A wraith in the countryside, never staying in one place. Living but not alive, Ruin survived. Sometimes that meant stopping for supplies. This town had an odd sort of charm with it's slant-roofed buildings and it smelled of spices. It was a good place to stop.
She wandered around, browsing, awhile. A waterfall of green hair hung simply over a gray tunic and tights. There were several small pouches at her belt and she had a plain canvas bag slung over one shoulder. The canvas bag was nearly empty, just a coil of rope, a hammock and some mealy apples she really ought to just toss out.
She purchased fresh apples from a kind faced lady with a stand. New strings for her boots and salt from the general store. Each small purchase was accompanied with a polite smile but there was always such sadness around her. It was like a real thing you could reach out and grab, but, you knew that would make you sad too, so you just smile back and wish her well in her travels. At least that's what most of the shopkeeps did. The man at the general store was very sweet and seemed to be overcompensating for her melancholy when he gave her twice as much salt as she had paid for. He waved her off when she offered to pay the difference. It was a kindness and she thanked him for it, hoping she could do something for him before she left town. He waved her off again and she stepped back outside after thanking him one last time.
Eclipse looked outside, it was still daylight. Normally she slept till dusk, though, recently her dreams have been rousing her from sleep earlier and earlier. She's been having terrible visions, and it almost seemed like the hands of fate were punishing her, as if the events would have been her fault. It couldn't be her fault though, she only saw the fate of others. Besides, her kind wasn't allowed to see their own fate...
Eclipse was a celestial fairy. Using the stars and other items, she could see into the past and gaze into the future. Not everything she saw would come to pass, for each person had many strings of fate, and most could choose which one to follow. The strings connected to many different people, as well as events. Her own life was a mystery though. For the most part, they didn't have much impact on the world anyway. If the world would be overrun by darkness, they could retreat to the Glade of Fairies, and return to Middle Earth when light returned. Cosmic fairies observed, they did not interfere.
Eclipse sighed. The sun was drifting towards the horizon, but there was still some daylight left. She doesn't open her tent to customers until the sky is dark and begins to show the stars. Until then, she decided to go gather and buy some supplies.
The shadows grew longer as the day grew short. The fragile looking girl gazed off in the direction she had come from and wondered where she was going. With no real goal in mind, she turned from the setting sun and began to meander around the marketplace again. The woman selling apples smiled at her and half-laughed when Ruin faltered in her step, "you act like you're surprised any one would be nice, dear."
Ruin chose her words carefully, "I must not be used to it. I'm sorry."
The woman peered over Ruin's shoulder, back to the general store "Ole Arn gave you a hard time?" The apple maiden was genuinely surprised. A rosy mouth hung open in shock and big brown eyes had gone a touch wider. "I never. Hey, Strabo? Arn gave this miss some trouble."
Ruin sputtered. "I didn't. He was nice."
The very large man, who the produce seller called Strabo, had already laid his meaty hand on the general store door. He seemed the sort who took care of problems and Ruin thought (though that was too strong a word) he looked like he meant business. She was so frustrated. At the misunderstanding, sure, but more to the point she was frustrated at her inability to get a damned word out. It was all happening so fast. All she knew was she didn't want the store owner hurt.
If she could just STOP STRABO
The first real thought she had then, since it all started. There was a loud crack and fissures appeared in the stones around the door frame. Oh no... she thought, too late. Much too late. The frame collapsed in, around, and on top of Strabo. Arn blinked out from behind the counter and stared out at the rubble that had been his south wall.
Eclipse walked her usual path up to the hill next to the village. It had a rocky outcrop, and some of her favorite ingredients grew there. Sometimes, if she was lucky, the milk that she set out for the various creatures around the village would be repayed with various crystals or other useful items. Today she found no interesting materials laying about though, so she continued on the path through the forest.
After collecting a few herbs and plants, her sight began to get a little hazy. A vision was coming on. A possible future to the world was about to enter her mind. While she still had some recognition of what was reality and what wasn't, she stumbled over to a nearby tree, and cast an illusion over herself. No one could see her while she sat with her eyes closed watching the vision. After taking those necessary preparations, she let the vision take her over.
At first, she was flying, like a bird across some plains. Those plains looked to have wheat or something similar growing in them, since they looked golded/brown. The sun was up, but the sky was filled with some brownish clouds to dull the sun's usually rays. As the sight continued, she came across a forest... Well, it was less of a forest and more of a natural graveyard. The forest looked as if it had recently seen a fire. She could hear a voice in the background, though she had no idea who's voice it might be.
"It's spread even to here. Looks like there aren't many places on this continent taken over by the--" before she could hear the last word, the vision changed to a new scene.
A large figure in heavy armor was walking around a grungy castle. The only thing you could see of his actual body were his eyes, which looked like they held the flames of hell within them. He carried a bloody battle axe in his other hand. It had killed and wounded many beings. He looked out a window, and as far as the eye could see were humans, dressed in rags, chained together, assembling a tower. He looked down and saw one human crawling along, and nodded at one of his generals. The general proceeded to the slave out of it's misery.
And finally the scene changed to a girl, green hair covering her face. She was chained against a wall, in a dungeon underground. She was crying, and suffering. But it was the kind of suffering that was more than physical, she believe she had caused this whole situation to befall the land.
As Eclipse opened her eyes, she noticed there was barely any light in the sky. Although she had not quite finished her shopping, she decided to walk back to her tent instead. She tried to clear her mind, and focus on all the different scenes from the vision, but she could not stop thinking of that girl.
((Penella Goldeater: Sorry that took so long, I've got my inspiration back I think ^_^))
The beefy fella they had called Strabo was down and out but not dead, thankfully. He was taken away to a healer's hut. Carried away by a few strapping, able-bodied men. No one seemed to be blaming Ruin for this latest chaos. It was all ill-timed coincidence and bad construction in the minds and hearts of the townsfolk.
Ruin, though, was nearly catatonic in her guilt and grief.
Una, the woman selling apples, seemed to think Ruin was in shock. She swept her away from the rubble and into a small tavern, pressing a strong drink into the green haired girl's hands and taking the opposite seat at the table.
Ruin didn't say anything for a long, long while. The woman from the marketplace let her sit there and didn't pester her. Finally, Ruin looked up from her cup, with shining eyes and the threat of tears. "I didn't mean to do that... but I did do it. It was me. I made the wall fall."
That rosy mouth of Una's ticked up into a smile. "Can't have done, love. You were standing next to me." Ruin started to argue the point but Una's hand came up in a dismissive wave, "Saying you're a witch then. Just "made" it happen?"
The conversation was too quick for Ruin. "I did. I was. No? But it did."
Una nodded as if all this made sense. A street vendor sees a lot of things. "So you're not a witch, so far as you know but you "made" it happen. From across the street. Look, you're not the first to not know what to do with power." Una's eyes narrowed as an odd thought occurred "Lessen you set a trap, to make everything go boom." The street vendor studied Ruin - who looked appropriately scandalized at the idea of having set some sort of trap. To intend to cause harm was abhorrent to her and she said as much. "I wouldn't do that!!!" She set her cup down, hard, on the table and stood up, yelling. "I never wanted to hurt anyone!"
A few patrons looked up from their cups and mugs. One man stopped drinking but still had the bottle to his lips as he looked at her curiously. Ruin's face pinked slightly and she found her seat again.
As Eclipse returned to town, she could hear the music coming from the local pub. She found their excessive noise to be unnecessary. She took the longer way to her tent, as to avoid getting too close to the pub.
There were some villagers trying to work on restoring a wall for one of the shops.
"I can't believe the wall just gave in like that! Maybe the wall was always weak?" said one villager.
"Nah, I saw it with my own eyes, the instant that girl began to be emotional, the wall came crumbling down. It must have been her, she's a witch." The other villager was known for being a cynic and hated anyone who traveled to the village. The only thing she hated more were magic users. Since Eclipse used magic, she was under the older woman's watchful eye.
Eclipse looked at the older woman, thinking about what she said. "Excuse me Olga, but what did this girl look like?"
As soon as Olga turned around, noticing Eclipse so close to her, she jumped back and cried. "Stay away from me demon!" The other villager just rolled her eyes at Olga. "You will cause the end of the world!" Eclipse shook her head and moved on, walking back to her tent. She almost wondered if it was time to set back onto the road, and move to another town.
Insects were buzzing and so was Ruin's head. She had left the pub with three strong drinks in her belly and a sway in her step. It was stupidly difficult to walk and wasn't this road a lot more... even... earlier in the day? There were ruts and bumps and rubble in the road that she hadn't noticed before. For some reason, this was funny to her. A little giggle escaped Ruin's lips.
"Oh." She stumbled over a small rock and apologized to it, "Sorry. I think I'm... drunk."
The declaration left a bad taste in her mouth. This behavior was unbecoming of one of her standing. Except she wasn't... anyone anymore. There was no standing. Almost on the heels of that thought she found she wasn't physically standing anymore. She'd lost her footing over another of those tricky rocks and found herself sitting in the tall grass on the side of the road. She sat there for several long minutes watching the sky. It was darker out here, away from the town. Ruin wondered how she would string up her hammock in the black of night and with less dexterous fingers than usual. Drinking had been dumb. Fun but dumb. A lightning bolt of guilt seared across Ruin's mind. Fun. She had went out drinking after nearly killing a man. She was evil. A terrible person. She was going to be sick.
After retching, and still feeling wretched, Ruin shambled back to the road. She found herself headed back into town and couldn't be bothered to turn around. It would be better, for her, if she just left. The townspeople had let her leave the scene of the accident and she should just LEAVE before there was any further inquiry. Still, she walked back toward town, wandered around.
She felt drawn to the fortune teller's tent, though terrified of what the Seer would see. The squirming, wriggling worm of thought that she might actually be EVIL was staying with Ruin now. It would explain a lot, really, because how many good people were responsible for the deaths of their entire and extended family? There had been a party and Ruin really brought the house down. The entire manor, on their heads because she'd been upset her father had raised taxes. There was more to that and wasn't there always? It didn't matter. They were dead. It was an accident but that didn't matter either. They were dead.
Ruin was in a black mood when she approached the tent. It took a tremendous amount of energy to call out her hello before stepping inside.
Eclipse had sat down at her low-siting table. She kept her legs crossed, and could tell she would have a customer entering shortly. A greeting escaped the young woman's mouth as she entered, though Eclipse wouldn't consider it much of a proper greeting. It was more of a warning of her entering the tent. It was not a problem though, this woman looked like she needed guidance.
"Come in and sit down my dear." Eclipse said gesturing toward the pillow in front of her table. The star light showed it all, this was definitely the one she saw in her vision. A part of her wanted to know more about the woman's past and future. She wanted to know what lead to her vision, if it was a predetermined fate or if their was a choice that caused that future.
