Isolé; A secluded wilderness town...

Note: This thread is an import from a thread from the old Zetaboards site found here


"Pascal. I'm back." A petite courier called out as she entered the postal office. She pushed down her hood, revealing long blonde hair in braided pigtails. She honestly looked like a child. A seal could be seen on her neck. Indicating she was a Walpurgis.

A gruff looking man turned his head and sighed. "So, didn't die I see." He looked at her with disgust. The girl stared at the floor. She hated speaking to people. They just thought she was a freak. A monster. She just walked up to the counter and sighed.

"If you want me gone, give me some letters and packages to deliver. Then maybe you'll get your wish and I'll be torn apart by some bear." She said. Her face was blank, but her eyes screamed hatred towards the man,

"Unfortunately, I don't have work for you, Maia. Here's your pay, and maybe you'll get lucky tomorrow." Pascal replied. He place a coin purse on the table, but it seemed a little lighter than the other couriers' coin purses. Well, it was only half of what fhey got payed.

Without a word. Maia took the coin purse and left the office. She headed straight for her small home on the outskirts of town. All the way she heard people whispering, judging her for being something she couldn't control. A snooty looking woman scoffed as she walked by. "I bet you do all kinds of Cantus magic in your home, freak!"

"I'm sealed. I can't use Cantus magic. Please don't talk to me." Maia muttered. She was not dealing with this today.

---

She finally reached her home. She just wanted to get away from this place. Her home was a small cottage outside of the town of Isolé. It was cute and humble, and had a porch and garden. Maia entered the home and and changed into a green dress. She then sat on the porch and began reading a book. It was her favourite spot to read because she could warn travelers to not go into this terrible town.

"My, my, aren't people the rudest?" a low, formal voice of man said.

But Maia would find no man in front of her or near her. Rather, sitting at the front of the porch steps was a fully black cat with a golden collar. It's eyes shone bright amber with two pitch black slit pupils. The cat licked its paw tenderly.

"Ruins days even as pretty as this, doesn't it?" the cat said.

Maia heard the voice of a very formal man. But what she saw was a cat. Immediately the colour drained from her face. She stood up and glared at the cat. "Leave, Incantus! I have no interest in making a contract with you." Maia growled. She then walked into her home and shut the door. Why did this always happen to her? First there was Mouse Lady, now Sir Cat.

She looked out the window and watched the Incantus. 'Please leave... I don't want to have to call the guards...' Maia thought bitterly. She knew that calling the guards would be bad for both her and the cat.

The cat stared at Maia blankly...and then yawned.

He shook his body as he got up and stretched out, slowly climbing the steps towards the courier.

"Calm down, I'm not going to eat your soul," he said. "All I wanted was a little place to sunbathe in. That's harmless, isn't it?"

The cat leapt onto the windowsill and stared at Maia from the inside.

"Besides, I'm not interested in making a contract with you. I'm already working on someone else. So save yourself the trouble and don't call the guards on me, eh? Is it so bad for one Cantus-user to talk to another one? Other people definitely don't seem interested in talking to you."

"I'm NOT a Cantus user! As you can clearly see on my neck, I'm sealed." Maia said with a harsh tone. She refused to be labeled as a witch. People already hated them enough. "Please. Just go, I don't want to speak to Incantii. You are evil beasts." She said before leaving the window and went to her garden. The cat was probably going to follow her. Well, hopefully it can help her pick tomatoes.

She grabbed a basket and began filling it with her ripe tomatoes. With her salary, there was no way she could afford food. It was just impossible. She hummed a soft tune her father used to sing after she had a nightmare. It calmed her down when she needed it.

As she expected, the cat had followed her.

"Whatever makes you think we're all evil?" the cat said appearing at Maia's feet feigning a hurt look. "After all, it was a daemon that helped Atler Mas discover Carta magic. You saying we're all bad is just like a pitiful mundane human calling you a witch. Which, you are, sealed or unsealed. You've just never used your ability."

The cat moved towards a tomato plant and began pawing one of the bright red produce plants.

"That's a pretty tune. Did a little bluebird teach you that?"

"I don't know about you, but I was taught Incantii are evil monsters, and Walpurgis are freaks." Maia said bitterly. She carried the basket over to some other tomato plants. They seemed to juicy and ripe. It was the perfect time to pick them. Make some good food with these. Then of course, the cat asked her a question. "My dad used to sing it to me when I was a little girl. But that was a long time ago..."

Maia sighed when she saw the cat was STILL here. "Go away! Scat! Go bug another freak!" She hollered at him. Well, she was the only freak around here.

The cat slightly moved backward, but didn't leave.

"Call yourself 'freak' all you want," the cat said. "What they tell you is just their insecure way of hiding the fact that you're blessed with something and they are not. And no matter what you do, that seal is going to lift itself eventually."

"Then I will get sealed again. The Expiate will be more than welcome to do so." She replied. Maia wanted the cat to leave. Let her pick her tomatoes in peace. Maia wasn't in the mood for this right now, and if someone saw her? Then she was screwed. She glared at the cat. "Are you sure you already have a contract with someone? I've never met an Incantus that talked this much. You beat the field mouse." She asked him.

Maia then walked indoors, and shut the door. She placed the basket on a counter, and sighed. How could this day get any worse?

"Darling, is that kitten bothering you?" A seductive female voice said. Maia froze and slowly turned around. Sitting by the window, was a black field mouse with yellow eyes. She wore a white dress similar to a noble woman. "Oh no..." Maia muttered.

Upon seeing the field mouse, the cat laughed.

"My, my, another Incantus, huh?" the cat purred. He looked at Maia and grinned. "You're such a hypocrite to tell me that I'm a bother."

He looked at the mouse for a moment, and seemed to make an odd bow with four legs.

"Greetings, milady. I go by the name of Mephistopheles. A pleasure, I'm sure. I just saw your young tenant a little down after some rude civilians mocked her. I thought I'd try to...cheer her up. But what are you doing here, one as old as i?"