Around the words 4 - Neos' world

Maverick nodded, humming. "Got it. Not going in the forest. Honestly, I saw enough forests for one lifetime, I won't be tempted", he said with a small laugh.

"Here? You mean, out of your room, wherever I want?" Michela tilted her head. "This place has a weird policy. Back in my world, shape shifters are strictly controlled." She stretched a bit. "Well, I guess I am done with breakfast!"

"You're in a castle with magicians all over the place. Trust me, as long as you don't get too close to the East aisle, you'll be fine," Neos told her with a smile, as he stood up. "I'll go meet my master, now. Later, then !"

Karl kindly patted Maverick's back. "Let's just focus on the gardens. It'll be plenty enough."

Michela smiled at him, standing up as well. "Alright. Good luck! Go and get that graduation", she cooed at him, giving him a quick peck on the lips. Then, with a big grin, she quickly changed form in that of a small bat, and fled away.

Maverick looked at her as if what he had just seen was perfectly normal. "Well, we'll get going too then", he said, standing up and stretching a bit. After bidding good luck to Neos, he smiled at Karl. "Shall we?"

"Thanks !" And with that, Neos was gone quickly, off to meet with his master.

"Let's go, yes," Karl told him with a soft smile as he stood up as well.
It took them a bit of time to find their way to the gardens, but they were huge. A part was dedicated to the use of green magic, but the other remained untouched, for people like them to wander. There were actually also civilians, and even a few knights walking around them.

Michela fled around for a bit, flapping around, always keeping her distance from the East Wing, as Neos had told her. But she soon grew tired of that, so she just headed back to the room in which they had had breakfast, and morphed back into her human body. She wandered off, hands in pockets, exploring the place.

Maverick seemed quite happy just by walking in the middle of those great gardens. "I didn't think civillians would have been free to roam around here. I mean, from what Neos said, royalty lives in this palace. I wonder if they aren't scared of anything bad happening because they are surrounded by mages and knights..." He smiled at Karl, his hands behind his back. "But these gardens look quite nice, so I am glad."

Eventually, if Michela wandered long enough, she could her a conversation happening in a small office, thanks to her good earing. There were two male voices, one of them rather aggressive, while the other remained calm.

"Maybe this is a country at peace," Karl offered him with a smile. "I can't say this isn't new to me either. In the city I was ... created, there was none."

Michela heard those voices quite well, in fact. The castle was a rather quiet place, and all that aggressiveness couldn't go past her sensitive ears. She quietly got near the door and sat down near it, preparing herself mentally to morph again if someone saw her. Ok, we all know, eavesdropping is bad... But she wasn't really hurting anyone, no?

Maverick looked at him curiously. "No royalty, you mean? Who made laws then? Even in my tribe, we had to have a Chieftain. My brothers would be totally uncontrollable if we didn't!"

"Just this once, Terno, just this one guy. I swear to the heavens, if he shows up again at the admission, I'll murder him with my own hands," said the angry voice.
"Then you'll be a murderer, and I'll have kept my hands clean. Look, you've got to find a way to keep that man off your feet yourself, I am /not/ helping you."
"But he's been INSULTING ME FOR YEARS !"

Karl reflected a bit. "There were the priests, but I don't think that counts as royalty. I mean. That's what Cathy told me back then."

'Murder? Wow. Looks like this place is not as peaceful and friendly as I thought, huh. And just for insults? Pft. And I thought I was the one with zero tolerance...' Michela carefully listened to the conversation, honestly curious to hear about this so-called annoying person. Was it someone who wanted to be a mage really bad but couldn't pass the first test? The angry one had said "if he shows up again at the admission..."

Maverick thought out loud. "Priests? I've never heard of a society that answers to its religious leaders." He looked at Karl carefully. "Do you... miss your old friends?" Thankfully enough, the embarrassment he had felt earlier that morning was gone...

"He's not insulting you," the one named Terno sighed.
"He is. Don't pretend you don't remember just who his parents are," the angry voice snarled.
There was a short pause. Then the angry voice sighed again.
"I'm done with your shit."
Soon enough, the man it belonged too was walking fast towards the door.

"A bit. But I'm glad with the choice I've made. It has allowed me to become a living being, and to meet you," Karl told him with a kind smile.

Michela had already morphed by the time she had felt the steps approaching the door fast, her small bat form hanging from the ceiling. She flapped quietly, waiting for that angry man to walk away before deciding if to follow or to head back to the hall.

'Welp, there it comes back', Maverick thought as he felt his cheeks grow a bit hot. "Why me in particular?", he asked before he could keep himself from doing that. Then he hurried to ask another question. "Why did you want to become a living being so much, if I can ask?"

The angry man looked like he belonged to royalty. Parts of his attire were like an armor, but his whole outfit looked rich, and elegant. He was tall and broad, and neatly shaved. After a few steps out, he seemed to make a point in regaining his composure. A few meters away, two knights saluted him respectfully, as he was headed for the West aisle of the castle.

"Well, I knew Michela and Neos before I decided to leave," he admitted quite earnestly. But then... he looked a bit sad. "... Do you think it's wrong, that I wanted it that much ?"

Michela fled silently, following that man, feeling quite curious. After all, she had promised to keep away from the East aisle. No one had talked about the Western one. She snickered inwardly, feeling like the main character of an old fairy tale. Keep away from the East wing! ... or was it the West. Mah.

"No, of course not!", Maverick hurried to say, waving his hands to make a point. "I just think it's quite special, that's all. I am sure you were just as nice as a person that you are now, too. But...", he smiled kindly. "... wishing to be alive, is a wonderful thing."

THANKS FOR NOTICING *DIES*
The man seemed to want to meet with one of the great mages, since he started climbing up stairs, and corridors. Ultimately, he even knocked on a door, and was invited to come in. And in that room, there was Neos and his master. Neos promptly stood up, and bowed reverently.
His master was a woman of a certain age, neither too old, neither young. She looked at the newcomer with surprise, but bowed her head.
"Prince Kelharan, what can I do for you?"
Both exchanged a few kind words, and the prince talked about help he needed for the next knight admission trial. However, during the talk, the woman looked straight at Michela a few times, as if she had spotted her.

Karl smiled back at him. "And yet, I didn't know how amazing that would feel like. Just feeling things is amazing. And sleeping is still so... New to me. There's images and sounds flashing through my head everytime that I dream. It's... beyond words," he told him, a bit moved.

Michela felt the gaze of that woman on her, and for some reason she felt... intimidated. So she deemed it safer to reach a nearby, hidden spot on the ceiling and just hang from there, hoping to pass off as unnoticed.

Maverick's smile got brighter. Hearing Karl talk so fondly about his new life was really something. He put a hand on his shoulder. "Dreams are a nice part of our lives. We pass almost half of our lifetime sleeping and dreaming, you know? And I am glad you are enjoying all these new things."

The woman pretended she didn't see her anymore and, as soon as she had agreed to meet the prince at another moment, she flicked her fingers in the air innocently. But she actually prevented Michela from going out of the room, as the prince finally left.
"Well, someone has been curious now." She said with a kind smile.

Karl laughed kindly, and looked at him as he put his hand over his. "I like this, too. Feeling and touching others." He said that as he looked at Maverick straight in the eye, almost a bit too close to him for a friendly relationship.

Michela felt trapped. She couldn't escape, and it was useless to act any further, so, with great shame, she had to morph back into her human body. She looked at the woman, then Neos, a nervous smile stretching on her lips. "Hello...?", she said, shyly making a gesture with her hand.

Maverick felt his heart flutter in his chest. He didn't take his hand away. Honestly he didn't really wish to. He smiled at Karl, averting his gaze a bit but not making a single effort to distance himself from him, his cheeks red yet again. "... I like that too", he said. He felt quite happy, in that moment.

Neos' jaw just dropped as he looked at Michela. He hadn't even dared to imagine she would just sneak in like this.
The woman smiled, and released Michela from her spell. "Hello, young vampire. May I know how and why you came into this castle ?"

Karl kept smiling at him for a little while, before he breathed in, and looked around. "I think I hear water. Do you want to get a look ?"

Michela forced herself not to look at Neos, fiddling with her fingers a bit. "Um. I... don't wish to put anyone in trouble, miss. I didn't mean to cause any problem, and I am deeply sorry if I did." She bowed slightly.

Maverick was enjoying that quiet, nice moment, and got a bit startled when Karl spoke again. "Oh, sure", he answered, his ears catching the faint noise of running water too.

The woman didn't lose her smile, as she turned to Neos. "I'd like to talk with her for a few minutes. You should go back to your friends, and join me again this afternoon."
"Right." Neos stood up, bowed, and threw a long glance at Michela as he went out. He did brush his hand against hers on his way out, though.

Karl let go of his hand to walk a bit with Maverick, until they found a beautifully carved fountain around which Karl moved around with excitment, amazed by the great amount of details.
The downside of Karl, since he had not been human from the start, is that he was completely oblivious to blatant pinning for each other. Sad truth.

Michela looked at him, as if she was trying to tell him that she was sorry about her damn curiosity always kicking her and others into troubles. She sighed lightly when she felt his hand touching hers, and then steeled herself, preparing either to get punished or to get thoroughly interrogated.

Maverick sighed, watching Karl getting enthusiastic over that admittedly very nice fountain. Had he been less shy, less of a coward, he would have probably said something. But was it wise, to fall for someone just because of his kind smile? He sat on the border of the fountain, chuckling. "It's pretty nice! Even though I prefer rivers. Were there lots of these in your city?"

The woman looked at her in silence for a few seconds, then stood up and gestured for a place in a darker place of the room, in which there were a few armchairs. "I bet you wouldn't be much comfortable in the light. Let's get seated more properly. And... you can call me Nathalié," she told her with a kind smile. "Now, tell me about you, how you came to know Neos, and... why you've been following our prince."

"... Rivers ? No," Karl admitted. "The first time I saw one was in your forest. It was actually really pretty too," he told him as he sad by his side. "I remember seeing fished in there."

Michela breathed again, and mumbled a thank you before awkwardly sitting on one of the armchair. She took another breath and started to speak. She told Nathalié everything about how she met with Neos and travelled with him in the world where they had met Karl and Maverick, and about the discussion she had overheard while she was walking around. "... and this is all, I guess", she mumbled, looking at her feet. She strongly hoped she wasn't causing Neos any trouble.

Maverick smiled at him. "I often fished in that river you're talking about! Fish were the only animals I could hunt in that forest, the others were too strong for me", he admitted, scratching his head embarrassed.

Nathalié looked at her for a long time, never saying a word to interrupt her. "I'm actually quite amazed that you chose to tell me everything. But I'll cherish your trust. However... There is one thing you should know. Whatever you heard Prince Rowan say must not leave this room."

"Really ?" Karl looked at him, surprised. "What other animals were in that forest, then ? You seem pretty strong to me."

"I am not a good liar, miss Nathalié", Michela said with half a smile on her lips. "I won't tell anyone what I heard. I didn't understand a word myself. But... I hope Neos won't have troubles", she said hesitantly. Of course, she meant to ask about his graduation, but she didn't have the courage to be that esplicit.

"Oh, no, I am the weakest of my whole tribe", Maverick said with a small smile, playing with his hair. "And in the forest, there were other predators, much bigger than me. And stronger. I preferred not to compete for preys."