People Watching (Open)

[mrcreazil]

He didn't look like much. To any of the villagers passing by, dropping the occasional coin for him, he just looked like a wandering monk, albeit one that covered up more than most. Kabekhnet was just glad that there was a sect of monks who wore these face-concealing baskets, it would be tricky to explain a desiccated corpse wandering around in monk's robes. Maybe he could pass himself off as some sort of mummified saint, he'd heard of those, but he doubted he could pull it off. This was simpler, keeping his body hidden. Long robes, wicker mask, and bandages to cover whatever else might be exposed. With his dry, rattly voice, he could easily pass himself off as sickly, excusing the bandages and giving himself a reason to refuse food. He wasn't feeling well, after all.

The old wizard was starting to get frustrated. Wherever magical knowledge was hidden in this land, it was hidden well. He'd been hoping to find at least one scroll right now, but it felt like he'd just been going in circles for months. What he really needed was to attach himself to someone powerful, someone local. There was only so much a foreigner could do, even with all his magical abilities. He just didn't have the connections, the knowledge of the area. Maybe he could even eventually meet up with some eccentric noble who collected curios, those were often good sources for the kinds of things he needed. He sighed with a soft rattle, looking over the staff he'd taken from that monk. It was alright, but he really needed to find a proper focus for his magic. This thing had been more meant as a walking stick than a sorcerer's staff.

Noticing that not many people were nearby, the old wizard decided to take a risk. Kabekhnet took up the cup of water he'd set by his side. It was mostly just to keep up appearances, but it did have its uses. He looked into the still water, starting to murmur in a long-dead language, chanting under his breath. The surface of the water shimmered, and an image took shape in it. It was a bird's-eye view, overlooking the village and the forests and fields surrounding it. It didn't look too interesting at first, but as he focused he could see something, like a beacon. There was someone else nearby, someone who stood out from the crowd. Someone coming this way. He quickly jostled the cup, disrupting the image and breaking the spell. Kabekhnet didn't like giving anyone more information than he had to. He'd observe this new figure first, then decide his next course of action.

[Sune&Kage]

The figure's name was Kage, and like the meaning of his name. He had been a shadow; just wandering with no purpose. There wasn't much for him anymore, in the present time. All he had was his memories, most were sorrowfull. Only those of his beloved Kagirinai, her long lavender hair, piercing silver eyes, pale white skin, and slender frame. Oh how he missed her, it had been many years now. There had been different types of company to come and go the years after he lost Kagirinai, like the ladies Lily and Yoru. That had been an interesting friendship, but alas times change and friends go their seperate ways.

Kage's appearnce hadn't changed much, his jet black hair; which once hung past his shoulder blades. Now it only was long enough to frame his face. His bangs were still long, and it gave him a mixed gender look. His thick eyebrows gave him a essance of mystery, but he was over all well groomed. Strangely for Kage though, he was smooth faced. Shaving wasn't something he normally did, but at moments in the recent days he was striving for a new self. His eyes were rough as always, and a rich crimson red. The sun had tanned his skin, especially on his face; as the scar on his right cheek was looking faded.

As Kage made his way through, he started to smell something faul. He didn't pay much attention, that was untill he caught sight of the monk out of the corner of his eye. He continued to walk, as if he was to continue. Then in a flash he was sitting next to the cause of his nose twinge, and smiled before speaking. His voice was raspy, since it had been a moment since he had spoken to someone.

"So, tell me Monk. What is your purpose here? For to fool the villagers will not last long." Kage chuckled to himself, because the state of the monk was that of disturbing one. If this figure was even a monk, which Kage doubted noting the smell that stung his nose. But maybe this could be a start of some fun, or trouble. Either way Kage didn't care, he was up for anything at the moment. 

[mrcreazil]

Now this was odd. Most of the people who'd come by had been ignoring him, maybe dropping a coin in his basket, or a bit of wrapped food. Now there was someone actually approaching him, someone who seemed to see through his disguise. The young man didn't look like he was a local, more likely a traveler like Kabekhnet was. Probably magical too, or magic-adjacent. The fact that he knew there was something wrong with the fake monk didn't narrow it down much. All kinds of spirits and demons had keen senses of smell that could pick up the faint scent of over-salted jerky he had about him. Others still, as well as human magic-users and demon hunters, could just plain sense the magic that was animating him. He had to play it cautious, at least until he figured out how much this man knew.

Kabekhnet looked up, sizing up the man through the wicker mesh of his mask. He didn't show any obvious signs of being inhuman, but again, that didn't narrow it down too much. He was wishing he'd found some more divination magic, something quick and easy that could at least give him a general sense of powers. He really needed to step up his search here. He wasn't back in his homeland anymore, or wandering the interconnected world. He'd come to a pretty isolationist place, their myths and monsters hadn't spread too far.

"I was merely resting on my travels. I hope I was not disturbing you, should I move on?" He found it was best to be apologetic while undercover. Avoid a scene, leave as good an impression as possible, and avoid any troublesome fights. There were some things that could destroy his body, but even starting a fight with a random drunk might blow his cover and expose his immortality. He didn't move yet, waiting for an answer from the man.

[Sune&Kage]

Kage didn't look at the monk, but simply ran his toung across his teeth. Wondering why he responded like he did, which perked his interest more in who was really setting beside him. Rolling his neck to the right in attempet to get it to crack, he wet his lips. Oh of course Kage probably looked plain, almost like a simple farmer. Or maybe a regular to loose himself to the local addictions. Most people didn't pay attention to the little details that defined what Kage really was, and so it was easy to drift from place to place.

"Disturbed me no, more like draw my interest. Your scent is strong, but lucky for you the humans here don't smell you like I do." Kage smiled again, he was going to play with this stranger. Not stating too much, but enough to get to the ultimate subject he was interested in. Who was this monk, and what was he doing here. With the passing moments, villagers just continued on with their lives. No idea what was going on, no idea who or what these two men were.

"The name is Kage." With that, he moved his line of sight to the monk. Kind of his way of also introducing himself. Crimson eyes were hard to miss, and it was his one feature he was most proud of. As he widened his eyes, they seemed to brighten almost as if they were going to glow in that moment. Then with a blink they seemed to dim, and Kage returned his line of sight back to the humans that were simply living their lives.

[mrcreazil]

The man's facial expressions were worrying, to say the least. He had a bit of the feral about him, the way he licked his teeth like that. Combined with his comments about scent, there was a decent chance he was some sort of animal spirit or demon, probably a predator by the way he was acting. The old wizard considered going to somewhere with fewer prying ears, but decided against it. If his new friend was hostile, he might be more reluctant to cause a scene in the middle of town. Or if he did start a fight, here Kabekhnet had more lives to drain to heal his body, and more potential collateral damage to reanimate and send to the fight. He wasn't really expecting a fight, but it was still best to plan ahead.


"You can call me Kabuto." Not the best alias, but it was close enough to his real name that it'd be easy to remember. When you had a few millenia of excess memories rattling around, that was a pretty important factor. "And I'd appreciate if you kept any comments about my scent quiet. It's easier to move about when I'm forgettable." There were two main options for what happened when a town found out what he was. Either they pulled out all the stops and tried to slay the monster, bringing out the torches and pitchforks and calling for the nearest monster hunter, or they saw an opportunity and tried to get him to solve everything with magic. Either way, it was a lot of extra work for him. He needed a low profile until he could position himself better.

He leaned a little closer, lowering his voice so the villagers hopefully wouldn't overhear. "Why do you think I won't be able to fool them for long?" So far he'd done well enough with his sickly old man act, pretending that he had some disfiguring scars or illness that made the bandages necessary. "And what might you be? There's not many beings that can catch my scent." He was asking for more information than he'd given, but maybe this Kage was in a giving mood. That, or he wouldn't notice. Both would be good options.