Towsday: Sight Or Sound
Given the rather horrible choice, would you rather lose your sense of sight, or your hearing? Why?
"Hmmmm." Melanie put a finger to her mouth and looked painfully thoughtful. "If I had to choose, I guess I would say deaf." She looked across the porch to wear Rat was sitting and smoking his cigarette. "Like you said, I could probably live in a world without sound better than a world of darkness. I could learn to lip read pretty easy, I guess. Braile on the other hand? Yeah, right. And I wouldn't be able to drive! Or shop! Or go to the movies!"
Rat laughed. At 18 years old, Melanie had finally just gotten her license and her entire world revolved around the ability to drive. She didn't have a car yet and still relied heavily on Roslyn and the others to get from point A to point B, but the ability to be able to drive was exciting enough for her. He flicked a bit of ash off of his cigarette and as he did so he noticed Dominic starting up the walk towards the door. No doubt returning from his ventures into town that morning. A smirk broke out over Rat's face. "Heya, Nicky!" He called out. "Which would you rather give up? Your sight or your hearing?"
"What?" Dominic came to a stop at the foot of the porch stairs. He looked at Rat strangely. It was a mixture of bemusement and annoyance, a look Rat had gotten very used to receiving.
"It's an either/or situation." Melanie piped up as she leaned over the porch rail towards Dominic. "Rat and I both said deaf. What about you?"
"Is this seriously what you do on your time off?" Dominic raised a brow at the both of them.
"C'mone, Nickey." Melanie stuck her lower lip into a playful pout. "Humor me."
"Yeah, Nickey." Rat teased. He handed the priest a cigarette from his pack. "Humor her."
Dominic took the cigarette and then the lighter that was offered next. "Deaf, too." He stated as he lighted up, "that why I don't have to listen to the both of you."
Melanie frowned deeply at him, the playful pout gone, "c'mone, be serious, Nick."
"What makes you think I'm not?" Dominic looked up at her. What he got in response was a hurt expression. He sighed and took a drag off of the cigarette and let out a puff of smoke before he answered her in earnest. "My sight, I guess."
"Your sight?" Rat repeated confused.
"Wouldn't that mean you couldn't be an Oracle anymore?" Melanie asked quizzically. She folded her arms on the porch's old railing and leaned heavily against it. "I mean, don't you have to be able to see to have visions?"
"No." Dominic released another puff of smoke as he shook his head slightly. "Visions have nothing to do with our eyes. What we see is what the Veil shows us we see with our minds. I've met blind Oracles. Its not common, but they're out there." He took a drag.
"Ironic." Rat mused.
"Blind Oracles actually are quite powerful." Roslyn had appeared in the doorway. She had her hands wrapped around a coffee mug and was leaning against the door frame watching the three of them.
"What do you mean?" Melanie asked looking over her shoulder at her.
"Its a matter of Balance." Roslyn told her as she stepped out onto the porch. "In order to have that kind of power something must be given up in exchange. For most giving up their sight is trivial considering that the Veil will still allow them to 'see' in another way."
"Does that happen a lot?" Rat asked Dominic.
Their Oracle shrugged his shoulders. "It isn't exactly a choice," he said. "Some become that powerful and some don't. It depends on the Oracles ability and skill."
"Will you?"
Dominic gave him an odd sort of smirk, letting smoke billow out through his nose, "Maybe. If I don't loose my mind or my body doesn't give out first."
Melanie made a horrible face and a noise to go along with it. "I hate it when you talk like that, Nickey."
"That isn't something you can control, Melanie." Roslyn placed a gentle hand on her shoulders as she passed her. "So there is no sense in worrying about it." She came to the top of the porch stairs looking down at the two young men below her. "If I were given the choice I'd give up my sense of smell." She smirked at him, "not having to smell both of your second hand smoke would be a sacrifice, but one I'd be willing to give."
"Hmmmm." Melanie put a finger to her mouth and looked painfully thoughtful. "If I had to choose, I guess I would say deaf." She looked across the porch to wear Rat was sitting and smoking his cigarette. "Like you said, I could probably live in a world without sound better than a world of darkness. I could learn to lip read pretty easy, I guess. Braile on the other hand? Yeah, right. And I wouldn't be able to drive! Or shop! Or go to the movies!"
Rat laughed. At 18 years old, Melanie had finally just gotten her license and her entire world revolved around the ability to drive. She didn't have a car yet and still relied heavily on Roslyn and the others to get from point A to point B, but the ability to be able to drive was exciting enough for her. He flicked a bit of ash off of his cigarette and as he did so he noticed Dominic starting up the walk towards the door. No doubt returning from his ventures into town that morning. A smirk broke out over Rat's face. "Heya, Nicky!" He called out. "Which would you rather give up? Your sight or your hearing?"
"What?" Dominic came to a stop at the foot of the porch stairs. He looked at Rat strangely. It was a mixture of bemusement and annoyance, a look Rat had gotten very used to receiving.
"It's an either/or situation." Melanie piped up as she leaned over the porch rail towards Dominic. "Rat and I both said deaf. What about you?"
"Is this seriously what you do on your time off?" Dominic raised a brow at the both of them.
"C'mone, Nickey." Melanie stuck her lower lip into a playful pout. "Humor me."
"Yeah, Nickey." Rat teased. He handed the priest a cigarette from his pack. "Humor her."
Dominic took the cigarette and then the lighter that was offered next. "Deaf, too." He stated as he lighted up, "that why I don't have to listen to the both of you."
Melanie frowned deeply at him, the playful pout gone, "c'mone, be serious, Nick."
"What makes you think I'm not?" Dominic looked up at her. What he got in response was a hurt expression. He sighed and took a drag off of the cigarette and let out a puff of smoke before he answered her in earnest. "My sight, I guess."
"Your sight?" Rat repeated confused.
"Wouldn't that mean you couldn't be an Oracle anymore?" Melanie asked quizzically. She folded her arms on the porch's old railing and leaned heavily against it. "I mean, don't you have to be able to see to have visions?"
"No." Dominic released another puff of smoke as he shook his head slightly. "Visions have nothing to do with our eyes. What we see is what the Veil shows us we see with our minds. I've met blind Oracles. Its not common, but they're out there." He took a drag.
"Ironic." Rat mused.
"Blind Oracles actually are quite powerful." Roslyn had appeared in the doorway. She had her hands wrapped around a coffee mug and was leaning against the door frame watching the three of them.
"What do you mean?" Melanie asked looking over her shoulder at her.
"Its a matter of Balance." Roslyn told her as she stepped out onto the porch. "In order to have that kind of power something must be given up in exchange. For most giving up their sight is trivial considering that the Veil will still allow them to 'see' in another way."
"Does that happen a lot?" Rat asked Dominic.
Their Oracle shrugged his shoulders. "It isn't exactly a choice," he said. "Some become that powerful and some don't. It depends on the Oracles ability and skill."
"Will you?"
Dominic gave him an odd sort of smirk, letting smoke billow out through his nose, "Maybe. If I don't loose my mind or my body doesn't give out first."
Melanie made a horrible face and a noise to go along with it. "I hate it when you talk like that, Nickey."
"That isn't something you can control, Melanie." Roslyn placed a gentle hand on her shoulders as she passed her. "So there is no sense in worrying about it." She came to the top of the porch stairs looking down at the two young men below her. "If I were given the choice I'd give up my sense of smell." She smirked at him, "not having to smell both of your second hand smoke would be a sacrifice, but one I'd be willing to give."