{Mage: Tombs} Of Mice and Men
Isaiah Tombs kneeled within the blasted area and said a few quiet words for the men, women, and children the Seers had given in exchange for the Abyssal beast they summoned that had in turn devoured them. He rises to his feet and speaks a few quiet words to his mentor, Vassar.
"I wish for further training.."
"Come when you can. Good work." Vassar had said before turning to leave. Tombs took his leave like a ghost, silently and with little notice from others. He was not completely of their world anymore and he wondered if he was trying to close the gap or widen it with each passing day. As Tombs walked out of the clearing he caught sight of Mouse from the corner of his eye and not for the first time he was thankful for the black goggles that hid his eyes. He closed his eyes and continued to walk. He could keep his face blank of the emotions that would rise within him, but his eyes would often reveal the truth.
Julia always told him he was a rotten liar.
The Moros closed his eyes and bowed his head, the small smile on his lips hidden by his high collar.
He had loved her in life and how brightly she burned. A few years ago he thought he could find that again with Lucky, but he was wrong. The time in the Eternal Twilight had changed him. The prices...
The scarecrow, a demon from the day of the dead, watched as Tombs fell to his knees on the ashen terrain of Stygia writhing in pain. The young man continued to writhe and dry heave till a crow escaped from his mouth, then another, then another, and another. Pieces of his soul, pieces of his heart, the things he valued more than silver or for gold. All the secret desires left untold.
The present returned like a sudden cold rain and he remembered to breathe as the memory of Stygia fluttered to the back of his mind like autumn leaves and ebon wings.
It was unlike him to have such an undisciplined mind, he had been thinking of how his relationship with Lucky had went so poorly. It hurt him to see how much she had changed when he had seen her in Austria, how bitter and angry she was with him after all this time. That was the first time he had met Mouse. The shy girl tried to make excuses for Seven's foul mood and assure Isaiah they really were just in a hurry to eat.
He remembered looking her in the eye, the window to the soul, and he saw so much innocence there, so much light. She was beautiful and intriguing, but he soon found she was as shy as her namesake.
In the days that followed his visit to Austria he would often find his mind returning to the slight young woman who was so uncomfortable around others. Isaiah started wondering why she was so nervous, so afraid and if he could help her. A part of him wanted to leave his post in order to find her and chase away whatever shadows clung to her.
He took the flask of Crazy Bear's moonshine from his pocket and took a drink before he leaned against a tree to rest. The road could wait for a little while. Tombs wanted to think back to the moment that kept the day from being a complete tragedy with the loss of so many souls. It was selfish of him, he knew that.
After the meeting in Austria he finally decided to make a gift for Mouse, happy to have a project that involved creating for the living instead of the dead. The man who carved tombstones and monuments for the dead to keep them company went into the mountains to find the proper stone for his project. It did not take too long with the aid of his Sight to find a piece of warm marble that he decided was perfect for what he intented. Over the next few months he would slowly carve the piece of stone and savoured the peace it brought him. With his power he could have shaped the stone as easily as wet clay, but that would not have been a gift. Tombs could have looked at the stone with his sight to find the most advantagious places to carve or the best amount to preasure to apply to his tools, but that would be wrong to him. Before he became Awakened, before he became an Arrow, he was an artist. The magic he worked to feel the flow of the stone, or anything he placed his hands upon to craft or repair, was a magic that predated Atlantis and belonged to anyone with the wish to honestly create.
As time passed he shaped the piece of marble into a small mouse with its tail curled about it shyly. Tombs had thought of her while he worked the stone. He thought of how she spoke, the momentary blush that touched her cheeks, her expressions, how she tried to hide herself and how it only made her more obvious to him. The necromancer could feel the warmth within the piece as if he had carved it from the days before he Awoke. In those days his teachers had all commented that despite his average skill he had great potential due to the amount of warmth and life he put into the works he was passionate about.
When he travelled to New River Valley to lend whatever aid he could and meet with his mentor, he had brought the small carving with him. When he entered the house the first thing he did was glance at the walls and the corners where she was likely to be standing. He saw her leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and her red hair left down without any thought. She seemed the bookish type, hadn't she said something of the sort briefly when they first met? Tomb's placed his hand within his coat's pocket and felt the reassuring warmth of his gift, not sure what to do next. Mouse had all the careless beauty of a shower of falling autumn leaves and then he was interrupted by another Necromancer for a brief time.
When the conversation was over he looked about once more and saw her sitting at a table, her back to the wall, and talking with another woman who seemed very lively. This other woman seemed to make Mouse relax a little and Tombs took a deep breath wondering how he had found himself back in highschool again. "Do you like me? check yes or no?" He shook his head. He wanted to give her a gift for being so kind to him.
Tombs made his way to them and the two women stopped speaking to look at him. He looked at Mouse and his voice was softer than usual.
"I wanted to give you something for being so kind to me in Austria." He removed the small marble carving and offered it to her. She looked at him, a joy filling her eyes as she took it and a radiant smile touching her face. The smile was so beautiful it was infectious and Isaiah found himself smiling with her. He had made her smile, he had made her happy. He learned the other woman's name was Jou and there was a brilliant light about her. She seemed very full of life, probably an Acanthus, and very friendly. He forgot himself and felt at ease in this woman's presence as well. They talked about how cute the carving was and asked him if he had made it and ofcourse he said yes. He had forgotten what it was like to make something for someone that brought so much joy. He tipped his wide brimmed hat to them both and had wandered off to find Vassar.
He opened his eyes as the memory finished playing itself out and he smiled, though not as brightly as he did with her and muttered softly to himself, "Such a beautiful smile."
"I wish for further training.."
"Come when you can. Good work." Vassar had said before turning to leave. Tombs took his leave like a ghost, silently and with little notice from others. He was not completely of their world anymore and he wondered if he was trying to close the gap or widen it with each passing day. As Tombs walked out of the clearing he caught sight of Mouse from the corner of his eye and not for the first time he was thankful for the black goggles that hid his eyes. He closed his eyes and continued to walk. He could keep his face blank of the emotions that would rise within him, but his eyes would often reveal the truth.
Julia always told him he was a rotten liar.
The Moros closed his eyes and bowed his head, the small smile on his lips hidden by his high collar.
He had loved her in life and how brightly she burned. A few years ago he thought he could find that again with Lucky, but he was wrong. The time in the Eternal Twilight had changed him. The prices...
The scarecrow, a demon from the day of the dead, watched as Tombs fell to his knees on the ashen terrain of Stygia writhing in pain. The young man continued to writhe and dry heave till a crow escaped from his mouth, then another, then another, and another. Pieces of his soul, pieces of his heart, the things he valued more than silver or for gold. All the secret desires left untold.
The present returned like a sudden cold rain and he remembered to breathe as the memory of Stygia fluttered to the back of his mind like autumn leaves and ebon wings.
It was unlike him to have such an undisciplined mind, he had been thinking of how his relationship with Lucky had went so poorly. It hurt him to see how much she had changed when he had seen her in Austria, how bitter and angry she was with him after all this time. That was the first time he had met Mouse. The shy girl tried to make excuses for Seven's foul mood and assure Isaiah they really were just in a hurry to eat.
He remembered looking her in the eye, the window to the soul, and he saw so much innocence there, so much light. She was beautiful and intriguing, but he soon found she was as shy as her namesake.
In the days that followed his visit to Austria he would often find his mind returning to the slight young woman who was so uncomfortable around others. Isaiah started wondering why she was so nervous, so afraid and if he could help her. A part of him wanted to leave his post in order to find her and chase away whatever shadows clung to her.
He took the flask of Crazy Bear's moonshine from his pocket and took a drink before he leaned against a tree to rest. The road could wait for a little while. Tombs wanted to think back to the moment that kept the day from being a complete tragedy with the loss of so many souls. It was selfish of him, he knew that.
After the meeting in Austria he finally decided to make a gift for Mouse, happy to have a project that involved creating for the living instead of the dead. The man who carved tombstones and monuments for the dead to keep them company went into the mountains to find the proper stone for his project. It did not take too long with the aid of his Sight to find a piece of warm marble that he decided was perfect for what he intented. Over the next few months he would slowly carve the piece of stone and savoured the peace it brought him. With his power he could have shaped the stone as easily as wet clay, but that would not have been a gift. Tombs could have looked at the stone with his sight to find the most advantagious places to carve or the best amount to preasure to apply to his tools, but that would be wrong to him. Before he became Awakened, before he became an Arrow, he was an artist. The magic he worked to feel the flow of the stone, or anything he placed his hands upon to craft or repair, was a magic that predated Atlantis and belonged to anyone with the wish to honestly create.
As time passed he shaped the piece of marble into a small mouse with its tail curled about it shyly. Tombs had thought of her while he worked the stone. He thought of how she spoke, the momentary blush that touched her cheeks, her expressions, how she tried to hide herself and how it only made her more obvious to him. The necromancer could feel the warmth within the piece as if he had carved it from the days before he Awoke. In those days his teachers had all commented that despite his average skill he had great potential due to the amount of warmth and life he put into the works he was passionate about.
When he travelled to New River Valley to lend whatever aid he could and meet with his mentor, he had brought the small carving with him. When he entered the house the first thing he did was glance at the walls and the corners where she was likely to be standing. He saw her leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and her red hair left down without any thought. She seemed the bookish type, hadn't she said something of the sort briefly when they first met? Tomb's placed his hand within his coat's pocket and felt the reassuring warmth of his gift, not sure what to do next. Mouse had all the careless beauty of a shower of falling autumn leaves and then he was interrupted by another Necromancer for a brief time.
When the conversation was over he looked about once more and saw her sitting at a table, her back to the wall, and talking with another woman who seemed very lively. This other woman seemed to make Mouse relax a little and Tombs took a deep breath wondering how he had found himself back in highschool again. "Do you like me? check yes or no?" He shook his head. He wanted to give her a gift for being so kind to him.
Tombs made his way to them and the two women stopped speaking to look at him. He looked at Mouse and his voice was softer than usual.
"I wanted to give you something for being so kind to me in Austria." He removed the small marble carving and offered it to her. She looked at him, a joy filling her eyes as she took it and a radiant smile touching her face. The smile was so beautiful it was infectious and Isaiah found himself smiling with her. He had made her smile, he had made her happy. He learned the other woman's name was Jou and there was a brilliant light about her. She seemed very full of life, probably an Acanthus, and very friendly. He forgot himself and felt at ease in this woman's presence as well. They talked about how cute the carving was and asked him if he had made it and ofcourse he said yes. He had forgotten what it was like to make something for someone that brought so much joy. He tipped his wide brimmed hat to them both and had wandered off to find Vassar.
He opened his eyes as the memory finished playing itself out and he smiled, though not as brightly as he did with her and muttered softly to himself, "Such a beautiful smile."