It's Independance Day [open]

[Fulong|Clara]

Tristan's reaction was...unexpected. Fulong had anticipated a straightforward yes-or-no answer, with perhaps a small amount of elaboration, but what he hadn't anticipated was the notion that Tristan actually knew what a talisman was, but hadn't considered it a possibility.

Was it a talisman, then, or something Fulong hadn't heard about? As much as he liked to think he knew everything, his experience with talismans was largely limited to his own life, with very few outside examples, and he had met the crane far too early for him to know about any other circumstances under which a guide might possibly appear to one within dreams.

On the other hand, Tristan seemed to be displaying all of the standard signs of having been met by his talisman, from the dreams to the apparent schizophrenia. It only stood to wonder why he hadn't immediately made the connection. If Fulong were the transparent sort, he would have smiled wryly: ironic that the first person to catch him off guard in this town was the most apparently honest one he'd met.

As it was, he only raised a slight eyebrow, the hint of a smile still tugging at his mouth. "To be blunt, I don't think there's anything wrong with you at all, and yes, it may be a talisman. But I am curious as to why you thought you couldn't get one."

[Melissa|Tristan]

Though Fulong seemed surprised by his knowledge of the talismans, he showed remarkable restraint in regards to asking Tristan questions about them. Tristan himself knew little about them, only that they were animals, and that once a person was experienced enough, they could change into their animal at will, back and forth.

Licking his lips before he began speaking, Tristan nervously began. Well, my parents and siblings have them, but I was told that once you reached 16, if you still don’t have your talisman, you won’t ever get one. I knew that I carried the gene, but I thought I was the only one in my family not able to have one. His expression was slightly embarrassed. That’s kind of why I moved out here; I needed to have a separate life from them. One where I could be my own person. The tone of the voice was different this time. You already are. Ridden with understanding, the voice was soothing, and . . . oddly familiar now that Tristan thought about it.

Unable to remember where exactly it was from, he shrugged it off. At the moment he was too excited about asking Fulong about his own talisman. So, wait. You have one of them too? It was the only logical explanation for why Fulong would know about the talismans, but Tristan wanted to hear it for himself about Fulong’s talisman. The thought of having a talisman sounded wonderful to Tristan, after being left out in the family stuff for so long simply because he hadn’t had one.

[Fulong|Clara]

"I see." Fulong wasn't entirely sure if he did; he'd never heard of anything like that back home, whether from his parents or from any people with talismans he'd met on his travels. Perhaps it was some old tradition in Tristan's family, though why it even existed was something he was already wondering about. "I was always told that my talisman might not manifest at all, but if it did, it could happen at any time."

Nevertheless, it was interesting that once again it was someone's talisman--or in this case, the lack of one--that had led them to Noatak. Any doubts Fulong might have had about staying in this town for too long were completely gone by now. This place was becoming a veritable hotspot for Hunters, Innocents, and those caught in between, and it was precisely the sort of town he was looking for. He really couldn't have asked for more.

"I do. I got my talisman early, but my father didn't get his until he was almost twenty. I think you really may have a talisman there, too."

[Melissa|Tristan]

I see. The way Fulong said it was more like a question, leaving doubt that he actually did see. After he explained himself though, Tristan understood. My family isn’t the most knowledgeable about them, that’s for sure. See, most of my grandparents died when my parents were younger, before they got a chance to explain them. Because of that, there’s some major gaps in what I know about them. If Fulong had known since birth about them, like Tristan, then why had his come sooner? Tristan was starting to believe that they were mainly guesswork, as wispy as smoke, and about as reliable.

Apparently, nothing was for sure in this world. I do. I got my talisman early, but my father didn't get his until he was almost twenty. I think you really may have a talisman there, too. Twenty years! Talk about having a lot of patience! Instead of telling whatever it was to shut up (which was secretly what he wanted to), Tristan politely asked it what it was, while not so politely starting to mentally poke it.

A mental kick stopped that behaviour quickly enough though, and it came with a warning not to do that again in the future. I have feelings too you know. Wrinkling his nose in doubt, he refocused on Fulong. How do you know what it is, or if it’s male or female? The question might seem strange, but Tristan couldn’t yet ‘see’ what was speaking to him.

Unable to wait for Fulong to answer that question, Tristan couldn’t resist continuing. Were you able to . . . change right away? And how does it work anyways, the changing that is? Like, does it hurt? Pain wasn’t something that Tristan necessarily shied away from, but he definitely didn’t enjoy it either. Then again, people probably wouldn’t use their talisman’s if they hurt, right?

[Fulong|Clara]

Fulong nodded slightly at that, the mildly puzzled expression leaving his face at once. That made sense; he knew the feeling all too well. "That's what happened with me, in a way. My parents died when I was in college, and I get the feeling that they didn't teach me half of what they planned to before they passed away." A somewhat melancholy smile. "I might sound like I know more than you do, but it's probably not by a lot."

"How do you know what it is, or if it’s male or female?"

"I'm afraid I only know the answer to the first one; that's the animal with which you feel the most at peace during your dreams. The second one...well, it's probably different with everyone. I just asked mine, really."

He laughed lightly and half-shrugged before answering Tristan's questions as best he could. "It took me two or so weeks to change fully into my talisman. I still find partial transformations easier for me, but, again, I think that's different for everyone. It hurt the first few times, but your body gets used to it, I think."

He paused, then smiled somewhat self-deprecatingly. "As you can see, I'm hardly the best person to ask in this regard. But you're an EMT, right? Do you know Dr. Pushkarov at the clinic?"

[Melissa|Tristan]

A stab of sympathy ran through Tristan, and it made itself plain in his voice. I'm so sorry. At least he still had his parents around; Fulong sounded as though he had no one, which was sad, and surprising. Sad, because everyone should have someone, and surprising because Fulond seemed like a really cool guy. And he was giving answers to Tristan's questions without making everything sound crazy.

From Fulong's lips, everything seemed logical, like it made sense, even when it didn't. So...it's a horse then. As soon as he said it, Tristan knew it was true. A paint horse appeared inside his head, kind of like when you daydream. This horse moved on it's own though, with no help from him. It was a paint, black and white coloured, with eyes the same shade of blue as Tristan's own. It was pretty cool, seeing it in his mind’s eye, sort of. The thought of asking it’s gender was embarrassing, so Tristan spoke to Fulong. Maybe I’ll wait a while for that one, until we’re more comfortable with each other.

Fulong’s gentle laugh was light and more than a little uplifting. Just minutes ago Tristan had been in the depths of despair, thinking he was crazy, and now he found himself laughing along with Fulong. Is it just practice, to make yourself transform? The thought of it hurting wasn’t very appealing, but Tristan wasn’t going to be trying it soon anyhow.

Dr. Pushkarov? I probably have, but I don't know many of the doctors by name. We're usually pretty rushed when we bring in our patients, so there isn't really much time for introductions. Why, can he help me? It was one of the suckish parts of the job, since the doctors were the really amazing ones who saved lives. The important thing was that lives were saved though, so it didn’t really matter who did it.

[Fulong|Clara]

Fulong's smile only barely wavered, and he shook his head slightly. "Don't be. I highly doubt you were the ones who killed them."

He had all but settled on the horse being Tristan's talisman, so the other man's response was no surprise. Nodding slightly, he settled back on the bench. "It sounds a little stupid, but I treated my talisman as a friend when I first met him. We became fast friends soon after that--it tends to happen rather quickly when you share a mind and two bodies."

He paused a moment, again thinking before he answered Tristan's question. "It depends on your talisman. My crane is just as motivated as I am to improve, so I suppose we practice more than most. The more used you are to it, I suppose, the more quickly you can do it."

The fact that Tristan didn't seem to know Pushkarov was understandable, all things considered. "He's hard to miss--tall, with a scar over his left eye. He has a talisman, too, even if nobody knows what it is. I do know that he's a lot more experienced with talismans than I am, and he'd probably be able to answer your questions more clearly."

[Melissa|Tristan]

Accepting the other man's reassurance that he wasn't to blame, Tristan tried to shake off the somber feeling and change the subject. It was none of his business after all, and Tristan didn't like pressing people about stuff that obviously hurt them. He'd much rather make them laugh and take their minds off their problems for a little while.

It sounds a little stupid, but I treated my talisman as a friend when I first met him. We became fast friends soon after that--it tends to happen rather quickly when you share a mind and two bodies. Tristan smiled. Now he was the one shaking his head at the other man. I don't think that's stupid at all. I mean, you want to get along up there, right?

Pointing to his own head, Tristan tried again to mentally form a thought. You don't need to try quite so hard. I can hear you fine, and you're going to pop a blood vessel or something if you keep doing it like that. There was a snort -which could totally have been a laugh- accompanying the voice this time, and it sounded even more familiar. Tristan felt like he was already forgetting what it was like to have his head to himself.

Listening carefully to Fulong's description, Tristan nodded. Maybe I'll visit this Doctor tomorrow, once I've had time to really digest what you've told me. After sitting in silence for another minute or so, Tristan turned once more to the older man. Thank you for telling me all this. I know some wouldn't have been as helpful as you. He stood up, stomping his feet in order to warm them up again. If I have any more questions for you, how can I contact you? Hoping that Fulong wouldn't take his final question the wrong way, Tristan shifted from foot to foot in order to keep calm.

[Fulong|Clara]

Fulong nodded, the smile back in place again. "My thoughts exactly." It had been--nice back then, for lack of a better word--having one of your best friends in your head, always ready to listen and offer wordless advice. And after everything had happened, after the shock had ebbed away, that--that had been nice, too. There were benefits to having another mind in your mind, one that was often keener and quicker than your own, but one whose thoughts were tuned to yours. Sometimes you needed a second perspective on life.

"He's usually pretty busy, but I'm sure he'll take the time to speak with you. I know he'll be able to answer questions I can't." Trust was a fickle thing; he wasn't usually in the habit of passing information to other people, but there was no need to keep someone drifting in the limbo between ignorance and allegiance. Even those with more questionable intentions knew a Seeker wasn't any use until he had received his talisman.

As such, he hesitated only slightly before he pulled out his cell phone. "I'll give you my number. I don't know how good the reception is here, since I haven't really had cause to use my cell phone yet, but it ought to work."

[Melissa|Tristan]

Thankfully, Fulong's smile was back in place. Seeing it calmed Tristan's nerves a lot. If Fulong had had a 'talisman' for so long, and he'd turned out alright, then so could Tristan. He was optomistic that it wouldn't be so bad to have one of them. And once his family found out about it, they would be overjoyed. Of course, now the question was whether he would tell them or not. At the moment, Tristan was inclined to say, not.

Nodding at Fulong's assessment, Tristan scrambled to recover his manners. "Thank you so much Fulong." The sincerity and gratitude rang true in Tristan's voice, and for some reason he had the thought that sleep was going to be much easier now. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his own cell phone. His parents had insisted on him getting one when he moved out, though in truth he hadn't used it all that much since then.

After copying Fulong's number, saving it, and reciting his own for the other man, Tristan shifted his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably. He hated goodbyes. "Well, hopefully I'll see you around." He'd alrady begun walking away when he wheeled back around suddenly. "Hey Fulong? If you ever need anything, feel free to call." Tristan had spoken loudly enough that his voice would carry easily over the distance, and with that he strode of in the direction of his apartment, anticipating a nice, long nap now that the world had righted itself again.