After Telosh’s Possession, Gustav furrows his brow and asks:
“What happened there. Why did you force a connection between me and the bird against my will? I didn’t want that troublemaking bird to follow me or rely on me for anything. You already knew my feelings of the crow, were you possessed by a demon who cast spells against your will?”
Gustav tries to calm down and his shoulders crumple a bit.
“It seems like it might not have been your choice, but you wanted a connection between me and the bird before the possession. Maybe the demon stole your desires and spilled them all over the veiled world.”
Gustav looks at the crow which is cawing nearby and hisses at it.
Telosh looks at Gustav with deep care and concern, glances at Alexis, and makes a sad face when the ranger hisses at the crow.
“I’m sorry Gustav, something strange came over me, my… anger at myself for hurting Alexis with wild magic in the crazy ice storm… something caused that to take control… I was mostly at peace… do you know how a little itch can sometimes become all you can think about? It was like that…”
Telosh shakes his head a little…
“But different, perhaps it was a demon or even Yog trying to mess with us… it wasn’t natural or normal…”
“But… those feelings, that itch that demanded to be scratched until it bled, was to make amends with Alexis, and he told me to… tell you the truth about your connection to the crow… and in my state, I tried to make you see that you were connected to it. It is yours, or perhaps even a part of you… I only strengthened a connection that already existed, to make sure you could see it…”
Telosh pauses, his face is downcast, and projects a complex set of sadnesses.
“I can’t make my own magic Gus, I can only… reshape magic that already exists…”
“Hmm…. You are saying that Alexis encouraged you to ‘tell the truth’ about my connection to the bird. And in your state, you took that to mean to strengthen it? Instead of just communicating with words, you decided to use, or ‘reshape existing magic’ to strengthen a bond between me and a bird that I hate? You also didn’t think to ask my permission first?”
Gustav’s nostrils are flaring and his pupils have widened as he smacks his hands together.
“Not sure about where you grew up, but where I grew up, that is called a curse!”
Telosh looks at Gus, sad and confused. He takes a half step back and appears to be cowed.
“You think the crow is a curse? I did not realize that, I’m sorry Gustav.”
Telsoh takes a deep breath, looks at Gustav with a truly kind and caring half-smile, exhales slowly, takes another breath and keeping his eyes on the Ranger, adds:
“I don’t mean to add fuel to the fire, but how long after your mule… Sally… passed, did the Crow appear?”
Gustav looks at Telosh, and is trying to calm himself down by slowly breathing but it doesn’t seem to be working. With his hand on the hilt of his dagger, Gustav slowly turns away and and heads into some bushes and trees.
The crow looks confused at Telosh, and then hops after her master.