Questions To Remember (Akumu)

The boy observed the room and appeared to be quite taken with the place that was home to Akumu and his siblings. The child even seem to take some delight in the way the fish interacted with himself and even took to writing something down as the fish continued to move about the attendant or hide in his sleeves. He didn’t mind. After all this for him was normal.
“Perhaps they are simply used to my presence here,” the attendant said with a light smile. Too used to him perhaps. He swore if the fish didn’t need this place to live they would follow him wherever he went. Not that he minded. They were good company, but think of all the unwanted attention he would gain from such a thing! No, it was better for this strangeness to occur right here.

“It is quite impressive,” Akumu said with a light nod of agreement as his eyes closed momentarily. “Mmm,” he would begin his response to Nilo’s questions. “Yes, I and my siblings live in this space that is both our home and our birthplace,” Akumu said easily enough to the boy, but then found himself shaking his head lightly at the boy’s next set of word.

“Heh. I suppose that answer would depend on who you asked around here. Some would complain about how much of a pain it is to live in such a place while others would tell you there is no place they much rather be than here,” the attendant responded before he reopened his eyes, listening to the boy hum before he was speaking again.

As the attendant listened he would tilt, his head lightly at what was heard.

“Reflecting pond?” he asked not really sure if the boy was talking about something supernatural or simply a body of water that was so still that one could see one’s own self in it. And what was this of rose bushes and a Scruffles? “And what is a Scruffles? A cat or something else?”

A bit perplexed, Akumu looked over at his guest with a questioning look in his eyes as his mind tried to make sense of it all.

The boy looked around the room again. He smiled, writing down a detailed description of the room, smiling lightly as the fish swam around him calmly. He smiled as he felt the calm of the room flow about him, it was truly a beautiful place. He perked up though, turning to Akumu.

"You have siblings, Teacher?" he asked curiously, tilting his head curiously. He hadn't thought that his attendant would have siblings, after all, he was literally unworldly. He smiled though, wondering what his attendant's siblings where like.

"Oh... The reflecting pond... It was nestled within rocks and tall grass... It was beautiful, and there was even a koi within its water. I almost fell back when I saw my reflection suddenly turn orange because of it. But a reflecting pond is a pond so still, you can use it as a mirror." he said with a light smile, twisting a strand of his hair. "Scruffles is my pet cat. He lives with my mom and I... He rarely goes outside though, but I sometimes drag him to play in the grass." he said with a light laugh.

"He got so scared once, he climbed up a tree." he said with a light laugh and smile.

“Mmm,” Akumu said with a light nod. “The residents of this place are all family and in turn siblings. I have many siblings both that have come before and me and after; however, it is rare our paths cross, but when they do it can be quite amusing the outcomes. Currently, I have two sisters and one brother all younger than myself that occasionally cross the paths of myself and others. Maybe one day, you too will meet them,” the attendant said with a light smile as he wondered how his siblings would react to Nilo. While he had not seen Neith or Lola in many days, he knew they were about somewhere. Perhaps they could help take care of Nilo or would they pull pranks on him instead? Hmmm…perhaps it was better to place that meeting further in the furture then. He didn’t exactly want his guest to become the target of the mischief his family could conjure up without preparing him for such a thing first.

Siblings and meetings aside, Akumu would ask his questions regarding the pond and this thing called Scruffles. As the other answered, the attendant listened carefully to what was said. Ah so the pond was indeed a body of water that could reflect one’s reflection. One where a koi resided in. Akumu knew what a koi was. He had seen them before, but something the boy had said about the familiar confused the attendant.

“The fish turned your face orange? With what power?” the attendant said taking the words quite literally. While it was true he knew what fish were and how they worked, he still did not always understand certain phrases humans said. His more literal mind easily threw things out of context and so he asked his questions whether or not they sensible or not. He simply wanted to know.

As for the Scruffles ordeal, it appeared to be Nilo’s cat that lived with himself and his mother. It was also an animal that was dragged to go outside. He wonder how the Scruffles cat looked. Seemed like an interestingly odd creature.

“Does the Scruffles cat you own like to be dragged about? And did you get it out of the tree when it went up?” the attendant said his mind once again twisting the words in ways that made sense to him, but would probably be very confusing to others. He was just as fascinated with Nilo’s life as the child was with his own, so the questions and curiosity came without hesitation or worry.

The boy listed to his attendant speak of his siblings, smiling lightly. He wondered who they where and how they acted; where they like his attendant in his formality or more laid back? And what did they look like? After all, his attendant looked like an elf. Did they all look like that, or was his attendant a special case?

He didn't know but he looked over to his master with a light laugh, flipping through his book idly.

"The fish swam under my reflection... And when it did so, my reflection turned a shade of orange." he stated with a smile, looking over to his attendant. He thought about Scruffles then, twisting a strand of his hair as he did so.

"It depends on what mood he's in... If he's happy, he likes to go everywhere with me. If he's in a bad mood, he'll sooner attack me then go with me." he said with a role of his eyes, looking over at the fish with a curious gaze. "And I got him down... It wasn't a tall tree, thankfully." he said with alight nod, waving lightly at a fish that was staring at him.

Akumu took note of the smile the boy had when he spoke of his siblings and tilted his head quizzically at the other.

“Do you have siblings, Nilo?” the attendant would ask the boy quite curious if the smile resulted from fond memories or something else. Regardless of what was said to the question, Akumu would blink a bit perplexed when Nilo laughed at his question regarding the fish turning his face orange at the reflecting pond. Had he asked something that was silly or was the other simply amused by some other thought that had come along with the words? It was hard to say and not being the greatest at times when it came to reading humans, Akumu would remain in the dark until the child spoke once more.

As he heard what was said, the perplexity melted into understanding as he nodded at the other.

“Ah I see. That is understandable,” the attendant said with a light smile of thanks. Honestly, he was truly happy Nilo was patient with him and his odd questions. He would think someone less patient might’ve been a bit more snappy in the end or worse mocking. Thank the spirits, he had a tolerant and kind guest as his first.

In any case, the subject would move from reflecting ponds and fish and come to the subject of the Scruffles cat, a creature that the attendant was not quite sure was a normal cat with the name Scruffles or some new species of cat that was not yet listed in books. Whatever the case was, this Scruffle cat was becoming more and more interesting by the second.

“I see. So the Scruffles cat has moods that determines how cooperative it is with you. Interesting. This creature is similar to spirits in that regard,” Akumu said as he folded his arms, thinking about how closely related spirts and this creature may be. He was pulled back from his wanderings as the boy spoke about getting the strange cat creature down from the tree.

“Ah, you climb trees. Is it something you enjoy?” Akumu asked the boy before falling silent to give the other the chance to answer if he wished. When Nilo waved at the fish that was studying him. The pink and stripped fish backed up slightly as it watched him cautiously debating if it should get closer. Then pulling up its courage, it cautiously swam forward pausing every now and then until it was close by the boy. Hesitating before him, the fish would linger for a bit before losing its nerves and swimming off to the left where it took to hiding behind Akumu’s sleeve as it peeked around it cautiously at Nilo watching him.

“It appears it wants to be friends, but alas this one is shy,” Akumu said in amused tones as his eyes drifted from Nilo to the hiding fish.

The boy listened to Akumu whilst he watched the fish, frowning lightly as it swam away. He looked up at Akumu then though, smiling lightly at him.

"No... I don't have siblings, and I really don't like heights..." he said with a light sigh, twisting a strand of his hair. "I climbed the tree to get Scruffles down... And we both fell when I reached him..." he said with a light sigh, smiling lightly.

"Scruffles was alright, but I broke my leg... My dad wasn't very happy..." he said with a sigh, glancing over to the fish with a light smile. "I hope it can learn to trust me... I'd love to be its friend if it wants to." he said with a happy smile.

The boy seemed to be disappointed by the fish swimming away, but the shy one continued to hesitate about the boy. It was coming out of hiding slowly seeming to want to go back over there, but at the same time too shy to come out from its cover. Not really minding the fish and their strange behavior, Akumu’s attention would remain on Nilo.

“Ah. Then that may be good luck. Sometimes siblings can get you in much trouble,” Akumu said with a light chuckle as he thought back to his sisters and brother. They could be quite the handful, especially Lola that was prone to tricking others just for a bit of fun or a laugh.

Regardless of that, the old attendant’s mind would come back to Nilo as he continued to speak regarding the tree and the Scruffles cat. He said that he went up the tree despite being afraid of heights to get the Scruffles cat down….

While Akumu didn’t understand what was bring the mood down with the boy the longer he talked, the attendant watched the other thoughtfully before speaking.

“I am sure he was simply worried about you,” Akumu said to Nilo. “I think it rather brave you took on a fear to get the Scruffles cat down, even if Lady Fate was slightly unkind in the end,” Akumu said calmly to the young man truly impressed by the tale and happy his guest had healed up nicely in the end. When the subject came back to the hiding fish, Akumu smiled lightly at Nilo as he looked back down to the shy fish.

It had come out from his sleeve, but lingered close by. It was watching Nilo with curiosity, but still hadn’t made up its mind if it wanted to go closer or not.

“I would think that he too wants to be your friend, but for now he simply is trying to figure you out. I am sure the more he gets used to you the more the fish will learn to come to you,” Akumu said gently trying to encourage the other and help him not lose hope. Even if it was about just a fish, hope had to exist somewhere, no?

The boy stayed silent as his attendant spoke, watching the fish curiously. He didn't rightfully know how to comment on siblings, but the attendant appeared more knowledgeable in the subject and so he silently agreed with him. However, he frowned lightly at the words concerning his father, sighing as he began twisting a strand of his hair.

"... My father... Wasn't a good man..." he said, looking towards the velvet room. "... He hurt me before he died... A lot..." he said with a light sigh, glancing back towards the fish with a weak smile.

"... Well, this won't be my first visit..." he said, looking at the room again in silent awe. "I'll come back when I can... And I'll make sure to try and bring more information on the happenings..." he said with a light nod of his head, his composure returning to normal now.

"Oh, but Teacher... I have a request for you... May I ask it?" he asked politely, wanting to give the attendant a choice in the matter regardless if it wasn't necessary.

The boy was silent on the matter of siblings, but respectful nonetheless as he let the attendant show his view on the matter. While the attendant’s view was only one truth, his student would have to find out other truths on the matter on his own. For now, Akumu would not mention anything else about siblings. The small fish meanwhile had gathered some courage to swim towards the boy pausing halfway to the child debating once more how close it wanted to be to him.

While the fish continued to watch the boy, the subject at hand shifted from siblings to parents. It was a subject that brought in a heavy air as Nilo’s lips parted and he spoke of his father. The subject seemed to bring the child great displeasure. It was something that Akumu had not planned to do. He didn’t want to make his guest uncomfortable and yet unintentionally he had.

“I am sorry to have brought the subject up. I am glad you are here and well now,” the attendant would say in sincere tones, but did not say or do anything else to pry into the situation even more. He figured when the time was right, then Nilo would tell him this secret. As the odd silence filled the room, the subject of the conversation turned to what appeared to be an end as the child said his words.

As Nilo spoke, Akumu nodded lightly at the child.

“I look forward to our next meeting then and I too will see what I can find on my end,” the attendant said as he closed the book on his lap with a light ruffle of pages. As he was stuffing the book back in his sleeves Nilo called to him and asked about a request of some sort. Tilting his head at his guest the attendant nodded.

“Of course. What is it you desire to ask?” the attendant said watching the other curiously.

The boy watched the fish with a light smile, his eyes kind as he did so. He stayed quiet, determined not to let his negative emotions to get the better of him. He wondered if this world's peace could be brought to his own home. He stayed quiet and frowned at Akumu's words, going to stand up and hold his book in his arms.

"Teacher... It's okay, honestly. Don't worry about it..." he said with a reassuring smile. "... I wouldn't be here if not for him... And I wouldn't have met you if it wasn't for him..." he said with his polite smile, nodding his head at Akumu's words.

"Of course. I can't wait until our next meeting, Teacher." he said with a happy smile, going quiet as his request for his question to be asked accepted. "... Teacher, if I ever need your help... Will you be able to help me?" he asked, looking down at the ship's floor. He didn't know why he wanted to ask this question, but he felt he had to know. He waited for his attendant's response, preparing himself for the worst.

The fish remained where it was for a while, observing the boy. Even when he gave it the small smile, the fish remained in its spot for a few moments longer before dashing across the open space to hide behind one of the boy’s drifting locks of hair. Slowly, it would poke its head out from around the hair to watch the boy it was now close to. The fish would remain there until the boy decided to stand. The sudden movement startled the fish and caused it to swim away into the shadows.

However, Akumu was not concerned about the fish as he looked up at Nilo wondering if the boy had been offended by something he had said. He hoped this wasn’t the case, but the attendant was still a bit concerned for the boy did seem to want to leave right after his father had been mentioned.

Staying seated for the moment, Akumu would look up at Nilo with a slightly concerned look as he listened to what the other said. Slowly, the expression softened to become one of understanding as he gave the other a light nod in response. There was no need for any other words here. What was said and done had passed and now it was time to move onto something else…or rather farewells.
“But of course. The door is always open for you Nilo,” the attendant said with an appreciative smile before tilting his head at the question asked.

“I am not certain how much help, I can be, but should you call, I’ll do my best to be there for you,” Akumu said with a light nod. He wasn’t sure what Nilo had in planned or how he could be helpful to said plans, but…at least he could be there if the child ever needed his strength for anything at all.

The boy smiled and nodded, grateful his teacher understood his words. He was still so confused about his feelings concerning his father... But he knew if it wasn't for what he did, he would have never gotten to where he was today. He allowed his mind to be at ease though, not wishing to worry about his father now. He did, however, smile lightly at his teacher's words.

"Thank you... It means a lot that you're willing to help me, Teacher." he said with a grateful nod before waving lightly to the fish and turning towards the blue door. He turned around before exiting the Velvet Room though, smiling towards his attendant. "Thank you, Teacher... I'll see you soon. Good bye for now, and stay safe... Okay?" he said with his polite smile and a wave of his hand before vanishing as he opened the blue door.

[Exit]

Akumu and the child seemed to come to some sort of understanding on the father issue. While Nilo seemed to be troubled by it, the old attendant stayed within his bounds. He was there if Nilo needed to talk, but at the same time would not force the matter into the light. After all, while they were guest and attendant, it was not his place to pry into such matters. In time, Fate would shift all.

When Akumu was asked about helping the young man and gave his answer, the other was happy with what was said. As the child spoke, Akumu stood up and nodded.

“Of course,” he said as he gave the child a light smile. He saw Nilo wave at something and for a moment became confused; however, as the shy fish from before darted a little past Akumu to watch the child go, Akumu understood. It appeared the fish and Nilo had made some form of a connection, but due to the bond being in the early stages the fish was not yet ready to trust Nilo fully. In time that may change. In any case, Nilo was at the door that would lead him back out to his world.

As he turned and spoke, Akumu gave the other a light nod.

“I look forward to the day you return. It is always a pleasure speaking with Nilo,” he began and then bowing deeply to his guest he would finish with. “I will do my best do as you command. Until Fate brings us together again, take care.”

After that Nilo vanished with his polite smile and a wave of the hand. Leaving the Velvet Room once again quiet and serene.

Thread has Ended.