Fate - First Reply Spindly Limbs

[Knox]

He kept his laughter in when it was plain that the mention of sea sickness had made her think otherwise about that mode of transportation. Giving a brief nod to the woman, he set the final one to his odd sense of rest before smacking his hands together as if to knock loose some dust that gathered there.

"The holier than thou always pay well, just never sat well with me to serve them for minor ailments when others are so dearly in need elsewhere." He offered a bit more explanation to his own reason for leaving such a profitable setup.

For his own safety was the true reason, as most even lesser nobles tended to keep fair decent records of their physicians and healers.

"Seeing the world expands ones view of things, broadens the ability to reason and see from a different perspective the different roads that life can take us down. Part of why I enjoy travelling, though incidents such as this you have found yourself in put a much darker shade to the view I suppose." He shrugged before flexing his fingers and giving her a smile. "Your father and I see from a similar perspective then."

Her mention of heritage had him smirking. The ears gave her away, but he had politely held his tongue up to this point.

"Ah, the long lived tend to err on the side of caution. Making practical choices and the like in order to maintain some semblance of control over their surroundings. Though with a human companion, there is a plainly drawn line of her choosing to invite some chaos into her life."

"That and she had an obviously intelligent and driven child to saddle her with a bit more wild than she likely expected to have." He both joked and complimented her in one fell swoop. Bending over, he played the part of older man well, acting as though he had an initial struggle to move the body before slowly moving it over to the first grave.

Knox did not simply throw the body in however, choosing instead to set the body close, crawl into the hole and then drag the body to him and gently lower them down before clambering out himself.

 

[Amelia]

The holier-than-thou were far from Amelia’s favorites. She had been sent on enough errands to their homes that ended up being a case of sunstroke or a lack of hydration to understand that their problems were so disconnected from the rest of the world. There were some good ones that offered a few kind words and smiles, but the feeling that there was something hidden underneath was hard to forget and even harder to ignore.

And it was true, it certainly seemed that Knox and her father agreed on a few points. Amelia was no stranger to the danger, so to speak, but in the end perhaps that was half the appeal. No story that she had ever read was all that interesting when there was no danger involved.

“Thank you.” Amelia said with a grin. “And yeah, I’ve heard two stories of how they meant. Mother says she met father at a seminar on elven biology, found his grasp on the subject to be, uh… Fascinating.” Her head shook as she thrust her shovel into the ground again. “Father on the other hand says that he saved her from a foul beast in the woods. Chopped it in two and I was conceived right there on the spot.”

A brief moment passed as the girl laughed again.

“Either way my mother desperately tries to hide the fact that she finds his ruggedness charming, and my father is a notorious tale-spinner.” Amelia stopped the digging for a second to look at Knox as he lowered one of the bodies into a grave. “I am pretty sure there’s a measure of truth in both stories. I mean, father did get most of his initial experience in the field by being in… Well, the field. He was a medic for monster hunters and other similar characters.”

She looked down at the body and for the first time in a short while that smile disappeared again. Her eyebrows furrowed and she let in another deep breath.

“Not sure what feels more wrong. The fact that I used to talk and laugh with these people less than half a day ago, or the fact I am happy that they are simply dead and not something worse.”

 

[Knox]

She spoke with a grin, showing a sign of warmth with the topic she put in the air. He couldn't help but grin himself as she did so, finding the explanation to indeed be quite humorous at the disparaging difference in details regarding her parent's spark of interest in one another.

"Most welcome, most welcome. As for the difference in tales, I would certainly take them with a skeptical eye. One begs modesty while the other a flare for dramatics. Likely a kernel of truth to both." He forced himself to wheeze as he hauled another body to a grave.

He repeated the process as before, happy to have someone to speak with while he performed the work.

"Yes, as is typical with pairings between elves and humans. Those with longevity tend to gravitate towards the ever present charm that humans burn so gloriously with. With all the time in the world, elves tend to conduct themselves with a grace that is both learned and naturally occurring for them. Preferring to seem aloof from the sometimes graceless acts of we humans, they have a draw to it all the same. A fascination of sorts with the wildness of human tenacity." He spoke with a back and forth tone, almost as though speaking to himself at times.

It was a common theme he had noticed with the elves. Pining for the wild nature of humans, the short lived humans charms like some strange kind of pheromone. It was always fun to watch the delicate elves dance with the rough and tumble humans, falling for one another like a bee and flower in spring and summer.

And like the honey bees made, the children of such unions were sweet and loved by many.

"Ah, nothing more educational than seeing what made the wound and having to stitch it up with a harried hand. Steady hands come from practice, and also shortcuts through practical applications. You should take notes from your father." He lightly chuckled as he crawled out of the grave and watched her as she spoke.

His own brow rose slightly at her words. It was indeed a strange thing, having someone you knew even briefly taken away in the blink of an eye. All that you had learned either becoming moot, or even the grim realization that you would never speak with that person again. That even passing them in the street was never to occur once more.

He had experienced this a number of times, somewhat numb to the dreadful emotion it had first caused him so very long ago.

"In both measures, that feeling is not so much wrong, as it is the realization that this scene is sad. These people had lives. Someone stole their time from them and their loved ones. That is truly wrong, that someone would willingly do such a thing to people simply living their lives." Knox sighed.

It never brought him peace to know that something was killing people. That something more monstrous than he stalked the common people.

Yes, he was a vampire, and occasionally dined on human blood and perhaps an organ here and there. Those he dined on however were typically already deceased, and he took as payment for his services. Blatant disrespect of life however made him loathe whatever had caused that mess.

"I wish whoever has the task of dealing with these further has better luck finding the source of this ill magic."

 

[Amelia]

The way Knox spoke of humans and their ‘glorious burning passion’ was almost poetic. Though Amelia’s collection of notes and writings were still stowed in her satchel she vowed to make a note of it for later usage. For a second she caught herself resting her arms against the shovel as she looked over at the man, seeing him now in a far more interesting light than before. He was interesting before, of course, but something about what he said had struck a chord for her. Mother didn’t like it, said it took her attention away from her studies, but her father had always encouraged it when the family head wasn’t around.

And more so the man spoke with wisdom about their current situation. It wasn’t so much wrong as it was just sad. Although she felt strangely detached from the situation, even Amelia could understand that much.

“On the bright side, we know these things are susceptible to fire.” The girl said and stopped to catch her breath. “Means we know how to kill them should we meet one again.”

Amelia wrapped up her last grave before she stood up from the hole to take a seat. The bruise was sore still, but given that she wasn’t dead there was no reason to complain. Still, she could only do so much before tiring.

“We should be about a half day’s travel on foot from the nearest town, right?” She asked despite knowing the answer. “Any chance I could come with you until then?”

 

[Knox]

Knox nodded with her observation. They were indeed susceptible to fire, as were a great number of things that existed in the world. Fire itself was a chaotic element for both creation and ruin. A link between life and death that heralded itself as both destroyer of the old and bringing of new life.

"Fire it would seem is their undoing. Like a summer wildfire burning the old for the next spring to bring forth new sprigs of life." He spoke with a mix of sadness and joy. "And should we encounter another, one hopes it would be just as readily dispatched."

It would be a terrible thing to have to fight another one. Meaning either yet another grave, or that they were well in the sights of whoever, or whatever had created the things. Likely to be pursued for their perceived slight against their actions of self defense.

"Are you alright?" He nodded to her sitting down. She had a healthy bruise that would likely bloom into an ugly mark later, and possibly cramp some muscles, but nothing that he thought was life threatening as he drug another to their grave.

Her words made him think for a moment, his own sense of directions spinning for a brief time as he oriented himself from his task.

"Correct. And I would most certainly welcome the company whilst travelling. Gets rather, lonely at times." He smiled, carefully laying another to rest. "I am afraid I can be rather prattling though. Comes with advanced age and foolish notions you see."

 

[Amelia]

He kept on giving. Amelia made more notes for the metaphor of summer, fire, and it making space for spring. Though with mental notes being what they were, the details of each thought grew more difficult to remember as more of them began to pile up. Humans have a burning passion for elves, and… Crap, she couldn’t remember at all. Amelia frowned for a second and shook her head before Knox asked her how she was.

“I am fine. Just need to catch my breath.” She said and felt the slightest tinge of guilt spread throughout her body. Knox was older than her and she was leaving all the work to him. It wasn’t a fair workload, even if he looked like he could take care of it well enough himself.

“And prattling isn’t too bad.” Amelia eventually said as he began to talk about his manners on the road. “At least not as long as you are content with a listener more than a talker at times.”

“Loneliness is the biggest reason I don’t enjoy traveling somewhere on my own.” The girl began to touch her bruise. “It’s a bigger risk.”

 

[Knox]

"Very well. Take your time, I witnessed you be thrown. You cannot be feeling completely well after taking such a mighty blow." Knox offered as he pushed himself up. "And do not feel bad. I am quite ready and capable. Old age has yet to take the edge from me."

A not so subtle edge he thought to himself. Thankfully she hadn't questioned him to harshly about his abilities. Granted he already had an excuse for that as well. Magic could after all do quite a lot even when it wasn't seen as a topical thing.

"This is true, though the medical journals I have on me might be of more interest to you in the interim times. I would be glad to lend them to you while we travel in case you wish for a quiet moment from my ramblings." He went ahead and mentioned the books. There was only about six he kept on his person, and all of them he knew inside and out given that he had transcribed them a number of times already to keep the text from fading to dust.

"Some people are never meant to travel the world alone my child. Other's are never meant to be in another's company. Then there are those that do not wish for company yet get it or those that wish for the world to never be void of such a thing and never find any. 'Tis truly a strange thing to both want and throw away." Knox remarked, staring into the stretch of woods beyond them.

"As for danger, that exists in the world no matter where you are. The streets of Alliria, Elbion, Vel Anir. All of them bear the weight of guards every day and yet are still unable to say crime and danger do not exist in their presence. It matters not. Danger always comes around. It is simply a matter of avoiding it as best one can."