[Grand District] Breaking Point [Self-Mod]

[Vanderlou]

Timestamp: 1st Cycle of Cryxatum, Summer of Era II of the Celestine Mandate, Era XIV Post Fractum.

Location: The Sugared Teacup.

OCC: Unbinding thread approved by Ma'am Aesha.





The young lad brought a hooked finger to his collar and tugged at it until his necktie came loose. It was a hot brightening, and this summer even more so than usual. Normally it wouldn’t have been the issue had he not been wearing three layers of clothing, however the job demanded a uniform and the uniform came with the salary. This job was the only thing keeping him off the streets so he could put up with the suffocating, itchy and uncomfortably warm uniform – at least for another season or until he could find a better paying job.

“Van, hey, come here for a second will you.” he heard the somewhat parched voice of a Parcel Osmark calling after him, again.

Turning around, the half-elf swung his blazer on his shoulders and backtracked to the rear exit wondering what Osmark could possibly need him for. As far as he was concerned his shift was already over and he was about ready to collapse into a warm bed. Vanderlou was almost about to say he was in a hurry but decided against it, he considered the implications of doing so. Parcel was the boss’s favorite, he could put in a good word for him with the boss and that would mean a few extra crowns. It wasn’t like he was on a hurry either so he figured he might as well help out a little.

“Is there something I can help you out with, sir?” Vanderlou asked, forcing a little exasperation into his tone though failing to project annoyance. He was naturally mild-mannered and it bothered him greatly that people didn’t take his anger seriously.

The redhead clapped both of his hands together in an almost apologetic manner, “There’s a little bit of trouble up front, mind taking care of it for me?” he asked the half-elf with a pitiful look on his face.

Vanderlou conceded. It must have been something serious since Osmark was never one to beg for help. Putting on his blazer the young half-elf quickly slipped into the backdoor, then through the kitchen and in moments he was in the restaurant proper where he found a noble, obviously a little more than drunk, who had a big fat hand clasped around the wrist of a servant girl. The half-elf felt his blood boil at the sight of this, but he forced himself to calm down. He was sent here to pacify the man, not to add more hot water into an already boiling pot.

Vanderlou squeezed through the circle of people that gathered around the noble and the servant girl and proceeded to move towards the pair. He was mildly aware of the stares he was receiving from the other patrons of the Sugared Teacup but pushed it from his thoughts, he had other concerns.

“Sir, would you mind letting go of her?” He placed a hand on the man’s wrist, gripping it with as little force as he could to make sure that the noble didn’t misunderstand.

Naturally the man’s head snapped towards him, nostrils flaring and to no surprise he started lashing out at the half-elf who was only glad that his attention was now on him rather than the helpless girl. “And now a half-breed is telling me what I’m supposed to be doing? Sangre de Diana, is there nobody here who can see that these commoners are the ones at fault.”

Vanderlou shook his head, keeping his voice as calm as he spoke. “Sir, I am not telling you what to do! I am merely suggesting you let go of the girl, we can settle this issue in a peaceful-“ his spiel however was cut short, a closed fist struck his cheek and another one was coming towards his face. Vanderlou stepped back, narrowly avoiding the blow thanks to his heightened senses which he owed his mother for. (Elven Blood)

The servant girl had come kneeling to his side and was cupping his cheeks. Vanderlou was only vaguely aware of it though, his head was still ringing and by the way the man punched him it was evidently clear that the man was a practitioner of some form of zinn’ka.

The noble clenched his fists, eyes trained on the servant girl. “Don’t think you’re out of this yet child, your family still owes me a lot of money.”

Shaking off his dizziness, the half-elf sprung between the noble and his servant. A move that earned him another sharp jab to the face, this time blood trickled down his nose and his face began swelling as he fell on his back.

“If you don’t have business in this affair, I suggest you move out of the way or I won’t be responsible for what happens to you.”

Vanderlou gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He was infuriated at how he was being treated and as shy and reserved as he was he wouldn’t take something like this lying down. It didn’t matter if he lost his job after the stunt he was going to pull. He could always get another job, it was his pride that he wouldn’t be able to appease if he let this slide. Pushing himself up with both hands he forced his frame into a mock fighting stance and launched a closed fist at the man. It was a crude punch, but it was still a punch that struck the noble squarely on the face. For all his effort however, it seemed that the noble took very little, if any damage from his blow.

“Are you trying to play the hero? Do you think this girl is as innocent as you’d like to believe!” the man punched Vanderlou again, this time however the half-elf was able to take the blow and remain standing. “Do you want me to tell you what she is? This woman who looks like the victim of another good for nothing noble? She’s-“ not waiting for the man to finish what he was saying, Vanderlou drew his fist back and swung it squarely at the man’s chin.

Vanderlou stood up to his full height, his eyes narrowing down at the noble’s own. “I don’t need to hear your reason for doing what you did. Regardless of what she’s done you’re still supposed to treat her accordingly.”

That was enough to send the noble over the edge. He took Vanderlou by the collar and proceeded to beat him up thoroughly. It was a horrible sight, the patrons of the Sugared Teacup stared at the scene playing out before them. Their eyes transfixed on the bloody half-elf who seemed to be barely conscious, if he was at all.

Vanderlou was still vaguely aware of what was happening to him, problem was he couldn’t feel his arms anymore and he could barely see with his eyes swelling and all. “Somebody stop him.” he heard from somewhere, he idly wondered why nobody was doing anything and he suddenly recognized this man. He was rich, powerful and he was a business associate of the boss. Now it was clear why nobody was helping him out, if they did they were probably going to lose their jobs. “You’re going to wish I’d have killed you after I’m through with you.” the noble tossed his body into the air and he crashed head-first into a vacant table with so much force that the table snapped into two.

He was in a world of hurt, that much was obvious and nobody would come to save him. It was almost funny how the situation played out. Would he die here? In the end he couldn’t rely on anyone but himself.

As usual.

And then it happened.

The human servant girl was suddenly on him, her arms covering his battered frame protectively. He looked above him and noted the shiny, large vase that the noble was about to bring crashing over his head and for the first time in a long time, he felt the sudden surge of adrenaline. He tried to move, but couldn’t and tried to scream but couldn’t muster the voice. What happened next however was a miracle in itself.

A sudden rush of pain, an almost searing sensation came flooding through his head, his anger and the sense of urgency of the situation barely kept him conscious as waves of pain, each stronger than the last threatened to overtake him. Pushing the girl aside, he brought both hands forward as if to shield himself from the vase when the porcelain thing shattered – no, exploded in the noble’s hands.

He could feel it, almost as if like electricity was burning pathways into his mind. Vanderlou squinted hard, trying to make out what was happening but for some reason he couldn't see well. Hundreds of thousands of threads with beads of light pulsing through them were suddenly blinking into existence and it obscured his vision. He could pick up the faint sounds of wild animated chatter but too much blood was pounding against his ears for anything to make sense. His eyes darted to the girl beside him, he strained to see her amidst the strands of light and when he did, he saw her small figure crying hard, both hands gripping his blazer tightly as tears came streaming down her cheeks. The half-elf forced a smile, but suddenly he couldn't see her - or anything else for that matter.

[Vanderlou]

The next brightening saw him with a swelling face and a heavily bruised torso but other than that the young half-elf was still breathing. Vanderlou woke up with a horrible migraine in addition to arms more than sore from yesterday’s brawl.

What happened?

He stared at a whitewashed ceiling, the room he was in was small with nothing more than a bed and cabinet. There was one window though, and from the intensity of the light peeking through the shutters it was clear that it was probably already late into the afternoon. He wondered what he was doing here when he should have been at work candlemarks ago, was there something he was forgetting?

He strained his mind to recall but for some reason the memories of yesterbrightening’s events came to him in fragmented pieces, almost as if he were looking at a puzzle that wasn’t quite assembled yet.

Vanderlou suddenly realized that his throat was dry, he looked around the room for refreshments. He found a desk beside him, but there was nothing on it. Easing his body out of the soft warm bed, puzzled as to how and where he was and who had attended to him. Again he tried to remember, but everything was still fuzzy. Had the punches he received really been that hard? He vaguely wondered if there was any permanent damage but decided to put that aside until later. For the moment he was thirsty, and that came first.

He managed to get up, his legs were fine but the migraine was making standing up a chore. It was when he was just about to open the door when he heard an audible click. The doorknob turned on its own and when the door opened he found himself staring face to face with Coral Sultani, the boss’ daughter. She had in her hands a tray with a glass of water and a plate with a slice of the Sugared Teacup’s signature Vanilla Spice Cake.

“I take it this means I’m not fired?” he asked hopefully.

The seamstress laughed and slipped past him, placing the tray on the desk before she spoke. “I suppose I shouldn’t have been too worried, Ma’ did say you didn’t have any broken bones anywhere.”

Vanderlou’s lips relaxed into a smile, he was grateful that he still had his job and that Coral was concerned about him on top of that. He closed the door and took the glass from the desk, draining its contents in one gulp.

“What happened exactly, my head’s still hurting so bad that I can’t remember everything.”

The expression on Coral’s face hardened. “You really don’t remember?” she looked at him with a look that betrayed something bad had happened. Vanderlou was about to ask outright but decided to proceed cautiously.

“I remember fighting this noble, being thrown into a table…” he intentionally spoke slowly, his eyes searching her face for any strange reactions. “Everything after that is more or less blank, is there something I should have remembered?”

Coral wasn’t looking at him, she was fiddling around with her skirt, her eyebrows knotted in thought. “I wasn’t there myself, but I was told that the noble who did this to you left quietly after authorities came to arrest him.”

“And the girl?” he piped.

He was staring at her, specifically her face but Coral was obviously trying not to meet his gaze; she was playing with the cake, stabbing it with a fork. “She was taken along with the noble for questioning.”

“And the vase?”

“What vase?”

“I remember that a vase…” he probed his thoughts but for some reason he couldn’t remember anything past recalling the vase. “Didn’t a vase break? Was it me who broke it?”

“You’re still out of it Van,” the girl said, pushing the plate of cake into his hands, still avoiding eye-contact. “Eat up, Ma’s expecting you back on the job tomorrow – for now try to get some rest.”

Vanderlou wanted to prod for more information, but he knew Coral well enough to know that she wouldn’t talk about anything she didn’t want to even if he coerced her to do so.

“Thanks,” the half-elf took a bite of the cake and already a flush of color was returning to his cheeks. “By the way, Coral…”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have added to the trouble.”

The girl’s lips broke into a smile and for the first time that brightening she looked him in the eye. He found a hint of mischievous glee behind those eyes of amber and wondered if he really wanted her looking at him this way. “Its okay, Ma’s taking out the damage fee from your salary this month so no worries.”

No freaking way, was she?

“You serious?” his tone incredulous and his face mirrored his disbelief.

Coral grinned and gave him a playful flap on the back. “Loosen up, I was only playing with you.”

[Vanderlou]

Vanderlou was already in the Sugared Teacup long before anyone else was. He felt that as much as he needed the day off he took yesterday, he had to make up for lost time and so he was cleaning. It was a difficult job however, cleaning. As good as he was with the broom the Sugared Teacup was already almost spotless and the only place that was even remotely dirty was the kitchen.

“The suns aren’t even up and already you’re working,” Vanderlou didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The scent of vanilla laced with spice was all he needed to confirm her identity. “-are you trying to impress me by any chance?”

He continued sweeping, though he couldn’t help but smile at her words. Truth be told, he had taken something of a liking towards the human girl and she was reasonably attractive enough to desire.

“I’m simply trying to make up for lost time; it’d be bad if I was late on my first day back. Now wouldn’t it?” he proceeded to sweep the entire length of the kitchen floor, which was somewhat long while being followed by Coral and his mood was already picking up by the time they were almost done, however something unexplainable happened to him – again.

A stray cat, a huge black one with golden stripes jumped through the window and landed on an unwashed plate. The loud sound was enough to unsettle him by itself, but what happened when the feline made the noise was what truly scared him.

The plate the stray cat had stepped on not only shattered, it exploded. Vanderlou stared at the broken pieces of porcelain with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Coral on the other hand was staring at the dead cat, her mouth slightly open as her face registered a look of unadulterated surprise.

The broom in his hands dropped to the floor and Vanderlou couldn’t help but be surprised. “What in Telath…”

Coral and Vanderlou couldn’t help but stare at the dead cat, then each other as they tried to comprehend the situation. Something was definitely wrong here. The half-elf wondered if he should report the situation but couldn’t quite figure out how he was going to explain an exploding plate.

“…We better clean up.” Coral said, breaking the tension in the air. She started picking up the larger pieces of the plate in the kitchen and without muttering a word, Vanderlou followed her lead.

Just… weird. Too weird.

[Vanderlou]

By the fifth brightening there were no less than a dozen broken plates and then there was an incident involving a pair of teacups exploding. Word was there was a ghost haunting the kitchen and the chefs and waiters were scared to the point where it was already affecting their performance.

Two gentle knocks on the door and Coral popped inside the kitchen, her golden brown hair catching the gentle light from the windows. Vanderlou smiled in her direction as he continued washing the dishes.

Coral approached him whislt looking around, occasionally stopping to taste-test some of the pastries that were being prepared by the chefs. “So, what’cha doing?” she asked, her back leaning against the wall.

The half-elf didn’t look up and continued washing, rinsing and wiping without missing a beat. “Washing the dishes, what does it look like I’m doing?”

“Aren’t you scared of the ghosts?”

The question was innocent enough but for some reason, the coincidences that plates only broke when he was around bothered him. He was starting to notice a pattern and was mildly aware that Coral noticed too.

“Ma’s starting to thing that someone’s trying to sabotage the store, though considering how loyal our staff are I kind of doubt it.”

“Hmm… Abby’s thinking too much.” ‘and she should be’. he added mentally.

“Maybe, but Ma’s pretty perceptive you know.” she picked up a buttered cookie on the side and began nibbling on it. “She does have another theory.” she said in between mouthfuls.

Vanderlou’s eyebrows arched. “Tell me about it.”

“Ma’ thinks that maybe one of our rivals hired a mage.” she said this casually, though the sidelong glance she was giving Vanderlou made him feel uncomfortable. Feigning innocence the waiter continued washing the dishes, he tried ignoring her but part of him wanted to her was she had to say.

“Is that so…” he trailed off.

Coral nodded, amber eyes darting between him and the cookie in her hand. “Makes no sense to me though, if they went through all the trouble to hire one then why not cause some real problems. I mean… broken dishes and exploding teacups? It shouldn’t be too hard for a mage to cause some real damage, and why only do it in the kitchen where the customers can’t see?”

“True, a mage should be able to do more than that.” he was starting to break into a cold sweat. Coral was a bright girl, perhaps too bright. Had she linked the strange situations with him? He knew that he didn’t do anything, but he still felt guilty because every time a plate, a teacup or some china broke it was always he who was in the immediate vicinity.

“It’s also weird that only one or two of our wares break each brightening, wouldn’t it be easier to break everything in one go.”

“Y-Yeah…” he was starting to fumble with the plates, one almost slipping from his grip.

The last chef finally went outside the backdoor, it was that time of brightening when they had very few customers and now Vanderlou was all alone with Coral.

As Vanderlou began rinsing the last of the dishes he looked at Coral and sighed. “Shouldn’t you be going now?”

The girl’s face suddenly took on a serious expression. “Just tell me the truth, I might be able to help you?” the words left her tongue with a hint of displeasure.

The plate in Vanderlou’s hands slipped and he caught the plate before it hit the sink, though the mixed fear and anxiety made him grip the plate a little too hard, perhaps so hard that the plate simply exploded. Some shards of porcelain cut into his cheeks, the larger chunks fell into the sink with an audible thud He looked at Coral expecting her to be angry at him, but instead she was smiling with her arms spread open. “It’s okay.” she mouthed the words in a voice that was barely a whisper.

The half-elf couldn’t take it anymore, brightenings of pent up tension came bursting through and he could no longer pretend to be the tough boy he pretended to be. He ran up to the girl, arms wrapping themselves around her as he sobbed into her breasts. “I-I-I don’t know what’s happening to me.” he said in a tear-choked voice.

Coral quickly stroked his hair, her other hand patting his back. “There, there, we’ll figure this out.”

“Something’s wrong, I’m a freak… This is… I don’t know, I just don’t know.” he shook his head as he said this sobbing even harder.

“I have a friend who studies at brightshadows… I asked her about your condition, while she couldn’t really give me anything particular she suggested you go there, she even gave me this.” Coral pulled out a small brown envelope from within her pockets, it was folded and crumpled but it didn’t look like it had been opened yet.

“There’s a name there of a master who might be able to help you.” she whispered into his ears. All he could do was nod in response, he was afraid that if he said more, he might not be able to stop.

“Please, take care of yourself, okay?”

He looked up at Coral’s face and saw the woman lean her head closer, she planted a soft kiss on his forehead and gave his cheeks a gentle squeeze. “Stop crying now, you’re acting like a girl.”

The half-elf wiped away his tears and finally regained composure. Looking at the small crumpled envelope the seamstress forced into his hands he realized one thing. At that moment, Vanderlou knew that his life was never going to go back the way it was.

And he was deathly afraid of what was in store for him.

[Aesha]

OOC: Done and Approved and such!