A Question of Identity

"After weeks, I have finally arrived. It is a place unlike any other, yet at the same time, identical. An island shrouded deep within the Unknown; only the inhuman seem to swarm to it, whilst others remain ignorant of its existence. Do they believe that this is their sanctuary?

These creatures may do what they will, but I will not forget my reason here. Or rather, what reason that I shall eventually come to posses. If this is the North I seek, then I will discover it.

I shan't beg for answers so quickly. For now, I have decided to work here as their watchman and earn my stay. With due time, I will be able to see the truth.

I only wish that I will be prepared."

Sighing, he lowered the shell from his lips, aware that its recording capabilities might not capture the entirety of his speech, but perhaps it would grasp a few words. It was useful as a diary of sorts - a memoir. With a dip pen, he marked the edge of the shell with an odd symbol, before returning its case.  He would look back on it later to see how much progress he would make; for now, there were other, more important matters to attend to.  

He stood up, eyes skimming the room briefly. It was almost empty, given that he'd claimed this office that very same morning.  Shelves bare, cupboards vacant, and his desk had nothing but some obligatory stationary, some scraps of paper and a candle. The view outside was but of a stone wall. It was dull.  It was drab. It was everything that Sner disliked about a room, and more. And it was exactly why he'd chosen it.

He slipped his hand into his bag and brought up a small, plastic mirror, rubbing his fingers across his marked, feathery face. How would students be able to see anything else when they were apprehended? He was not the man they thought he was, surely, and he'd already experienced the dismay of an encounter like that.  Decidedly, he lowered the mirror, before bringing up a large, white mask instead.

It was big, but lightweight. A single eye was marked in the centre, with two red teardrop markings sprouting on either side, with a long beak that extended downwards, blackened at the very tip.  He raised it, allowing the dark insides of the mask to consume his face.  This was the face of Mr S. This was who the students would come to loathe.  Sner needed allies.  Mr S thrived off enemies.

And Mr S liked this room.

There were two sharp raps at the door. A muffled voice came from the other side.
"Ey Sner, it's me, Natan. Time for breakfast, yea? Got to feed you stomach if you want to keep strong" The conjure man said. He waited just outside the door, sans cart, unusual for him. But he wasn't working now, it was a meal break. Back where he was from, he would have just opened the door and announced his presence, but he wasn't sure how personal people were across the ocean. He waited a moment before knocking and speaking again.
"You in dea? Wakey, wakey, eggs and bac-y!" He was hungry, and hadn't been around long enough eat comfortably with the students or older staff. Eating alone was a last resort, and he would only do that while multitasking. Eating alone in a crowd was the worst.

With the sharp knocks, the watchman flinched, twisting around in alarm to face the door. However, the familiar voice on the other side managed to calm his nerves. The janitor. For a moment, there was resounding annoyance - he was not to be called Sner, especially in this room. But such emotion soon dissipated upon remembering that it was indeed his first day. Such things were forgiveable. It wasn't even his shift yet.

"Yes, yes, I'm awake, one moment," he called back, pulling the mask from his face and resting it on one of the empty shelves. Awake? He wouldn't be sleeping in this room - there wasn't even a bed! Scoffing at the thought, he glanced into the mirror one more time, smoothing his feathers with a quick sweep of his hand, before finally striding towards the door to open it.

"Good morning, Natan," he said, bowing his head. "I hadn't thought to eat 'til you came knocking on my door." With a grin, he gestured down the corridor with one hand. "Shall we?"

Natan stood there waiting for his co-worker to answer the door. He heard Sner walking around, and wondered what he interrupted him, since he didn't sound groggy, or the creak of bedsprings. Did owlmen (or whatever he was) sleep?

"Après vous" Natan said, stepping to the side to let him pass. "You know, if you wanted to be vera cleva, you could jus' fly out de window and down one story. Right above it, you know" he mentioned casually, referring to the fact that Sner was directly above the breakfast room. "Me, I gotta walk all de way down de hall. It's gonna be a cold, cold walk in de wintertime. Especially since we so far north. Everyting's colder hea."

Natan reflected on that while saying it. He hadn't really considered how hard that was going to be to get used to. And snow! That would really be something to see!

"There's no room to fly," he quickly and curtly quipped. There was very well enough room to fall, but beyond the window in his office was just another wall - one he could probably reach if he learned far enough. However, he shortly gave an apologetic smile, given that Natan wouldn't even know of it.

Besides, he soon became sidetracked by the rest of his talking - particularly, tensing at the word 'North'. Immediately, a grin cracked across his face, before breaking into something of disjointed laughter. "It is colder, isn't it!" he cawed, rubbing the feathers on his shoulder, as if chilled. "Just wait til you see Iceland!" Or Greenland, was it? He wasn't quite sure, but it didn't matter.

"But, I think I shall join you in our little trip, eh? Since you came all this way to check on me?" Slowly, he started to trail down the corridor, still facing his colleague. "How's work treatin' you anyway?", he asked, out of genuine curiosity.

"Brrrr! Dat's too far north, too cold!" Natan replied, visibly shivering at the thought of such a snowy and icy place. "I don tink we have to go dea, do we?" He was concerned about his comfort primarily, but also about his professional performance in sub-zero.

Natan reflected on his first few days. "Oh, not too bad I suppose. Tought it was going to do a lot moa cleanin. Not much you can do fo stone dough. Its mor de size of dis place dat keeps me busy. Wha'about you? ". His mind wandered to his breakfast.
"Hmmm! Fish n grits, hopefully! Maybe a papaya too! You hopin foa anyting?"

He lightly rolled his eyes at the remark - of course it was cold, what did he expect? There were things more important to be fussed about than the temperature. However, his smirk was all but well meaning. "Not if you don't want to," he simply said.

He nodded along with Natan's talking, guiltily distracted by his most peculiar accent, before almost hurriedly turning his head towards him as he was addressed. "Quite fine!" he sputtered, blinking. "Not as horrid as I'd prepared for!" Yet, anyway. Perhaps in due time...
But he appreciated the subject change anyway, and he returned his gaze to the corridor before him. Papaya... That sounded exotic. His question was met with great hesitation before Sner finally summed the words to reply with. "Listen... Tis is a pretty mythical place, isn't it? Nothing like humans I've ever come across... Do you think..." The words caught in his throat for some reason. "Do you think they serve dragon here?"

"Haha, I'd imagine so. No one's trying to break into de school, I'd tink dat your main concern is keeping de children in!" Natan laughed at Sner's comment. Although, were they would sneak off to on an island he couldn't imagine. The castle was large enough to hide in anyways.
"Dragon!" Natan said incredulously. "What, grilled dragon in a jerk sauce? If anyting, the dragons come here to learn to fly!"
What would giant lizards taste like anyways... probably very oily (they breathe fire after all) and stringy.
"What do you want to be eatin dragon fo, anyways?" he asked suspiciously.
((To serve man...My God, it's a cookbook!))

With a wry grin, Sner made no remark on the comment with anything but a low hum of agreement. Yes, as if he weren't already aware of the troublesome nature of some students. And he didn't find it very amusing at all.  

As Natan continued, he squinted thoughtfully.  ...True, he had a point, but it wasn't too bizarre to think that some exotic residents may have an exotic diet. There seemed to be little to worry about, however. At the last question, he scoffed, raising his hands. "Heavens no! I don't want to eat it, I..." He trailed off, his expression crumpling. "...Nevermind." 

He was quick to change the subject.  "Brother, what say you to an... allegiance, of sorts?" He raised a brow in his direction, interested.

Natan chuckled softly at Sner's loss of words. Maybe he did mean did they allow dragons to come to the school, but it was certainly funnier interpreting it his own way.
Natan's eyebrows raised and he squinted at Sner. "Dese sort o' tings can be dangerous fo' everybody hea." He had known many people in his life, and too many would hold you to a promise that they would break. "But if you want an...allegiance... wat are de proposal, de terms, and de hold?" Sner had crossed the line into business, at least in Natan's mind. Friendship and fraternal bonds had spirit and soul, but business was only to the letter.

Sner was glad that Natan didn't press the subject of dragons further - he was better off not asking, honestly.  It was a subject he shouldn't have divulged in the first place.

It was a shame that he didn't immediately jump at the idea of an allegiance, but hopefully, he'd be persuaded soon.  "It was just a thought that crossed my mind.  We are both cleaners, of sorts, aren't we?" A small smile quirked at his lips.  "I clean up the people, and you clean up the mess. And, more often than not, the people and the mess are linked, no? I'd think our jobs went well together."
He chuckled to himself. "I think we should team up. You find a mess - you report the people to me.  I find the people, and report the mess to you. Lets stand up for each other, ey? You watch my back, and I will watch yours."

He held out a hand in offering, grinning.  "I may be horribly mistaken, but I have a feeling that I can trust you, brother."

Natan gave a hint of a smile at the comparison. He'd never thought about it that way, and it was a rather clever way of putting it. And such a bargain... well, there wasn't any foreseeable downside. At the worse, one of them overworked the other, whilst slacking in their duties, which would keep the castle well maintained in at least one respect.

But what was that 'you watch my back, and I yours'? Did that have further meaning. It didn't matter. The wording was spelt out clear enough, and it wasn't a great enough obligation to warrant a hold of some sort.

"Deal" Natan grinned, and grasped Sner's wrist, shaking it once.

As he shook his hand, Sner's grin couldn't have grew any wider, lest it split his face in half. "Excellent!" he cried, returning the brusque shake. "This will be the start of a beautiful allegiance, brother, do you not agree?"

Leaving little room for said agreeing, he tugged on the hand that he'd just been shaking, urging him down the corridor. Another ally - how invaluable! How fortunate to come across one so quickly! There were indeed people he could rely on to be found here- well, of course, he hadn't yet initiated The Test on Natan, but there seemed to be no desperate reason to do so. Besides, resources were to be saved. The first ally was only the first step - there were many more steps after that.

Suddenly, he stopped sharply, before twisting to look back at the janitor, his stare unusually serious. "I must request this of you, brother. If ever you see me when I wear the mask, I ask that you do not get in my way. Do you understand?"

Natan followed Sner's hastened pace, wondering what made this coöperation so important. He began to wonder if he had made the right choice, and if there was more to this than simply doing their jobs...

As Sner stopped, Natan barely halted from colliding with the birdman. "What mask?" he asked, uncertain. He had only seen one person with a mask running around the school, and Natan was fairly certain that was a student (the lack of feathers tipped him off).

Ah, he hadn't seen the mask. He tried to mimic the shape of it by gesturing with his hands - first pointing a circular shape around his head, then using an index finger and thumb to mark out the shape of the beak. "It's white, black and red. I will wear it when I am on duty." And that, he believed, was all that Natan needed to know about it.

He continued down the corridor, turning to head down the stairs. "I've heard bad things about this place, brother. I think it's best that we both be wary, anyway." He nodded, his expression quite morose.

"Ah, gotcha" Natan nodded. Probably an image thing, don't let the children see you casual or weak or whatnot. People in authoritative positions were always making up rules and whatnot for themselves. "Don't bother when wit a mask" he repeated.

Natan followed Sner down the stairs. His expression didn't change from passive contentment, but his interest was held by the single statement. "What tings have you heard?" he asked quickly, having heard none himself.

Natan seemed to get the point, so Sner didn't elaborate further. It was at the latter question that he had to stop. He turned around, eyeing the janitor curiously, before discreetly looking around. There was no one else in sight.

He leaned towards him, his voice lowered.  "Don't tell anyone else what I'm about to tell you," he said, maintaining a short silence to make the point clear, before continuing.  "A man told me of this place. He said that the people here may be... beyond redemption. That some of the scum of the Earth gathers here, with all their shady histories. Murderers, he says." He sighed, standing back a little. "He warned me, and I felt it best to warn you too." He turned away, not quite continuing to walk down the stairs, waiting only for Natan's reaction as an incentive to continue. "One can never be too alert."

As Sner spoke, Natan matched him and leaned in. He couldn't believe it, and a look of concern grew on his face. The people here seemed so nice, so friendly. He continued to look at Sner before straightening and following him down the stairs.
"Very considerate of you, foa' dis warnin. Tank you. " He thought for a moment, on how to phrase his concern. "but a lie only takes a breath, and an unkind act needs only de barest reason. Is did a heads up, or do you believe dis to be true?"
Appreciative of the thought, but wary of the accuracy.

He quietly nodded in acknowledgement of the thanks, before waiting for his further remark. Intrigued, he tilted his head in thought. He hadn't supposed that the man was lying - he seemed honest about it. Then again, most experienced liars seemed honest about certain things. But it seemed too far fetched a thing to lie about - if he wanted to be really cruel, he could've lied about the existence of the castle itself. But he didn't.

"I believe that he had only my well-being in mind when he told me. Exercising caution is never a foolish thing... Especially of a place where little is known."

Reaching the bottom, he turned a corner to venture down the long corridor that led straight to the breakfast room. The windows to their left revealed a beautiful view of the courtyard, which Sner slowed to momentarily gaze at. "Looks can be deceiving..."

In Haiti, there were people who would cause tourists pain and angst for no other reason other than they were bored, and visitors were easy targets. Lillegard might suffer something similar, being different and remote. It wouldn't be surprising to find that townsfolk did this thing to try to gauge how the people were.

Natan gave a short laugh and put his hand on Sner's shoulder. "Relax, don worry about it! " he said "Keep your eyes open, but look foa de good an de bad. Worryin' don add noting to a place!"

After all, Que Sera, Sera!

Natan's advice was taken with a hearty chuckle. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate it - he did, and very much so. He wasn't exactly wrong either. His laughter settled into a grin instead. "Oh, brother, it is but my job to worry! I'm the watchman!" he squawked, gesturing to his chest. "If the people saw me relaxing, they'd be the ones worrying! Do not be concerned for me." He smiled warmly, pausing in front of the doors.  "I am fine."

He shortly pushed the doors to the breakfast room open, where only a few souls were seated, possibly due to the combination of Summer and early mornings. It was a beautiful room - he'd entered it once or twice before, but the looks still captured him from the moment he stepped in. He started towards a table; a two seater with a good view of the courtyard. His preferred sort of location. He looked to Natan expectantly.
"May I get you a drink?"

Natan grinned at Sner's comment on his advice. He did have a point at that. Still, it might be best to take it easy sometimes.

As they entered the room, Natan glanced around. Good, the place was still clean. He had long ago lost any appreciation for architecture or scenery. What mattered more to him nowadays was how useful it was, how much utility it saw, and above all, how clean and neat it was kept. That wasn't to say that everything there had to be streamlined or useful. Knickknacks and whatnot could be lined everywhere as far as Natan was concerned, so long as they were kept clean and didn't interfere.

He followed the bird to the table, then thought twice at what Sner had said and turned toward the food instead.
"Non mesi, Ah'm feeling picky today, but Ah'll meet you back heare." he said over his shoulder as he walked to examine what options were presented to him.

His polite smile faltered slightly as the offer for a drink was refused, but he simply returned an obliging nod. There was little choice in the matter anyway. He too, followed, eyes skimming over his options.

Cereals, fruits, bread, various pastries, salads, eggs, meats, teas and coffees....  Such variety and selection! He hadn't been presented with a buffet for such a while that, for a moment, he found himself overwhelmed. Part of him wanted to simply pinch a slice of bread and skitter away, but he couldn't be certain if that were an actual desire or an ingrained instinct. For how long had he been a vagrant...?

After gazing motionlessly for awkwardly long, he realised that the choices just weren't going to be made for him. He picked a plate, humming to himself, before piling on a generous heaping of pancakes. He turned to retur--- 'You filthy slob, try using a knife and fork!' ---scoop up the respective cutlery, and then return to the table. He sat down, looking out expectantly for Natan's return.

The food was so different here! It was difficult to get over the differences, despite the large variety. What was most disturbing to Natan was the difference in freshness. In Haiti, food for the most part was rarely over a day old, but here, why, he wouldn't be surprised if it was a week or more!

Looking over his options, he decided to get as close as possible to his usual diet. Natan grabbed a plate, and started piling fruit on it. In addition, he grabbed a kipper and a small bowl of porridge. After utensils and a glass of water, the janitor made his way back to the table. Seeing that Sner was on the lookout for him, he smiled back before finishing navigating the chairs and other diners to get to the table. He set down his meal before joining his co-worker.
"Find everting chew like?" He inquired

For that matter, there was not a lot that he did not like, or was not willing to try, but he returned a nod to Natan anyway. "Yourself?" The question was mildly reflected, although he very well could observe that the janitor had already made his selection.

From the way he grasped his cutlery, it was plain to see that such objects were still unfamiliar to him. He held them at a unique, crooked angle, and started to carve into the pancakes; inexperience had somehow granted him his own bizarre way of operating the utensils. Somehow, it worked, and he raised the food to his lips.

"So," he began, swallowing. "Wy Lillegard, anyway? Why this place? It seems an awful distance away..."