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Feb 9, 2021 18:01:46 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 9, 2021 18:01:46 GMT -5
The day was a slow one for Rose, where she sat in the shade, behind her table of handmade jewelry. She had not made them- Adelphie had- but the older woman trusted Rose to run the stall for her. The blind girl leaned her head back against the wall behind her, listening to the bustling of the market.
There were so many thoughts- blurry, emotion-laded things that she had learned to tune out. The only time she focused in was when someone approached her. Then she paid enough attention to see if they were stealing. Or, if they were a tourist looking for one of the mystical Rose's predictions, she just plucked out what they wanted to hear and rephrased it.
There was a rustling among her wares, and Rose lifted her head again, focusing her attention on the presence in front of her. "Afternoon," she greeted. She never could tell if the thinker was male or female until they spoke- or unless they thought something about their body or the sort. "Interested in our finest necklaces?"
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Feb 9, 2021 18:31:28 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 9, 2021 18:31:28 GMT -5
The marketplace was one of Mars' favourite locations. A place to buy and a place to steal, of course, but today was a good day. He had received a hefty shipment of gold, and by gold, he meant that the stolen barrels of wine certainly fetched a good price. Of course, they had split the money, and they each went off to indulge in their own sins before they headed on their merry way to the seas once again.
The pub he often went to was at the end of the market, but the wares were interesting. Fresh food was always a welcome change from the fare they had on board, and he had half a mind to simply spend it all on an excellent meal. Still, nothing beats a good fish and chips and pint of ale. He glanced briefly at the wares that were on sale, only to notice a small stall with a woman who...was she blind? She didn't seem to react to anything around her. Who the hell would put a blind girl in charge of a stall? Didn't that defeat the purpose?
He almost jumped when she spoke. Huh.
"I wasn't," he spoke, still seeming surprised, "but now that I'm looking at them, they are rather pretty. Unique; I haven't seen anything like this." He picked up a necklace that seemed to be made of shells, but in a way that made them seem as if they were not shells at all.
"Did you make them?"
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Feb 9, 2021 18:42:01 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 9, 2021 18:42:01 GMT -5
"No, Adelphie does. She runs a few stalls. She's..." Rose listened to the familiar cadence of her boss's thoughts. "over there." She pointed in a general direction. "I just sell these things. I've heard they're nice. Never had much use for jewelry myself."
She could tell Mars was not a tourist. There was no need to try to scam him out of his money. He seemed to be in a good mood though, so maybe he'd pay for one of these necklaces. "Who are you buying for? Yourself?" Her hazy gray eyes focused on him eerily- usually they didn't look at anything, but when she was focusing on someone's thoughts she could tell exactly where they were coming from. It sometimes relaxed people to feel like they were truly making eye contact with her.
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Feb 9, 2021 19:02:05 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 9, 2021 19:02:05 GMT -5
It was eerie, how the other girl was looking straight at him despite being...actually blind? He chuckled, pushing the thought off his mind. "To be honest, me neither," he replied with a smirk, "you wear too much and you're literally just asking to be robbed. Not really my kind of thing, and I don't really have anyone to give it to either."
Frankly, he was more curious about the girl. Part of him itched to try and steal something. Not because he needed to, but because...well, there was no way this girl was just here, defenceless, right? That just felt foolish. Either he had misunderstood the whole situation, or there was a way she could view the world around them.
Perhaps his own curiosity came from the fact that there were other fairies who were like him, who had disadvantages and found ways to overcome them. His hand moved to take a pair of earrings in his hand, curious to know whether she'd notice or not.
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Feb 9, 2021 19:19:18 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 9, 2021 19:19:18 GMT -5
"It's not nice to test blind girls," Rose told the man with a faint smile, noting the direction his thoughts was headed. "I can call over the guards in an instant- they owe me a few favors." Of course she would not be able to point him out in a crowd, but he didn't need to know that.
She couldn't even tell which earrings his hand was wandering towards, as images never came through the thoughts she read. All Rose could sense was a curiosity, and a sly sneaky thread in his thoughts along with the word earring. If she focused harder, she could read more deeply, but it was unnecessary when he was not even trying to conceal his thoughts.
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Feb 9, 2021 19:30:35 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 9, 2021 19:30:35 GMT -5
Oh, so she could read his mind? Mars blinked, surprised by the revelation, and suddenly, he felt plenty more self-conscious and defensive than he had felt moments before. Shit. He didn't even think of that. He had really never met a mind fairy before; they were rare in Maline, and seemingly, rare everywhere else, except perhaps in Nyre, or at least that was how the rumour went. Immediately, he left the earrings on the table again, looking curiously at Rose.
"How do you do that?" he frowned, "I mean...guess you're reading my mind or something, but you can see, or nah?"
If she could read his mind, it didn't matter how blunt he was, she already knew what he wanted to know. Mind-reading was...terrifying in a way, and like anyone else, he hated the idea of someone rummaging through his head. It didn't stop his intrigue though; mind fairies were fascinating creatures.
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Feb 9, 2021 19:55:48 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 9, 2021 19:55:48 GMT -5
"I cannot see," she said, leaning back again. "And I've never been able to. But I can read minds, in a sense." It was hard to explain, nearly impossible to encapsulate in words. She may have seemed confident here, where she was comfortable, but it wasn't like she could use mental echolocation to navigate a new area.
"Mostly I can sense emotions. Deception, curiosity, joy, sadness. That's surface level. If I focus I can get more concrete thoughts, but I didn't have to do that with you. Your walls were down, so I could tell you were trying to pull something. I find people react like you did- defensively, so I try to give some privacy. But it's my only way of experiencing the world, so I don't shut myself off from it completely. And it comes in handy."
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Feb 9, 2021 20:03:14 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 9, 2021 20:03:14 GMT -5
Now this was interesting. "So you can tell if I'm lying?" he mused, "or if I'm nervous, or angry...you know, you could be an excellent truth seer, right?" He seemed rather excited at the prospect. He was genuinely curious to so many things. Could she really read people's secrets? How were some people harder to read than others? Wasn't it dangerous then, for anyone of power to be around her if she could truly see into who and what they are?
"So if my walls are down...how do people block you from listening in on their thoughts?" he asked first, "I mean, you make it sound like there's a way to do that, right? And what are you doing here selling jewellery if you have a power like that? You could do so many things that are more exciting, don't you think?"
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Feb 9, 2021 20:17:59 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 9, 2021 20:17:59 GMT -5
"Most people don't think to block me out," she said, tucking her long hair behind her ear. "You don't usually assume there's a mind reader in the area. But yes, I can tell if someone's lying- in the moment. It's not like I can dig through years of memories."
How did one block her? She wasn't really sure how it happened- just that sometimes people had walls up. "There are some temporary spells, but most don't know them, I suppose. And if people can keep their thoughts calm enough, I can't tell if they're lying. But like I said, nearly everyone neglects to monitor their emotions as if someone can sense them. We all think our brain is private."
The questions about what else she might do confused her. "What else is there to do? It's not like I can go sight-seeing. It makes no difference to me where I sit, as long as I have food and a bed to sleep in. Adelphie takes care of me, and I give her clients some psychic readings on the side."
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Feb 10, 2021 5:34:10 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 10, 2021 5:34:10 GMT -5
Psychic reading, huh? Now that was intriguing. The bar would certainly have to wait. A fairy with this sort of power was useful, and Mars was never beyond recruiting for his little crew. Pulling out a single gold coin from his pocket, he placed it down on the table. He wondered if there really was a way to block out his thoughts; of course, he'd probably need to have more interaction with this type of magic to really understand it.
"How can I get one of those psychic readings?" he mused, "sounds interesting. How does that work and what can you find out about me?"
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Feb 10, 2021 8:06:17 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 10, 2021 8:06:17 GMT -5
"Sit down," Rose said, reaching under the stall table and pulling out a second box, setting it down beside her. As Mars sat, she readjusted herself, clearing her throat. "I usually play it up for tourists. I can't do grand future predictions or tell all the secrets of your past. Someone- myself, usually- asks you questions, and I gleam enough from the direction your thoughts take to answer."
She was certain that he would not be able to evade her probing. Not this early on in their interactions. "Sometimes couples come to find out if one is cheating, and I can search for guilt in their thoughts. For you, though, I'll just show you what I can get from a line of questioning. I'll ask you a question, and you can do one of two things- say the answer out loud so I can tell if you're lying, or think about it so I can grab the answer from your mind. Or you can mix it up for each question."
"So first of all, what is your name, and what do you do for a living?"
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Feb 10, 2021 9:50:26 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 10, 2021 9:50:26 GMT -5
A truth seer, now that was interesting. Mars grinned. He had always been a good liar; that was just part of being a decent storyteller, no? He shrugged, sitting down by Rose.
"My name is Mars and I'm a sailor." He wasn't really lying. His name was Mars–or at least, that was what everyone called him–and he did sail plenty. Before he had been a pirate, he had been working on the docks too, and what was a pirate if not a sailor? He wondered if she'd notice the difference.
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Feb 10, 2021 10:05:02 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 10, 2021 10:05:02 GMT -5
Rose had to stop herself from laughing. She was monitoring his thoughts more closely now, getting more concrete - did he really just say something and immediately wonder if she'd catch his lie... well, half lie? It was too obvious.
He didn't seem to be focusing on the name. "Your name is Mars," she confirmed, catching the glimpses of the sea and the word pirate in the thoughts that drifted through. "But you don't really think of yourself as a sailor. I caught the word pirate in there. You're really not trying at all, are you? You have to clear your mind so there's nothing for me to read. Of course, that's easier said than done."
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Feb 10, 2021 11:07:39 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 10, 2021 11:07:39 GMT -5
He laughed at that. "Hey, I'm new to this," he grinned, "you gotta give me a break, at least while I'm figuring it out." He chuckled, before steeling himself and leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Ask me another question," he pointed out, this time looking more serious.
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Feb 10, 2021 11:30:48 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 10, 2021 11:30:48 GMT -5
"Okay, okay," Rose said with a smile. "Think the answer this time- in words or pictures." She couldn't quite process pictures, since her brain did not understand visuals- it never had. But from their thoughts she could gleam words and answers, even if the thought was a visual one.
Now was her turn to be curious, wondering more about this pirate. "Think about the last piratey job you did."
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Feb 10, 2021 11:53:08 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 10, 2021 11:53:08 GMT -5
Mars looked thoughtful, and he thought about what she said. Clear his mind. Focus on the story.
The last trip we did...we went up towards the Guivre coast, he thought, near the fjords. He hadn't been sure of where they were, but it had been worth looking closer. There were seals, wild ones, and what seemed like a whaling boat that had been crashed upon the rocks. The others had clamoured over each other, trying to decide whether it was worth taking a look at. He didn't eat seal, and many of the others didn't either. Still, Guiverans paid plenty for a good seal pelt, that was for sure.
Turns out they weren't seals. He almost laughed at that. He always thought selkies were a myth, but turns out they do exist, and damn, the stories are right, those girls were gorgeous. Never seen something like that before. Almost worth crashing into the floes for. A dreamy look came onto his face.
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Feb 10, 2021 12:29:21 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 10, 2021 12:29:21 GMT -5
Rose's lips twitched again. "They must have been pretty, to cause you to consider dying." She said, sitting back and dialing back the focus with which she was reading Mars's thoughts. "Though I must confess that I don't have any concept of what beauty is. I just know I hear it a lot in thoughts of the people around me. It seems to be an obsession with fairies."
Sometimes she heard it directed at her, but it didn't affect her at all. Why should she care what she looked like, or if a stranger thought her uniquely pretty?
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Feb 10, 2021 12:46:32 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 10, 2021 12:46:32 GMT -5
He laughed. "Yeah, they must be," he mused, "if I had actually seen them." A wide grin was on his face. He had only really heard stories up north, about the selkies existing elsewhere and seen images of what were supposed to be selkies, but the seals had just been seals. Fun to watch and always interesting, but nothing as exciting as beautiful women who wore their pelts, though he truly did wish it was real. Everything else was true–they were drunk enough to go through the floes just to look at seals–but the seals had just been what they were. Seals.
Mars grinned, so there was a way to hide his thoughts. It was interesting how she didn't know what pretty was; after all, there was a reason she caught his attention. He shrugged. "I mean, I know you can't see, but if you can read our thoughts, is there...a way you can see through that?" he wondered, "I mean some of us can picture things in our heads...do they just come as knowledge or do these things actually play for you?"
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Feb 10, 2021 13:01:41 GMT -5
Post by nostalgic on Feb 10, 2021 13:01:41 GMT -5
Rose was pleasantly surprised by how quickly he'd been able to dupe her, but it solidified her decision to not tell others to clear their mind ever again. She did not like being deceived, though she knew it was an everyday thing for others.
"Very good," she said with a laugh. "Though I suppose I revealed too much to you. Part of my powers involves the other person not knowing what I'm doing, or not thinking they even have a chance to hide their thoughts."
The visual question made her purse her lips. "I cannot see through thoughts," she said. "I've tried. That seems to be my one blind spot." Smiling at the pun, she continued. "My brain does not seem to be able to process images. If people think visually, I just get the central idea of what they're seeing. Like... girl, or sunset, or ocean. Just words I already know. Even color words, though I'll never know what pink or blue are. It's helpful for relaying the information to others, but I find it almost useless."
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Feb 10, 2021 20:05:57 GMT -5
Post by achromatic on Feb 10, 2021 20:05:57 GMT -5
He smiled at her words. "Don't worry, I don't think I can keep this act up for long," he laughed, "but I'm serious about your gift being useful. You know, if you ever want something more than just...here, we always have a space in our ship. You'd be very helpful, and well, I guess maybe it's just me but it'll be nice to have someone else who relies on their gifts more than just for some flashy show, you know?"
Mars meant it too. The others were young, having never truly seen a war like he did, having never risked so much as their life nor limb for anything. They were brave and energetic, and he admired that about them, but they weren't innovative. They didn't have that quiet strength about them, the one that hung back and observed. He had a respect for those who weren't fully abled, using their magic to compensate. After all, wasn't he the same?
"You might not be able to see the world out there, but it's still worth exploring. There's other things, smell, taste, touch, and what you cannot see, I can describe for you," he mused, "it might not be as romantic as actually seeing it, but I'm a good storyteller, I'm sure I can get some of these things across." A cheeky look was on his face.
"I never got your name," he spoke, "and you have mine. That seems a bit unfair, doesn't it?"
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