Of thieves and ghost whisperers

Of thieves and ghost whisperers
Date of Scene:	22 January 2013
Location:	Traverse Town - VALKYRIE hq
Synopsis:	Katyna returns to VALKYRIE headquarters where she runs into Maira shortly after the church fiasco. The two discuss strength of heart, friendship..And gossip about boys!?
Cast of Characters:	Katyna, Maira

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Katyna has posed:
Katyna had been pretty tired after the church fiasco. Not only had she spent more time lingering around the Traverse Town church in hopes of seeing sir Kasrillen's spirit again, but she'd also been practicing more in the catacombs by herself, exploring the dark cavernous mazes, seeking out the treasure and generally being a lot more religious than she used to be.

She hadn't even fully recovered from her wounds, wounds inflicted upon her after she greedily went for munny spilling from the falling heartless that had put her directly in the line of fire..What a strange girl.

Eventually however, she had returned to VALKYRI headquarters, determined to track down Maira and ask her questions. Surely she'd had a chance to talk to Sir Kasrillen the longest. Surely she held the answers that Kat sought..

Maira has posed:
Maira is easy to find, for she is just hanging out in the open area perched on a chair, knitting. A ball of pretty red yarn is at her side, tucked into a bowl as she knits away with her needles. From the looks of it, she has been working on this for a while, because it is beginning to resemble a dress sized for her.

When Katyna enters, Maira looks up and smiles to her. "Hey Katyna! How are you feeling?" she asks.

Katyna has posed:
Kat peers around, spying Maira in the corner, and she grins and waves at her. "Heey! Whatcha doing?" She peers curiously at the dress she is knitting, seeming quite fascinated with it, actually. "wow...Look at that..It's sooo prety! That must have taken you forever to knit! I wish I could learn to knit..It looks like fun!"

When she asks how she's feeling, Kat finds herself blushing a little, remembering how Maira had hugged her. Kat had never been hugged before, not since she was a little girl by her mother, before she'd passed away. Not even Kasrillen had hugged her, and of course Razan and her were still young at the time and 'cooties' was a thing to avoid.

"Hmm, I'm okay. I..Wanted to thank you for what you did back there. I guess you got to talk to Sir Kasrillen, huh? I..Wish I could have talked to him more. I went back to the church, but..I never caught a glimpse of him again. I guess he's really gone for good, huh?"

There was that one brief glimpse, but..Kat couldn't see or talk to spirits afterall. It still made her feel a little sad. And it made her feel bad that she'd once kidnapped Maira and put Avira through hell.

Maira has posed:
Maira smiles brightly as her knitting is complimented. "You think so? I have been working on it for kind of a while...ever since I could afford to buy some yarn. I use to knit when I was younger, one of the ladies at the orphanage taught me. I was sick in bed a lot, so I got pretty good at it...use to make things for the other kids," she explains.

At the thanks, Maira's smile simply brightens. "You are very welcome Katyna! That's what's friends do, yes? You're a member of VALKYRI. We look out for each other," she explains.

"As for Sir Kasrillen, I wish I'd had more of a chance to talk to him. He's looking out for you though Katyna...gone for good? Well, I don't know, I suppose that depends on what you believe I guess? If you'd like to try to talk to him, I could go back and try to find him. I may not be able to make you see him too, but...I don't know, it could be worth a try, and if nothing else you could at least say whatever it is you need to say to him."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna nods enthusiastically, "For sure! This is awesome, and it looks warm too! Heey, do you think you could teach me to knit sometime? I'll bet it's loads of fun.." more fun than wandering around some dark creepy castle, getting bullied about by all the Shadow Lords who all seem to have their own plans for her.

A strange smile tugs on her lips when she speaks of looking out for each other. If she knew what she did..But Kat cant change the past. Even so, she'd come to truly respect Maira and Avira..And she knew there was a chance that Hati might even join too and leave the Shadow Lords. Would Kat ever truly fit into this picture however, or would she have to sacrifice her lifelong dream?

"Y-yeah, I guess you're right. Avira seems really dedicated to that cause too. I thought she was a bit lofty and idealistic at first, but, I've seen how she fights, as if she's fighting with her whole heart, and you with your whole spirit. It's amazing.." But they both had some special power...Without the use of darkness. Could Kat ever wield that sort of power herself?

"Hmm..I wonder..Uist is always around, isn't he? He..Never passed on. So maybe there's a chance that Kasrillen might lurk around here a little longer too, right? I cant see him but if he's still there, maybe you could talk to him..?" She smiles, "Hey Maira, what do you think happens to people when they die? Where do they really go? Why do some people still linger around as ghosts?"

Maira has posed:
In response to a knitting lesson, Maira nods emphatically. "Well I have never taught anyone before, but I think that I can! It is fun, though it can be frustrating when you mess up...but once you get into it, it can be very relaxing," she informs.

Then the subject grows much more complicated. Maira nods at Katyna's input on Avira, and blushes at the comment about herself. "I just...try to do what is right..." she replies.

Uist is almost always around. Sometimes he goes off by himself to give me some space. Sometimes, like after a fight, he is too exhausted to really be with me as solidly as he usually is--it is kind of hard to explain, I don't understand it myself."

"Well, I never got much in the way of religion or anything...but I believe there is something after, a world...and sometimes, you can pass in between that world and this one, and that's when you appear as a spirit. Certainly, some hang around because they have something they just can't get past, you know? They feel they need to stay for some reason...some, they don't even know the reason. Many of the spirits I've seen are...more than half mad. They are just an echo in the world of what they use to be. Those are the saddest sort," she says with a frown.

"See, we saw the ghost of the mother of those children that night in the church. She stayed because she needed to see her children safe. Sir Kasrillen...I don't know, maybe he was drawn to you? Maybe he was drawn to the place? It is really hard to know--I see ghosts, but I don't really understand them. I couldn't begin to tell you how Uist and I work together."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna chuckles. "Heh, some people think I'm too impatient and I need to focus, to calm down. Maybe learning to knit will help me to do that, y'think?" She grins, "It's worth a try, right? Maybe I'll knit some scarves or leg warmers or something really funky! Dunno, but I'm not a big fan of the cold..Gimme the desert any day!"

She seems touched by Maira's kindness somehow..And it really makes her start to wonder if maybe..Maybe there is something special about this girl. Was she one of the pure hearted ones that the heartless wanted? But..If that's the case..No, Kat doesn't want to think about it right now. It's all so very confusing. She didn't even know what path to follow anymore..

"I guess..Trying to do the 'right' thing isn't always easy, Sometimes it can be confusing..For a moment back there, I wanted to leave the kid on the pedestal and go after the treasure instead. And..When I stood in front of those people protecting them against the heartless, it was more because I was after the munny than protecting them. I....I wonder how Kasrillen would feel about that?"

She pouts. "Maybe..Being strong isn't always the 'right' thing, but, sometimes it seems the 'best' thing to do." Gah, suddenly Kat feels ashamed of hereself! How silly! And spilling her guts like that...Focus Kat! You're saying too much! no, she needed to become strong so she could protect herself. She shouldn't get involved in other peoples' problems. And yet...

"Ahh.." Kat rubs her eyes as if tired. "Hehe, forget it! I'm just rambling, I guess I'm just tired. I took quite a beating back there, and the church still needs regular guards to protect them against future attacks! Hmm, I guess I was always too impatient for religion, even though Kasrillen was a very devoted and faithful follower of Faram. But...Faith is such a hard thing to follow, y'know? It's so...So abstract. Still.."

She nods. "Yes, I think there is another world, although I wonder if it can in fact be reachable? I...Have a 'friend' who is trying to do just that, to search for the netherworld, to bring back one who died. But I wonder if that's even possible? I think..Maybe when you die you belong to a different world. But maybe you're right. Maybe some ghosts are able to remain behind because they havent' accomplished their greater calling..Yet. I wonder..?"

Kat scratches her head, clearly not one who regularly ponders such deep thoughts. She frowns however, when Maira talks of spirits gone mad. "Half mad huh? Why is that? Do they not know they are dead?"

As for Kasrillen, if he Hadn't quite passed on...Would he stay to look out for her as Uist looked out for Maira? Suddenly Kat feels paranoid..Had he seen all the 'bad' things Kat had done? Was he here to inflict punishment on her? "Ooh.." she shivers, "I dunno, but, having an invisible someone who can watch your every move is kinda..Creepy.."

Maira has posed:
This confession is a little startling to Maira, but she does not let it trip her up long. Indeed, a look of understanding is present as Katyna tells her about what happened in the church. "I...think I can understand that. There was so much treasure in there. You'd never need to struggle for anything again. I know what it is like to be really poor--to go days without a meal, have no where warm and safe to sleep, no nice things..Yeah, I can understand the allure of all the treasure. Really, no one would fault you for feeling a little torn, for that impulse. I bet you've struggled for the things you need too. I know you lost your world as well--it's hard. But! You didn't go for the chalice instead of the child, did you? In the end, you made a choice and you chose to protect another life instead of a future for yourself. You know why?" she asks, though it's rhetorical, she's going to keep talking! "Because you have friends, and you understand the value in that. Its more valuable than anything else, because your friends will always look out for you. That's what I think, anyway," she adds, flushing some. That was a lot of words, goodness!

Maira clears her throat. "I don't know Katyna, I really don't. When I talk to spirits they usually don't know where they are going, and if they know where they have been they don't talk about it. Uist...you'd think I'd know it all, that he would, but he doesn't remember anything really. I don't know where he came from, or why--just that he's there." That had always been enough, though of course, the mind does wonder...

"Hehehe, yeah, I suppose it could be creepy! That's why Uist gives me space. He understands that. When we started talking he kind of withdrew to give us privacy."

Katyna has posed:
Bah! did she say too much? Darnit Kat....FOCUS! She sweatdrops, chuckling rather nervously. "eheheh...I guess..You're right! I mean..That was a lot of treasure. And..." She nods slowly as Maira talks a bit more about how she was once poor, orphanned, struggling for food. It's all so very familiar..

Once again, Kat is transported back to the coliseum in her mind..On that day when she'd kidnapped Maira and tried to convince her and Avira that she was doing the right thing in trying to make Avira break her bond of friendship with the fire mage. But..Something Maira had said had at the time too had resonated with Kat...

She understood..She had been there. She knew what that was like, to be alone, to be poor and helpless....Dammit, focus, Kat!

"Heheh!" she sweatdrops some more, scratching the back of her head. "Erm..I guess you're right. In the end, everyone was saved. I guess...Maybe I did make the right choice."

She bites her lip. ~But did I, really? Gah! That chalice was full of so much power! Bah...I wannnnt it!~ Katyna sighs softly, trying to keep her thoughts to herself. Let's let sleeping dogs lie, shall we?

She nods when Maira talks of the spirits, glad for a change of subject. "Hmm..That's strange. I guess they really are lost a lot of the time. I mean, dying, that's gotta be really jolting. But then I guess you're life isn't really over, just changed. I'll bet there were lots of spirits in the catacombs though, right? I'll bet that giant heartless was preventing them from resting in peace. I...Wonder if Sir Kasrillen's body was eventually placed there too? I wonder if that was possible..If he wasn't corrupted by heartless first..?"

It gives her a little hope at least. But back on the whole ghosts watching you thing, Kat makes a face. "Really though, that would be creepy! But that's good that Uist gives you space. At least you can see ghosts, most of us dont even know when we're being watched..But, that girl Aerith, seemed to be able to see ghosts too..Who is she, anyway?"

Maira has posed:
"You definitely made the right choice," she responds with a small smile. Though it withers some, thinking about those kids. They would be orphans now too because of Heartless. Maira lets out a small sigh, picking up her knitting again. She practically doesn't need to think about it as she goes.

"Aerith is a friend. She is actually from the same world I am. She's the first person I ever met who could see Uist--really, for a long time I feared I was just insane. That's what everyone else assumed..." she says with a small shrug.

"Well, I don't know if his body is there, but his spirit certainly was," she says, looking up to meet Kat's eye. "He said he was proud of you Katyna. He also said to look out for you, keep you on the right path."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna smiles softly, nodding to Maira. "Thanks! I guess..?" but did she really? Kat isn't so sure...Dammit, that grail might have held extraordinary power! Even when she went back to look for it, she could not find it....Grrrr!!!

"Hmmmm...." Kat watches Maira's knitting in silence for a few minutes. It's kinda interesting to watch, kinda mesmerizing, calming even. Heh, it'd be interesting to see how she'd manage that....~

"Hmmm....." So she's from the same world? Interesting? But what made 'em tick? what made them...Special? Kat is curious, really curious. Would she be a target for the heartless? Suddenly Kat doesn't want her to be targetted. Maira's...Really sweet.

"That's interesting, how you guys can see ghosts. I guess mayb'ese it's just some special, unique talent you both share. But I dont think it's common in any worlds. Still, I dont think you're crazy. I never thought you were crazy. I think it's cool that you can talk to ghosts! And Uist has all these mysteries surrounding him..Why, it's almost romantic! Maybe he's in love with you, maybe that's why he cant pass on!" She grins impishly at that thought..

When Maira mentions that Kasrillen is proud of her, she actually blanches. "Oh...Really?" Really!? That's just.....AHHahah! If he knew the bad things she did...."Hmm, I guess he was there since the start then. I...I wonder how long he was there, watching over me? It's kinda weird, like I was being tested. But what's all this about have you guys watch over me?"

She sweatdrops..Oi..This might be tricky! It causes her to chuckle nervously. "Eheheh....I wonder what my purpose in life is? I wonder what he means by that, anyways?"

Maira has posed:
Katyna never thought she was crazy? Maira smiles widely. "Thanks Katyna! That means a lot--really, I thought I was crazy so...heh..."

"Pfft! In love with me? I don't...I don't think it works like that. I mean, Uist has been with me since I was very young. Our relationship is...well...hard to explain?" she asks with a laugh. She doesn't exactly have any comparisons to make with others! Still, she's pretty sure Uist is not in love with her in that way...

Moving on! "Heh, I don't know Katyna! I don't think any of us do. We just kind of go along, finding out as we go, yeah?"

Katyna has posed:
Katyna giggles as she gets a reaction out of Maira. "Oh, just kidding..Kidding! I mean, I guess there are different kinds of love right? But, that does kinda remind me of a boy I once knew when I was younger. We..Got bumped between different orphannages that couldn't afford to take care of us after the war, so in the end we ran away together. We were very close. Interestingly, Razan looked and acted a LOT like Reize. For the longest time, I actually believed Reize WAS Razan, but.." She sighs, "I guess not. Even so..I guess if we were a bit older, maybe...."

But of course that's not possible. She's sure Razan died, or worse... They'd never see each other again, anymore than she'd ever see Kasrillen, or her mom or dad..Or the people in the thieves' guild. Kat's smile fades just a little as she thinks about the lonliness in her life. But..She has a few friends here too, doesn't she? She has dear Hati..And Morgan, and Reize too! And Kat is really starting to like Avira and Maira. Just..Why do they have to have crazy friends like Angantyr and Skoll? it's beyond her, but...Meh...

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. Guess that's what life's all about, hey?" She grins, "By the way, I hear we have some..Guests, staying here for a bit." Well she hasn't seen any of them yet, but Kat is too tired right now to go snooping around, nor does she really want to go looking for her two nemeses..She's especially concerned about Angantyr..Did he recognize her fighting skills as Ember when they were fighting those bombs? She sure hopes not!

For some reason, Kat seems quite...Worried. And it shows.

Maira has posed:
Maira listens to Katyna talk about Razan, nodding some, obviously engaged. "Ah...well...maybe you will find him again some day. I hope you do. I never really had a friend besides Uist until Avira. Everyone thought I was too weird, heh. Probably to do with Uist hanging around," she offers with a small shrug.

In regard to guests, Maira nods. "Yeah, Angantyr has moved in," she replies, a small flush rising to her cheeks. "--and Avira found Skoll and he's injured so he's going to be staying with us for a little bit."

Katyna has posed:
Kat grins and nods. "Heh, no worries! Heey, I think 'weird' is good! I mean, who wants to be 'normal?' That's sooo boring, y'know?" She nods at mention of Avira. "Yeah..Avira's a nice girl. Guess she makes a good leader too. She can be scary when she's mad!" Kat wonders if Avira would come after her with the same fury as Angan did, if she met 'Ember' again..

"Huh.." she frowns a bit at mention of Angan, trying hard not to let her emotions shine through too much. "Yeah, I remember him. He seemed..In love with Avira. Hear he's back to normal now. Why'd he move in? Is he joining VALKYRIE?"

As for Skoll..Well, she'd made an oath to Hati not to hurt him again.."Hmm, what happened to him? I guess Avira found him huh.."

Maira has posed:
Maira laughs a little, nodding. "Yeah, weird is good!" she agrees. She's trying to believe that about herself. It is difficult though.

At mention of Angan being in love with Avira, Maira looks down at her knitting and nods. "Heh...yeah, he is..."

"Joining VALKYRI? I don't know, I kind of thought it was all girls, but maybe not! We'll see."

Katyna has posed:
Katyna sweatdrops..Ahh, she really hopes Angan doesn't join..He's really scary! And she's certain he suspects something! Nooooo, he's gonna kill her next time! "Heheh.." She continues to laugh nervously, but pauses as Maira nods quietly, "Hmm? You dont..Have a thing for him too do ya? I thought you liked that guy Ivo, although he IS a flirt!" But he's kinda fun too!

"Hmm, yeah, VALKYRI should be all girls..Girl power!" Actually she is just real scared of Agan.

Maira has posed:
Angantyr is scary, Katyna has good reason to be afraid of him! Luckily, Maira never had the sense to be afraid of him, and now they are friends and he usually uses the scariness for her benefit.

Eyes wide, she looks up. "N-no! I don't have a thing for Angantyr! I mean...well, I kind of did for a little while when I first met him, but he's in love with Avira," she says, shrugging her shoulders some, feigning indifference (and she's terribly at it).

At Ivo, Maira blushes deeply, nodding some. "Well...I do like Ivo. I like him a lot. But--exactly. I don't know if I can actually /trust/ Ivo. Avira doesn't think so. Uist absolutely despises him. I just...I just hope I'm not wrong about him. I think he just really likes to tease me...but he is good, I know. He has done some very sweet things. Heh...well, never mind it!"

"Yes, VALKYRI should be all girls! Heh, though I don't mind if others want to help us, really. That's great!"

Katyna has posed:
Katyna, sadly, was on the receiving end of both Skoll and Angantyr..Especially Angan, who was determined to kill her. At least Skoll had claimed he didn't plan to use deadly force...Small comfort really. She'd have to be especially wary of Angantyr however.

"Heh..." she smirks. "You sure about that?" honestly, she doesnt see what is so attractive about the guy, he's a big headed jerk and a bully as far as she's concerned but, heh...

"I suppose, a tough guy who protects girls is a real turn-on huh..." Yeah right! "Well dont give up yet, I hear Avira has a thing for Skoll, at least according to his sister.." Oops, was that a secret? Well Kat sucks at keeping secrets at any rate! with any luck, letting the kat...Err cat out of the bag will cause Angantyr and Skoll to go at each others throats, fighting over Avira..Or something. Heh..

"Hmm, Ivo's kinda nice, and he's kinda cute, but..I'll bet he treats all girls like they're special." Kat shrugs, "I guess, I'm not really the romantic type and I dont like guys easily so I dont have to worry.." She grins, remembering how she'd kissed a shy, blushing Reize without even flinching. Honestly, she only did it cuz he was standing underneath mistletoe. Heh, she'll never understand such sappy things as love, honestly..

"Hmmm, it'd be nice to have more members. Seems like a lot of members just kinda...Vanished." Or they're not around often at any rate.

Maira has posed:
Maira frowns some. Avira has a thing for Skoll? She can only assume Skoll has a thing for her too then. "...really? I...I'm pretty sure Mercade is in love with Avira too," she comments, looks back down at her knitting. That's three.

The nail in the coffin is Katyna saying Ivo treats all girls like they are special. She gives a slightly bitter laugh, and begins to pack up her knitting. "I'm um...I'm really tired, so I'm going to get to bed. It was nice talking with you Katyna, I can teach you to knit soon. Take care," she says, then turns and walks off so she can be morose alone.

Katyna has posed:
Wow, Avira sure is popular! How strange.."Heh. Poor girl, everyone loves her..Sounds messy.." She makes a face. Weird. But..When she sees Maira's reaction to Ivo, she frowns a little. "Aah, but I'm sure I'm wrong! Even flirts eventually settle on one girl..He sure seemed fond of you during the search for the desert rose..Dont give up!" Darn, Kat just isn't good at this romantic stuff :P