Fantasy The Visitor to Sarcago (GodlyDnD and CoolRoleplayer)

What? How can the man say the boy is really not from around there? Earlier, Ventemal had explained how some people with abilities go into jobs as body guards, or, lifting weights... because of the lifting weight example, the boy assumed their abilities were similar to his? Wasn't that the case? He let out a sigh, unsure what to do next, and also unsure if having said it was a bad thing or a good thing.

As for showing his powers...
"I can show you.." He said, though, right now, he didn't have anything with him.
"Maybe I can lift the spoon..", which was in the other room, the room they were eating soup, that is. He also purposely went for something very light... even if there was no need.

Their insistence was annoying, as well.
"I am from nowhere." He spoke out, slightly annoyed. Also, in a way, it was true: he wasn't from that world, from that planet, that is.
"Why do you care so much about it?" Were there wars between regions? That had to be something that would justify their annoyingly insistence in figuring out where he was from. Hopefully he was going to find out.

Ventemal watched as Colin demonstrated with moving the spoon telekinetically. He took in a breath sharply. And looking at Colin who answered him, he said, "Being from nowhere doesn't mean anything. All the other people anyone around here know about are those who are in Frenillo many many miles away, and no one has come here from there for many years, since it has become so dangerous through the wilderness. So you are from somewhere completely different, that no one knows about, and it is a surprising and intriguing mystery. You might not tell me but I understand it would be something you do not want to have told to the guards of Sarcago, so if you did tell me truthfully it would be between us as long as you want, and I will give the guards another story for information they would get. But wherever you are really from would explain further how you have such a different ability. And yes, it may help having a prestigious position in some work."

After another moment he said, "You know, I left the visitor who just came in the front room where he is waiting for me. I should not keep him waiting longer, but I will make the visit shorter that I can still come and talk with you in a little while."

Ventemal did not wait to hear more, and went right out from that room where they were at the table, to the front room, and the one he called Aeherdiens was still there, sitting in that same low seat. Ventemal's guest looked at him, and then after a short moment said, "He can really do that? What did that mean? I wasn't really listening because you have your music in there and I could hear little else, but you uttered that loud. I did not think you could be surprised at what any boy you are helping could do."

Ventemal said, "Well he is stronger than he looks. He probably has more surprises for me too. But now back to our business. You were saying something to me to explain how after I saw you many times until several months or so ago, and then you weren't seen out again, while it was still clear your home was still occupied with activity seen there."

"Yes, I was avoiding someone bothering me a great deal. But then just a little while ago I saw something you should know about."

He listened.. The man was once more making a rather long speech, explaining about the importance, the utmost relevance and urgency, about how imperative it was, for the boy to reveal where he came from. WHY. He was getting angry and annoyed with the situation. However, to his surprise, the man also offered to invent a story to the guards.
"I do not want a prestigious position." The boy replied back.

The man went on about how he should not keep the visitor waiting, so the boy nodded.
"Later tell me what story you going to tell the guards." He was not sure about lying to the guards like that. What if they caught on? Maybe that was a risk he was willing to take, even though he had a feeling the guards would figure out a hole in the story at some point, especially if they were to ask questions to the boy, instead of asking to Ventemal.

He watched as Ventemal went to talk to the visitor. Colin could peek, and try and listen to the conversation, but he decided against it, because, it was better to earn some little trust. Meanwhile, the boy looked at the spoon on his hands, for no reason, and soon after, he began to walk towards his own room that Ventemal had offered him, the one with the bed. Maybe a shower would do nice. His plan was to simply stay in his room, and wait until Ventemal would return.

Ventemal looked up as the boy wandered into view, seemingly without aim, and he raised his hand, and said to that man who came to visit, "Excuse me." Ventemal then turned to Colin, and said, "I am sorry. You must be tired after everything today that you might have been through, and I have not shown you your room yet, and I must do that. Come, the door to your room is across this way right over there. I will show you into it. If you feel like getting up to wash later on, that will be alright." He went just ahead of Colin to that door on the other side while glancing to see that he followed. "Careful this way, it is a step down. You have in there a couple of dresser drawers, on either side of the bed. On the right side from here there are two doors. The closer door to the right going that way is a door to a modest closet, with a bar across for hanging things. The door to the left is to a short hallway to another door, that opens to a small space with a door on the right to the main hallway that you've seen, and a door across which is to the room where you can wash. And going out to the right into the main hall, the next room further that way is for any elimination. I think I will be free after a few more minutes to be available if you need anything more to ask me that I might answer."

He walked right in the room they were at.. he simply wanted to pass by, to the room Ventemal had already spoke of him, but, when Ventemal saw him, the man came right towards him. Colin was surprised about what Ventemal said: he hadn't seen the room he was going to stay.. yet. He was confused.. he thought he had already been presented with a room, whatever. Perhaps it was simply a waiting room. Anyway. Ventemal also spoke of a room to wash, which he really wanted to take on the offer. He listened to the man's explanation about the directions, even though he was tired. And, of course, Colin followed the man.

Ventemal suggested going to the room, and then, washing at some point later on. But Colin wanted the opposite.
"Can I wash first?" He really wanted.. some shower, and then to go to bed, after all, he spent a considerable portion of the day walking. He was guessing the shower was going to be cold, and probably they didn't have any kind of heating system.. no matter. It was better than nothing. Perhaps by morning, after a good rest, the boy would be more prone to ask more questions.

Ventemal answered, "I thought you were quite tired and wanted to lie down really soon. But you can certainly wash up first, the room for that beyond that short hallway has water pouring and a bucket nearby with the cleaning lotion so you can easily clean there. When you are done you may lie down then. I will speak with my visitor still but we might be done and he might possibly leave before you are done with washing up." When Ventemal was sure Colin could find his way, Ventemal returned going up that step to that front room where he was seeing that visitor, Aeherdiens.

That visitor said, "Anyway, I was going to tell you about something I saw that I should tell you about. Can I tell you now?"

Ventemal said, "We have a little time, I am sure now, but just for a while, so you can tell me that. There may be a day soon with a better amount of time to say more, that is, if you will still come out from your home."

When Colin opened the door to that short outer hallway, he saw the door a little ahead for going out that way. And he could just hear the splash of the water running. It poured out from an opening above to a wide basin one could stand in, it was not cold but it was not really warm either.

He listened to the explanation, and then, he went towards the place Ventemal had instructed him, so he could have a shower. He heard the water running, and got inside, looking around. Rather primitive. Whatever. It was considerably better than nothing. He moved his hand to see the temperature of the water, and it looked somewhat cold, not freezing, not warm, whatever as well.

He closed the door, and began to have a shower. He also took the opportunity to wash his own clothes. After he was done, he used some telekinesis to blow some wind to speed up the drying process for his own clothes.. even if doing so made the room colder.. and maybe the wind also made a little bit of noise, because he wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

After some minutes doing that, he wore his white clothes once more. They were slightly damped, just slightly, but it was fine and acceptable. He knew it would dry soon enough.. Besides, hopefully the bed would have comfortable warm blankets for him to use.

After that, he opened the door, and began to walk towards the room Ventemal said he was going to sleep.

That visitor Aeherdiens said, "As I mentioned there was one bullying me who I came to avoid all I could, staying indoors more for that. But I just saw him out there a little while ago, and it was clear that he was being chased. I saw him running like his life depended on it. And then there behind him once he had run off a way I saw a giant, who was coming after him!"

Ventemal said, "Really, a giant. There are no giants living in Sarcago! Giants were among the threats to any who went along the old road leading away from here."

"I know that! I don't have an explanation for it, but I saw that happening. And it was just a little earlier I saw you returning toward your home with that strange new boy. I figured I might have a chance to talk with you again and let you know what I just saw. That guy who bullies me isn't there right now."

"Well I am glad you came to talk with me again, and that is a weird thing you told me. But we will have to make time later, the next day or so, to talk further. It is this boy's first time here and I want him to settle down here without complications, I hope you understand."

"I don't know if I can freely come here another day."

"Well if you don't, maybe I can come and knock on your door, if you would let me come see you there."

"Yes, it may have to be that way, for us to meet again."

Ventemal stood and said, "We will then see each other later one way or another."

That neighbor Aeherdiens, a younger man, had soon left, and once Ventemal had shut the front door to be securely closed, he went to the room where he would prepare food, with that table across on the other side, and went to that instrument he had left, and spent time to have it wound up again. The same music now played again at length. He then went to the front room again, to sit there, wondering if Colin would still need to talk, whenever he would be finished, as Ventemal thought would be likely. He might wait a good long while, but when he could presume Colin was sleeping, he could go retire to his own room. There was something he had left waiting to be read there, anyway.

As he was walking by from the shower, he noticed the two men were still talking among themselves, about who knows what. He didn't want to bother, nor to know. He also didn't want to disturb their conversation in anyway, not even to wish for a good night. He was dreaming with a good and nice night of sleep after having walked for so long, and then, in the morning, he would be well rested.

He arrived at the room Ventemal had showed him, inspecting it somewhat quickly with his eyes, and then slowly walked towards the bed, where he collapsed. Finally. Some sleep. In fact, he started to sleep almost immediately, due to how tired he was. Walking the whole day.. He'd probably keep asleep for around 11 hours if undisturbed, maybe even more.. that was how tired he was.

He didn't even notice that Ventemal was close to his room, just in case the boy needed to talk. He just slept.
Of course, by morning, feeling well rested, Colin would be more willing to talk and to interact with Ventemal, perhaps more happily as well. Maybe after a good breakfast, of course.

The music of the mechanical device came to end, and with Ventemal's senses which his hearing was one aspect of he perceived that Colin was not awake in his room. So Ventemal got up and went to his own room where he would sleep, and once alone closed up there and in bed, he picked up the written materials he thought of to read there. It was that material with the heading, "Known dwellers of the Great Wilderness".

He hurried past the material on the wolves and that on the superwolves, larger, smarter, and more aggressive, and hurried to the material on giants in the wilderness. There, he found where it said, "Though the giants avoid associating with the normal sized humans, many of them make their homes, singly or in very small clusters of less than ten homes, near enough to see the settlement of the mantypes, the most normal sized humans. They would pay attention to any of them approaching, and they would not be welcoming." Ventemal thought, "A giant would not respond to a human with any reaction unless they came so near." That would mean that if a giant was chasing after someone, coming into the settlement, that one chased must have approached too closely. But that would mean that one came out of the settlement to come near enough to provoke that particular giant. Could Aeherdiens have been mistaken, and what he saw was something other than a giant?

Ventemal spent more time looking through the materials on elves with their groups large or small in interrupted spaces in the wilderness. There were a few occasions still a long while ago when some elves met with some of the dwellers of Sarcago, and information was obtained from them. There were ogres but in a different place difficult to get to, those could not be then what was taken for a giant. They had information on fairies too, which few of the elves ever met and spoke with, but none from this settlement did.

Before he knew it Ventemal was about to fall asleep.

He woke up. On his own. After sleeping who knows how long, he opened his eyes, still tired from the previous day, and looked at the unfamiliar ceiling.. right... he just remembered the events of the previous day. He let out a small sigh, stretching both his arms and his legs across the bed, getting ready, and then sitting up on the bed, wiping his eyes, and wondering what to do next. He didn't think he was going to wake up on his own.. he thought someone was going to wake him up, but apparently it didn't happen. He slept for a whopping 12 hours.. he was tired, yes, but now, he feel rested, and hungry, and sleepy.

After wondering what to do next, and after looking around, he slowly got himself out of bed, and walked across his room. Peeking his head across the door, looking at the adjacent corridor, he tried to see if someone was around. Not any someone, but someone in specific.

"Hello?" He spoke as soon as he left his room. His voice was soft and sleepy. He'd soon find himself wandering around aimlessly across the building, in search of the Ventemal person that had helped him earlier, and he was simply going to ask for some breakfast.

Ventemal suddenly awoke. He was in his own room on his bed, he quickly realized. But when had he gone to sleep? What was happening last? That was hazy at the moment. It was a voice he heard, that was what awoke him. What voice? The kid! There was a new kid in his home! And he was responsible, and he only woke up now!

Ventemal hurried up, quickly made himself ready, and went out from his room. There he saw Colin wandering toward the hall with the room for cooking with a table on the other side for a place to eat across from Ventemal's room. He said, "Colin! I am sorry, I must have been staying up long to talk with you if needed, and then slept late. And, you are wearing the same unusual things! Maybe today we can get you some new clothes that would fit. Anyway, you must be hungry again. In a few minutes I will have something for a meal prepared, so that you can eat. And hopefully you really slept well. Just sit at the table and I will make it ready for you. Oh! I just remembered! You had showed me that you move some things, just with your mind, without touching them! I know that means something!" Ventemal stared at Colin while he went to that room for cooking as if Ventemal was trying to remember something important.

Suddenly the man found him and began his morning speech. Apparently the man slept too much, then something about changing his clothes (in which Colin didn't like that much), something about having breakfast (which Colin did like!), and something about his power (which Colin was not sure what to think). The boy shrugged a little bit.. what a weird encounter. He nodded, though, and went at the table that Ventemal had spoke about. There, he waited, wondering what that man meant with all the things he said.

When Ventemal passed by, or arrived at the room that Colin was at, the boy was the first to speak up.
"What do you mean, that my abilities mean something?" He asked, not really sure what to make up of it.

And hopefully Ventemal would be there with breakfast!
He was hungry indeed!!

The boy was seated at the table, at the same place even. Ventemal made his attempt to answer, while Colin was trying to make sense of it, even while Ventemal quickly had something heating on a wide megamite griddle. "I had almost forgotten. I had a thought last night, if you move things with power of your mind, even heavier than what you showed me with it, there are desired things that you with your ability would be good for. I have some good ideas for what to aim for. But you are still really young. What, about ten years of age? There would be a long while before you are big enough to get any of those positions. There are things to learn still. We might be together here a long time. I hope in that time we will get to know each other and know more about each other. It would not involve what the guards of Sarcago will hear, that they ask about."

A short while later, Ventemal brought a tray with plates and a stack of the baked items now cooked with a crispy outer surface, along with a pile of cherry plums for each, to where they would eat at the table.

Yes, he sat down at the same place that he had sat down yesterday. After all, why to change? Routines were comfortable.

RIght.. The man was already thinking on how to take advantage of the boy's powers, simply just like everyone he had met possibly. On the other hand, the man was giving him food and shelter, was being so patient, and was willing to help him even more, therefore, maybe there wan't a problem in doing so, in helping the man in return.
"What desired things? What do you have in mind?" He asked casually.

Ventemal was saying he was too young, and would be a long time before he was ready for 'those positions'.
"What positions?" Why did these people speak in such a cryptic way... He wasn't understanding much of what Ventemal was trying to say to him. Maybe the boy should simply say nothing and eat breakfast. Or not.

And Ventemal also spoke something about getting to know each other better.
"What do you want to know about me?" He was more willing to answer now, considering he had had a good night of sleep.

Not wasting time, Colin began eating the cooked items Ventemal had brought him. Bread. The bread was delicious. He didn't take the cherry plums though. He preferred the bread. And it was clear how much he liked it.

Ventemal said to answer, "Well, I guide and make suggestions, and recommendations, but I generally do not have a final say, though what I do say is weighed heavily in consideration. I have some ideas, one in particular a very strong one, but there would be much more for us to discuss before going there. But it could potentially involve you becoming a leader. I still want to know any interesting things about you. It would be fair as you will be learning things about me, and I will help you learn things about this place, that you only just came to." Ventemal watched Colin, and he said. "You really like the baked crispies. You might try the fruit, if you are not familiar with it, I think you would like it, these fruits are quite sweet."

Ventemal ate from the crispy bread, with a few cherry plums on top of each. The fruit had been pitted so no stones were left in the center. Ventemal hoped Colin would see his example and try it, it would certainly be more nutrition for him. After a few, Ventemal said, "In the forest you came here from, there are certainly creatures that would be threatening. But you have power to move things with your mind. I am thinking that has something to do with it. Doesn't it?" Ventemal watch the boy hoping he would not mind giving some answer.

"A leader?" Was the man serious? Didn't he notice the rather young age for the boy? Not that he could learn and be one, of course. The boy was pretty smart, after all. He also could try to take the position by force using his powers.. Nevertheless, he had been downplayed many times, and he was mostly seen by others like 'just a child'. Thus, such a suggestion offered by Ventemal caught the boy by surprise.
"So you want to do whatever I say?" That could be fun! That was what a 'leader' meant, right? Right?! He asked in a kind of funny way, like as if he was amused.

Despite being offered the fruit, he kept with the baked crispies. He enjoyed sweet things as dessert, so he was going to take one of these fruits after eating these crispies. After he was satisfied, and ate a fair amount (relatively speaking), he took a single fruit to try it out.. the cherry plum.. and tried it. It was fine. He only took a few of them, perhaps between two and five, though.

"What you mean?" He didn't understand Ventemal's last question.
"Are you saying you think I can move things with mind because of the forest? Its not." He was not sure how to interpret it.
"And I am not from the forest. I was just.. walking there.." He wasn't living in the forest, in fact, his ship crashed - so - it was completely different. And again he was being vague about it.

Ventemal said, "I do not know where you came from, I can't, without you telling me. But you certainly did come to Sarcago through the forest, from... wherever you came from. So it seems certain you dealt with things there, along the way, to get here from any distance at all. Some things there are dangerous. But here you are. So it must be that you can handle some things there. I can say some of what wild things live there, but maybe you have even seen more there that you could tell me. ...of course, you are not going to be a leader right away. And to be one, one of the things you will have to learn is the difference between being a leader, and telling others anything that they then have to do. I would like to have you learn qualities for being a leader and I think it can help you go much further."

Ventemal then continued eating his baked crispies and cherry plums, while waiting to answer anything else the boy would ask him, still as a stranger here, from wherever it was. And he thought, there are mysteries about the wilderness out there, and it would be good to learn a lot more about it. Maybe there could be opportunity for that. He then took a drink of the water there on the table.

Ventemal had visions of the wilderness, with rats and small creatures scurrying from place to place, and the wolves and superwolves roaming in places among closely growing trees. A giant was somewhere there peaking out from an obscure cave. There was an almost hidden structure like a dwelling but almost indistinguishable from heaps fallen leaves mixed with grass, an elf made a home in there. And along an unused road that made little difference to the creatures dwelling in the wilderness, a young boy with this strange manner of dress on him came wandering along the road. Wherever he came from, he was confident and any creature that approached him he just used his mind and moved it far away. He had some sense that even one of those approaching from behind would still be removed far away. And he could do that over and over, along the way to the entrance gate of Sarcago. That was some mastery. But he still knew nothing even with seeing this about where the boy came from. But it must have something to do with what he could do.

Oh. Things the boy saw in the forest. Those looked like fair way to measure his strength, he figured. He let out a small sigh when this was mentioned.
"Fine. I.. well.. I am stronger than I look." He admitted. It was clear the man caught on this fact with just logic, and at this point, he felt like denying wasn't going to be any good, and wasn't even going to delay anything.
"This means.. dangerous. Danger." He spoke out, pointing towards his uniform. There were grey marks, inscriptions, written in very small letters, at a few places. He pointed to the one at his collar, and yes, that meant: 'danger'. The inference of what exactly it meant, though, it was not clear. If the boy himself was dangerous, or if the boy was considered dangerous by others, or if it were the powers themselves who were considered dangerous, or some other more elaborated explanation. Maybe neither of these were true.

"And what is the difference between leading and telling what to do? Looks the same thing to me." Wasn't it? That was his point of view anyway. Maybe the man was going to say that a leader should be inspiring.. can one be a good leader without it? Maybe. Inspiring is just a type. He didn't know. Whatever. It didn't matter.

And maybe he could put an end to the speculations of where he was from.
"I am from....." Well. Even then he couldn't say it. Would the man even understand the concept of different planets?
"..... far away." That should do it.
"By comparison, you people look.. huh.. a little bit primitive." He didn't want to sound condescending, nor he didn't want to make the man mad. He was simply opening up, and speaking his mind. His voice tone was cautious, and showed he didn't intend to insult anyone, and he was a bit hesitant in saying this. Hopefully it would go well.

He then stared at the man, unsure, searching for facial cues the man wasn't upset, or afraid, or something.
"What happens now?" Maybe a probing question might help.

Ventemal listened carefully, realizing then he was hearing more information from the boy, Colin, than he had or probably would later. He would take care to make sense of it as far as he could, before asking anything further. So, the patterns on the suit Colin yet wore were writing with meaning, from ... some other people. He was from far away. Frenillo was far away! What? How could a boy come from farther than the one distant city known about? Even though people must have come from one place, and all be descended from the same original ancestors, that was lost information beyond the earliest history being kept, when Sarcago had started and was developing, and there were already exchanges at times between Sarcago and Frenillo. And the boy was not from Frenillo... he couldn't be, could he? And what was that? We are primitive? That word clearly meant something different to Colin than what it was meaning here, for comparing things. How could it be used for people?? Maybe it was that he was from where fairies were. They were from a realm beyond this reality, weren't they? There was a gate for them used at times. Everything here was all wilderness, except for the cities of Sarcago and Frenillo in the distance, the road, now unused, between them, and something said about a very very distant sea, a body of water so large you could not see the other side beyond.

After the thoughtful pause after hearing Colin and absorbing what he could, he said, "A leader is one guiding others. There will be practice and training we will have for leadership to be learned. A leader is not the same as a ruler. Vargodor has followers growing in number here in Sarcago and they are with anarchist pursuits, they don't want rulers, at all, but there are leaders among them, these are distinct, the leaders do not tell others anything that they then have to do. That is an important way in which leaders are distinct."

Ventemal then asked, "If there is this writing on what you wear saying 'danger' or 'dangerous' can you become a leader, or would it suggest that you should not?"

Hm. The man didn't react as bad as he was anticipating, which was good. In fact, Ventemal said nothing about Colin's comments of primitive, again, good. Instead, Ventemal decided to focus on the leader stuff.

So that was the difference between leading, and ruling? Well.
"I don't want to guide anyone. Everyone is free to do whatever they want." He spoke out. He didn't want to lead, or anything.
"Ruling looks way more fun." Facts. But his reasoning was simple.

Guiding looked like a complicated slow process of slowly convincing people to see reason. He didn't like that, and he didn't really like interacting with certain individuals, which he probably would be required to, if he were to take any leader role. Its simple: There exists people who simply do not want to see, and would not be convinced, even if overwhelming evidence was presented in front of them!

Besides, why would anyone want a child leading them? On that regard, he was impressed by their behavior. It showed they were humble, if they really were seeking that. Maybe they were desperate for technology or something. Or maybe they knew that his basic knowledge on other civilizations could give them some advantage in how developing their own? Or maybe they were in a critical situation, in need for someone knowledgeable to tell them what to do, for example, invading armies closing in, or, some natural catastrophe, or, whatever. Or maybe they just wanted his powers for something.. Why did they want him to lead?! That was a mystery for him.

"I can teach. If that's what you want." It was the best compromise he could offer. He could teach math, he could teach some science, some engineering, and other things. There were plenty of books stored digitally inside his ship, well, which was far away... But he could go back and get them if he wished.

"Why do you want me to lead? I never imagined anyone would ask me for that." He admitted it. And if they really wanted that badly.. he could rule. But he doubted they'd want that. Who would want that?! Nobody!
"Instead, I imagined you were going to ask me to wash the plates, or do work, or something." Isn't that what people tell kids to do?