It's a secret

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“It’s good for anyone to have a few secrets…” Sigh retorts, but starts trailing off almost in the middle of speaking, his sentence left nearly unfinished, ended in a mumble. He lifts up a bony hand and strokes at his chin, briefly distracted, but seems to suddenly remember himself and turns to her with a coy grin, fingers still cradling his jaw.

“Anyway.”

The Genasi moves his hand away to give her a dismissive wave, shaking his head a little as they reach the front room. “It’s the Hive- I wouldn’t worry about anything that comes out of there, cutter… What will seem weird to you Primes will be as common as foamjaws in mutts to the Hivers.” He indicates himself with his other hand. “Or as common as common as foamjaws in Hivers.” Sigh snickers at his own statement and turns away to approach the door. “The body’s been collected, no doubt- sans a few teeth. Suppose you can just hope some other sod ends up lost the same way. I know a powerful necromancer or two around the Cage, could’ve been them, could’ve not.”

The Dust Genasi pushes open the door and steps outside, pressing his fingers to the inside to keep it open for Ash.

“A few secrets are healthy” Ash teased, though quickly picked up that something was off about Sigh. Or, at the very least, his mind thought up something so very curious and she was interested in what from how he grinned. “Anyway?” She mimicked softly with a little smile. “So, you are saying petrified and blackened organs are the norm?” She knew what he was getting at, but she still wanted to jest. That, and she found his words quite interesting.  “Tell me about these necromancers, will you my dear?” Ash cooed as she walked through the door, such words and tones from a Cleric may come off as odd, for good or bad. Especially given that her diety was still up in the air, meaning for all purposes, so were her intentions. 

[barbedbeat-deactivated20190313]

Body Language OC Ask

I promised I’d make one, so here we go.

1. How does your OC react to a mosquito suddenly buzzing in front of their nose? (Are they startled? Do they try to swat it away/kill it etc?) 2. Your OC inadvertently placed their hand on something very slimy and gooey. How do they react? 3. Your OC has come down with the flu and lost their voice. They want to ask someone in the vicinity to pass them an item. How do they do that? 4. What’s your OC’s physical reaction upon being spooked? 5. Your OC is starving and has just been presented with their favourite food. How do they go about eating it? 6. After a long day, your OC can finally indulge in a long shower. How do they undress, and what is their washing routine? 7. Someone they despise is approaching. How does your OC react? (Do they puff up their chest to intimidate them, or shrink in their chair and slip away, etc?)

8. Someone stomps on your OC’s foot real hard, Tom & Jerry style. What’s their reaction?

9. How does your OC manifest suffering, be it emotional or physical?

10. Your OC gets an unexpected kiss on the forehead. What do they do? (Blush? Stutter? Glare menacingly?) 11. What are your OC’s nonverbal manifestations of love?

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“Probably not necessary… depending what you do.” He grips the sides of his belt, centering the belt buckle on the front before smoothing out the tunic. Sigh glances up in time to see the rabbit vanish, and his eyebrows raise just a little. “I assume you couldn’t do that, cutter, seeing how you kept that thing around.” He nods towards the door and smooths down any hairs that might have been misplaced by the movement. “On it, cutter.” the Genasi agrees as he steps outside, turning to walk down the hallway and back out. “So what’d you find out?”

“It’s good for a girl to have a few secrets” Ash cooed before chuckling a little, this was one of the reasons why she did not mind having Juniper around. Even if the familiar was ‘killed’ she could simply summon it the next day. Though honestly the ritual to do so was tiring and long, in an unsexy way. Before heading down the stairs Ash made sure that her room was locked, afterward, she gracefully followed after Sigh down the stairs making almost naught a sound. “Not too much sadly. The item in question is almost in a petrified state, even dryer then a flower pressed between the pages of a book. The outside is hard as a shell but the inside crumbles at the smallest touch. I’ve applied a little water in an attempt to help back the peeling but as you can imagine it’s like pouring water into the sand of the desert. Drained Juniper dry on that one. I’d like to submerge the item if possible later, but only a little. The other bits can be burned, dried or fed to others to test it more.” Ash sighed after a moment, tired but never dropping her smile.  “Magic is at play here my dear, necrotic I am sure but I need more time and sadly, the whole body to find out what exactly and as you can imagine, the body is something I cannot have. It would have been fascinating though to watch, to see if the petrified state would have expended from the item in question throughout the whole body.” There was a lot to say about the heart, assuming that was what he was asking on. Something about it felt familiar to her, she just couldn’t remember where and while it was a horrible thought she hoped this would not be her last corpse with a blackened heart.

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“I’ve got reason to doubt any out-of-towner. Especially the talkative ones.” His smile gets slightly wider, definitely teasing somewhat- but it was true nonetheless. This place wasn’t like the Prime, and Clueless shooting their mouth were bound to get him and them in a world of trouble.

“Should hope so, otherwise this is going to cost more jink than preferable. Or worse. There’ll probably be some errands.”

“Your worry is understandable, so how about this” Ash spoke slowly as she strapped her mace to her side, checking it only once to make sure that it was secure. “If this mouth of mine gets us anywhere near trouble, dismiss me. I won’t fight your decision” Ash then waved her hand in the air, causing Juniper to vanish, almost as if an unfelt wind had blown them away. She’d summon them again if needed but right now it was best if they remained hidden. “So, shall we go?” She held the door open.

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“Well” says Sigh out loud, his eyes still not leaving the eviscerated body part, “I don’t know enough about medicine to say if that thing would do it.” Something about bodily fluids, right? That thing looked dry and nasty, but she was right.

Though she was also drinking at her workbench.

He looks at her for a moment before his teeth are slowly bared in a somewhat amused smie as he speaks up again. “Depends on if you can behave, cutter.”

“Oh my” Ash played hurt, “I am most excellent company, or have I given you any reason to doubt this my dear?” Ash then allowed her eyes to drift back to the heart, thinking for a moment before taking another sip of her tea.  There was a lot to consider here, to digest. She wanted time away from work to think over it, to come back with a fresh mind. There was something here, something she knew she could learn...Just, not right now. “Though I won’t promise that this tongue won’t wagger, in one way or another, I do promise that it will more likely get us out of trouble then in” She then chuckled as she slowly rose, grabbing a few things she felt she might need to strap to her belt for an outing. 

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“A gold is a gold.” He sneers at her, but at least stops looking at the organ. Finishing his explanation, he crosses his arms across his chest and sort-of watcher her work, not looking directly at it.

“Well, no chant on what it even is yet- doors like that don’t come with the usual metal keys. Could be anything.” He shrugs his thin shoulders.

“Not sure how you’d help, cutter.”

“

“And if this is an illness that spreads through eating something from the body then dead is dead” Her voice sounded so sweet, she understood where he was coming from but would rather not risk her tout’s life while she still needed him. That and he had been pleasant so far, there was no reason to wish ill upon the man. Ash now paused in her investigation of the heart, thinking to herself before grabbing her handkerchief that lay on the table nearby and then picked up her tea cup to take a sip. “Probably nothing, as one would expect I know near nothing about what you do or how you do it. Though I will not lie that it would be interesting to watch you work, but then again I wish not to get in your way so my company is completely up to your choice my dear”

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

Golds? Now she had Sigh’s attention, if he hadn’t held it before. He leans over the table and glances down at the black mess that was the heart. On one hand, a gold was a lot of money. On the other hand, that had the very real potential of making him very sick, if not outright kill him.

“… I’ll consider it…” he repeats, still looking down at the organ.

“And you’re underestimating just about every sod in the city.” the tout continues as he straightens his back up again, and looks at her. “Plenty of powerful mages around here, for one. I know someone who’d probably want the skull.”

If that furball even had one, who knew?

“Have a lead on a place, but not on the key. Gates tend to change like that.” At the whims of The Lady.

Ash paused, looking up at Sigh and taking a moment to measure his seriousness before waving a hand in the air, “It was a joke dear, please don’t go ingesting something like this for a few gold. If anything we ‘borrow’ someone else to do it” Was she joking, was she serious, who the fuck knew. Her bible that needed the picture fixed surely didn’t give answers. Ash then went back to work, listening to Sigh as she gave a little hum to show that she acknowledged his words. It would be interesting to see Junipers skull after all and magic was...Tricky. “Ah delightful, do you need help in this search for the key? Even more so, please tell me about the key in itself and how you as a plaineswalker obtain one. After all, your work is rather fascinating” 

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“Ah-hah… Interrupted breakfast, cutter?”

Stepping inside the room, he nods towards the eviscerated heart on the table. The clerk probably didn’t know about this.

“I’ll consider it.” he half-dismisses her request and turns around to face her. “You’re overestimating that… thing.” Sigh says, indicating Juniper. If someone really wanted it, they would get it, one way or another. There was magic aplenty to be had in the city, and you probably didn’t even need that if you caught it off-guard. Especially while it was cleaning.

What the clerk doesn’t know and is properly hidden wont hurt them. Ash chuckled as she sat down, putting on some gloves that one could only assume she had on before checking who was at the door while Juniper slowly relaxed into a pillow. “Something like that...Though that is a curious idea, what would it taste like. Willing to make a few gold to test it for me?” She teased before slowly taking out one pin, folding back a layer of the heart and placing the pin back in. “I believe you are underestimating her, though I only normally have her out when I am in need of her services, like when I am expecting a guest but cannot go wait for them myself.”  Ash had confidence in Juniper, that the being was smarter then it seemed and if need be could be very very uncomfortable to hold. Though that did not stop traps of the magical kind. “Past such things though, do you have news for me, Sweet?”

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

The man did look very frail and sickly. Biting him would probably make you sick, though.

Thankfully, he’d not dragged in enough mud to last him up the stairs, but the rabbit would have an awful lot of work if it kept trying to clean.

Sigh was ready to knock, but apparently the rabbit had other plans. Reminded him a bit of a certain orc, that…

He waits and watches the creature’s futile attempt, and then bows lightly towards Ash, his usual wide grin on his face.

“Good Before Peak.” he replies and straightens his back again. “Your puffball’s bound to get grabbed, floating off like that.”

Ash gave a small curtsy before standing aside for Sigh to come in, petting Juniper as it passed as well before placing the bun on her bed and shutting the door with her foot. On the table was the heart, carefully cut into with pins here and there to keep it open. It looked like Ash was peeling back layer by layer, not yet to the core but getting close. “Don’t you worry my dear, Juniper is not easy to catch and as always, would you like some tea?”

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

Sigh stares at the rabbit- or whatever it was- as its fur darkened, and he was almost certain he was about to be hit by a small bolt of lightning- but then it suddenly stops, and it floats towards him.

He puts his hand on his hip, near his sheathed dagger. Just in case. Then it moves past him, and around him, and then past him again. Sigh turns his head just slightly to glance at it as it goes past him a second time.

And it didn’t even go for his ears once! What a surprise.

He watches as it paddles away from him, stopping by the stairs. Change of plans, huh.

He hesitates a moment before approaching the stairs and his guide.

Sigh was lucky that Juniper had patience and an idea of just how small it truly was...Then again it felt like it could take Sigh. Once it noticed that it was being followed the cloud began ascending up the stairs, not even bothering to look if Sigh was following anymore as it began to float down the hall and t Ash’s door. It waited for a moment before lightly bapping itself on the door a few times, the sound off and muted before scratching at the door handle to get it open. After a few seconds of failure the door opened, Ash on the other side with a curious look in her eyes and smile on her face. “Good morning”

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

Well, well, well. Regardless of her intentions for leaving the coins behind, they were going in his pocket now. If she asked about her missing coin, it’d be easy enough to claim any Hive pickpocket had snatched them, and give her a lecture on Primes walking the Sigil streets alone.

Now, maybe he’d get himself a bit of dinner.

—- The next morning, Sigh hits the street as early as ever. It was a fair walk to the boarding house, and he’d get himself something to eat on the way- something cheap. He didn’t want to splurge on the nicer food in the market ward, at least not until his coin purse was a lot heavier.

It wouldn’t take very long for him to appear in the doorway to the boarding house, with Juniper immediately catching his eyes as it scurried about on the floor, with the woman at the counter keeping the occasional eye on it. Sigh doesn’t move for a moment, watching the beast with a dull interest. He waits for the clerk to turn away to her other duties and takes a step back outside, making sure he’d get some extra mud on his boot from a spot right next to the short stairs leading up to the front door.

There, nice and dirty.

Casual smile on his face, he strides inside, leaving a nice set of large boot prints behind him, leading from the now closed doorway. He greets the clerk and stops by a table to wait for a moment, glancing towards the stairs leading to the upper floors. The tout made it a habit not to follow clients to their rooms unless he had good reason to do so- like being asked.

The front room smells like Bytopian shepherd’s bread and pumpkin tea.

Juniper soon caught sight of Sigh, and his muddy muddy feet.  The cloud of a rabbit seemed to pause, the color along it’s fur seemed to swirl and shift as cloud do on windy days before it began to darken into what appeared to be a storm cloud. It almost felt like the familiar might just suddenly lurch out with inhuman speed to bite off Sigh’s ankles right through his boots but whatever rage the rabbit held was contained as it slowly floated up. Small paws moved, almost doggy paddling through the air to get to Sigh, floating around him once, twice, and then moved towards the stairs before stopping, looking back at him and waiting.

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“Sure would.” Sigh says bluntly, crossing his arms as he watches her go. First, time to check if she left any valuables in his house that she might not miss (she had so much stuff already!), and then to listen to the chant, see what the information brokers knew.

If he could travel without hunters at his heels this time he might downright enjoy it.

The next day, he’d stop by the boarding house early in the morning, she if Ash even got there at all.

Ash had indeed left something behind, though with it’s particular placement right in sight it was a wonder if she left a few silver behind on accident or on purpose. They were even neatly placed together in a small circle, not like something that fell out of her pocket by accident. -- When morning came Ash wouldn’t be out in the lobby, but Juniper would be. The small cloud rabbit angrily scurrying back and forth on the ground, cleaning all of a few feet around it. Even though it’s eyes could not be seen one could feel it staring at the floor under one table, as if offended by what little dust it could see but was not permitted to go that far away from the hallway. Oooooh but the sweeper missed a spot! Well, one could assume that if Juniper was here, Ash was as well, somewhere.

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“I was just going to ask some questions, mostly.” He still had his idea where the gate to at least one Prime crystal sphere could be found, but after his last trip- even if Ash was less… paladiny than you-know-who- he didn’t want to tarry too much. “Let me know if there’s a plague happening or something like that, cutter. You sure you won’t hit the blinds finding the way out here? Most people would think it’s as bad as being mazed.”

Sigh gestures vaguely to the overgrown buildings around them.

“If I get lost along the way then I suppose that is my own fault and a lesson learned” Ash teased a little, feeling, or maybe hoping, that she wouldn’t get too lost if she did get so. That she’d still find her way back by dusk, and if not she’d seek out one of the lantern boys to guide her or whatever their title was. Surely there was no harm in that. “I just have to make sure not to look up” And with that Ash began to walk away to a fate of possibly getting lost. She felt she was clean enough to just go as she pleased despite the cleaner then before bones she carried.  Life was weird after all, even weirder in Sigil and in a very odd way she felt she fit in. Shame though about not being able to stand the air much in the lower sections of the city.

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“That’d just bring attention to my place. Find the scratchwall if you want other services.” Sigh waves his hand dismissively towards her, urging her to forget about it.

“I’ve got some plans to find out the dark of the gates, but I can still tout. You’re clean enough for the Market Ward, if you need to go back there.”

“You’re job is an interesting one, and while I am surely curious to what and how you do the plains walking part I feel it best not to interfere or possibly delay us.” Ash then smiled a little, her stance pepping up.  “Plus, I should start packing my things up and I do have a heart to further examine. Though if you find anything new please feel more then free to stop by, I am always ready for company and if you so trust, I have tea. Only hot though.” With that Ash stepped away, figuring she could find her own way back to the inn if need be with her bones. Get them all cleaned up and herself further before settling in for a good good night of studying medical science. It honestly sounded quite enjoyable to her.

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“For what, a bucket of rain water in an old shop?” He leans away from the wall, giving her a perplexed look. “There’s bathhouses in the Market Ward, you know. There’s even an ooze one. Besides, my place isn’t easy to find.” And, the Ditch was free! You know, when it was cleared out. Otherwise you’d also find your skin and flesh gone For free.

“For allowing me to cover up the fact that I had just waded around in guts, a fast way to get clean” Ash cooed a little before shrugging, at least he wasn’t jumping at the chance to make coin. “Though I’ll probably still travel to the market world later. So, unrelated to that, do you have any plans later or shall you be getting straight to work?”

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“But I like what I have.”

Before he leaves the kip, he walks over to his coffer to grab some pipeweed and a simple wooden pipe. Then he disappears out the door, closing it, but leaving it unlocked.

Once she finishes and opens the door, she finds him not far down the alley leading to his door, leaning against another building, puffing on the pipe. He glances over to her before jerking his thumb down the alleyway. “Toss it wherever. On the razorvine if you want.” Not that it needed any encouragement to grow more wildly than it already did.

Ash vanished back into Sigh’s house before popping out seconds later, walking a little down the street before dumping the bloodied water onto the plants on some other building, and then going to return the item to Sigh’s place. “Hope you didn’t wait too long, I’m good enough for travel” With that Ash gave a small bow in thanks to Sigh. “And to think you could have charged for a service like this~” Ash cooed, testing Sigh’s greed with these words.

[birdsofafeatherdietogether]

ondustytrails‌:

“No, I haven’t.” Sigh responds, bluntly. “Why would I?” He hums and looks around for a moment before setting his eyes on the cot on the opposite wall. With a thunk, he places the lid back on the barrel and uses it to climb up to get a better look. “Aha, there it is.” The Genasi stretches forward and produces a bucket from somewhere above, climbing down once he’s got a hand gripped around the handle. “This should do.”

Sigh removes the lid again and dips the bucket into the water, pulling it up once it’s filled to the brim, and places it on the floor. “And I suppose… I’ll step outside.”

He had in no way planned for someone potentially undressing in his house besides himself.

“Most people strive for better” Ash shrugged, and she figured someone who lived like this, wanted better. She backs up as Sigh closes the lid, climbing through his little shanty here, internally shaking her head at all of this. It almost felt crazy, he was just...Who lived like this. “Thank you kindly dear, I promise not to take long” She then cooed as Sigh left, she didn’t plan on taking a full bath or anything, just a bit of a clean up was all. So when Sigh left she was able to get to work, starting with her hands and bits of her sleeve and then feet, while also trying to get the bigger chunks off her dress. She felt when she got back home she should clean her dress or have someone else do it if she went home home. After about 15 minutes she’d walk out of Sigh’s kip, looking about for him.  “Dear, what do you want me to do with the water?” She then asked curiously as she pulled her hood up and over her head, cloak back on.