. “Speaking of! You chose a great name for your goals! It’s a strong name, a name of a leader.” He spread his hands out wide, like he was doing some sort of presentation. “It’s a name people can rally under and look up to! It’s a name of someone who is super caring and loving!” He nodded again. “You’re gonna achieve your dreams one day, I know it!”

He leaned back to where he originally was and picked up his music box, beginning to fiddle with the key in socket, turning it a bit, but not removing it or setting it to play again. “I honestly do believe that…” He said, still smiling, but now his voice was beginning to trail off as he started to tinker with the box. He looked over the gears in the top of the box, closing one eye to try and make sure everything was still where it should be and no gear got knocked out of place during the show. “Though…something like that isn’t easy, at least…I don’t think it is? Stuff is hard! Like this music box.” Still not looking up from it he tapped it twice with his knuckles, a small tinking sound emanating from it. “It’s hard, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth the effort!” He pulled the key out of the box and leaned over to his bag, looking in it now. After a few quick moments of digging he pulled out a small bit of yarn, it was a decent size, not too long, not too short. He quickly tied it around a loop in the key and held it out in front of him, checking it over. “I know some days you may want to give up, well, maybe. I know there were a lot of moments when I wanted to give up on this box, but I managed to pull through it and actually do it.” He began to tie to loose ends of the yarn into a small knot, making a loop out of the yarn. Now the key almost looked like a necklace, a necklace with a shitty yarn rope. He set the key on top of the box and placed the box in both of his hands which he kept on his lap. “So…I was thinking about it…” His voice began to trail again, now looking off to the side, putting a lot of thought into whatever he was doing.

He had put so much work into his box. Love, sweat, tears, also gears and the actual stuff you are supposed to put into music boxes. He had loved this box, it was one of his few prized possessions and the choice he was thinking on was…was not one that he was fully sure of doing. He thought back to the woods and Belle and how he had been so sad and alone and crying and weak…and all of that. Then he thought of the music that came after it and where it led him, all up until this moment. It was obvious what he had to do.

His smile softened and extended him arms towards Sednai, holding the box out to her, the key still resting on its top. “So! Whenever you have a moment like that, whenever you think you’re gonna give up on your goals I want you to play this box! Play the song and remember your goals and all the strength ya have and I don’t want ya to give up on it!” He nodded again for the third time. “Play this and remember to keep going forward with your goals! Cause-uh-I’m rooting for you!” He’d leave his arms outstretched, looking at her with kind, determined eyes and a soft smile, waiting for her to take the box from him.

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Sednai
Posts: 66
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2018 8:04 am
Topics: 10
Race: Human
Occupation: Resistance
Location: The Stacks
: "Cypress"
Character Sheet: Character Sheet
Plot Notes: Plot Notes
Writer: Quix
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Contact:

Fri Jul 27, 2018 6:36 pm

Roalis 51, 2703
Whatever doubts that had consumed Sednai melted away as she heard Boston's genuine belief in her cause. Her smile grew as a warm and comforting confidence grew in her belly and darkened her cheeks. She shook her head slightly, catching Boston's eyes in her own.

"I'm going to achieve my dreams, and so are you," she reassured yearningly. "If you ever need my help with an invention, I'll be sure to help, even if I can't do much. I can hand you tools." She laughed at her own inexperience. Truly, the girl hoped that she could keep in contact with Boston. He was kind and interesting and reassuring, three things she had rarely found in the few friendships she had held.The three traits weren't only rare, however; they were traits that could help her succeed, help her reach her dreams. She wanted to offer that same help to Boston and encourage the aspiring inventor to reach his own dreams, for, even if she couldn't reach her dreams, knowing that she had helped someone else reach theirs would taste just as sweet.

Her smile faltered as she watched him hand the music box towards her. She looked in confusion at the box, then in shy shock as her eyes crawled to his beaming face. She wouldn't lie, wouldn't pretend that she "couldn't take it," as she had heard adults say many a time when offered some great gift, but, as she watched the box in his hand, she hesitated. She simply couldn't believe that she was being offered such a gift. She had never had anything as beautiful, especially not something so beautifully made by a real inventor. Everything she had ever owned was either crudely handmade or handed down to her from someone older.

She reached her fingers out timidly and lifted the small music box from his hands gingerly as if she were removing a board from the foundation of the house and hoping the whole house wouldn't topple down upon her. The metal of the box was sun-warmed and smooth in her hands, just as it had been before, but, this time, slightly different. This time the box was hers, and would remain so. She set the box down on the cobblestones and lifted the threaded key off of it. She pulled it over her head to wear it like a necklace, straightening the whole ordeal out so that the knot lay at the back and the key dangled down her chest proudly like some medal she had won in war.

Without warning, Sednai propped herself onto her knees and reach forward in one swift motion, wrapping her arms around the small boy before her in a warm hug.

"Thank you," she whispered before letting him go. She settled back onto the cobblestones, picking the box up off the ground and turning it carefully in her hands. "'I've never owned anything as nice as this. This means so much to me, I can’t even begin to tell you.” She beamed at him, a mix of ecstasy, gratefulness, and pure happiness twinkling in her brown eyes. To be deemed worthy enough to receive such a gift was nearly a second gift in itself. Especially his first invention- she brought the music box to her chest, clutching it there with a small smile playing across her lips. Her shoulders dropped in a happy sigh as she looked up into Boston’s grin.

“I wish I could give you something in return,” she mentioned, biting her lip in thought as she brought the music box to rest in her lap. “I haven’t got anything to give, though. Except words, I hope they’ll be enough for now.”

Her face scrunched slightly as she thought carefully over what she’d like to communicate. She swelled to inhale all the air that would be necessary for her speech.

“Boston Brilliant,” she began nobly, “you have my word that I will always be your friend, and help and encourage you in becoming the world’s most splendid inventor. That is, if you accept my help and friendship.”

“It’s a rather good deal,” she added with a smile and a shrug.
Last edited by Sednai on Mon Aug 20, 2018 2:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

BURNED, NOT BURIED.
User avatar
Boston Brilliant
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2018 10:04 am
Topics: 4
Race: Human
Character Sheet: https://anaxasdiaries.com/viewtopic.php?f=79&t=228
Plot Notes: [url=http:/fullurl/]Plot Notes[/url]
Writer: Nate
Post Templates: [url=http:/fullurl/]Post Templates[/url]

Fri Aug 17, 2018 12:54 am

Roalis 51, 2703
Boston watched her take the box with eager eyes and, it was strange…it wasn’t joy that touched Boston in that moment. In that moment he felt a bit sad, sad to see all of his hard work just go away into the hands of someone he had just met. He didn’t let that sadness touch his face, but part of him wondered if this move…this decision was the right one. He had spent weeks on it, he had put so much time and effort into it, it was his own original song, it was more than all of that! It was his. It was his to begin with and he just gave it away. Was this really the life of an inventor? To give away something you loved so much to strangers? This feeling that delve deep into Boston’s fibers ate at him, it filled him with this feeling of sadness and anger. It was such a bitt-

And then she pulled him into that embrace. That cold sadness, that anger he had started to build…it all just…melted away. It was a warm hug that filled him with a new feeling, a new sense about the situation. It still wasn’t happiness or joy or anything like that. It was an odd feeling he could not put his finger on. He desperately searched his head for a right word for it, but none came to him. It wasn’t love or pride, it wasn’t anger or sadness or any of those emotions. It just felt…good. It wasn’t something he liked and it just…just…he just didn’t have words to describe it. It wasn’t until her words touched his ears that he came back to himself, shaking off these feelings of unsure, but pleasant emotions, emotions he wouldn’t quite understand for weeks to come, still trying figure it all out in his head.

He felt her pull away and did the same, a soft and grateful smile upon his mug. He, at first, couldn’t think of anything to say. He was just…overjoyed with these emotions. He wasn’t sure if this was the feeling that Belle told him about, but it was something that would stick with him, a warm feeling that would stay with him until his last days. He finally processed what she had finished saying and laughed, trying to break the awkward silence he obviously caused by processing her kind gesture.

One of his hands went to the back of his head and scratched at it while the other waved dismissively at his new friend. “Ha…Don’t worry about it.” He shook his head at her, letting both of his hands drop into his lap. “You don’t need to get me anything, I’m just glad you’re happy with it. Don’t lose it or anything now! I worked super hard on that! And if it breaks, don’t worry, it’s an easy fix. Probably just needs a gear or some tightening, if you’re ever around you can try to find me at my mom’s store, Belle’s Brilliance! Just ask around and you’ll find it! If not, then you can probably find someone who can fix it up for you for cheap!” He nodded at her, grinning widely.

At her proposition of a deal he laughed again, bringing his left hand to his mouth. He extended his free hand towards her and nodded. “Yes! I think I will have to take you up on that deal! Being friends with me has some perks to ya know!” He sniffed once, trying to seem confident and prideful. “I can usually get some bread and jam, plus I can make and repair things for you! I come with quite a few perks!” Whether she shook his hand or not, he’d pull it back and rest it in his lap. “And I could always use more help in the future, right now I am still learning and probably shouldn’t use your help right now. Mom says if I get too much help with something I won’t learn how to do it.” He nodded again, this time somewhat more sagely, like he was passing on some great wisdom. “Mother always says, to truly learn to do something ya gotta do it yourself or you’ll never be doing it for yourself.” He looked a bit sheepish for a moment as he finished, not actually sure if that’s how her quote went, but it would do for now.

Slowly, Boston stood back up and extended a hand down to the girl. “Alright! I think I should get back home or else mama will call the guards on me.” He giggled a bit but tried to remember the time she actually had them do that. “I’ll try to find you again around the street! I’ll bring more food and maybe one of the other things I’ve been working on, if that’s alright with you?” He gave a soft shrug. “And if you’re not around, then, well…I suppose I will have to make do with waiting! You’re worth it, especially now that we’re friends!” If she was standing this time Boston would move in for a hug, bringing her into a soft, but warm embrace. He’d then lean in and whisper his own message. “Thank you very much and stay strong. It’s a good feature, I like it.” After the hug, if they had it, Boston would pull away and nod at her one last time. “Be sure to take care of yourself! You gotta do amazing things in the future!”

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