Whispering Stars PV Prof. Chiadovini

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

Leonardo was just about to step foot onto the Great Lawn, having travelled most of the school’s winding corridors and mischievous staircases while Macbeth was out hunting. Just as he took his first stride, a light ringing echoed in both his ears, as if a small chime had been struck right next to his ear. Grey eyes narrowed. Someone was intruding someplace they were not supposed to be; the Astronomy Tower’s Classroom. Glancing quickly at the moon, which was absent in its black new moon phase, an inscrutable ring of black in the dark sky, Leonardo spun quickly on his heel and retreated back into the castle, the silver inseam of cloak rippling behind him.

The Seer took his time. Perhaps the intruder would decide to turn back, and if so, what need was there for him to hurry? On the other hand, if they were foolish enough to stay, let them contemplate what they had done for the while, until Leonardo came to confront them himself. All the while, the chime was still ringing in his head, informing him that there had been a breach and that he had to both silence and rearm the mental ping when this event was over. Torches flickered slightly as his shadow passed them, the corridors growing dim for a moment before he passed on. Leonardo had never had the time nor the patience to learn Apperation despite his talent’s risks, but it mattered not with long-paced strides and a determined, cross visage.

Drawing close, the alarm’s noise heightened a bit more, reminding Leonardo of the target location of his spell, and as soon as he drew close to the threshold, he drew his chestnut wand and tapped the lock of the door with it, silencing the alarm. Quietly, Leonardo glanced about, noting for anything out of the ordinary or out of place. Everything seemed as it had been before he had left for his nightly stroll, and nothing had been overturned or bothered. Yet, the door had been open, and so that was likely to mean that the intruder was still in the vicinity. There was a soft musing hum under the Seer’s breath, as grey eyes continued to scan, landing at last on the open observation deck’s door.

Aha.

The velvet cloak muffled most sounds, sounds which came mostly from his ticking gold pocketwatch strung on a waistcoat and the lightly clicking heels of his polished black dress boots. It was more likely an intruder would sense him coming; an otherworldly chill or a sense of dread as opposed to hearing Leonardo draw close. The phantom of a Seer continued on his way, wand drawn but no lighting charm cast, making his way softly to the observation deck. The thousands of stars met him as they did on any other night, the Seer knowing most of them by name. He knew their tracks well, and he knew their celestial trails, and as beautiful as the night sky was, certainly a student could pace themselves long enough to wait until their classtime, instead of coming up here on their own.

But as pale eyes tracked the area, Leonardo was met with no lingering form, no entity which trespassed. For a while, the Seer was under the unnerving impression that he was indeed alone, a fool of his own paranoia...

Minor ‘Vision’ Check: >50 (d100)
Rolled: 63

The Seer felt his pupils dilate suddenly so that the pupils swallowed his irises whole, larger than usual when they were in the darkness, and then they glossed over with spidery white. Turned out towards the Forbidden Forest and not inwards towards the classroom, someone would think him to have suddenly petrified, motionless as if he were a statue.

“Purveyor of motes in celestial sky,
Quiet presence above and behind.”

His lips had moved subtly, a small utterance of a rhyming line which had fallen from a half-aware subconscious.

And just like that, Leonardo’s world returned to its former state, the stars before him, the forest spread out below the tower. His pupils dilated again, and despite himself, the Seer rubbed his eyes, blinking quickly to chase away the final bit of disorientation. Had he spoken? Possibly; it was an extension of his skill that he was pursuing, but was unsure as to if he was succeeding. Regardless of his attempt to vocalize, he had seen and recognized that something was not as it seemed. While visions of his were random, eluding him when he needed them most and frequenting him when he desired them not, they did not come without good reason, even if the reasoning was nothing more than mundane.

A light whispering was in the air, and not that of Leonardo’s own. Tipping his head, the Seer turned, looking towards where he perceived the sound to be, upwards, guided by the strange line he had wrought.

There was something on the roof. Some sort of figure, small, yet discernible against the night sky. It was the pale skin which made so that they were noticed quickly, followed by the nearly unnoticeable swaying back and forth like a pendulum. The Seer’s brow creased with subtle amusement. This was the second time an individual had managed to climb upon the Astronomy Tower’s roof. At this rate, perhaps the Seer would find it diligent to invest in a broom, if only so that he could fetch those foolhardy souls more easily.

Leonardo crossed his arms as he raised his chin to look up at the figure more easily. From a distance, he couldn’t be certain, but the Seer was sure that he had seen this specific combination of features before. A voice could disclose the identity, but first Leonardo had to hear such a voice to place a name to.

“Observing the night sky, are we?” He began quietly, yet firmly enough to project his voice to be heard. “Quite early to classes, or else overstepping curfew.” It was a probe. Leonardo didn’t care if students were early to his class, nor if they were late to return to their dorms. He would end up having to clean up the aftermath anyways, either watching a student until their classes or escorting them back to their house dormitory. What he cared about more was the purpose of climbing the roof, what the individual had hoped to achieve. An unusual action, climbing on a roof, but then again, some had reasons, even if they were a touch ridiculous.

Reducio

@Selim Faust

"I have become insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."
- Edgar Allan Poe

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

A voice had indeed met him. Or... several voices, it seemed. The first had been soft yet sharp, a sort of subconscious afterthought. It had been replied to by a disappointed sigh of sorts, something that the Seer himself was known to do when being bothered in his own work or on his own time. For a moment, the figure shifted, teetered as if uncertain of their handhold. Leonardo watched on with a disinterested gaze, his left index finger lightly tapping on the head of the snake in case his skill was needed.

Then the figure turned towards him entirely, and Leonardo was met with more pale skin, sickly skin covered with wounds, assuredly some scars, though he could not make individual injuries out. Wounds which would usually be bandaged or healed by some magical means, left open to fester and be infected. Something tortured and raw as if drawn out of a certain author’s macabre imagination.

By this posture, for a moment Leonardo thought the individual more of a creature than a being, but its words and mostly neutral temperament towards his presence seemed to prove otherwise. Were it a creature, it was curious. Were it being, it was slightly feral.

Another voice claimed that curfew was for those who slept. It was different from the smooth voice Leonardo had heard prior. This one was dry and parched. Yet, both were familiar, as were the eyes which seemed to glow; the narrow eyes which were locked with Leonardo’s own unshifting and unwavering gaze. Two voices were being analyzed in the moment, two voices which were trying to be placed to two faces, but in the absence of another presence attempting to be associated with a single name, or face, again.

“In months,” Leonardo spoke at last. “I assume to mean you have not attended my classes during that time.” Another absentee. A part of the list to narrow down, into less names, less individuals. “Though I am impressed by your nerve coming here in the name of your personal pursuits.” Leonardo’s words and his inflections were two different natures. One being of intrigue, the other of passive disinterest.

It had shuddered, breathing shakily. Unhealthy. Looking down at the ground far below, the smooth, hissing voice returning for a moment. The figure seemed frozen, before with a sudden twitch, it tensed up, rocking back and forth once again. One incorrect movement, and a fall was possible; a disastrous fall, but perhaps a fall which could be beautiful for a moment before the horror set in. Falling was a beautiful thing, yet never seemed to reward the one who had fallen.

How to approach this new situation?

“Yet the sky is always there to view. Why is it tonight you feel the need to trespass.” It was not posed as a question, but was continued in the low, musing tone. “I would request you return to the main Observation Deck, if you are not too comfortable where you sit now.” A cloaked request, likely to be denied. Leonardo needed to listen more. The voice was familiar, the shape and the eyes were familiar. He wasn’t entirely sure from where yet. He needed more confirmation, something more to assess.

A slight, almost completely silent velvet flutter of feathers, and a small weight landed on Leonardo’s shoulder. Macbeth had returned, having spotted his master from the flight. Despite his owl’s return, the Seer continued to stare at the being, his hands held behind his back calmly and his poise now straightened from its typical leaned-in poise to reveal a bit more of his height.

Reducio

@Selim Faust

"I have become insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."
- Edgar Allan Poe

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

There had been a twitch at the Seer’s words, and Leonardo’s eyes flicked briefly to a mass of what appeared to be fabric on the hand of the what he had to assume was a child. A pair of voices spoke again, though a third one, different that the previous had almost tiredly admitted that they attempted to do homework on time. Something that Leonardo could not complain about, despite the game of hooky the student appeared to be playing for the past month or however long it was he claimed to be absent from looking upon the sky.

Impulse, he claimed, was responsible for his venture. Impulse which evidently served as a warning for some sort of danger. The Seer tipped his head slightly at this, still recognizing the voice as the student spoke. The voices were starting to run into one another, a central undertone of vocal fingerprint beginning to align.

Was the sky an addiction? The words he spoke seemed to make it to be so. “An evasion.” He responded in turn. Why in the world did others think that he took this night job? People were not individuals the Seer liked to interface with. If books and comets could speak, the Professor would have had all the company he needed for a lifetime. Yet, when the boy’s coughing fit began, Leonardo closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for the moment to pass before returning his disinterested gaze to him. Sickly, and without wonder as to why. This condition was not one which occurred without self-inducement. Self-isolation or restraint.

“Comfort, Selim, or security?” Leonardo asked at last, the voice now remembered fully as well as the notorious night where the Seer had first met the frail boy. “Comfort is not something that is always needed. Many do good without comfort, perhaps are better off without. Sometimes, it is a pitfall.” He blinked slowly. “Lack of security is knowledge of your place in your own comprehension, fear or otherwise.”

And of monsters... “What of monsters?” Leonardo queried. “Do you intend to fool them by treading the night?” Indication to the slightly illuminated landscape and the situation Leonardo found them in. “What do you achieve from this endeavor?”

Despite what any interpreted of this, Leonardo was still deeply intrigued now as he had been the night that he had first encountered this pale boy. He wondered. A part of him wondered, an interest veiled. Not certain of what he was trying to uncover or understand, yet curious nonetheless.

Reducio

@Selim Faust

"I have become insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."
- Edgar Allan Poe

TW: Dark topics vaguely implied in the future post, viewer discretion is advised.

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

Another small exchange of the two voices, and Leonardo found himself curious as to if his initial interpretation of the situation had been flawed. Perhaps there was more than one individual which found themselves atop of the roof, perhaps a little out of direct line of sight. Yet, the Seer could not help but pick up the words which seemed to imply that he was one of the monsters that they spoke of, being of the faculty. This inferred knowledge did not startle the man in the slightest, and on the contrary, the Seer felt his mouth twitch upwards in amusement for a brief moment while the two held their conference. A monster. In the right definition of ‘monster’, perhaps Selim was more accurate than he thought. An amalgamation of tainted pedigree, something that was not nature’s intent.

Yet, Leonardo continued to listen. The glowing eyes returned to the Seer, explaining his position of fear and comfort. “Ah.” He concurred. Leonardo did not elaborate further, did not add additional thoughts. Comfort in the form of wealth was something that had been given him from a young age, but true comfort was not something that the Seer placed stock in. Nothing remained steady enough to make permanent landfall. An elusive prospect; stability.

Selim entered another bout, and just as before, Leonardo distracted himself by looking over the landscape of the Great Lawn. He could have been striding there had he not been engaged in this location, but perhaps that was for a cause. Macbeth nibbled Leonardo’s ear lightly for a moment before an impatient hand guided his overeager owl away. Now was not the moment for playtime.

The depths of the school, Selim claimed. Leonardo was not unfamiliar with the lower levels of Hogwarts, specifically that of the Slytherin dungeons, yet it had never appealed to the Seer to investigate that landscape more thoroughly than anywhere else. Then again, the mazelike nature of its depths was a Theseus’ temptation to many, Leonardo included. Something could vanish down there and never come back, be changed and never reverted. A reflection.

Dying in peace. A curious desire. It was a wish that many people chased after, few succeeded, and even fewer did it well. Many more wished to go out in a blaze of glory, in a way which they believed would cause them to be remembered. The two voices, speaking in unison, as if they shared the same mind. This mind, these thoughts; they spoke, nay, alluded to, madness.

Yet there be method in it.

“To die, to sleep;
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause: there's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.”
Leonardo absentmindedly quoted.

“Hamlet. And though death be sweet,” Leonardo turned to his own words. “Why surrender a nonnegotiable leverage for trivial action.” The words still came flat, nonbiased. Of course he saw the threat before him, the possibly disturbed mind which sought actions which had consequences which would resonate further than the moment it was committed to. By this point, the Seer had drifted to the side of the observation deck, having thrown his cape over his shoulder and taking a seat on the edge so that he too was tantalizingly close to a misstep. He lifted his gaze back to Selim. “One moment of freedom... for a missed opportunity of thousands.” Macbeth, disinterested in the situation, took flight again, dipping downwards before wheeling towards the forest.

The Seer watched his ward briefly, still thinking, almost mirroring Selim’s looking out at the ground, the possibilities, the simplicity of it. “It is written about all the time, isn’t it? Romantically, on occasion. Other times serving as a final thrust against the world. What is it that they say, the two contradicting ideals? ‘Cowards die many times before their deaths, / The valiant never taste of death but once.’ yet also ‘Do not go gentle into that good night, / Old age should burn and rave at close of day; / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.’”

Macbeth wheeled in the sky.

Reducio

@Selim Faust

"I have become insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."
- Edgar Allan Poe

TW: Dark topics vaguely implied in the future post, viewer discretion is advised.

Terrible Presence in effect.
| Aura of Unease Present |

Lack of freedom, once again. Leonardo quashed another subtle smile as he did indeed remember the mentions of his own students who claimed that school was a sort of Azkaban to them. These were the ones who meant one of two things; that they jested in their own fashions, or those who truly struggled under the yoke of expectations. But, Selim’s words were different, as were words of any convinced individual. There were in their tones the undercurrent of dedication to their beliefs, undercurrents that in the lack of the Seer’s ability to read faces, he read voices; their tones and subtle inflections.

“On the contrary, I do believe that children understand the world better than adults.” The Seer confessed, still looking after his owl. “They see the world in a clarity that their grown counterparts have come to turn a blind eye to. Learned to ignore. Learned to perpetuate.” The last word dripped with venom. His left hand’s fingers twitched. Learned to carry on towards the future, marching boldly onward to continue the failures of the predecessors by means of the descendants.

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

He became aware of being looked upon, the burning gaze apparent. Pale eyes returned to the amber, one pair narrowed, the other placid. “Slaves to kin.” He echoed, repeating it to himself. “Then I shall take care to keep my hands out of reach.” He added, deadpan. Kept close to his chest were his feelings of such nature, often with impassive words and actions; anger, if others dared draw too close. These was not their matters. He tended to keep to his own conducts during his own interactions in turn. Their voices were starting to bleed together, which was not a good sign. It was a symbol of discreet association, something that the Seer was currently doing his best to refute for the moment.

His gaze had fallen away once again, but had returned the moment Selim had asked the questions of his arrival to the school. His purpose.

For a moment, the Seer was silent, as if he would not answer the question. Indeed, he did need time to recall his inspiration for returning, what motivation he had had for this. It had not been as easy as desiring a job, his family inheritance would have seen him through the rest of his mortal life if he was not severed before his father’s expiration. “If we speak of cages,” Leonardo spoke with the same disinterest Selim described of witnessing during the Seer’s lectures. “then I suppose it is one cage for another.” There was a bit of a hum at the end of his words. “Neither ideal, but one more separated from the other. Large enough to breathe. To fester.” The thought of it caused the Seer’s brows to raise for a moment before he looked out and away again. “Pursuing an ultimatum. Maintaining it, should it exist at all.”

‘Mine Opprobrious Son...’

Damn you.

“Your voice, it varies.” He added as a new redirection, finally voicing the recognition of similar undertone but varying tone. “Is there someone else with you? The hissing voice.”

Reducio

@Selim Faust