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Post by eleisiakhartou on Mar 31, 2006 0:50:30 GMT -5
eleisia khartou sat sideways on her chair, her back to the wall, a window to her right. A leather-bound volume lay open on the table; her pen dangled from her fingers, dripping loose ink onto the table's clean surface, ignored as she watched the street come to life.
She wondered idly what Fidal was doing. When she'd left the house, a soft snore had been all the evidence of his presence. She had simply smiled and gone off to feed the animals. There were plenty enough of them, now. She was just glad Khazandra had taken well to Fidal's presence-- the llama was gentled, not tame.
Sunlight glinted off the metal sign of the apothecary, temporarily forcing her brown eyes into a squint. Her lips curved into a soft half-smile as she watched a pair of small children chasing a kitten in their front yard.
eleisia sighed, lost in reverie. The growing pool of brown ink began to drip across the table.
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Post by eleisiakhartou on Apr 10, 2006 23:11:07 GMT -5
A tall, slender woman approached, rag in hand; her presence seemed almost to tap at the 'window' of eleisia's aura. Turning to face her, eleisia's fingers flipped the pen, and a live spray of brown droplets shot across the room, spattering a nearby patron's newspaper. He, in turn, flipped down one corner of the paper, a stern glare beneath his bushy eyebrows.
Blushing, eleisia quickly laid the pen down, hoping for a show of innocence. The shop-girl smiled, holding up the rag. "Hard to pretend it wasn't you with that brown river flowing off the table."
"It was not my intention-- !"
The shop-girl broke in, "It's all right! I came to clean it up. And don't worry about ol' Gruff McGrouchypants over there-- he's always evil before the second pot of tea. That's right, tea! Whoda thunkit, right?"
eleisia giggled. The girl's bright face and easy attitude were contagious. "I thank you!" Her hand went to her forehead by reflex, but she stilled the gesture of gratitude and instead shoved her khimar back on her shoulders like a hood, letting the front of her hair flop free. "I was hoping some random individual would wander in before I ordered. Doesn't seem likely, this morning, does it?"
"Well, I'll tell you, you're much more likely to attract a stranger if you've got something to share. Plate of scones? Pot of-- here she shuddered visibly-- tea?"
"Certainly not! Scones sound lovely. With orange marmalade, please. And coffee, of course!!"
Table cleaned and the world once again restored to rights, the shop-girl turned to go, pausing to wrench the back page of the soiled newspaper from the angry customer's fingers. She turned back to grin at the young librarian before returning to the back room.
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Post by Ashard on May 4, 2006 8:35:05 GMT -5
As the back page of the newly stained newspaper was jerked away from the angry patron's tight grip, the rest of it shredded almost instantly as though it were blown up and thrown through the air. The small pieces slowly floated downward to take rest on the table, on the man's lap and on the floor around him.
Luckily for him there were not many people in the coffee house that morning as the following situation would of embarassed him to high heaven.
The man's angry expression quickly went to shocked and disbelief but it wasn't long before he appeared to decide that it was the waitresses doing. His face became bright red as he filled with agravation and he shot up from his seat to go after the young woman. The next expression on his face was a sort of mixture between angry and puzzled as he took to realising that he could not move his feet, they appeared to be glued to the café's floor. A few seconds passed before he tried to yell at the waitress for her 'aparent' missbehavior when he discovered that he could not open his mouth either and so only muttering sounds came forth.
A panicked air seized the man as he looked about the room for any kind of help. A hopeless feeling hit him as all the coffee house workers were out of sight in the back of the café and the only other client there at the time apart from him was a woman he got mad at just moments ago for having littered his paper.
Options seemed to be running at a low for this particular patron when he started to see some flashes in front of him. Little did he know at the time that it was the conductor of the whole event that was flickering into view. Once it appeared to have settled into place and achieved a proper opacity, the ghost rose a brow as it looked at the angry customer.
“Now what exactly does being mad all the time accomplish apart from being detrimental to your own health?” The man's eyes grew wider and wider at the aparition before him. “I'm sure you can feel your heart racing uncontrolably, and though that may be good once in a while, I assure you that if it's regular, you will end up with more heart problems than you already have.”
He could of worked at a morgue if he wanted to. The Grave Keeper had examined all the corpses in his graveyard and therefore knew a good deal about the inner workings of a human body. The things that were supposed to be as well as what was not right or out of place. With that, he knew that this man needed an intervention soon before he found himself among the dead.
Ashard looked at the man with such sincerety that it was almost funny considering what he just did, as long as one did not know the intent. The ridiculousness of the whole scenario did not change the facts and the gravekeeper was earnest with his present endeavor.
“I strongly suggest that you go see a doctor to get your health checked and ask if they have any tips they can give you in order to control your anger. My graveyard is getting buisier by the day with this war at hand and I don't need you to be a casualty of your inner conflicts.”
After having waited a few moments for what was just said to sink into the now calming patron, Ash extented a hand towards the door, a gesture to let the man know he could go seek aid now.
The man was hesitant a little but he finally tried to move his feet, and as he could, he made his way out of the café with haste.
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Post by eleisiakhartou on May 5, 2006 8:56:54 GMT -5
eleisia watched the 'show' with interest. Sure and it was the biggest thing to happen here all morning! Her brown eyes widened with each turn of events, and she grinned broadly when 'McGrouchypants' left. As for the creator of this mischief, she had a few thoughts, none of them substantiated. She was no stranger to the paranormal.
She watched the handsome spectre, picking bits of shredded newsprint off of her skirt. Glancing down, she noted the random bits of paper spelled H-E-L-L-O, something like a disjointed ransom note. She looked over at the patron's nemesis, her heart filled with light. With no fear of embarassment (she was already considered one of those odd library ladies and was beyond questioning at this point), she said aloud, "Hello, yourself!"
Suddenly she found herself glad there weren't too many people here today. A lack of embarassment didn't mean she wasn't shy-- and this whole episode had not been short on attention-attraction. She sat squirming in her chair, hoping he would notice her.
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Post by Ashard on May 15, 2006 15:48:10 GMT -5
Ashard watched the man leave and sincerely hoped that he'd head straight to the hospital. He suposed he'd know in a few weeks if the man did or not depending on whether the man arived, dead, in the graveyard. Even then he'd inspect the corpse like he always did.
Moments after the old man's departure, Ash heard a voice comming from the one corner of the café. Turning, he realised that she was adressing him as though he had already said hello. Lost in slight confusion for a little while, he finally took to realising that the bits of paper must of gave the impression that he had used them to comunicate. If he had it would of been fun, but at least it was a cool coincidence.
The Keeper shook his head slightly as he laughed. "I wish I could take the credit for what you seem to assume I did. But alas, I was too concentrated on my mission. That old coot needs to take care of himself before it's too late." He stated with a concerned look on his face.
Comming back to the moment he was now faced with, he smiled as he advanced toward the woman at the corner table. "Hello. My name is Ashard. I'm the local grave keeper." After a slight pause he continued. "Now, I can take credit for that introduction."
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Post by eleisiakhartou on May 15, 2006 23:14:05 GMT -5
"Well, that's certainly odd." eleisia shrugged off the 'coincidence' with a casual air, though internally she remained suspicious.
"Good to meet you. I wasn't aware we had a gravekeeper. I work at the library. I've coffee and scones coming, perhaps you'd like to stay and break your fast with me?"
eleisia pushed the opposing chair out from the table with her foot, offering him a seat.
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Post by Ashard on May 18, 2006 9:18:39 GMT -5
Ash nodded his head as she stated how odd it was. He agreed completely, especially since strange things always seemed to occur when he was around, even things he did not plan. It made him wonder for a moment if all those things happened subconciously but he quickly shrugged that thought off.
The Keeper smiled at her offer for him to join her, it was something that did not happen often. Most people avoided the ghostly figure either out of fear for what they did not know or because they heard of him and did not want the 'trouble' that tended to come along with him.
He did not have time to react to her verbal offer when the chair across from her was pushed out as though inviting him to have a seat. This was a shock to the ghost, he took a small step back and blinked a couple of times while he looked at the seat and then over to the girl. "Well, this is a day to remember. I'll have to jot it down somewhere" He laughed. "This is the first time in over 260 years that anyone has offered me a seat." He smiled sort of uneasily as he looked over his form to then sigh. "People don't offer cause I'm not material I spose."
Then, he took his seat as offered and laughed more. "I thank you for this. It may seem weird to you but it means a lot to me." He said with a genuine smile about his features.
"And yes, Karador has a grave keeper. Though I am considered a pain by most, you won't be able to find anyone willing to take care of my graveyard as much as I have over these past many years." A look of pride could be seen about him as he spoke of his yard. "And it's nice to meet the new librarian." He laughed a bit awkwardly, "The last one was, well.... yeah.... probably shouldn't go into that." He finished as he looked about, hoping the waitress would arive soon, and that when she did she'd not flip out at the sight of him.
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Post by eleisiakhartou on May 18, 2006 17:36:33 GMT -5
"Well they certainly oughtn't to be rude! Even if you're immaterial, I'm sure you'd prefer to be treated with courtesy."
As the ghost settled himself, she thought about her library and his graveyard. Thankless jobs, those. And yet, she sensed he was as passionate about his employment as she was about hers.
"You knew the old librarian well, then? I met him only once-- And he was not terribly kind. He didn't care at all for the old library building. I was sorry when he died, though. At the very least, he knew where everything was kept in storage. It would have helped when we moved into the kirk."
She stopped talking as the waitress arrived, steaming mugs in hand. "Currant scones and plain, and even a whole-wheat one! Though I guess you'll have to share." She set down the mugs, careful not to slosh the hot water onto the table and eleisia's journal. "You can pour the hot water out the window. There's a trough there for the animals, and the water's always warm anyway." The coffeepot she placed between them, following it with a small dish of marmalade. "Anything else I can get you folks?"
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Post by Ashard on May 18, 2006 18:40:30 GMT -5
"He died?" he replied in a shocked manner. "I thought he went missing or moved away from Karador. He never came into the graveyard." He finished as he sighed and shook his head in disbelief.
Just then the waitress arived to serve the already orderd scones and coffee. The way she adressed him made the ghost think that the lighting made it hard to see that he was not in any means capable of having anything to eat. Even with that, he simply smiled at the waitress, "Thanks but I must decline. I can't stomach anything in my present state." He nodded respectfully and turned to face the librarian.
After waiting a moment for the girl to reply to the waitress, he said, "I'm sorry, I don't believe I got your name."
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Post by eleisiakhartou on May 18, 2006 22:01:03 GMT -5
To the shop-girl, eleisia smiled, refusing further assistance. "Only thing that would make this morning better would be if you could join us. I'm sure you're busy, but if you have a moment, you're welcome."
"No problem, darlin'! That is, if the gentleman doesn't mind." A neat bow to the ghost completed their exchange, and she went on to assist other patrons.
Eleisia turned to face her table-mate. "You didn't get my name because I never 'donated' it. And isn't it polite to introduce oneself before asking?"
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Post by Ashard on May 19, 2006 9:25:28 GMT -5
When she said he never gave his own name, the grave keeper scratched the side of his head and frowned slightly as he went into thought. "I was sure I said my name right before I mentioned that I was the gravekeeper." He rubbed his chin then turned his regard back to the girl, "Oh well, I spose it could even happen to me to think I said something when I didn't." He laughed and smiled. "I'm Ashard." He went to extend his hand in greeting and then realised it would serve no purpose so he stoped his motion and shrugged.
After a moments reflection, he offered a thought, "Oh, I don't know if you ran into him yet at the library, but there is this guy that goes there now and then. I don't know his name but he looks like he's about fifteen years old, he's not though, he's been around a long time. Anyhow, he likes to go in there at odd times and take random books without telling and he never returns them." He snickered, remembering that weirdo who kept up the same action for years on end. "I never told the last librarian for several reasons, but you seem nice enough so I figured to let you know. You might like to keep an eye out for him."
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Post by eleisiakhartou on May 19, 2006 22:49:50 GMT -5
eleisia shook her head ruefully, her mind aflutter. It was difficult to think. She hated to even think about a caffeine dependency, but it seemed like no matter what she said, she'd be wrong. She took a deep breath to settle her nerves.
"I apologize. I didn't mean to be so off-putting. I am called eleisia khartou."
She emptied the two hot mugs, then poured coffee for them both. "You keep watching the food as though it were a foreign object. If it's been 260 years since someone offered you a seat, I suppose it's safe to guess you haven't been offered a coffee in at least as long?"
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Post by Ashard on May 24, 2006 21:10:13 GMT -5
"That's alright. Everybody has their day to be 'off-putting'." He smiled candidly. "It's nice to meet you eleisia."
Ashard laughed a little at her latest comment, "The waitress just did moments ago. I do believe that I kindly refused." He smiled at her in a short of half wonderment. "Your mind must be pretty busy at the moment. Problems at work or elsewhere?"
The Keeper found it rather funny, in a weird way, that eleisia's thoughts seemed to be here and not here all at the same time. Was almost as though she wanted to be here but her mind took her away at any given moment.
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Post by eleisiakhartou on May 24, 2006 22:04:07 GMT -5
eleisia shook her head in dismissal. Beams of daylight focused through the window to her glazed ceramic mug. A bright halo of light seemed to surround Ashard's head; eleisia breahed deeply, her eyes drifting slowly shut in mute acceptance. Strange things seemed to happen here so much more often. She almost longed for the simplicity of the Khelet. Almost.
"Thank you for your grace. Please ignore my strangeness, I suspect it will pass. What brings you here, today?"
The children across the street had returned, this time with a small leather ball. The boy tossed it upward, the girl's hair streamed behind her as she snatched it out of the air before it completed its arc. eleisia's smile hung immobile on her face as her eyes adjusted to look into ashard's face again. His features seemed so dark! She squinted, focussing on his eyes.
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Post by Ashard on May 25, 2006 8:42:24 GMT -5
"I like to keep myself informed. To be aware of most of what's going on in and around the city." He stated simply. "So when there's not much left to do, if anything, at the cemetary, I take a stroll around Karador. Roam the streets and listen in on what the old women at the bakery around the corner have to say." He laughed and shook his head. "They gossip about pretty much everything that happens, no matter how large or insignificant."
Ash looked out the window for a moment to see what the attraction was and smiled. He knew that as long as Decimas did not get to those kids, he'd not see them in his graveyard for many years to come. Or at least, he hoped.
"And what brings me to the coffee shop?" He frowned and shook his head in dismay. "Sam Delaynee." He sighed heavily as the name came out. "He's the man that was seated just off younder earlier. I've come accross him many times over the years. He has a really bad heart condition that's getting worse as time passes. If he doesn't do something about his anger soon it will be the end of him. So when I saw him having a fit in here as I was passing by, I figured it best to deal with him now. I know it's my job to tend to the dead and not the living, but when I see a problem that if resolved can delay the inevitable, then I try my best to do so." He looked at the wall behind eleisia for a moment. "My methods to help people may seem rather off, and many think I'm just a pest." He laughed and shook his head once more, turning his attention back to her. "I have to admit that most of the time it is just me having fun, so I guess I can't blame them for thinking like they do."
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