The Missing Alchemist

[Stare]

Slowly Stare took up the ceramic cup that awaited her on the table and took a long time to curl her clawed fingers around it as she considered on how to respond to Ezra. How much should she really reveal, without giving too much away? Was this all part of an extended plan by the church of Sabazios to get close to her and sieze her again - kidnap her and learn from their previous mistakes? But then why would Nevin allow his precious shop - in which he had many expensive elements and potions - be given so easily to someone he might consider to be the enemy? He was clever, surely if he did not trust this person, then he would not allow them to stay here.

Unless it was all part of some truly fancy plan. But that was crazy compared to what Stare was sure she could find in here. Poisons being one thing, blood magic secrets being another. Therefore, she took her time to consider before she answered, the cup warming her hands but not touching her beak as yet.

"Can you give me proof that you are not going to kill me?" she asked quietly, "I - sorry ..."

Stare stopped herself and remembered what Ezra had just said, literally not a minute before. 'Please stop assuming I am going to attack you.' The fact that the being had stressed this so passionately was perhaps their way of showing their anger. After all, their heart still shone just as brief white when they said that they did not want to fight her as the first time it had to be said. Really, now, it was Stare's issue. She had to either decide whether she could trust them or not, whether Nevin was their friend or not, and whether she considered the church of Sabazios really to have got this far in only a few days.

That was another thing - the timing between Ezra being assistant here and Stare being kidnapped did not really fit. More evidence to trust. And Ezra seemed entirely stressed out by the demon stuff ...

You can fight it off, if it comes to it, Vitruvion sighed. Just ... find out what you can. Tell it how powerful you are and if it is an agent of Sabazios ... well, they will only discover how potent you are, my dear.

Stare huffed, but then squared her shoulders and simply spoke.

"Right, sorry," she blinked as she looked back up from her tea at Ezra, "I am a naturally suspicious person, this I know. I cannot see your race, or full gender, which I usually can do in the sight, and that makes me confused and lost. Your chakras ... which I can also see, are mainly humming with demonic power but also something lavender. Which, I have no idea what that means. This makes you even more confusing. Hence 'confusing person'." She paused. "My eyes are ... powerful. I cannot really give you view to your origin, just questions. You are a mixture of what looks like three souls at least, fighting for dominance, with a focus there," she pointed a dew claw at the forehead of Ezra.

[ArcanaFate]

Ezra gave Stare a look, doing their best to remember the proper way to look frustrated. Furrowed brow, arms crossed over the chest, even a frown forming as the kenku asked for some sort of proof that they weren't going to kill her. Why did no one listen when they spoke? They said things they meant; there were no lies in their words. In fact, the idea of lying had always left a bitter taste in their mouth. The truth was absolute, and the homunculus could not comprehend why people would often fabricate it just to avoid minor consequences when the falsehood would create larger problems down the road.

Before arguing yet again about their honesty and lack of desire to kill the kenku, she apologized and confessed to being paranoid and not trusting of others. Ezra blinked, uncrossing their arms and setting their tea cup on the counter. It would make sense that with her different appearance that society would treat her poorly, and she had probably grown up with an eye always over her shoulder and blade in hand. They were lucky in that regard; although they had walked through various villages and cities, they had yet to experience any major hostility from the townfolk.

Except Salvar. But curse their zealotry and hatred for magic.

Listening to Stare's explanation of her hesitation with Ezra, things begun to click into place. Clearly she had never encountered a homunculus, so her magic couldn't make sense of what they were. All they saw demonic energy and some lavender form of power, which was intriguing in its own right. So, the magic used in their creation was definitely uncommon as if Nevin couldn't identify the magic runes on their body and now Stare couldn't identify the source with their magic sight. Clearly, Magister Vrall was very powerful if he was able to tap into some form of hidden arcane power to bring Ezra to life. They picked up their tea cup to take a sip of the herbal brew, but actually sputtered and spat their tea out onto the table at the mention of three souls.

"Oh, Crimson." The homunculus sighed, using one of the usual phrases of frustration that the alchemist often muttered around the shop. Setting the cup down away from the mess, Ezra turned and grabbed a towel to wipe up the spill before it stained. "I apologize for the outburst, that has never happened before. But you caught me entirely off-guard with your assessment. I do not believe that there are three souls; in fact, there should only be one soul inhabiting this body." They paused, towel still sitting on the spill as they turned to properly face Stare. "Since you have a shared a secret of yours regarding your magic, I suppose sharing what I know of my origin so you may better assess what you see."

Reaching for the shoulder of their dress, they gave the fabric a strong pull downward to reveal a few of the alchemical marks and other magic seals etched into their flesh. The pale white symbols stood bright against their tan skin, and the homunculus gave a straightforward look towards the kenku. "You know me as Ezra, but I carry another name. We were once Magister Ezoreth Vrall, a powerful sorcerer of the arcane, and apparently other magics based on your ocular assessment. We were in the middle of researching something powerful; so wondrous it would revolutionize the very foundations of magic." They let go of the fabric, covering up the markings before taking a seat once again. "However, old age had caught up to him; the human life span was apparently not enough for us to complete our work. In his wisdom and desire to better the world with his knowledge, he utilized all of his prowess in the arcane to provide himself a new body. One that could, in theory, last forever and allow him to complete his work."

"This sort of spell had never been attempted before, so there was no sure sign that he would be successful. He chose to have faith and gambled with the odds, and the went through with the incantation." They let out a small sigh, crossing one leg over the other in a sign of minor discomfort. "I am, for lack of better terms, a homunculus. But the description of a homunculus is rather inaccurate to describe my existence. I can somewhat empathize with others, I adapt and learn at a much higher pace than any other synthetic being, and I have a proper conscience to know the difference between right and wrong."

"But I am not perfect by any means. Although I can somewhat empathize, it is difficult for me to truly feel. I can smile, but there is no joy or elation behind it. I have been told it is rather unnerving, so most of my facial expressions are limited as to not make others uncomfortable. Most, if not all, of my facial reactions are rehearsed and based in what I have witnessed from others' experiences, so it could be argued I do not belong with most of society as I am... an oddity."

They blinked, shifting their gaze to wall away from Stare. "Apologies, I did not mean to turn the conversation toward the various imperfections of the spell. You stated that there are three souls combating with one another based in my forehead, according to your ability. However, as far as I am aware and stated previously, there should only be one soul, which is that of Ezoreth Vrall. I suspect it could be possible that the second might relate to the demonic presence you feel radiating from me, but I do not believe that I am currently the vessel for an entity from the nether. I do have an... associate," they let the word roll off their tongue as if it was difficult to say, "who may very well be demonic in nature. They know of Ezoreth, but I have yet to locate them to ascertain the truth of their words."

"As for the supposed third, I cannot comprehend its source. Perhaps it is the mysterious lavender aura you have seen within that is affecting your ability?"

[Stare]

Going back into her aura sight - for the fourth or fifth time now, she could not be sure - the kenku stared deeply at the wavering auras that came from the figure before her. True, there was one soul that dominated all others, true there was technically only one full soul. However, there were two others, perhaps not dominating but still clearly there. As clear as day.

She huffed. "There are at least three souls ... Attached to you then. One dominates, clearly," she pointed at the lichen green that made a halo around her. "That must be yours. Then there are two others, I'm thing one must be this ... Ezoreth."

Looking closer there was a defiant soul that had a stranger presence, almost as if it was flickering in and out of existence. This was the darkest of all the souls, the broken dark blue-green that spoke of something nearing chaotic. Burned into Ezra at certain points - livid, still surviving ... Just.

"Your maker then," Stare began. Then she paused.

They had a maker, a literal creator that they could know and identify. They called themselves a 'humonculous'. A flurry of excitement ran through the kenku then, for the first time since coming into this scene she felt happiness. Ezra had theirr own soul, but they had also been made, not that long ago. That meant life, a soul, had been summoned into being by a person who was not a god. Even though Ezoreth might be powerful Ezra had said nothing about him being a god.

"Wait, so you have a soul yourself, but were made," Stare slowly lowered her cup. "That is ... Incredible. And Ezoreth was not a god." Clearly. There was no sign of divinity anywhere. "You get your power from the demon work done on your body. So your not a demon but it was used to make you ... Huh. I didn't know demons could make souls."

And her feathers rustled wth delight. Eagerly she pushed at the corners of her mind.

Vitruvion. Can demons create?

It was a pause before he answered. Demons destroy, was his foul tone.

But can they make life? Is it possible?

He let out a mental growl. It has been known to be possible. Half children exist, beings exist.

Have you ever met one of these humonculi before?

The god grunted, swinging up his goblet. Yes, but not made with demon magic. No more questions.

She nodded a thanks and looked to Ezra. "Sorry about my attitude earlier. I do not tend to trust demons, but I understand more of what you are."

She held out a hand. "I'm Stare. A kenku, from near Akashima originally, where my people reside, but I'm currently living in Beinost, Raiaera. What questions do you have for me?"

She decided to leave the lavender for now. Likely it was coiled in the form of the third soul. Wether it was wrapped up in the original creation of Ezra, or had something to do with later occurrances, it was not clear. But that could be left for another matter - for research would need to be done.

[ArcanaFate]

Ezra remained rather quiet as Stare ran through her assessment of the souls inhabiting the homunculus' body. The kenku had implied that they had their own soul. Their own, actual soul. Not Ezoreth, not the demon, but Ezra themselves was a true being on this plane of existence. They furrowed their brow, trying to ponder the probability of such a thing occurring during the spell. By all magicks they were aware of, it should be impossible. One cannot simply create a soul; the fact that Ezoreth was able to create one while attempting a soul transfer was so astronomically small the Fates themselves had a better chance of appearing on the material plane and offering everyone candy.

Something wasn't adding up.

"I am not aware that I have my own soul. By my knowledge, I should not have my own soul. I was designed to be a host for Ezoreth's soul via alchemy and, according to your observations, demonic magicks. And I have never heard of a demon creating a soul, but demonkind has been noted to have layers of hidden secrets and unknown powers. It could be possible, in theory."

They paused, tilting their head slightly.

"And Ezoreth was not a god. He was a mortal, like all of the other inhabitants of Althanas." At the hand extended out to them, Ezra stared at the avian's outstretched arm for a long moment to almost admire the difference in physiology between them. They carefully placed their hand into Stare's, then gently squeezed it.

"Greetings, Stare. I am Ezra, but you already know this. I currently reside here in Stonevale. I suppose we can start with two simple questions: How did you meet Nevin and what is your relation to him?"

[Stare]

Stare frowned deeply, so much so that it even affected the fleshy corners of her beak. Certainly she could see the soul of Ezra, at least the major soul that encompassed the person before her. And there was definitely two others. One likely Ezoreth and - well, she had already considered this all. The lavender would prove to be a discovery that changed all of their prespectives, Stare was sure.

Since Ezra was determined not to accept it, Stare decided to leave the matter, for now. Thus, she turned her attention to the questions she had been asked, about how she had met Nevin himself.

Uncertainly she set her cup down and fixed her two great eyes on the homonculus. For a while she was silent, considering Ezra without aura sight now, the way they looked, dressed in simple clothes. How they held themselves - rather strongly but also humble, with a sense of kindliness. They way they looked back at Stare, uncertainty but also determination. Stare saw in this being someone she thought she could admire, and possibly call friend.

"I met Nevin in a pub," she spoke, quietly. "He was writing ... things and mumbling about me. I went over to correct him, and then we fell into conversation, and became friends." She paused, "That is all we are. Friends. Though I have heard strange rumours ..."

Coming into this town today she had been roughly hit with various rumours of a 'red-haired man' with a 'wife'. Stare did not know anything of the truth of this, but looking up to Ezra she suddenly considered that that was why Ezra might be working here. Were her and Nevin romantically involved? Certainly it made an amount of sense, because he was young and had a good business. A man like him, in his prime, would be available and highly sought after. Excepting for what he was - a blood mage who had a scar on his soul, the memory of another life.

"Are you his sweetheart?" she asked, tilting her head. "If you are, I am nothing like that to him. He is a friend, one of the few I have and since I spilled my who life story to him and him to me, I hope he would consider me the same. We saw him a few days ago in Radasanth, my employer and me and I wanted to come to apologise."

She leant forwards and tapped the kettle, "Any chance of more un-poisoned tea?"

[ArcanaFate]

...Sweetheart?

The kenku thought that Ezra was Nevin's significant other? Well, that was certainly a long jump in their current relationship with the alchemist. But how would a human respond to such a statement? They didn't think they would be angry; Nevin was a gentleman through and through of what they had seen and he would likely make an ideal mate for any of the village women who fancied him.

Which were quite a lot, from what the homunculus had seen.

Feeling upset wasn't quite right, either. Ezra had no desire of entering that sort of relationship with the man currently; very likely they would never reach the point of desiring a romantic partner. Ezoreth had never desired such companionship, so it would make sense that once all of their memories had returned they would not want such relations either. Being joyous was wrong as well, so what does one do when they are confused about how to respond?

"Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha."

The laugh came out flat and somewhat forced, and Ezra began to fiddle with their long hair braid in hopes of destressing from the complications of social responses. "No, I am not currently in that sort of relationship with Nevin. He is my friend and mentor, but I do not have those kinds of feelings for him, or anyone for that matter. And it is good that he has other friends. He can be rather aloof and it does not seem to exemplify good mental health practices. Although I do not understand why you have to apologize to him? Were you working when you met with him?"

They paused for a long moment in an attempt to think, then tilted their head in minor confusion before righting themselves once more. "Ah yes, sorry. I got distracted by my analyzing of your need to apologize that I ignored your other question. I will gladly prepare more tea for you, Stare. Are there any questions you have for me, or may I ask another? I have quite a few regarding your physiology and culture, but I do not wish to be an impolite host and smother you with inquiries." They stated as they moved to refill the kettle with water and get a new fire started. "I have come to understand that I learn somewhat better as an observer and that sometimes my questions are... less than appropriate in a social setting. I do try to mind my manners, but it is rather difficult when you cannot remember what your manners are expected to be."

[Stare]

Stare tilted her head as she watched the - what was it again, ah yes, humonculus - pick the steaming kettle from the stove and begin the ritual of making more tea. Black eyes pierced the back of the head of the curious being, who was human in form but not in spirit. Her tongue very quietly clacked on the inside of her mouth as she considered that Ezra was very much a 'them' and not a 'he,' despite the fact their creator, Ezoreth apparently was defined by such. When the pronoun had changed was curious to Stare, it meant that at some point there had been a lack of a preference for male or female. Either it had been during their creation or after, and it had something to do with either both male and female were existent, or none were. It was a curious question, but one that Stare was unsure if it was impolite to ask.

Either way, their aura defiantly spoke of neither preference. They just were they.

As Ezra turned back around Stare decided to simply respond to their own interest. About her anatomy and physiology. As far as a homonculus was probably from a human, a kenku was probably the same - and more.

"I only have questions regarding how you are made. Ones that you seem to have yourself. That third soul is definite present - my sight never lies." She waited until her cup was filled again and took a moment.

"That and I am wondering why Nevin took a liking to you, but then that is a question for him perhaps. If you are not his sweetheart, and just his friend, then we have a friend in common." She inclined her head at the being who was settling back down opposite her. "As to my physical make up, my species has its own mythology about where we came from and stories of how we were once simply corvids on the wind, who were given human form. The truth is a little different, but I will not bore you with that." It also included needing to explain that actually they came from a whole different planet, and had been sent here as a species that was innocent and stupidly, entirely naive, but that was too close to admitting that she worked for a god. Which was completely not allowed. Therefore, she went on.

"Instead I can tell you that we do have hollow bones - it makes us lighter and faster than the normal being. Over average height is five foot only, and we mostly are all black. We can go around naked and not cause alarm, because the plumage covers everything, but we developed the social acceptance of wearing clothes because that is how the world is." She paused. "We lay eggs that our young hatch from, but we also lactate. We suspect that is from the influence of the mammalian inspiration on our design. Oh and I have tail feathers, but they are tucked away. We die younger than you do - a life expectancy is around forty or fifty years, and we live in a very feudal society back in our homeland."

She huffed, "Never touch a kenku's beak or tail feathers without asking, they are considered the pride of the being. Aside from mine, I have got over my aversion, but then I do not live in my community anymore. And we cannot fly. One bit."

"Is that what you wanted to know?"

[ArcanaFate]

"I will be entirely honest with you, Stare. It was much more than I was expecting that you would share with me. So thank you."

Ezra turned to face the kenku after setting the kettle down once more. Fresh tea was brewed and poured, and the conversation continued. The information provided was intriguing, to be certain, but some things were so odd. Despite being avian, they lactated like mammals? Did the kenku breastfeed like the other races, or did they just bottle the milk in some fashion? Did their diet consist of insects or did they eat the same meals as humans? So many possibilities, but how far was too far diving into their inquiries? Would asking about their lactations and similarity to non-humanoid corvids too inappropriate for how little time they had known one another.

"Nevin's interest in me is purely academic in nature." Ezra started, adjusting their posture to sit up straight. They had begun to slouch as they spoke with Stare and apparently sitting up fully with a straightened back showed interest and proper poise was much healthier than slouching. Or so they've been told. "I was in need of an alchemist as I needed a start to figure out how my body was composed. I recognized a few of the symbols on my chest as being alchemic in nature, but I unfortunately no longer have the full expertise that Ezoreth did so I had to find someone who had the understanding..."

A pause, then Ezra let out a small sigh and leaned forward again to look at Stare directly. They seemed to have trailed off and began to speak once more with much more firmness in their tone. "Of course, I did not so much ask for his assistance than began disrobing to show him the runes and sigils on my back and shoulders." Their lips seemed to curve in a small smile, but quickly vanished as soon as it had appeared. "I was, and still am, rather unaware of the proper social cues. I do not see myself as a human; so to show my body was not something I viewed as lewd, but as one might view a golem. Alas, he disagreed. Proceeded to fluster red in embarrassment but was rather curious about my creation and agreed to assist me. He offered to teach me alchemy and I offered him my body for research. He gains knowledge in the arts of alchemic transmutation, and I learn more of my creation and possibly a solution to the missing memories. It is a mutually beneficial agreement."

They looked down into their tea cup and let out a low, frustrated exhale.

"Although I cannot define our relationship beyond the professional aspect, I would like to believe that he and I are friends. However, I am unsure of how people tell that their relationship has moved passed acquaintances. You stated, Stare, that we have a friend in common in the alchemist. But does that make us friends? Could we become friends?"

[Stare]

Stare's brow went high and her eyes went very wide as she listened to the story of ... disrobing. Blinking, slowly, she said nothing and stayed absolutely silent, trying not to make a comment. Even though Ezra had just told Stare that they and Nevin were not intimate, this description was certainly weaving its way to suggest so. Even Stare knew not to go out in public naked, because of the questions that might get asked. Yes, she herself had plumage that covered her entirely, but social ettiquette meant that clothing top and bottom was rather necessary.

It made her begin to consider what Ezra might have ... below. Though their main soul (for they definitely had one at least) was undeniably neither male or female, it was possible that their body had some form of gender specifics. Would it be male, as Ezoreth had been? Or was it androgynous? Sort of ... just lacking. But then where did they relieve themselves from?

UGH, ugh, ugh, not whilst drinking this tea.

Stare tried to keep focused and not let the distaste come to her eyes. She waited until Ezra was finished and gave a few understanding, contemplative nods. The subject had changed to friends, though the ... previous issue was still in the kenku's mind. Desperately she tried to rid herself of it but the curiousity was still there. After all the digestive system was rather a curious thing. Though not many knew about it, Stare certainly did, and a lot else besides. It was what you got from working for a god who was a scholar as a hobby and was coming to more of a greater understanding of the universe every day.

"Yes, why cannot we be friends?" she tilted her head, trying not to make it look like she was tempted to look elsewhere. Just do not think about it. You cannot ask. It is an utterly, very rude question. "Nevin is my friend ... he is your employer. We have shared many things between us."

She paused, lifting her tea to her beak, then changed her mind and set it back down again, feeling slightly peaky.

"Unless you mean yourself and Nevin? I do not understand why that is not possible. You seem close, and have a working relationship. If you are not his sweetheart, then you can be a friend. I would say I am his friend." She paused, thought about, and nodded again.

"Yes I am."

Shifting a little awkwardly from one foot to the other she attempted to distract herself from the thoughts that still snuck in.

"Can I answer any other questions you might have about me? I ... am a kenku, we covered that already. Oh, do you have any of the mixture Nevin made from my blood before. And would it be possible for me to give more for him to work on?"

[ArcanaFate]

A small smile crept up on the homunculus' features, and they couldn't help but nod at Stare's confirmation of their new friendship. It was nice to make more friends, especially ones who already knew Nevin and were quite nice and were a very interesting conversational partner. There was plenty of information to learn from the kenku, possibly even more magic related topics that could assist Ezra's own quest. The idea of being Nevin's friend hadn't really crossed their mind; the two had a professional relationship already and it was somewhat uncommon for the two to 'hang out' after work unless it was off-hours study for Ezra's origins.

"Hrm. I do have questions, but I am not sure how to ask them. As for your inquiry regarding the specialty elixirs for kenku, we still have three bottles in stock. As for making more, I am... unsure. I would not see why we could not, however, I have never done the process to draw blood and I fear that I could harm you in my attempts. If you wish to continue, I will do my best to draw more but you may have to assist me in order to make the process as efficient as possible."

They shifted from their position slightly, purple eyes scanning over the black-feathered humanoid standing across from them. Stare was truly a unique specimen of creature; they had only seen a few non-humanoids since their journey started three years ago, and even then, they had been mainly elves and a few dwarves. So meeting someone who was, in the homunculus' opinion, an entirely different race, they couldn't help but feel almost happy at making her a new friend.

"But, back to your previous question. My questions for you are a bit more personal, as we are now friends. I would like to know more about you in general. Do you have any family? What types of foods do you like to eat? Are you restricted in your diet like the non-evolved corvids? Are you employed currently? I am also curious of the various discriminations you may have faced while travelling. Up until this point, I have not met many outside of the standard human fair, so the difference in perspective would be quite valuable information for me."