Pieces of Sonder

“Try it. It’s really good.”

Freya offered the strange fruit she bought from a street vendor to K13. He hesitantly took a piece.

His eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he ate it.

“Good, isn’t it?” Freya said happily. 

She had never tasted nor heard of an auwani fruit before, but she saw many kids around eating them, so she had to try it. From the outside, it looked like a scaly brown ball but inside, the auwani fruit was bright pink. The street vendor she got it from neatly took off most of the outer layer and decoratively chopped the inner fruit to allow for easy eating.

“I thought it would taste like watermelon, but it’s almost like a mango or something,” Heilong said, eating her piece Freya gave her.

Walking through the streets of Kai Nai, Freya spotted many other interesting foods but decided to wait a little longer before eating again. Luckily, there was plenty else in the city to keep her mind off of food. Street performers did acrobatic acts right next to peddlers selling unusual cookware and other trinkets.  Many dress shops also dotted the city. Freya wondered if she could bring Yina here. The dressmaker would love all the unusual designs and vibrant fabrics showcased in the storefronts.

Then one sign they walked by caught Freya’s attention.

{Diviner Services}

{By Diviner Houkyu}

“What’s a diviner?” Freya asked, looking at the sign.

“I think it’s another name for a shaman,” Heilong said, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. “People have also been trying to learn Meridian Manipulation from diviners since they also have the skill.”

Freya shaded her eyes from the sun and tried to peer into the shop. Only a tiny reception area with three chairs and a large desk could be seen from the window.

“Could we go in for a moment?” Freya asked.

Infamous Biscuit shrugged, “Sure if you want.”

Freya opened the front door. The familiar smell of incense hit her. A bell chimed above her head, just like in her own shop, except this bell sounded a little higher pitched. Small figurines of animals and people decorated the shop.

“Greetings,” said a young man in an orange tunic coming out from the back of the shop. Like most residents in Kai Nai, he was darker skinned with jet black hair. “I’m Diviner Houkyu. What can I do for you today?” 

[Houkyu Inokei]

[Lvl 12 Diviner] 

“Um,” Freya suddenly realized she didn’t have a good reason for coming in, “We’re travelers. I’ve never been in a diviner’s shop before and just wanted to see.”

“Travelers?” Diviner Houkyu said, “Where are you from?”

“I’m from Safka, in Vansyl.”

“Vansyl! Wow, you have traveled a long way,” the young man sat down at his desk. His voice sounded cheerful, but dark circles rimmed his eyes, “You look like you fit right in here! Well, welcome to Kai Nai!” 

“Thank you,” Freya said, “I heard-”

Suddenly a bird swooped past her head. She ducked on reflex. Turning around, she found the bird sitting on top of Infamous Biscuit’s head, looking at the spirit octopus around his neck. Focusing her eyes better, Freya realized the bird was also a spirit. It contained such a dense amount of energy that its green plumage appeared real.

The spirit bird was about the size of a small sparrow, but it had fancier long feathers on its wings and hanging off its head.

“What?” Infamous Biscuit asked as he fixed his hair. His hand went right through the bird.

“There’s a spirit on the top of your head,” she informed him.

Thud

“You can see spirits?” Diviner Houkyu asked, incredulously. He had slammed his hands on the desk and was leaning out, staring at Freya.

“Yes,” she answered.

Diviner Houkyu ran around his desk and approached her, grabbing one of her hands. Freya immediately noticed he was examining her with his qi.

Then the diviner slumped a bit. 

“No, nothing,” he said, disappointed. 

He let go of her hand, “Sorry to be so forward. I just thought if you can see Pekkae, my ipowani bird spirit, you must have good blood, but it seems your vision is just special.”

“Good blood? What do you mean by that?” Heilong asked, her eyes gleamed with interest.

Diviner Houkyu turned to her, “It’s like the energy inside of you. Diviners need to have a strong energy flow for our line of work. I’ve been searching for more people with strong blood... but I haven’t found anyone yet.”

He shook his head, “Still, it’s unusual to find someone that can see spirits. How long have you been able to see them?”

“I think since I was about ten.”

“Ten? So not an inborn ability, but-” he suddenly stopped and stared at Infamous Biscuit. He squinted his eyes then took a step back, “What-what is that on your shoulder?”

“It’s an octopus. Well, the spirit of an octopus,” Freya answered.

Diviner Houkyu nervously adjusted his tunic, “I’ve never seen an octopus that big before.”

“They’re common in Vansyl.”

The octopus spirit was actually small by its species standards, but she didn’t bother to mention that. The bird and the octopus spirits examined each other on Infamous Biscuit. Pekkae, the tiny green bird, peered down from his head while the octopus shyly extended one of its arms.

Moving a little bit closer, Diviner Houkyu said, “Well, it doesn’t seem to be parasitic. How long has it been attached to you?”

“A couple of weeks now,” Infamous Biscuit answered. “Freya and I actually discovered why it’s attached to me. Well, more like Freya did everything, and I just watched. Hopefully, we’ll be able to fulfill its wish soon once we get strong enough to handle its request.”

“Hmm…. haha, haha, HAHA!” Diviner Houkyu threw back his head and roared with laughter.

The four players exchanged looks. Pekkae flew back to Diviner Houkyu and landed on his head, almost falling off as the diviner continued to laugh.

“Ha, ha,” his laughter slowed, and he wiped his eyes, “I had a dream about this meeting a long time ago. I thought it was never going to come true.”

Heilong tilted her head to the side, “You had a dream about meeting us?”

“Yes, in my dream, a bird told me I would meet a ‘special person I cannot sense as special,’ and they will be accompanied by a large sea spirit and some formidable allies.”

Freya, Infamous Biscuit, Heilong, and K13 looked at each other.

“Do you have these kinds of dreams often?” Heilong asked.

“Occasionally, I am a diviner after all.”

---

~Info Corner~

Character Card:

*Houkyu Inokei*

Class: Diviner

Age: 26

Nationality: Quanan

Ethnicity: Heian

Lives In: Kai Nai, Quana

Likes: Figurines, salted meat

Dislikes: pickled fruit