[TRANSFER] A Sparrow in the hand is worth two in the bush - Nabonassar meets the Ferromancer

[Sparrow]

(Oct 13) 01:43:44 Sparrow lounged again. Perhaps she was getting a touch too comfortable staying so long in the market and enjoying stuffed squid, ale or mead, other delicacies and paying the barkeep in any metals she could, with ease, transfuse into hyper powerful precious metals and other alloys. The money she’d inadvertently funneled into the establishment had already resulted in a menu change to more expensive and higher quality faire, microbrews and in progress upgrades to the establishment. Even earlier today Sparrow had been ordered to vacate her chosen back corner booth so all of the furniture in the Lowborn could be replaced with velvet cushions and varnished mahogany. The fragrance of the rich wood permeated the pub— and it was very nice. In fact, the new menu and redecorating had called for a rehaul celebration with a slightly discounted menu and a great many patrons had funneled into the establishment. Wine, celebration, good food— all of which made Sparrow frown and wonder if she’d made a mistake. She’d taken her overcoat off and draped it over her body as a makeshift blanket while watching the party on the bottom level from her elevated floor. Only a few patrons remained there with her and, luckily, they’d gotten the message that it was best to leave the very short haired, orange eyed woman alone. Even if she hadn’t demonstrated any of her ferromancy, somehow, they saw a very hostile and introverted soul who wouldn’t be joining them in their twirling with serving girls, clinking glasses and more richer patrons buying rounds on the house for everyone present— excluding her, of course. Cold blackened shrimp would occasionally be ferried into Sparrow’s mouth with a barely revealed brown hand as heavy lidded eyes watched the festivities. Soon, she would convince herself to move into her room alone, but, she wasn’t done drinking. As long as no bounty hunters ambled along? She’d be fine.


(Oct 13) 02:13:14 [Nabonassar] The King had heard of the seemingly miraculous turn-around of the establishment known as the Lowborn. Now they were serving champagne and delicacies to rich people instead of abiding by the clientele their name suggested. He was certain, however, that they had never had a guest quite like him. He stepped into the establishment, dressed impeccably in a three-piece suit that was gray on the outside and the vest, with a white shirt and a silvered tie. It was as if the entire place was slightly hushed once he was all the way in the door. He looked around, his black hair pulled back tight to his skull. His pale eyes seemed to unnerve the people in here. Likely they had never seen a being of his. . . stature. He walked to the bar, placing a pale hand upon the countertop and ordering a glass of the finest brandy they had. He would put their newly minted reputation to the test. While the bartender got busy with that, he let his pale eyes move around the establishment, the irises undergoing rapid color shifts as he looked for anything out of the ordinary. It wasn’t until he hit the EM frequencies that he noticed something. There was a powerful EM field generator in the place. His eyes began to burn like halogen lamps, luminous in the dim interior as he focused upon the electromagnetic field. That was when he noticed that it was coming from the second tier and it was small enough to be centered around a person. But that couldn’t be possible. The only way that much electromagnetic force could be in this room was if someone was carrying a planet in their pocket. He turned to receive his brandy from the barkeep and went immediately to the stairs. He headed up them and emerged onto the second tier, his eyes still luminous. He focused them on the young person sitting in the corner and he tilted his head. He sipped the brandy, swirling it around in his glass. He did notice the fact that she seemed positively unapproachable, but when had that ever stopped him? He moved to stand at her table, smiling as he let his eyes dim so he -
(Oct 13) 02:13:17 [Nabonassar] -could focus on the face of that of a young woman, “Good evening, my dear. Would you mind if I joined you? I have some questions I’d like to ask you if you’re amenable.”


(Oct 13) 02:35:55 Sparrow - The newcomer had it right in assuming his actually expensive garb, posh appearance and small accoutrements upon his person which must have cost a fortune would cause both eager and sour looks. True money didn’t come around a place like the Lowborn— new menu or otherwise— so it set the servers and kitchen all in a tizzy and the celebrating patrons might make their attempts to get close to him. Was he a lord or a duke? A business owner? Who could he be? Imagine their disappointment when he ordered the top shelf brandy (which by his tastes would likely be middling) and decide to go to the “Antisocial cave”, or, the second tier as some patrons had caused it. They expected a fellow like him to grace their tabs into freedom for the rest of the night and instead he chose to be by himself? What a rip off! Sparrow hadn’t even noticed the man. Not that she was too good to lay eyes on some rich fellow though money meant nothing to her; she was more lost in thought and gazing out of the Lowborn’s old, warped windows onto the streets below. A few people still ambled along the white cobblestone pathways while solicitors, merchants and buskers sought to peddle their wares and services in closed environments instead of corners, booths tied their canvases up and the only lively places left were pubs and halls just like this one. Another bite of the blackened shrimp or a sampling of her drink here and there were all that broke the woman’s fugue. Until someone sought to interrupt it, that is. Eyes would bore into
(Oct 13) 02:36:03 [Sparrow] Nabonassar’s back from the lower level as patrons losing interest still wondered what he wanted with whoM they had dubbed “The Sour Girl”. She wouldnt come down to celebrate with them and had thus been slotted up as an unfun old hag who should be left alone. Now, he’d gone to her of all people. Sparrow turned toward the pale man and almost went tense at his eyes— immediately, she understood they were far from human eyes. No one naturally had eyes that pale and otherwordly! Her own brilliant, yellow orange eyes narrowed at his request. ’I do mind…’ she’d say; rebuffing him without blinking and turning back toward the window. It wouldnt be the first or last time some gilded puff had mistaken her for a precious and attractive woman looking for easy company. Besides, she was thinking of her children and also the hours in which she had to be completely lost to The Lowborn thanks to the approaching bounty hunters Kraagen Laaris had informed her about. They would destroy the place to collect her head— and she’d come to like it, for all its flaws.


(Oct 13) 02:53:41 [Nabonassar] The rebuff was expected. The color of her eyes was not. His brow perked as she turned her eyes back to the window, “Really? Because I am not your. . .usual man. Something I’m sure you are aware of. You see I’d like to talk to you about the rather powerful electromagnetic field you are projecting and whether you know about it. You see, the only other things that project a field such as that, with those specific characteristics, are planets. You have, wrapped about you, a magnetosphere. Something that is distinctly not possible in a mortal being.” He set down the rather disappointing brandy and removed the meerschaum from his inner coat pocket, packing the bowl tightly with tobacco. He lit the pipe and began to puff, “I promise you my inquiries will be as non-invasive as possible. I have an insatiable curiosity within me.” It was true, for the most part. One of the many functions of his species was to gather information and learn new things, “My name is Nabonassar, advisor to the crown in the Black Sun Empire.” He’d offer her his free hand. She’d have no idea that he could gather information about her with a single touch, skin-on-skin. But he was curious enough to use that old trick if she wasn’t willing to talk. All she had to do was shake his bare hand. He very much wanted to know how she was able to project a magnetosphere. She must have some incredibly powerful meta abilities.


(Oct 13) 03:05:04 Sparrow did tense, now. As he continued on her assumption about his eyes rang true. Another loader of power, likely another bounty hunter or someone looking for a challenge. Many had heard of her— and that was far from how she preferred it. Sparrow simply had a habit of going all out against individuals or entire armies that might try to either take her down or strongarm her to their side as a weapon of mass destruction. She’d encountered people who could see her talents before she made any kind of display of them— but no one to this day had ever told her that they could see her magnetic aura. That, at least, was new. Especially since one of her passive talents (one ironically related to her name which was given to her for reasons well outside of her talent) was, like a bird, that she could perceive magnetism in the same way birds could. It was how they flew south and north by the season, after all. Sparrow sighed and turned back to the rich man with the assumption he was a higher tier headhunter who had managed to find her long before Kraagen Laaris had scheduled him. Or, perhaps, she had been betrayed? All for a ball of pure, transfused rhodium, at least. Precious metals were never a big deal to her. ’Yes, congratulations on your keenness, stranger. I do have a magnetosphere,’ she’d say; irritable as usual and fulfilling her title as the Lowborn’s “Sour Girl”. She wasn’t violent or even overtly
(Oct 13) 03:05:13 [Sparrow] hostile, just perfectly unpersonable in every way. ’Ask what you need. It doesn’t entitle you to any answers, however. You can then tell me how much they promised a gorgeous young fop like you to bring my head in.’ Sparrow brought her drink up to her mouth and idly waved her hand for another. The same dark skinned and beautiful serving girl from the other day (which she’d already quietly forgiven for sending a few desperate brutes after her. She’d killed them. That guilt was penance enough for the girl and she wouldnt be the first or the last) would make her way over in due time whilst pouting and giving the woman a refill. She would also ask Nabonassar if he’d like another brandy.


(Oct 13) 03:23:50 Nabonassar eyes seemed to light with the curiosity he’d just mentioned. She seemed rather dead set on not believing him. Curiouser and curiouser. He moved to sit down in the seat opposite her, glancing at the serving girl, “No, thank you darling. It wasn’t quite to my liking.” He turned his pale eyes back to Sparrow, smiling slightly, “You think I’m gorgeous? My dear, flattery will get you everywhere. But I’m afraid you’re quite mistaken. You see, I am not here to. . . ‘bring you in’ or any other such nonsense. I was merely investigating the newly minted reputation of this place when I noticed your magnetic aura. Something that should not be possible for an ordinary person.” He pulled on the meerschaum, exhaling a cloud of smoke, “I mean honestly, if I were a bounty hunter, only the most ridiculously wealthy could possibly afford me and this task would probably be beneath my paygrade. No offense intended, of course.” He leaned back a little, watching her for a moment. She was a strange one. She looked rather rundown, as far as her appearance went. And yet she seemed to look as though she was well taken care of beneath the textile facade that was her wardrobe. He pulled again on the meerschaum, “If you do not believe me, my dear, allow me the opportunity to prove it to you. In any manner that you so choose. Why, you could strip search me right here and now if you so chose. Search my clothing for directives concerning your demise or capture, whatever you like. I have nothing to hide from you. I am merely curious about you.”



(Oct 13) 03:33:30 Sparrow only cocked a brow at him in irritation as he took only the “gorgeous” part from her statement. Even she had to admit she’d walked right into it, but— he was foppish, dammit. Downright gilded even if in the spirit of expensive minimalism. More suited for lords and princes than wandering in here and trying to flirt with the only introvert present. Sparrow let him speak fully and only offered a groan of abject irritation as he chose to sit down anyway. Truly, she’d seen it coming. But, out of spite she chose to give him a verbal swat back in the same way he’d done with her. ’Invading my space, asking me to undress you...what might a pushy man try for next, hm?’ At that, she drew her cocktail close to her and held it between both hands; sipping idly and mulling over his promises and swears that he was no head hunter trying to make a dime out of taking her in dead or alive. Not that she was naive enough to instantly believe him, but, so few souls posed a real threat to the woman and so she decided she’d allow him to indulge his ego for a spell before he inevitably got sick of her disposition and fled her presence. ’You understand there are many powerful beings on this one populated rock of many hurtling through the cosmos. I’m sure the stench of magnetism is not all that fascinating. Outside of that, I doubt it’s entirely that serious. If you’re lying to me, I’ll simply be forced to defend myself,’ While she understood she was incredibly powerful, Sparrow wasn’t much of a scientist outside of her transmutations of metal. She did not know (or care) that her power was highly tethered to one of the four building block forced of the universe: electromagnetism. ’...Right, then. What do you want?’
(Oct 13) 03:40:08 [Sparrow] forces**


(Oct 13) 03:50:25 [Nabonassar] The King laughed softly at her verbal swat. It was cute. But he was immune to such things. He was fairly tenacious. In the analogy of throwing things at a wall and seeing what stuck, he was the wall and absolutely nothing would stick. He did, however, nod his agreement to her statement about there being powerful beings, “Yes, indeed there are. I deal with powerful beings on a daily basis. However, you are rather unique in that your aura suggest that miniscule birds would be able to find north and south on your body as the seasons changed. You see, your abilities are ten times more powerful than other documented cases of it. That is if you are ferrokinetic.” He arched a brow, taking the last hit from his meerschaum and then tapping out the remnants upon the table top, unconcerned about who might have to clean it up, “If you are, I would like to know about the extent of your abilities. For instance, are you able to transfuse metals? If so, what’s the limit of that particular ability? How many tons worth of lesser metals might you be able to transform into useful ones? Do the molecular compositions of the metals have to be similar or can they be widely varied? He smiled, thumbing the bowl of his meerschaum full again, “Also, are you able to create metals or simply multiply them? You see, ferrokinesis has many facets that you may be unaware of. I would greatly like the chance to find out about your abilities and how they differ from other known cases.”


(Oct 13) 04:00:38 Sparrow - the pale man would be able to see the brown woman shift from simple, lazy irritation and a sort of wistfulness when she stared out of the window to a falling face which denoted instant defensiveness. See, she didn’t know what a King was an had no idea he had ways in which to have prior knowledge of what someone with her abilities might do. And, he spoke like a collector. Now, Sparrow understood that she had indeed been naive to think he was some form of headhunter— instead, she thought she was starting to understand that he was someone from the first few decades of her life when she and other special individuals had been trafficked in an even blacker market than most understood exist: the trade of breakable, unskilled preternatural humanoids who could be used by the very rich or nations for any number of purposes. Many of them based in wealth, war or entertainment. In short, her early life hadn’t been a wonderful ride of any kind. But, were he a Collector he was making a rather idiotic mistake if he thought coming after a powerful adult instead of a naive, stupid, trusting child showing the barest fraction of talents to be was wise on his part. Sparrow pulled the collar of her coat-blanket over the lower half of her face and stared at him with narrowed eyes. ’ Yes, you could called it ferrokinesis or ferromancy amongst other things/ None of the rest is your business. I’m no entertainment act, Lord whoever-you-might-be,’ Inquiring about useful metals had been what really set her off. Asking if she was useful and to what degree and how much she could do with it? ’I’m not for sale. I do not work for any fellow or fiefdom.’ a huff under the padded linen cowl and she shook her head. Was this ‘Nabonassar’ a collector and hustler? He sure sounded like it. He had to soon get the idea he was taking a very unwise approach with the woman if he wanted his curiosity sated.


(Oct 13) 04:17:39 Nabonassar was more shrewd than she gave him credit for. He instantly read the change in her demeanor and his eyes narrowed slightly. When she spoke he knew that she was still highly suspicious of him. He struck the match in a rather deliberate fashion and took a long pull on his pipe, simply staring at her for a very long moment. He looked at her with weighing eyes while his mind calculated the variables. Then he placed his free hand palm down on the table, “Well, I can see this will be rather difficult. Particularly because I do not understand why you are the way you are. However, there is a way to cut to the meat of this matter, if you will but trust me for a handful of heartbeats. It is asking a lot, I’m sure. Judging by your body language and your tone and timbre, you are distrusting of me in the extreme. Perhaps you worry about my motives. I would like us to come to an understanding. You see, I can be quite tenacious. I pursue knowledge the way a bloodhound follows a trail, only one hundred times more efficiently.” He took another long pull on his pipe and blew the cloud of smoke out into the room, “My point being that I will continue to haunt you until such time as I get what I am after. You seem to be the kind of woman who does not like other people. Who does not like other prying into what she sees as not their business. But I can get all of the answers I seek from one simple handshake. So now I put the choice to you. You can take my hand and get rid of me for a time. Or I can remain here, attempting to persuade you that I mean you no harm and that I merely seek knowledge for knowledge’s sake.” He turned his hand up and offered it to her, extending the hand of friendship, so to speak.


(Oct 13) 04:31:17 Sparrow - Nabonassar had taken another wrong turn or two. First, smoking around her which she did not appreciate even if whatever he had in the meerschaum pipe didn’t smell offensive at all— in fact, it was quite fragrant. Secondly, claiming that he wouldn’t leave her alone until he got what he wanted. It sounded like a threat. Sparrow didn’t begin to scream or summon all of the knives in the room to point in his direction. Instead he’d be able to see the exhaustion, confusion and hostility play over her features before it returned to a the usual begrudging neutrality of knit brows and a crooked line of mouth. Yellow-orange eyes flit to the hand he’d put down upon the mahogany and she wondered what he intended with the pale appendage— of course, before he offered it to her. He’d said something confusing...he could get answers from it? And, the man implied if he shook her hand he might leave her alone. That was attractive in and of itself even if Sparrow didnt quite understand it. Perhaps Nabonassar would be surprised when one of her surprisingly delicate, long fingered hands emerged from under the dark gray canvas only for her to stare at her palm for a while. She was a brown skinned woman herself so her hands were pale inside and russet on the outside and her fingernails were black in a way that suggested it could have been natural. There was a slight tremble in her fingers as she looked away from the hand and into the King’s strange eyes and delivered her appendage into his much larger one. It was
(Oct 13) 04:31:26 [Sparrow] obvious that there was skittishness in the hostility— she was powerful but paranoid; frightening but afraid. Immediately, a rush of information would flow into the man as they engaged: Sparrow was much older than she looked as if she had stopped aging at her prime, but she wasn’t ancient. Simply, she should have looked very elderly and who knew how much longer she could go on unless properly dispatched. She wasn’t simply the proude owner of her own magnetosphere, Nabonassar would be able to tell she could do more than transmute metal if she put her mind to it— she could have generated her. Her control over the respective elements was absolute in a frightening way. However, the contact wouldnt tell the man what she was as the prior knowledge was something that had never been encountered by any of his kind. One great big fascinating questionmark. “Ferromancer” was too simple a term for her. ’There...you have my hand. What now?’ she murmured; making wary eye contact.
(Oct 13) 04:32:59 [Sparrow] Proud; "she could have generated them***"


(Oct 13) 04:53:15 Nabonassar was unwavering. No matter how she looked at him, no matter how she tried to decipher him, she would be stalwart in his apparent interest in only the knowledge. He kept his hand out where she could see it. When she slid her hand into his his fingers closed around it and his skin immediately began to turn black, the discoloration coating his hand and vanishing up under his sleeve. He absorbed the information at lightning fast rates, heartbeats passing where he learned more about her gift than even she knew. He explored every facet of it by the time three seconds had gone by. By the time she spoke he was already smiling in satisfaction. But he got other things from her after that. His expression returned to impassivity as he learned of her pregnancies, as well as the fact that she was thirty-two degrees hotter than any normal human at her core. Her age, as well, was a curious thing. When he finally managed to get everything he smiled at her, “I thank you for your trust, my dear. I have learned all that I wished and more. You are capable of far more than even you know. But a promise is a promise. I will leave you be for the moment. If you are amenable, I would like to return tomorrow evening and discuss with you the possibility of exploring your full capabilities. For only your benefit, I promise.” He stood, moving out of the booth and standing at the end of the table after releasing her hand. Now he was hoping to spark some curiosity in her. Perhaps get her wondering what she might be capable of. This strategic withdrawal would, he hoped, have one other side effect. It would show her that he meant what he said. He would leave her alone as promised. For now.


(Oct 13) 05:06:32 Sparrow almost yanked her hand back when she saw his turn black but, luckily, it wasn’t much more than a weak flinch. Especially since his eyes had done the same. Was it some sort of toxicity she was accidentally transferring to him? Some of the metals Sparrow had jurisdiction over were toxic or radioactive, after all but she’d never seen anything like that. Only a moment went by before she understood it was something to a personal effect with him holding her hand— especially since he was smiling. There was the brief desire to ask what he was but it was also understood that such a return of curiosity was the beginning of a social contract. Oh, how she figured Nabonassar might love such an accidental and willful ensnaring! ’I do not...know what you mean…,’ Sparrow all but mumbled; glancing down at her hand as if it had somehow betrayed her and then tucking it back under the coat. His request to come again tomorrow got a likely expected shake of her head and a sigh followed by a shrug— that was about as “amenable” as The Sour Girl was likely to get. The last of her drink was quickly downed and there wouldn’t be a need for another. After such an odd and unsettling experience, Sparrow decided she was likely going to retire to her quarters for the night and be safe in her own company.


(Oct 13) 05:32:26 [Nabonassar] The King chuckled softly. Her response was the best he was likely going to get. He bowed slightly, a spacial anomaly opening behind him. The portal was transparent and if she looked through it she’d see a wondrously green coniferous forest and, rising up beyond the treetops, a great glass pyramid that was reflecting the afternoon sun. He smiled at her, “Then I bid you adieu. I will return tomorrow evening.” His mind churning, gears moving at full speed, he had already decided on a project with the hope that Sparrow might warm to him in the future. If he could get her to, she could change Black Sun forever. She could be the mother of a new age of prosperity. Black Sun would be a superpower to match both Dorian and Celesin and no one would dare threaten them with annexation. The portal closed behind him, leaving Sparrow alone.