Good GODS but Hosi is a bitch. [Igueris]
Apr. 18th, 2007 11:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
freosanHello again, Hosiverse. (Good grief, it's MORE angst.)
Hosi has recently developed a bad case of voice-in-head. The voice in this case is that of none other than Kali. In a related turn of events, her aristocratically reddish-purple eyes have turned bright green. It might be easier if Hosi actually were schizophrenic.
Hosi and Sakli, PG, 1 317 words.
When Hosi met the hedge-witch, she was stuck upside-down in a holly bush.
Hosi watched her flail and curse genteelly for a few moments, then tapped her on the sole of the foot. “Like some help?”
The flailing stopped, and the woman was silent for a moment. Then, sheepishly, “Um… please?”
Hosi grabbed one heel and pulled, sending the witch sprawling on the ground.
Her short hair was as white-blonde as Hosi’s, but she had a bit of a tan and her eyes were muddy green. She wore a man’s traveling pants and shoes under a short red canvas overdress that had seen better days, though better was relative. She had no sash and no device, but she carried the distinct air of a magic user – from Hosi’s perspective, that meant she was a heat sink. Magic user with no rank equaled hedge-witch.
The broomstick stuck in the bush beside her was also a bit of a clue.
She sat up, blinking carefully. “Thank you,” she said, started to stand up, and failed. Hosi took her hand and brought her to her feet. “Thanks again. Um. Where’s my… Oh, of course, it’s still stuck.”
Hosi looked where the hedge-witch was looking forlornly at the broom.
“You crash-landed a broomstick,” she said. “That’s a special kind of skill.”
The witch blushed. “I don’t usually! I just… the leyline wasn’t where I thought it was going to be.”
Hosi sighed. “Can you stay standing?” she asked. The witch nodded.
Hosi let go of her, strode to the bush, and pulled out the broomstick, gesturing at its owner. “Here.”
The witch managed not to fall over on her way over, and took the stick with another blushing thank-you.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked. “It’s an awfully long way from the nearest town.”
Hosi contemplated her options, and the possible factor of annoyance if she had to explain herself. She couldn’t come up with a quick and convincing lie. “Traveling.”
“Through this forest? I thought there were all sorts of creatures on the Sokth. Are you alone?” The woman sounded frightened, and maybe she’d have reason to be, but she wasn’t the one on the trip.
“Yes, through this forest, and do you see anyone else here?” Hosi waved her arm in a circle.
“Sorry, sorry, I just – a lady and a Mage, out here – would you like a lift?” She waved her broomstick.
Hosi shuddered. “Not with someone who can’t keep her lines straight,” she said, and turned away from the woman. This trip was bad enough already.
She has a point. You’d get there a lot faster and you’d be sure to stay on the line.
She’s a hedge witch and I’m not going anywhere with anyone on your say-so.
“Hang on, don’t leave yet! I have to do something… I’m Sakli, what’s your name?” she asked. Her voice had a note of desperation in it.
“Hosi. Now go somewhere I don’t have to hear you.”
Hosi ignored the witch’s protests and strode off, carefully. Her feet were giving her trouble again.
She got herself lost in the woods again very, very quickly. Well, not lost; she knew exactly where she was. She was on one of Kali’s leylines and she was headed in the direction of Academy Island. She had a pack containing one blanket, one shirt, travel bread and several knives, improved eyesight that kept confusing her depth perception, blisters on her feet and a voice that claimed to be a goddess in her head.
She just didn’t have a clue where she’d be on a map, and that bothered her more than she felt like admitting.
She lost the slight chill in the air that meant she was on the leyline and stopped, feeling around for the lost trail. At that moment, the leaves behind her crackled and something large and very solid slammed into her back.
“Sorrysorrysorrysorry!” she heard, and from this she deduced that she’d picked up a witch again. Sakli scrambled off of her and held out a hand, which Hosi flatly ignored as she got to her feet.
“Accepted. Go away,” Hosi said.
“I didn’t think you’d be standing right on the line...” the witch said miserably. Hosi ignored her, turning back to her inspection of the air.
“Um. Sorry, but… what kind of Mage sash is that?”
Commoners. “Life.”
There was Kali-sent silence for a few moments, and Hosi managed to put her hand in a bit of air that felt several degrees cooler than the rest of the atmosphere. She stepped onto the leyline and walked a few steps forward.
“But… but I thought… the Academy…” the witch said, from behind her.
Hosi spun around, careful to keep one foot on the leyline. “What about the Academy?” she asked.
Sakli’s face was as white as her hair. “You didn’t know?” she whispered. “I guess… the news couldn’t have gotten here…”
“Just tell me.”
The witch put a hand to her eyes, and took a deep breath. Then she said, very somberly, “The Academy’s been bombed. It was ghost week. They’re saying, in Halfen… they said that all the Life Mages were dead.”
Hosi froze. “That’s a lie.” Her voice was sharp, rough, and completely uncertain.
Sakli shook her head. “It’s not. It’s really not,” she said, and then she threw herself at Hosi, hugging her.
Hosi stood in shock, not even cognizant enough to push the girl off of her.
I shall not say…
Shut up. Just shut up.
You must know, now, that I am your goddess.
This cannot be happening.
But it has.
The cool aura of the witch’s White magic was bleeding through her cloak; that’s why she suddenly felt frozen and stiff. It wasn’t… it had to be a lie. The Academy was home. It was indestructible.
But… who but a goddess could change someone’s eyes?
You begin to understand. The mental voice was softer than it had been, gentle. Consoling.
She pushed the witch away and sank, almost without realizing, to the ground. Kneeling over the chilled leyline, with the witch’s cool hand on her shoulder and a goddess… the Lady… with the Lady’s power in her mind, she started shivering and couldn’t stop. Shaking.
It’s all right. I know it is a shock, to hear so suddenly…
My Lady. You didn’t tell me. Why didn’t you tell me?
I did tell you. You didn’t believe me.
She wasn’t crying. Girls don’t cry. She supposed if she’d been a man she’d be sobbing all over the place right now. That might have been preferable to feeling like she wanted to snap, to yell, to hit something and feel it break.
You’re a goddess. You could have proven it.
Faith is destroyed by evidence. And… The Academy, that news had to come from –
From some random hedge-witch commoner without the sense Devern gave chickens? I’m perilously close to renouncing, here.
You don’t wish to do that, Hosi.
…No. If I’m the only one left, I don’t have a choice.
She knocked the witch’s hand away from her shoulder. “Keep your hands off me, hedge-witch.” Sakli stepped back, shocked.
Hosi found the leyline and started walking again, ignoring her blisters, the witch’s voice, everything except the chill that was seeping into her.
“I’m coming with you. I know you’re probably really scared right now and I know you probably won’t want me around and that’s okay, I’ll just be over here not making trouble…” Hosi shot a glare at the monologuing witch. Sakli stopped to take a deep breath before continuing. “So when you’re ready to talk about it, I’ll be here! Plus I know that since you’re a Life Mage you’ll be helping people, and I have enough skill to help you do that.”
“Fuck off,” Hosi responded, and kept walking.
When Sakli spoke next, Hosi could hear the obscenely cheerful smile. “Nope!”
Hosi has recently developed a bad case of voice-in-head. The voice in this case is that of none other than Kali. In a related turn of events, her aristocratically reddish-purple eyes have turned bright green. It might be easier if Hosi actually were schizophrenic.
Hosi and Sakli, PG, 1 317 words.
When Hosi met the hedge-witch, she was stuck upside-down in a holly bush.
Hosi watched her flail and curse genteelly for a few moments, then tapped her on the sole of the foot. “Like some help?”
The flailing stopped, and the woman was silent for a moment. Then, sheepishly, “Um… please?”
Hosi grabbed one heel and pulled, sending the witch sprawling on the ground.
Her short hair was as white-blonde as Hosi’s, but she had a bit of a tan and her eyes were muddy green. She wore a man’s traveling pants and shoes under a short red canvas overdress that had seen better days, though better was relative. She had no sash and no device, but she carried the distinct air of a magic user – from Hosi’s perspective, that meant she was a heat sink. Magic user with no rank equaled hedge-witch.
The broomstick stuck in the bush beside her was also a bit of a clue.
She sat up, blinking carefully. “Thank you,” she said, started to stand up, and failed. Hosi took her hand and brought her to her feet. “Thanks again. Um. Where’s my… Oh, of course, it’s still stuck.”
Hosi looked where the hedge-witch was looking forlornly at the broom.
“You crash-landed a broomstick,” she said. “That’s a special kind of skill.”
The witch blushed. “I don’t usually! I just… the leyline wasn’t where I thought it was going to be.”
Hosi sighed. “Can you stay standing?” she asked. The witch nodded.
Hosi let go of her, strode to the bush, and pulled out the broomstick, gesturing at its owner. “Here.”
The witch managed not to fall over on her way over, and took the stick with another blushing thank-you.
“What are you doing out here?” she asked. “It’s an awfully long way from the nearest town.”
Hosi contemplated her options, and the possible factor of annoyance if she had to explain herself. She couldn’t come up with a quick and convincing lie. “Traveling.”
“Through this forest? I thought there were all sorts of creatures on the Sokth. Are you alone?” The woman sounded frightened, and maybe she’d have reason to be, but she wasn’t the one on the trip.
“Yes, through this forest, and do you see anyone else here?” Hosi waved her arm in a circle.
“Sorry, sorry, I just – a lady and a Mage, out here – would you like a lift?” She waved her broomstick.
Hosi shuddered. “Not with someone who can’t keep her lines straight,” she said, and turned away from the woman. This trip was bad enough already.
She has a point. You’d get there a lot faster and you’d be sure to stay on the line.
She’s a hedge witch and I’m not going anywhere with anyone on your say-so.
“Hang on, don’t leave yet! I have to do something… I’m Sakli, what’s your name?” she asked. Her voice had a note of desperation in it.
“Hosi. Now go somewhere I don’t have to hear you.”
Hosi ignored the witch’s protests and strode off, carefully. Her feet were giving her trouble again.
She got herself lost in the woods again very, very quickly. Well, not lost; she knew exactly where she was. She was on one of Kali’s leylines and she was headed in the direction of Academy Island. She had a pack containing one blanket, one shirt, travel bread and several knives, improved eyesight that kept confusing her depth perception, blisters on her feet and a voice that claimed to be a goddess in her head.
She just didn’t have a clue where she’d be on a map, and that bothered her more than she felt like admitting.
She lost the slight chill in the air that meant she was on the leyline and stopped, feeling around for the lost trail. At that moment, the leaves behind her crackled and something large and very solid slammed into her back.
“Sorrysorrysorrysorry!” she heard, and from this she deduced that she’d picked up a witch again. Sakli scrambled off of her and held out a hand, which Hosi flatly ignored as she got to her feet.
“Accepted. Go away,” Hosi said.
“I didn’t think you’d be standing right on the line...” the witch said miserably. Hosi ignored her, turning back to her inspection of the air.
“Um. Sorry, but… what kind of Mage sash is that?”
Commoners. “Life.”
There was Kali-sent silence for a few moments, and Hosi managed to put her hand in a bit of air that felt several degrees cooler than the rest of the atmosphere. She stepped onto the leyline and walked a few steps forward.
“But… but I thought… the Academy…” the witch said, from behind her.
Hosi spun around, careful to keep one foot on the leyline. “What about the Academy?” she asked.
Sakli’s face was as white as her hair. “You didn’t know?” she whispered. “I guess… the news couldn’t have gotten here…”
“Just tell me.”
The witch put a hand to her eyes, and took a deep breath. Then she said, very somberly, “The Academy’s been bombed. It was ghost week. They’re saying, in Halfen… they said that all the Life Mages were dead.”
Hosi froze. “That’s a lie.” Her voice was sharp, rough, and completely uncertain.
Sakli shook her head. “It’s not. It’s really not,” she said, and then she threw herself at Hosi, hugging her.
Hosi stood in shock, not even cognizant enough to push the girl off of her.
I shall not say…
Shut up. Just shut up.
You must know, now, that I am your goddess.
This cannot be happening.
But it has.
The cool aura of the witch’s White magic was bleeding through her cloak; that’s why she suddenly felt frozen and stiff. It wasn’t… it had to be a lie. The Academy was home. It was indestructible.
But… who but a goddess could change someone’s eyes?
You begin to understand. The mental voice was softer than it had been, gentle. Consoling.
She pushed the witch away and sank, almost without realizing, to the ground. Kneeling over the chilled leyline, with the witch’s cool hand on her shoulder and a goddess… the Lady… with the Lady’s power in her mind, she started shivering and couldn’t stop. Shaking.
It’s all right. I know it is a shock, to hear so suddenly…
My Lady. You didn’t tell me. Why didn’t you tell me?
I did tell you. You didn’t believe me.
She wasn’t crying. Girls don’t cry. She supposed if she’d been a man she’d be sobbing all over the place right now. That might have been preferable to feeling like she wanted to snap, to yell, to hit something and feel it break.
You’re a goddess. You could have proven it.
Faith is destroyed by evidence. And… The Academy, that news had to come from –
From some random hedge-witch commoner without the sense Devern gave chickens? I’m perilously close to renouncing, here.
You don’t wish to do that, Hosi.
…No. If I’m the only one left, I don’t have a choice.
She knocked the witch’s hand away from her shoulder. “Keep your hands off me, hedge-witch.” Sakli stepped back, shocked.
Hosi found the leyline and started walking again, ignoring her blisters, the witch’s voice, everything except the chill that was seeping into her.
“I’m coming with you. I know you’re probably really scared right now and I know you probably won’t want me around and that’s okay, I’ll just be over here not making trouble…” Hosi shot a glare at the monologuing witch. Sakli stopped to take a deep breath before continuing. “So when you’re ready to talk about it, I’ll be here! Plus I know that since you’re a Life Mage you’ll be helping people, and I have enough skill to help you do that.”
“Fuck off,” Hosi responded, and kept walking.
When Sakli spoke next, Hosi could hear the obscenely cheerful smile. “Nope!”