November 29, 2008
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YACAS 15-16
I love this icon, but it's too big to really fit anywhere...
Kipoo was curious about the man that had come to him earlier, the dark clothed, but very fair skinned individual didn’t look like the others, and he had never seen anything like him before, nor ever had the base feeling of dread based on the way any of the towns people looked before either. He knew of stories where his ancestors would know, or even Elephante knew, However, he had that feeling, the way the eyes just bore into him, as if he was searching for something that he wasn’t sure he would find, but confident that he knew the answer somewhere. Shaking off the feeling, just trying to get as much distance between them as he could.
In the jungle, very few beasts could even think of attacking an Elephante, or even a group of them, but that man, he could walk into the tribe and have them all trembling, because he just radiated an unknown power that he had never felt before. He had learned that the people here depended heavily on technology instead of magic, which was what the jungle demanded of them, and so they were adept at many kinds. He had learned that they didn’t have a speck of astral magic in them, and those that did were not allowed to use it in accordance with their laws and religion. Was that what this man was trying to get at? He hoped that it wouldn’t mean more trouble for him, as he was having enough of a time trying to recite everything to memory to make sure he didn’t leave out anything of dire importance when he was able to see his tribe again.
He meandered around town, his ten days were almost up, and in two days he would be back in the safety of the tribe, and away from the man who seemed to know something he didn’t, but needed to make sure that he had it right. He instead focused on learning the religion, applaud at some of the teachings and how they believed everything would be alright again. Separated like that, and even have countries that were blessed by either The Priest or The Priestess, didn’t do anything to help that. The Universe created all, would destroy all, and then it would create it all over again. How these people could think that way without a second thought bothered him most of all, and was confident that the tribe would find this just as much scary as it was interesting.
The sounds of the sleeping city lulled him to sleep, the book on his large face, ultimately falling to the floor at some point during the night. He dreamed of home, of when things made more sense and when he didn’t know that there was a world out beyond The Great Water and they weren’t bothered by anything but the rumors of one tribe against another. It was a simpler time, before his tusks even began to grow, and his tent was full of stories not yet read. He missed those days in his dreams, but happy that he was at least able to revisit them at any point of his life.
The bright sun of Flay shining through his window awoke him, as it would have in the jungle, to start the day’s work and help those with their tusks grown in to gather their hunting gear, maybe even going off for a lesson in hunting himself. He had a different mission this day, to avoid any people that he already didn’t like, and defiantly avoid that man that gave him the look of him knowing that he knew something he could use. He rose out of bed, going through morning routines, and went out into the sparsely populated streets, enjoying the feeling of the first rays of light, although the day still dim, at least until Yutr finally appeared in the horizon.
Isabelle was out, sweeping the steps of that accursed church, as usual, although he couldn’t fault her for their people’s beliefs, as it wasn’t her fault, or any of the people’s. He was sure if he was born and raised in this society that he would have similar beliefs as well as similar loyalties and all that. He was happy that he was born an Elephante though, the Universe gave him the long straw of the stack in that pick. He waved a hello to her, the girl enthusiastically returning the gesture. Everything seemed good so far this morning, nothing to indicate that anything was going to go wrong this day.
It started out as much as he had expected to, the crowds being drawn to him like he was the reincarnation of a god. Asking questions that he tried his hardest to answer, although sometimes he found it difficult to do so, but as he understood more of the language, the more and more he was able to answer their questions. There were so many other phrases and words they had no learned! He would have to extend the vocabulary of the tribe if they were to survive as neighbors of each other, but he was confident that they would be able to do it. They hadn’t survived the cruelties of the Home without being intelligent.
He tried to steer away from the areas it had seemed that strange grinning man had frequented, he didn’t want that look again, nor did he want something that would potentially jeopardize his acceptance into this society because of getting involved with the ‘wrong’ people, although he seemed to be respected around town. He wasn’t so sure that he should be getting involved with such things yet, as he had a mission and that was to gain acceptance and to make sure that the people were able to see them as an intelligent species and therefore try not to enslave them, but not see them as a threat either. He was hoping that he was doing a good job of it so far.
“My, my, my,” he heard a voice behind him, Kipoo turning around and seeing it was the man from yesterday, and his servant yet again. “Fancy meeting you today. Lovely afternoon, is it not? I’m glad to see you seem well today. Would you mind me joining your little entourage? Although it seems that most of them have left to do things more important than speak with our newest found neighbor. I have some questions for you, hope you don’t mind, neighbor.”
Kipoo nodded, the children, or he assumed as such since they were with the taller ones and had the look of what he thought they looked like. He found that there was no real way to avoid this, since he was alone, but he thought that maybe if he was careful enough, he could avoid any trouble for his tribe and his current standing. He followed the two into the room that he had for his own as long as he was staying here. The dark man looked around approvingly, as if he was making sure that they had accommodated him properly. At least he was acting like he cared in the least.
“What is that you wanted to ask me,” Kipoo asked, sitting cross-legged on the floor. “It seems to be pressing on your mind, as you make your impression yesterday and have made sure that you have my audience alone today. It must be of a private nature.”
“Very much so,” Clyde responded with a smirk. “We are not from this plane, and there is another that was exiled from our own plane. Your tribe as you call it took a couple of slaves of mine, and when we went to trace the tracks, we found something rather interesting, the fact that your tracks suddenly disappeared. We are not stupid, and have been looking for a loophole in the allowance of astral magic for years, and it seems your kind has found the secret of it. Is it just because the religion binds it or is there something else effecting its usage?”
“Only our most strongest shamans can use it,” Kipoo replied, seeing no harm in telling them. He wasn’t sure if the other’s story was true, but they had stolen from his slaves, and so he thought it be alright if he shared the secret with him. “We rarely use it, and even then the situation must be dire enough for us to deem it worthy to tax them. It is said that the Great Elephante, our greatest ancestor that all of us of my kind descend from, put a barrier around this planet to keep others out, so that we would be able to become great again, and then it would dissipate and we would be able to regain the knowledge that we have once lost.
“I am not sure if that helps or not, but there is very strict limitations, as we could tax them so much that they lose their life while transporting us to even the closest of tribes, and only do such in an emergency. It’s insane to think that we would be able to transport to another planet, or even plane of existence, and so I am sorry that I can’t help you much more than that.”
"That's not a problem at all, in fact, that's more than satisfactory," Clyde smiled, Rowan giving him the same dark smile. "I just wanted to make sure that there was a way, that we had hope of one day seeing our old home. I thank you for you information, neighbor. However, before we discuss anything further, I must say, we never properly introduced ourselves. I am Clyde, and this is my old compliance and for right now butler Rowan. What may I ask is your name, neighbor?"
"I am Kipoo," Kipoo replied with a nod. "I am young, barely having my tusks started growing, but I am very knowledgeable for my age, and know many things that those three times of my age will never fathom. I am here to show that we are not threatening, that we are open for friendship and hopes that one day we will be able to share the Home in peace for years and years."
"Such an admirable cause," Rowan hummed, sitting on the bed. "I mean, I have never thought that such a thing between two such different societies are possible, but I must admire it. I'm sure that you will be able to accomplish your goals, although it may be much more of an uphill battle than you think at the moment."
"I see," Kipoo said, slightly discouraged. "But I will not be deterred."
"Such a good ambassador."
"Back to the subject at hand," Clyde said, stopping the chatting. He wanted to know if there was any way he would be able to witness how these creatures exploited the loophole and maybe even give some tips on how to not have it so life threatening, even less taxing if he was able to figure out what magical mechanisms they were using. It was going to take some study but he was sure that he would be able to figure out with a little work and observation. "How are your shamans allowed to do something such as go from one tribe to another in the blink of an eye? From your explanation it should be practically impossible, but I believe otherwise. I'm sure that there's a small opening, one if I make slightly larger, or even a different way of using magic to bend the space around them. I just need to know so that I will be able to go back home. I promise that your shamans will not be in any danger, nor you, as much can be passed through the word of mouth instead of example. I'm sure that I can learn a lot if I come to your own tribe, although I'm hardly a good will ambassador."
"The best I can offer is to see if I would be allowed to take you in three days when my ten are up," Kipoo said, with an nod, not sure at all if Nukoea would even begin to consider the idea at all. he hoped that the older one would, as he would be deciding factor, or maybe he could try to convince him? He decided not to worry about that until the time came. "It will be then when my tribe members come to retrieve me that I will be able to give you your answer, although I do not know the time that they will come to get me, so my suggestion is to come here early, as to make sure that you catch us before we head back to the tribe and I am able to give my report to the Chieftain."
"That is more than satisfactory," Clyde grinned, turning to let him and Rowan out. "Until three days from now, my neighbor Kipoo. May you spend your next three days productive and learn as much of them as you can. You can't learn everything about them in such a short time, however. I have lived among them for many, many years, generations, and still do not understand their ways fully. I don't think anyone can unless you are able to get into their mindsets."
"Their religion is part of the problem," Kipoo snorted. "I must say, if they are able to let go and embrace the Universe as they embrace their Priest and Priestess."
With another grin, Clyde opened the door and let him and Rowan out, Rowan nodding to Kipoo in goodbye as he shut the door behind him. Kipoo was left alone, wondering if he did the right thing, and tried to convince himself that he did, no matter how much he thought that he didn't.
Clyde was giddy the entire way home, the prospect that they were to be able to return sooner than later excited him, Rowan although thrilled, was not as happy as he perhaps should have been. He didn't trust Kipoo, nor the fact that they were going to be led into the middle of this dense jungle with only Kipoo and those sent to get him as their guides. Although they looked imposing enough, he was sure that something could go wrong, and he needed Clyde to return with him so that the other would be able to return to the throne, to fix the way the world had begun to be. It pained him to think about the state of their home, but there was little he was able to do about it. With a heavy hearted sigh, he followed behind, not able to word his concerns just yet, he didn't need to depress the one that held his destiny and life in his hands.
"Why so quiet," Clyde asked, his voice practically purring with contentment. "We have finally found it, the way we will be able to return home, so that we can be rid of Faolan and those that dare to oppose us. Although, the way we must obtain the information does not thrill me, it's better than searching on our own, don't you think? And to think that we were able to find out before Fairfax, who has been searching much longer than us, since he wanted to make sure that we didn't get there before him, so that he could warn his stupid beast of a master."
"It bothers me that we may be in more danger that we have bargained for, Clyde," Rowan said, looking around the plantation, a little put off that he was angry about this instead of thrilled like Clyde. "If something were to happen, I would have to die first, since that is part of the way my bloodline works, and who would be able to help you if I were to die? Fairfax is no longer good enough to be counted on, and besides that, we will be the only ones that will be going, and therefore there won't be anyone to help. This is a very dangerous situation, Clyde."
"I have my faith in them," Clyde nodded. "You're still new here, so I don't expect you to understand. Things work on a much more peaceful level here, believe it or not. There is rarely malice, unless there is a large social uprising, such as Isabelle is trying to instill in the town. Hence her home was only burned, and not her or her father blamed nor done harm against. This is the way things work here, and with the open acceptance like this, I'm sure that we will be just fine."
He couldn't accept that, for some reason, there was a nagging at the back of Rowan's mind, trying to figure out what it was that had him so on edge, and why he wasn't as trusting as Clyde was. Did Clyde lose his touch? Did the apparently many years here finally take their toll on him? He didn't like to think it, but there was so much evidence that there was something going on, and it was something that he was missing, although he didn't want to admit it. He only nodded, as if only to put Clyde at ease since he really didn't want to make Clyde think that he was just going to fight him the whole way. He just didn't want anything to happen to either of them, their home nation needed both of them alive, well, and arriving in one piece, of which he wasn't so sure would be happening.
"You're still on edge, relax," Clyde grinned, leaning back in his rocking chair, enjoying the cool breeze of twilight. "things will not go as bad if you relax. Sometimes, such beasts can smell fear, or maybe sense it on some subconscious level, and the more uneasy you are, the less trusting they are. It's easier to convince yourself to trust them, so that they will be able to trust you."
"I don't remember you being so trusting," Rowan grumbled. "I can't say that I like it, since there is no way that things like that will be acceptable when we get back. After all, Faolan has made just as many allies as enemies back there, and it's concerning just how much he has fooled the idiots in the councils. It's going to be an uphill battle when we get back there. One that I want you in your best condition for."
Clyde was a little put off by that, but he could guess that he had softened up, which was most likely worrying Rowan. He was surprised that the other man would say such things, but just shrugged it off. It was most likely because of their contract, that Rowan had sworn his life and destiny to him, which was a very serious matter for both of them since it was Rowan's destiny because of his bloodline's curse to find someone to live his life for, while for him, it was something of making sure that his greatest warrior was in top shape to try to make sure his army didn't lose his touch. he had to find a way to make sure that neither of them were harmed, emotionally, physical, mentally, any of that and yet still returned home to try to change things. taking in a deep breath, he stood up, looking at the setting Yutr.
"We will get back one day, and we will be in one piece and in the right mindset to be able to take Faolan and beat him at his own game," he promised. "And we will rule Kensonta once again."
The thought made Rowan smile a bit, like the reassurance actually worked on him and that Clyde really hadn't lost his trust. He almost wish that he didn't doubt him, but the quiet shuffling of feet across the porch surprised him, but it was only Senkora, holding a piece of paper out to Clyde, who read over the contents carefully before pinching the bridge of his nose, not being able to understand how things could go wrong so fast. He sighed, wondering what had Clyde all worried now, but not yet asking, for it wasn't proper for him to act like a superior member of society in the presence of another slave.
"Fairfax is requesting our company at his home this evening, apparently, something has been going amiss there," Clyde growled, getting up. "Get changed into your best, as I will not be belittled by society for not having even my servant to be in rags. We will leave in a few minutes."
With that, Clyde left, Rowan leaving as well, quick to dress in his navy blue uniform, slicking back his hair and making sure that he looked socially presentable. Clyde was in his own blue dress suit, a scowl on his face. Leave it to Fairfax to make a good day go bad like that in the blink of an eye. He followed the other out of the door, onto the path that would take them to Fairfax's home, although it was rarely a good idea to think about going that far out of their way at such an unwelcoming time of day, there was little he guessed that they were able to do, as Clyde apparently had no say in whether he was able to send a reply to why he wouldn't be able to make an appearance at the other's house.
When they arrived, there were dragons all about the plantation, obvious to keep the estate somewhat protected by things that lurked in the darkness while the guests were there and having a grand old time. There was a large group of them, something that rarely happened no matter what the time of day at Fairfax's, but Rowan thinking that it had something to do with his birthday or something like that. He didn't expect it because he finally agreed to Isabelle's father's begging for he and the girl to become engaged, which explained why Clyde was not thrilled about coming to this. It threw a very large complication on their hands, one that they all could honestly do without, especially since Clyde had finally found them all a way home. He was already planning on bringing Senkora, but now they would have to take the righteous minded Isabelle if the two were wed! And what a controversy it would be!
"Congratulations," Clyde said with a grin, trying to hide the fire of hatred he had for this situation that burned in his eyes. "I see that you finally gave into that old loon's begging. Maybe it will make you more relaxed and maybe she will calm down a bit and not think about such dangerous things all of the time."
"I am as thrilled about this as you are," Fairfax growled, only doing so since half of the town backed the old mayor, and the fact that either way he thought about it, Isabelle would grow old and die many, many more years ahead of him, and by then, he planned on already being gone, or even having an 'accident' to make people not suspicious about the fact that he never seemed to age, no matter how much time passed by. "I can't believe that I was thrown into this! However, our life spans are much longer than these people, so it will most likely not be much of a problem if she is able to keep her mouth shut about our little secret. I don't like the fact that I will have to tell anyone else about our situation."
"Yes, it is inconvenient, as I have perhaps found the way back home," Clyde nodded. "It seems that Kipoo and his tribe have a way of using either astral magic or maybe perhaps a different type of magic that we have never heard of nor knew could be untapped to teleport them short distances, although it seems to be taxing on the body and spirit. I plan to go and find out as soon as those that Kipoo had come with come back for him so that I will be able to lead us all back home."
"Figures that I get myself into a social mess and you finally find us a way back," Fairfax spat, trying to keep his cool as there were people around, and all he needed is for the wrong person to overhear the wrong words and they would be exposed to the town, which was something that they all could honestly do without. "However, there is nothing that we can do now."
"Worse comes to worse, we'll take her with us," Rowan suggested, looking at them both. "And let her see what true slavery is, and just how tame that her own world is, and how peaceful it actually is. Although she will most likely never see it again, she will be able to live a peaceful life once and only once Clyde is back in rule."
"Faolan would have most likely made it peaceful by now," Fairfax growled, not believing that they were having this conversation here and now. "And I will not argue about this in such a public setting."
"Agreed," Clyde said, patting Rowan on the back, the other giving him a scathing glare. "now, let us mingle and enjoy the party as much as we can, for there seems to be little else that we are able to do at the moment."
With a nod, Rowan went off to retrieve Clyde a drink, the other walking around, saying hello to some of his acquaintances, avoiding those that he didn't want to see, such as Amelia, who had her entourage with her, always trying to get a sale or a trade of some sort. he had to lay low to avoid her, and he hoped that Rowan stayed away, as the other would most likely be trapped and make them both try to deny that they didn't need a slave of what she had trained them for. However, she seemed in bright spirits anyway, as if thrilled that Isabelle would stop putting her trade in danger, and that she was free to conduct business as had been the practice for thousands of years before.
"Rowan," he heard the woman call, he watched in horror as he was flagged down, and forced to show her the location of his 'master', which didn't bode well for him. With Fairfax becoming engaged, she would have new energies to try to get him a pleasure slave for himself since he didn't seem to have any need for a wife. Sometimes, he wondered just what possessed her to think that everyone needed someone like that in their lives and why she was programmed to think that way. For the moment, he focused on trying to get the hell away from the woman before she was able to bombard him with questions that he wasn't sure he wanted to answer.
"Clyde quit running from me! Boys! Detain him," he heard the shriek, and soon found him faced with four male slaves, and one woman, the others most likely already sold off. "Good job!"
He turned to look at the woman, who was for once all covered and actually within society's standards for once. He sighed, Rowan offering him a shrug and he knew that there was nothing that he was able to do. He just wished that the other had left early instead of staying as late as she did, or even if he never received the telegraph at all. Holding the bridge of his nose, he took in a deep breath, and then showing off his best grin, faced her fully and ready to dodge any offer she had and looking for an opening to try to escape her and her slave's grasp.
"I'm glad that you showed up to support your rival," she grinned, obviously knowing what was going through Clyde's mind. "However, if you thought that you were going to avoid me for the whole of the party, that's much too bad since I planned on staying here or coming over, if just to see your adorable Rowan again."
"As much as you like him, I think that you wished you didn't spend your money on those that you did purchase and instead saved it on trying to get him instead," he grinned, causing the woman to scoff.
"I am very happy with the ones I purchased," she nodded, trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince him. As much as she did enjoy the fact that her house slaves were working harder now, eye candy was never something to be wasted on those that didn't appreciate it. And in her humble opinion, Clyde hardly appreciated it, or liked the female body more than she thought possible. "However, I can appreciate the eye candy sometimes. I have to sell the best ones for the best profit although it always seems like a waste to see them go like they do. Now, speaking of which, what kind do you fancy? By the way you protect your little butler, it seems that you prefer something of the male type."
"Neither my lady," Clyde replied, just trying to look for an opening to get out. He really didn't need to do this at the moment, in fact, if he could have without it being a social disaster, he was sure that he would be able to go home and just avoid this whole thing. But not staying until the formal announcement was made would be social suicide and would mean that he would no longer be as accepted although he lived so far out of town as well as being one of the most profitable of them all. "I don't mind living on my own, and the reason I protect him is because he is not from this planet and I'd rather him not feel insecure about our ways here, so it's more like I have taken him under my wing than anything. If you excuse me, however, I have yet to greet Isabelle, and she is the lady of the evening, don't you think?"
Amelia hated the fact that Clyde was right, that he should go say a hello to Isabelle as this party was partly in her honor and celebration, but she hated that she would have to let her prey go for another time. After all, it was rare for Clyde to come to such things, unless he was forced to, and an even more rare occurrence that she was able to corner him and try to figure out his preference so that she would be able to sell one of her pleasure slaves to him, just so that he would relax a little since the man always seemed a little to uptight to her. But also, it would help her business, as it would be able to be said that everyone except for Vivienne would have both one of her slaves, and make them even more desirable. Everything came down to profit, and it was profit that she was willing to work for.
Clyde had escaped one woman, but had to deal with another. he sought out Isabelle, who was chatting with a few of her followers and even those that were close enough to be called friends. He was amazed on how happy she looked about all this, he was sure that she would have something to say about these kinds of engagements, sprouting garbage about love or something along those lines, but she seemed happy about it. Excusing himself, giving a polite bow, he greeted her, Isabelle eagerly greeting him in return.
"I see you seem to really be excited about this," he said, grinning at her. He received a smile back, making him wonder what in the world must have been going through her mind. Something wasn't right, or at least he thought that something didn't seem right.
"I am excited, to be able to marry the one I have deemed worthy of my hand," she replied. "Papa asked me repeatedly to consider marriage, as it would make my social standing a little more stable and it would allow me to still make my changes without hurting him, even if it is just this plantation." In truth, the fire and violence scared her, and she was trying to stay quiet and small for now, create a friendlier environment to try to make her changes instead of too fast and all at once. She had to be patient, no matter how hard that seemed at the moment to try and do.
"Is something wrong," Clyde asked. "What happened to the Isabelle that believed so strongly that she would let nothing get in her way?"
"I think it'll make it easier on everyone if I don't rush into this social revolution," she replied with a dark grin that rivaled his own. "I plan to make this the first slave free plantation on the island, and therefore, slowly change the way things are done. I will still post my flyers, still hold my meetings with those of the like mind, but this will make it much easier for people to accept it, since I will make it work on an actually plantation instead of giving them theories or ways that it could work. Plus, I must admit, Fairfax isn't half bad looking, and it would be good for me to try to appear settled down at the moment. It would make Papa's heart lighter and easier to accept that I am not letting my cause die so easily."
With a nod, he almost felt a pang of sympathy since if they were still around for the marriage to go through, she would be forced to come with them instead of seeing her pet project to competition, but there were others that could take the reigns from her and run with them. However, this was more of Fairfax’s fault and something he would have to live the rest of Isabelle's days with, which meant that the other man would be even more grievously tortured than he would be, especially if Rowan was right about the state of their home country and the world in general.
"I'm glad that you're not giving up," Clyde grinned. "I wish you two the best of wishes." Which was a curse in itself for Fairfax, which he had to withhold a chuckle since he was out and about. He turned away, to try to lay low and keep away from Amelia, who was most likely still searching for him no doubt. Sometimes he wondered if he would be able to stay away from that woman the entire little party, but made it a point to try his hardest.
"May I have your attention," the Mayor, a tall and bold man of strong features, dark skin, and equally dark short hair said, standing on top of Fairfax's porch, looking over the crowd. "I am pleased to formally announce the engagement between Fairfax and my own daughter, Isabelle, and their consent in the matter. The wedding will take place in one month's time, as we need to get the preparations figured out, but we all would benefit from this happening as soon as possible, as it would allow us all to put the events of the past few weeks behind us."
There were cheers and hoots as the two were allowed to come up, hand in hand. Clyde had to admit that they did go well together, and if they really were staying here for a longer time than they had thought, Fairfax's plan to move on and perhaps tell Isabelle their secret and have her die, knowing that she either changed the world or barely made a dent was a good one, that would never be. No matter who it was, he was going to get home one way or another, and she would have to come along now, leaving everything behind to start again in a new world that accepted slavery as a way of life as well, but wouldn't allow such changes to occur, since as a society, they were no where near ready to face such changes. this added a whole new complication that he really just did not want to deal with now or ever.
"Rowan," he said sternly, clearly angered that the wedding would be happening after he had figured out a way to use the magic to return them home, making the other give him a worried look. "We're leaving." With that Clyde turned away, heading off the property and making his way back home, Rowan behind him the whole way, keeping an eye and ear out for any danger that may have been lurking nearby, and ready to defend Clyde from whatever attacked him. Clyde was broody, and didn't let out his frustrations until he was able to come home, looking over again and again at the research he had complied over the years, turning his rage into hopeful progress.
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