Tale as Old As Time [Finished]

[accalia]

"Hmm... true. yesterday was rough on a lot of people. This one will spend most of the morning in the herb garden one thinks. There's weeding that needs to be done and this one would like the chance to think."

Echo moves towards the door, having snagged a buttered roll on his way past

"Besides, this one would hate to accidentally eavesdrop on your phone call"

[yamikuronue]

Siegfried manages a wry smile. "Thank you."

[accalia]

Echo smiles

"No problem. It can be scary to meet new people, but it is often rewarding. One thinks that Julie's suggestion is with merit. This one does not know Ms Schreien  but if Julie suggested you contact her then there must be some reason for it."

With that said Echo slips quietly outside and heads towards the kitchen garden.

[yamikuronue]

Siegfried finishes washing the bowl he was washing, dries it carefully, and puts it away. Then he sighs, with a rueful smile. "Time to stop putting it off..." he mumbles, before reaching for the phone, pulling the number out of his pocket to dial.

[accalia]

The number rings three times before being picked up by a machine.

"Ms. Schreien of Schallen, Schreien and Hören. Please stay on the line..."

The line goes silent, but Siegfried can "sense" that the there is someone on the other end of the line. An idea of reaching out, connection, touching lightly, and of questioning seems to be floating towards Siegfried from the other end of the line.

[yamikuronue]

Siegfried can't help himself -- he reaches back, instinctively, like a baby grasping a finger.

[accalia]

As Siegfried reaches out he feels an entity on the other end of the line, ancient, enormous, diffuse and wise. Once a connection the entity speaks, sounding very much like an elderly librarian.

Entity: "Good morning Siegfried. I must say I hoped you would contact me soon. I'm sorry for the trouble in connecting but it's not like i can use a telephone these days, at least not directly."

[yamikuronue]

Siegfried's mind feels very rigid and tidy, like a crystal: orderly, but bound tightly into a distinct shape, unable to expand too far. That said, he's got an enormous amount of potential for psychic ability, which is how he manages not to stifle his gift.

"Good morning. I suppose you know why I was calling?"

[accalia]

Entity: 'I have a good idea. Julie Told me much about you, although I expect she will have a rather lot to yell at me for planting that suggestion in her mind.... That wasn't nice of me to do to a friend, but I felt the risk worth it this time."

[yamikuronue]

"And do you have advice for me?" he asks, politely.

[accalia]

Schreien: Advice? no not particularly. I've found that advice is worth little on the astral plane, but you have the feel of a walker to me and if you are going to learn how to walk you're going to need someone to keep you safe while you learn, someone to talk to about what you see and experience... I've done that for many before you, and if you'd be willing to trust me I could do again for you.

A concept of payment flits along the connection, a concept that somehow categorically excludes gold and other concepts of money

Schreien: I'll not do it for free of course, but i think you will find the price quite reasonable.

[yamikuronue]

"I'd want to see a contract up front." Mistrust filters along the connection -- he doesn't trust this, it's too easy, promising too much. And for six easy payments of $9.99, I could be a real wizard too, he thinks to himself, though he does so in the part of his mind that's his own thoughts and not the part that's his mental out-box to send to others. Not that it necessarily matters, since he doesn't have any walls.

[accalia]

Schreien: A contract?!

An impression of surprised laughter crosses the connection

Schreien: You are a smart one! well the price is no great secret. What i want is stories, your stories. When you go walking i want you to tell me what you see, feel, taste, smell, hear... what is the aether to you? That is my price for my help. but if you still want a paper contract i can ask Mr. Hören to draft one up for you.

[yamikuronue]

"I would. The price seems reasonable enough," he admits, begrudgingly, "but I'd want it spelled out just in case. For example, I wouldn't want to lose the memories, if that's what you're implying."

[accalia]

Shock, abashment, indignation flash across the phone link

Schreien: No! i would not steal your memories, nor your words! I simply want you to tell me the stories of your walks.

A sense of distraction and of a conversation in the other room. It's at this point that an attentive person might notice that since the recorded message on the other end of the phone there hasn't actually been any sound coming out of the receiver.

Schreien: Ok, Mr. Hören will have a draft contract faxed to Julie by lunch time. We'll keep the legalese out of it at least for now. Should cut the length of the contract by a factor of three. Would you like to ask anything else right now or would you like to call back when you have the contract in hand?