The third day of the festival crept in with a hazy golden mist. Morning sunlight shown as bright as ever through the town, marking another day of trade and shows. Somewhere down the hill, bells chimed lazily with the breeze, and the scent of fried dates drifted through the stalls. Joren wiped a smear of syrup from the table as the fifth customer left with a bundle of sugar-dipped apples. His feet ached from standing on uneven cobblestone, Hazel had forgotten chairs again so she was running home to get some before it became busy.
He glanced across the crowd absently, fingers drumming the edge of a wooden crate. The morning rush was thinning, and only the quiet customers remained. Couples were whispering over what stalls they wanted to check out, kids chasing each other in a game of tag, older men counting coins three times before buying anything. Then, a figure stepped into the stall's shade.
Joren blinked. The man didn't walk so much as arrive, as if appeared from thin air. Tall, lean, wrapped in a dark green coat that fluttered ever so slightly, he recognized him immediately. He was holding a single red apple in his hand, asking for the price in a smooth voice. "Two copper pieces." Joren stammered. Tsunami smiled, "Great, I haven't found a stand that sells such high quality items at a fair price." Joren, swallowing the air in nervousness asked, "Is your name Tsunami?"
The man's face hardened like he was ready to brawl him right here, "Are you a government scout party?" "No no no, It's just... I've heard rumor that you were in the area and I thought I felt something off about you yesterday when I spotted you." Tsunami relaxed, it was just some kid. "I knew you were an Auspex yesterday, I was just making sure you knew what I could do if you tried to engage." He said, Joren now asking "How did you...?" Tsunami answering, "I felt it too, it's not uncommon for Auspex to recognize other's powers. I can tell you must be new to your power if you outright asked in public." Tsunami said. "But Auspex also exist within government ranks, too, so I had to see if I needed to skip town just yet." Tsunami stated, putting his apple in his pocket. "Why don't we catch up when you aren't managing a stall. We can talk then." Joren, relaxed now, asked "Can we meet at the fire dancer show later?" Tsunami just gave a thumbs up as he was already walking away.
Late Afternoon – The Stage
"Go on, take a break," Hazel said from behind, voice soft. "You've been wound tighter than a tick all day. Go watch a show or get some food, clear your head." He turned to her. Hazel was sitting now, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan one of the tourists had bartered. "You sure?" She waved him off. "I'll be fine. Just don't get trampled in the crowd."
Joren grabbed his satchel and slipped away, boots crunching over discarded nut shells from a nearby booth. The fire dancer performance was already drawing people in by the time he arrived, flames flickered in small metal braziers spaced around the perimeter, awaiting the main act. He found Tsunami sitting at a somewhat secluded bench around the stage, probably there since the last show. "Saved you a spot." He said to Joren.
Tsunami explained all about what he knows about Auspex and portraits. He calls them images of divinity, a gift from god meant to provoke change. Most people never encountered them, fewer could hear their call. Those who do are chosen by the portrait rather than them stumbling across it by chance, he theorized. Each Portrait carries a different voice, a power meant to be shaped by perception. For example, Tsunami once met a man who had the knot power and used it to make people's sentences slur into a incomprehensible mess while he cackled doing so. Another beast, possibly once a human, saw the portrait of justice and took it upon himself to invoke retribution to evildoers. He is known as The Walker.
Tsunami used to be a diver in his free time, when he felt a draw to a cave underwater, leading him to his portrait. He coudn't master his power right out the gate, but he knew plenty about the ocean and water to have a decent handle on his capabilities and interpretations. Portraits can only have one owner at a time, until they eventually die, allowing it to return and await a new person to bestow new abilities. The classification book, a yearly bingo book written and updated by the rulers of many nations at a summit, contains information on any known portrait and its previous owners. Classifications go by a 5-tier ranking: Oracle, Eclipse, Harbinger, Cataclysm and Oblivion. Each tier alludes to what type of threat they possess, minor enhancements to reality warping abilities.
Between his explanation and history, the show had begun. Twin arcs of flame burst from her pole, spinning in figure eights that left trails like comets. Her movements were impossibly fluid, and the crowd leaned forward, jaws slack and eyes wide. For a moment, the world was only light and rhythm. The fire danced a wonderful performance, creating bursts of cinder falling to her heels like sparks off flint. The pole she wielded blurred between her fingers, arcs of flame whipping into spirals that drew gasps from the crowd.
"I've been meaning to ask, but what portrait did you see?" Tsunami asked inquisitively. "The supernova portrait, I think. I've been into astronomy for a few years now and I've learned plenty about cosmic phenomena from a used-to-be researcher. It seems like the right one for me" Joren told him. "Oh-ho-ho, so you can make stars or something?" Joren showed him the little light he could create as of now, also demonstrating his gravity manipulation of an apple he brought with. Tsunami leaned back, one eyebrow raised as the apple floated lazily in Joren's palm, spinning with a slow orbit. "Not bad," he said, watching it twirl. "Looks like it's still warming up to you, but you have a pretty good grasp for only having it a week or so."
The fire dancer launched into a new flourish: a vaulting spin that sent the pole arcing high, its twin flames tracing a molten ring above her head. She caught it cleanly, bending backward as a trail of fire followed the arc of her spine. The crowd gasped again, and a child somewhere yelled out a cheer. The dancer swept the pole low across the stage, skimming it so close to the floor that the flames scattered sparks in a perfect halo. Her feet moved faster than thought, twirling her into a blur of motion and smoke.
"When I found mine, I decided to go on an adventure to avoid getting tracked down. Have you considered doing the same?" Joren hadn't thought about it until now, he didn't realize they were so persecuted if they didn't work as puppets. "Maybe I should..." Joren said. Tsunami nodded, eyes still flickering with firelight. "It's better to be the wind than the flag. Once word gets out, the vultures come circling—governments, mercenaries, even other Auspex. Some people want to recruit you; others want to interrogate you and find your portrait after you die."
The dancer spun again, fire curling around her in wild ribbons. For a moment, it looked like she was levitating in a wheel of light and ash. Then she landed in a crouch, flames hissing as they flared outward in a sunburst before dying down into simmering embers. Joren watched the dying fire scatter into the dusk, shadows stretching long beneath the stage. He felt it in his bones that an adventure was the right call. Besides, having powers can be pretty fun, even if they are meant to usher change if Tsunami is right.