Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was a small little hovel that Kyeti called home, but the place bore her own touch from ceiling to floor and wall to wall. The entrance was hung with herbs and spices that wafted a gentle spiced aroma through the house and there were little baubles and charms hung strategically in places such as the windows and doorways. More herbs and varied ingredients were dried and packed into jars lined neatly in rows along the shelves with dried foods and smoked meats above and below it. The open space in what would be the living room was filled with several worn chairs that were comfortable enough if not luxurious. Indeed, Kyeti didn't live very luxuriously at all it seemed. She was surviving on the basics of what she needed to get by, and when one looked outside to the location of her house it became clear why. Hidden off deep in the forest where the tall trees blocked out all but the bare trickle of the sun and their shadows crept along the ground looking all the more like lurking monsters was where Kyeti made her home, from from the society that had deemed her to be an outcast for her curiosity. "Let them be ignorant, then," she had told herself and indeed she had found her own sort of contentment in her little niche she'd carved for herself.

Content was the last thing that Kyeti looked at the moment. She paced the floors nervously as if anxious about something. Malah, her waterfowl, was perched on her nest on top of one of the book shelves along the wall contentedly preening herself, but the familiar's sharp eyes watched her master and the anxiety didn't go unnoticed even if it seemed Malah could care less.

((Feel free to go whatever direction you like with it smile I don't have anything set in mind))

As one panned the view of the room the object of Kyeti's anxiety became clearer. Perched open upon a pedestal was a large tome bound in some sort of soft, dark leather, the frayed, yellow pages sat open to an intricate sigil surrounded by blocks of notes handwritten along the design as if explaining the schematics. Kyeti glanced over to the book and frustration was clear on her face. "I've tried it three times, Malah. Three times now with no results! I'm beginning to think this tome is a useless script of fiction." She gave a long sigh as she sank into one of the chairs. "I thought for sure this time I'd found an answer, some sort of key, something to explain the visions. Tell me how they work, something! I know there has to be more to it, more that I can do, but I just don't know how!" Malah fluffed her feathers nonchalantly and resettled herself on her nest. Clearly the bird would provide no answers, she rarely had even though Kyeti could see the intelligence in her eyes. That wasn't why Kyeti had chosen Malah, though, and vice-versa. Theirs was a mutual companionship of two creatures who liked to be alone. Kyeti ensured Malah stayed fed and had a warm place to sleep and preen and Malah listened to Kyeti so she didn't go insane talking to herself as well as providing a measure of protection - Malah was very vocal about her dislike for strangers. It was a fitting arrangement for the both of them.

Kyeti turned to look up at Malah. "What do you think, old bird? Should we try it again?" Malah just gave Kyeti a burning glare, as if to say she took offense at the world 'old'. Kyeti just grinned. "Once more then, and if it doesn't work this time you can shred the damn thing for your nest," Kyeti said as she stood from the chair and moved over to her cabinet of ingredients. Malah settled in to watch, looking appeased at the thought of destroying something else for her own gain.

With an ease born of knowing exactly where things were, Kyeti moved aside several jars of dried herbs and pulled out from the ingredients hidden behind them. There was a jar that seemed to contain some sort of bile, one that contained the eyes of some creature, one holding Malah's shed feathers, one that contained pure white salt, another what had to be some sort of blood, the list went on and on from tiny bones to sprigs of rare herbs Kyeti pulled out all manner of ingredients picking out what she needed and setting back the rest. When she had what she needed she gathered up the few jars and returned to the pedestal where the book rested. She made sure the floor was clear of debris and removed the straw mat that separated her feet from the dirt. She then began etching the sigil shown in the book into the ground itself using the pedestal and book as the center focal point and placing the herbs and salt within the grooves in the dirt. Once that was finished it was just a matter of reciting the incantation. Malah seemed to perk up in interest as Kyeti began reciting the words in a slow drawl to ensure she was pronouncing them correctly. Then, once she finished the last phrase in a strong crescendo, it was simply a matter of waiting to see if her answer would come.

Kyeti seemed disappointed as she waited and for a long moment nothing seemed to happen. She was just about to give up and toss Malah the book when the fowl began squawking loudly. Kyeti glanced towards Malah only to find a creeping smoke shimmering on the air around her. She wheeled around the rest of the way as she said, "What is going--" but the rest of the phrase was cut short by a sharp exhalation as she jumped back in surprise, nearly tripping over the book stand. The smoke clouded her from seeing exactly what it was, but she could see Forcalor's silhouette in the lamplight. With hesitation Kyeti sank to her knees, cradling the book to her chest and breathed quietly, "It worked...". Malah eyed the shape in the glittering smoke cloud suspiciously, ruffling her feathers in agitation, but on seeing her master's reaction she settled down at least a small bit.

Kyeti was unsure how she should proceed. Should she let the creature reveal itself? Perhaps she should greet it, or should she let it speak to her first? After a moment's indecision she decided that perhaps she should make sure this was the creature she had meant to summon first of all. "Are you the keeper of secrets, Great One?" she asked tentatively.

Kyeti's breath caught as Forcalor stepped forward. He was...gorgeous. Like some sort of god in the flesh. Respectfully she lowered her eyes from his, but she couldn't help but stare at the rest of him as he stood before her. Her mouth felt dry and she was sure if she spoke she her voice would croak.

Malah was not so awed or pleased. True to her nature, the waterfowl bristled at the sight of what seemed simply another leekozri to her and glided down to the floor puffing up her feathers angrily and squawking at Forcalor. Apparently it wasn't enough for her that her master seemed perfectly fine with him. Instead Malah made it clear that there was something about Forcalor that she disliked severely.

Kyeti whipped her head towards Malah and hissed angrily, "Be quiet you old nag!" and Malah's squawking did quiet some, but the ruffled feathers remained and an intense look of dislike burned in the waterfowl's eyes.

Kyeti turned her focus back to Forcalor. "I apologize, Great One. She dislikes strangers. She is called Malah and I am her master, Kyeti. I have called you seeking your wisdom and guidance. I wish to learn the secrets of magic that our elders keep us from." She paused for a moment as if to catch her breath for her words had all come out in a rush, but after a moment's reprieve she gathered her courage to ask the final, most important question. "Will you teach me, Great One?"

Kyeti looked up at the offered hand for a few long seconds before finally taking it and rising to her feet. "Thank you, Great One," she said, unsure if she should risk calling Forcalor by his name until given permission.

Kyeti felt as if her heart were hammering inside of her chest. It was mostly due to the nervousness she felt and the anxiety of being so close to her heart's desire she could practically taste the power, but there was more to it as well. Forcalor might not have charmed her, but he had stolen her heart in his own way. Kyeti found that as she looked up into his golden eyes, her breath caught at the thought of being welcomed in the company of such a magnificent creature. Perhaps it was the sense of awe she felt that her pleas and questions had been answered by something so clearly greater than herself, or perhaps it was just the fact that Forcalor was indeed very handsome. Whatever it was, instead of making Kyeti gaga over him, it seemed to instead strengthen her resolve to learn, to get better, and to impress her new teacher. She tried her hardest not to seem overeager, but the curiosity and desire to delve in burned in her maroon-colored eyes and was only barely held in check in her voice as she asked, 'What must I do to begin?"

Kyeti brushed her hand over the cover of the book, that disturbingly soft leather beneath her claw tips. "It's all fascinating, Great One, but I do seek a specific goal to start with. I have had...visions since I was young, feelings and foresight that have allowed me to predict things with varying degrees of accuracy. That is to say, the visions have all come true in their own way, but at the same time they are random, disjointed, jumbled. I wish to learn to control them and make sense of them so I can interpret them. I was told there are ways in the book to make them clearer," she said offering the book out to Forcalor.

Kyeti took the book back from him and immediately began to scan the pages. "I have much of this here," she mumbled quietly, almost distractedly and then moved over to the cabinet where she had begun laying out ingredients earlier. Setting the book down carefully where she could read it but it would be out of the way, she once again went through the process of pulling out the ingredient jars she would need and shuffling the others aside. Several jars of dried leaves and herbs with a strangely aromatic scent we set to the side as well as what appeared to be a thick resin contained within another jar and a bright, almost crimson red powder. Then suddenly Kyeti's brow drew down in a frown. She picked up the jar that contained preserved eyes and looked back at Forcalor. "Great One, I have these which have been preserved, but the book says I will need a 'living eye'. How am I to acquire such a thing?"

"M-my eye?!" Kyeti stammered in shock, her eyes widening. She swallowed hard. She had expected it wouldn't be easy, the things in life that were worth anything rarely were, but this... Her mind worked frantically. Surely there was another way, another interpretation, but she knew the truth of his words. How would she even - was she really fathoming this? - remove her eye? How would she keep from bleeding to death? Even as much as she couldn't believe she was even considering going through with this, on the other hand she had come too far to turn back like a coward now. Mentally she ran through what she knew of some of the herbs she kept on hand. Thistle would help stop the bleeding, mandragora and clove oil would perhaps dull the pain she could hope. She took in a deep breath to try and still the hammering of her heart. She could do this. She would, and the results would be worth this sacrifice, surely.

She looked back at Forcalor, and even though her heart still pounded in her chest, through her determination she stood strong. "Tell me what I must do, then, Great One," she said confidently, but in her mind she was wincing still at the thought. This was going to hurt...a lot.