lake spirits and lost spirits (emy)

Emy · Nov 20, 2015

Na Lan Tai Hu

"I have time," the spirit said compliantly. There were a few trees bordering the lake, not too many but still, it was a source of shade that he was not going to turn down. He followed the girl from the shadows when he could, walking just a little too behind her for it to have been said that they were side by side.

"I do not often venture out by myself," Na Lan admitted. "From time to time, others will call me out. Most of them are distant members of a certain family that has maintained contact with me throughout the centuries." It was rather soothing to know that some things would never change too suddenly.

He did wonder, however. "What is it exactly that you see? You seem to have what some might call true sight -that would be the ability to see normally hidden spirits- but do have another sight as well?"

Der Lampman · Nov 20, 2015

@"Emy"

Max Simillaire Cadavre

Max nodded and stood again, walking slowly to the other side of the lake, careful not to fall into the waters. The spirit's distance from her provoked a bit of contemplation, which she voiced out loud as she didn't know how to answer the question on her own. "Why are you so... distant? Or am I just measuring distances wrong..? I wouldn't know... I don't have company often enough to know."

Her expression darkened the slightest bit as she listened to his musings on family. Max's own family never really attempted to stay in touch, or even stay together. Hearing of Na Lan's distant but in-touch family felt... sad? That probably wasn't quite right.

The question of sight was a welcome change from her mild discomfort, and she perked up a little, adding a faint spring to her step. "It's... a lot of things... sometimes I can see how people are feeling in the form of hues, like I was looking at a painting, and sometimes I can see them without their physical forms, as if all that existed was who they were inside. And sometimes, I think... I think I see ahead, like I'd been pulled forward to look. But I can't ever see anything when I look at a mirror... except my own face."

She bent on the shoreline, resting on her knees as she plucked her dress from the low branches and straightened them out on her thighs before putting them on delicately. Where her sandals where, she couldn't quite remember, and she took a moment to reflect before making them out on the taller grass by the side.

Max stood and picked them up, putting them on and shaking her feet. They felt cold from the prolonged stay in the lake.

Closer, she drew near and asked, "What's a cafe like?"

Emy · Nov 21, 2015

Na Lan Tai Hu

He tilted his head a little to the side. Though it would not be incredibly clear to most beings, this was a sign that he was embarrassed. "Please forgive me," Na Lan said. "I do not mean to avoid you; I am merely taking shelter in the shade. Direct sunlight tends to dehydrate me. When that happens, I will start to feel forced to return to the water." For now, he would be fine. Thoughts of freshwater were not yet tugging at his attention but the worry was still a vague thought in the back of his mind.

"I see." So she could see spirits as well as emotions. It seemed like a logical progression to Na Lan, although he was mildly surprised by that last part. Diviners were rare. "When you look into a mirror, can you normally see other people, then?" He wondered idly, still believing that this was likely a case of a person being unaffected by their own powers.

"I suppose that it depend on the sort of cafe," he answered her. "I do not like too much of a crowd so certainly it would not be that sort."

Der Lampman · Nov 21, 2015

a@"Emy"

"There's never been anyone close enough for me to see whenever I looked," she declared, staring through Na Lan, and closing her eyes. She opened them seconds later, looking down at the lake, seeing nothing but a strange pastiche of colors that she hadn't seen before in anyone. Maybe it was the fact that he was a spirit, and maybe spirit emotions worked differently. "I can't see any reflections at all in this lake... just so many colors I can't understand."

When he mentioned his distaste for crowds, Max turned around and thought of her own experiences. It wasn't that she didn't like crowds. She just never knew how to fit in. "Why don't you like crowds? I've always wanted to be in one. I've never been part of anything like that before."

She craned her neck around, waiting for something to catch her attention. However, wherever she looked, she found that her eyes snapped back to Na Lan, as he'd in so many ways caught her attention. "How about you? Would you rather go elsewhere?"

Emy · Nov 21, 2015

Na Lan Tai Hu

"The lake is very ingrained in my nature," Na Lan explained, a bit dreamily. "Perhaps if I were a river spirit, I would enjoy a faster pace of life but a lake is a rather stagnant entity in itself. It does not change so much as expand or disappear. Being in a crowd can be tiring, although from time to time, it is not so bad."

The lake, however, was home to many spirits. Na Lan did not think of that as crowded merely because of the nature of their interactions. It was all in all, a harmonious sort of social web, with few factors that could be expected to change. The awareness of each other made it seem like they were all truly the same being.

"Choose where you would like," the spirit said. "Wherever you go, I will follow. If you leave the choice to me, it might not be the best suit for what you are looking for. I will suggest, however, to please choose some place of relatively good upkeep."

Der Lampman · Nov 21, 2015

@"Emy"

In stark contrast to the colorful view of the lake, Max stared down at her hands and saw nothing. They had no color, and she knew she was looking at them only from how her limbs felt and how her eyes and head was angled. If she had to trust in sight, she would have not existed at that moment.

No matter how much she looked around, she didn't find anything validating, and she shut her eyes for a few moments, resetting them to normal. There she was again, by the side of the lake, looking at this spirit and hearing his words.

"I don't know where," she said. Being made to choose - and perhaps for more than herself - was a little paralyzing. She didn't particularly know where she wanted to go in the first place, only knowing that she wanted to see something new. And if possible, not be alone in exploring. Stepping in a little closer, to where the water lapped the shores, she said a bit hesitantly, "I... I trust your judgment. Lead me somewhere good... somewhere safe."

Emy · Nov 23, 2015

Na Lan Tai Hu

Ah, that could have been a complicated order. There were few places genuinely safe in the world and Na Lan knew that while Manta Carlos was usually one, that could change easily enough. It was neither good nor bad, simply something that was a fact. Much more unnatural would have been if the islands did not function in this way.

"That is within my ability," he said, and it was not a lie. The spirit wondered for a moment if he should ask if she had any preference for cuisine but decided that perhaps it was best not to. "When you are done here, please do let me know." She appeared to be quite absorbed in something besides their conversation and it might have been improper to inquire too deeply.

Der Lampman · Nov 24, 2015

@"Emy"

Max tiptoed on the edge of the lake, trying to bring herself eye level to Na Lan. Her short stature made it an almost-impossible feat to achieve. A little sulkily she withdrew, standing back at the edge and turning to who knew where. "I'm okay now, I think. Shall we go?"

She didn't quite know where to go, so she sat on a smooth rock near the edge of the lake, waiting on her companion and guide. There she waited, staring at his face, wondering what name she could link to him. The tiny bit of uncertainty gave her pause. "Do you have a name I can call you? Names help me focus, and remember, and think... mine is Max."

It was a good feeling to have someone for company. Weeks had passed since she last had any. "I feel warm. Thank you."

Emy · Nov 24, 2015

Na Lan Tai Hu

Max. It was a simple enough name to remember, Na Lan thought without any condescension. Compared to the overly descriptive names that the Chinese liked to give, he could appreciate something that was so much shorter. As far as actual names went, he supposed it was like his own proper one that humans had been calling him for centuries. Tai Hu. Great Lake. Really, the only reason why he had taken on the Na Lan part at all was because in everyday conversation, it did sound a bit presumptuous to him.

"My place of birth is called Tai Hu," the spirit said. "But these days, I more often go by the name Na Lan." He bowed then, a very properly standard and human gesture that would be obvious, nothing like the slight hints of emotion he had been giving this entire time. "It is nice to meet you."

He did think it was a shame that Max seemed to not have many friends. There was a difference between being alone and being lonely, and Na Lan rather thought that the girl belonged in the latter category based off of the statements she had made. "If are ready now, I see no reason why not to head off." He swept his right hand out to gesture in the general direction before leading the way.

Der Lampman · Nov 25, 2015

@"Emy" are they legit going to walk all the way to the cafe now

Max bowed a bit stiffly, in contrast to her usual ethereal grace. She didn't know whether bowing was standard protocol or not, and she wasn't going to risk offense. "It's very nice to meet you too... Tai Hu... Na Lan? Is it right? I'm sorry if I'm saying it wrong."

She fell in step, walking a little briskly to keep up with Na Lan's longer strides. Though the scene was picturesque, Max had seen it often enough to not be as awed. Instead her silent curiosity simply grew as she observed Na Lan's otherworldly frame. It tugged and tugged, pulling words out of her mouth. "What's your life like?"

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lake spirits and lost spirits (emy)

Emy

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Der Lampman

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Emy

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Der Lampman

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Emy

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Der Lampman

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Emy

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Der Lampman

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Emy

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Der Lampman

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