Open Ferlin's Place

Lish

Well-Known Member
Deep into a dense, dark forest, there was a treehouse. You wouldn't know it was there unless you were told. Up in a very thick evergreen tree next to a swift river, made out of wood, was a little hut. Sturdy branches acted in disguise as stairs up to the hut. Inside, it was warm. There was a neat pile of blankets and supplies in one corner. Unbeknownst to pretty much everyone, Astoria and Kaster Ferlin pretty much called this home.
 
Kaster carried the strange, unconscious man over his shoulder to the base of the Treehouse and set him down against the dark trunk.
"Why do we care about him again?" Kaster asked his sister.
Astoria didn't answer. "I'm going to get some bread. If he wakes up, yell for me." And started leaping up the tree, disappearing after a few branches.
 
Blindfold drifted in the black. Oblivion. Eventually, he drifted from oblivion to unconsciousness.

He was standing on the roof of a mansion. He knew this mansion. He had once called it home. TMITM was there, standing behind his father. TMITM stabbed him with his cane, darkness spreading immediately from the wound. TMITM whispered something into his ear. Then he pushed the body off of the building with his foot. He watched his father fall.
Then, TMITM rounded on Blindfold.
Ņ̶̥̝̋͘o̷̺̠̺͐̓͋̎w̷̗̠̤͒̍.̵̛̳̀̋͘.̵͉̺͖̈́̈͊͜͝.̸̲̤̙͛͆͆ ̷̩̲̀̾̇y̵̺̎ò̴̫͓̣́́u̵͈͇͇͈͛'̸͉̼͓͂ṛ̶̜̗͐̍ę̵̘͛́͝͝ ̸̛͕͍́̉m̶̪͉͙̆̚͝i̵̜̥̩̔͜͝n̸̠̔̒͗͗e̶̦̭̪͇̋̅.̶̛͍͉̜͖͌
He shot two tendrils at his eyes.
He bolted upright, breath heaving.
 
As he saw the strange man bolt upright, Kaster yelled, "RIA!!!"
Astoria slipped into view with some bread in her hands. "Oh, look, he's awake," she said flatly. Her hood was down. Tossing a roll at Kaster, who caught it without looking, she said, "We were trying to help. You can stay with us a little while longer if you want or you can leave now. Hungry?" She held up another roll.
 
Blindfold's breaths slowed. He leaned his head against the treehouse. He smirked tiredly.
"I... Don't think I'm going anywhere for a while."
He exhaled slowly.
Deep breaths.
"Thank you... Lish? no, Astoria." He grabbed the loaf from her hand. "And you're... Kaster." He said, pointing to him. He exhaled again, slowly, savoring what control he had, for now. "Things are so... jumbled. Confusing. The how, the when, the where of it all. I can't tell anymore..."
 
"Uh huh..." Astoria narrowed her eyes, secretly suspicious of how this man knew their names. "And what would you like for us to call you?"
After the man replied, Kaster said, "You okay, by the way? Looked like something attacked you?"
 
"I am Blindfold. It is both my name and who I am."
He looked up at the pair, smiling.
"You're suspicious of me. Don't be. I mean you no harm."
He frowned as he considered her question.
"Oh, something attacked me, all right, but it isn't something out there," He waved to the sky, indicating space, all that is. "It's in here." He pointed at his heart, the center of his being. He frowned.
"...Where's my blindfold?"
 
"You're suspicious of me. Don't be. I mean you no harm."
How many times had she heard that? Astoria scoffed. "I'm suspicious of everyone, whether they mean me harm or not."
When Blindfold asked for his blindfold, Astoria slipped the cloth out of her cloak. "This? I found it near you where you were knocked out." She tossed it to him and it landed in his lap.
Kaster crossed his legs and leaned on his hands, which were behind him. "So do you need anything else? Water? Do you have any wounds we can help with?"
Astoria rolled her eyes, adding sarcastically, "Physical wounds? I'm not good at emotional or mental ones..."
 
"... Or mystical, demonic, or magical ones. I know." He took the Blindfold from Astoria and wrapped it around his eyes, covering the dark abyss that was his eye sockets. They had already started to leak, killing plants wherever they dripped.
He sighed.
"...I'm in no condition to travel, at least, not by my usual means. So I guess I'll be staying here. I just need rest, that's all, then I can continue... "
 
Astoria nodded.
Kaster agreed, saying, "Of course. Stay as long as you need." Astoria's lip curled the tiniest bit at this. She hoisted herself onto a low branch of a nearby tree and looked out at the forest, her back to Kaster and Blindfold. Kaster lowered his voice and said with a smile, "Just not too long."
 
Blindfold grimaced.
"Don't worry about that. I won't be staying long... I need to get back."
 
Blindfold sat alone, his back to a tree as he practiced. He hoped he could get this right, he'd been trying for ages now.
He concentrated.
The ink flowed up his arm, stemming from his empty eye sockets. As the ink pooled in his palm, he concentrated on the shape he would like it to take.
A sword.
The ink elongated in his hand, obeying him.
For now.
The sword took shape, forming in his hand to the shape he wanted it to be.
He swung it at the tree beside him, curious. No emotion. He would only take advantage of it.
The sword struck and splintered, shards sprinkling him as they rained down.
He sighed. Of course. It had to be flexible in the middle and hard on the outside, or it would splinter just like that.
He took a deep breath and tried again.
His powers had been increasing at a steady rate for the past few days, making him at least a little excited. He would be able to travel soon, to go and try to see the vitate again, so he could finally understand what he was. Also, he had to admit, he was curious about his new lady friend. She seemed kind, and everyone knows that most heroes deserve a little happiness. In the meantime, he was stuck in this forest. Not that he disliked the forest, far from it, it just seemed so isolated, as if centuries slipped by as he was staring at the stars. Kaster was friendly enough, but Astoria was very suspicious. Of everything and everyone, it seemed. He smiled. Reminded him of someone he used to know... He knew it was hard. After a few years in any world different than your own, pain replaces trust.
 
Astoria came over, standing at a safe distance from Blindfold. She shifted her weight onto one leg, leaning her shoulder against a tree. She looked up at the sky, which was painted gold and pink by the sunset, darkening a little every second... "It's getting dark," she observed. "I don't know, you're a weird guy, and maybe you like being outside at night or maybe you don't need or want to sleep, none of that's my buisness. She crossed her arms. "but you're welcome to sleep in our treehouse. There's plenty of room," she offered. Kaster smirked for a split-second, so brief it could have not happened.
 
Blindfold looked at her, looking straight through her, trying to determine her intention. He smiled.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer."
He stood and followed them.
 
Blindfold sat on the ground, Legs crossed, Back straight, chin pointed slightly down. He concentrated, a single candle lit in front of him.
Calm. He needed to be calm. He couldn't control his powers without calm. No emotion. HE would only take advantage of it.
Concentrate.
A dark, stormy night, a dark figure approaches a house. A mansion.
No. concentrate.
A party. A special occasion.
No. Peace. Calm.
A voice deeper than anything he had ever heard, made of thousands singing a haunting melody.
No. Peace. I am in control.
A peal of laughter shatters the night.
No.
He walks through the halls, cloaked in darkness. The people clutched their heads as they were covered in the ink, bowing down to their eternal master.
No. Stop it.
His father. Standing alone on the roof of the mansion, HE stood behind him.
STOP IT!
The candle's flame went out.
Blindfold sighed and held his head in his hands.
He needed to DO something, to go somewhere. He was going crazy, being here. He was ready, And Beikelan was in trouble.
Wait. Beikelan was in trouble?
He was.
 
Astoria had led Blindfold up into their treehouse, making a pallet for him to sleep on. Her and Kaster's beds were in corners on opposite sides of the room. Astoria couldn't sleep. She sat up when she saw Blindfold light a candle. He was concentrating on something, so she kept silent. Then he looked distressed. "Are you okay?" she said, just loud enough for him to hear. Kaster was fast asleep in his bed.
 
"...maybe..? Beikelan is in trouble. I have to go." Blindfold stood up, carefully.
 
Astoria blinked. "What? He is?" Astoria got up, throwing her cloak over her shoulders. She was about to wake up Kaster, but hesitated. She scribbled a note and let it fall onto her bed. "I'm coming with you. He's gonna need all the help he can get." she stood three feet away from him, a feirce and determined look in her eye. "Where is he?"
 
"...Wayfarers point. I have a way we can get to him."
He smiled.
"But you're not going to like it."
He concentrated and a pool of ink appeared at his feet. He offered his arm for her to take.
 
Back
Top