...But Gather Together to Greet the Storm (Eitan & Stefan)

[Stefan Dornkirk]

Stefan nodded along as they returned from play to serious discussion.

"Indeed, we should secure a cache of aura glass first thing, several spectacles, a larger sheet for experiments, and a spyglass if at all possible." Pulling a small notebook and pencil from his waistcoat pocket he began writing, also in his mother's native tongue. One could never be too careful after all.

"I can finish the professional projects I have on my desk now, delegate what can be to my team. I should be entirely free to devote myself to our needs in a month, I should say. I can get away easier than either of you before that but I'll likely still be spending most of my time in the Windworks, adjusting the Nachtherr and rushing the work on her." His mind did not contemplate the oddity of naming a ship Lord and then calling it 'her'.

He grimaced at the idea of magic being cast, even to such a good purpose, inside his family home.

"I think we are safe enough here, perhaps when we have to discuss the specifics of our intention more clearly, or are in a more public place." Stefan's displeasure was evident but undirected, Eitan was not the problem, he was trying to solve the problem, as both the Dornkirks were.

"Our parents, yes." The grimace turned into a full frown, as if the idea of having to work through the mire of family relations was even more uncomfortable than the idea of being surrounded by a ward. His fingers left his brother briefly to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his tight vest, as though the restraint of formal clothing was too much to bear when the thought of confronting his parents was added to them. Reaching down he shot the rest of what was in his tumbler and then looked at the glasses of the other two men.

"Refill?" He looked directly down at Brenner when he asked, then rose, untucking his shirt as he went, and brought the decanter back with him to refill his own glass and those of the other two men. As he moved to retake his seat he was caught, for a moment, perhaps more than a moment, watching the smoke pouring from between Brenner's lips, caressing his smirk and filling the air with its scent. Clearing his throat for no seeming reason he took the cigar again and pulled from it slowly before placing it back in his brother's mouth.

When he could pull himself back to the conversation he could feel the flush on his cheeks. Hoping it would be attributed to the fine alcohol he said,

"Distasteful, yes. Perhaps we should invest in some vestments of protection? Could you put wards into armor, Eitan? Perhaps layer them or 'recharge' them, so to speak? I trust that you'll do all you can to keep the expedition safe, but there is no telling when or how we might encounter down there."

[Eitan Angevin]

"As you might surmise," he began carefully, "in my training as a Watcher of Purity, I was not only inscribed with this blasted rune, but I was also given some training in spycraft. Intelligence-gathering. Counterintelligence. Now, I wouldn't say that I am a master spy by any stretch of the imagination, but especially when dealing with magical threats within the city, acting in an official capacity can send the rats scurrying for cover. Perhaps we ought to hammer out some basic security protocols tonight as well. Speaking in this tongue oughtn't to be suspicious to anyone who knows us, but it is only nominal protection from ears. If it isn't only our reputations, but also that of the First Minister, we must be even more vigilant. But warding would indeed be a last resort, or for the most classified of discussions."

If he noted the brother's physical ease with each other, it didn't register. His half-sisters were physically affectionate with each other, though not with him. That was the way of siblings, he supposed—full siblings. If anything, he was happy the brothers Dornkirk had each other, and it was nice to feel included here among them as if he were more welcome than among those with whom he shared blood.

"I will certainly come up with a working list of supplies that would be helpful to me in my capacity. I would say that any aura glass and abjinurium would not go to waste. And any extant research on these creatures—I need to figure how to protect myself from them. Of course, if their weaponization is successful, I will happily fall upon my sword to end the threat of magic, but in the meantime, I cannot help in the endeavor if I cannot see to my own safety. And perhaps my own leave of absence should come later so it doesn't seem as though we are all clearing our schedules at the same time. I will burn the candle at both ends in the meantime, training, preparing, and seeing to my duties to the Noble Gambit."

He glanced down at his tumbler, then smiled up at Stefan. "Yes, thank you." And as Brenner went through his cigar, Eitan reached into the humidor for another, cutting and preparing it and lighting it from a candle so there would be another one to pass around when his was spent.

"I can certainly ward armor, and that might keep my free time occupied while we get ourselves to the site. But that would also be a way to use abjinurium. Magebane." He smiled sharply. "But I wonder if the beautiful little beasties would be able to chew right through my wards or only the aether before I have formed it into something stable. Hence my need for any possible research to help me make informed choices in our defense."

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Oh, I agree entirely, Stef." Brenner nodded profusely, "If the Nachtherr lives up to your aspirations, she'll be instrumental to our task and could stand to spare us weeks of trudging through treacherous mires of misery. Actually, if you've spare room here, I wouldn't mind claiming an extra office as my own base of operations. It would be best I not work out of official state facilities, and I'd prefer not to work from the manor. I like to keep such things distinct."

He nodded with an impish smile cast up to Stefan at the offer of a fresh beverage and regarded Eitan as he spoke.

"I plan to enlist the aid of a guide who has some experience with the Warrens. I'll put out some feelers with people I trust on the morrow, but with any luck I'll find someone with a similarly stealthy focus who might be able to inform such protocols." He pursed his lips as the cigar was drawn from between them and claimed momentarily by Stefan.

"Based on my conversation with Her Excellency, Eitan, I would venture that it is the reputation of the State itself that is at stake. Should Kalzasi... Indeed, should any magic-using power discover that there is a State-sanctioned Zaichaeri expedition intent on solving the problem of magic in Ransera? We risk incurring an invasion on all sides. This must not transpire. And so, if we are found out, we will be dismissed as renegades. As good servants of the State, we will accept the designation and whatever punishment is deemed fit." It sounded almost like an instruction, though Brenner had yet to assume the mantle of leader just yet. He drew in a bit of the rich cigar smoke, and glanced up in thought.

"My research thus far suggests that the parasites are utterly ravenous- devouring magical aether and all that touches it. I've assembled a small library to which you will, of course, be granted full access. By the Empty Throne, gentlemen, I have never been so bloody excited!"

[Stefan Dornkirk]

Stefan settled back against the chair, now that the alcohol was at hand on the side table he shouldn't have to rise again in any immediate capacity.

"I've started to go through the books you collected, but I'm barely into it. Perhaps we could get together for a session of you bringing us up to speed so we can better select where each should concentrate their study efforts?" He made another little note, on a new page, with a heading.

"So far I have practice with blades, fists, and firearms, a walkthrough of the Nachtherr and going over the schematics, the combination study session for Brenner's books, my experiments which I will put on the schedule if either of you wish to join." When Eitan mentioned supplies he nodded, "We should compile our lists of needed items that will require time to acquire. Foodstuffs and other basic supplies we should hold off on purchasing till the last possible moment, so as not to give away our intentions, of course. But some of what we will need will have to be manufactured at some expense. I will immediately make inquiries into the availability of abjinurium. If the supply is high enough we could have armor made of it and then your wards would merely need to be things to keep out claws and bullets." The idea of the three of them arrayed in modern combat armor made of abjinurium, warded against harm was quite appealing to his boyhood fantasies of glory in battle.

Tapping the back of the tiny pencil against his lips he looked down at Brenner, not as if he was expecting anything, only as if that was where his eyes went when he was thinking. After the thoughts seemed to pass and he resisted what he was looking at he said, bemused,

"How is it you can look comfortable in all that finery? Is it wearing uniforms constantly that makes high fashion sit easy on you?" Stefan had never found it so, but there were, in some ways, as different as they were the same in others. Thus said he removed the waistcoat he'd unfasted earlier and tossed it over the back of the chair, now in just his shirtsleeves and trousers.

An eyebrow shot up at the exclamation of Brynn never having been more excited and he shot an amused look at Eitan, not sure the man would understand the joke but offering to share it if it was.

[Eitan Angevin]

Eitan nodded slowly, seriously. Even as a youth when asked whether he understood the mortal import of taking on a rune in service to the State, he had been willing to die for his home. If being disavowed by the government was the price for failing in this mission, then so be it. He would regret the stain it would leave upon the Angevin name, but he was a stain on the Angevin name in some ways no matter how well he did in everything he put his mind to.

"So, if we fail, we move to Kalzasi and become anarchists?" He smiled a tight smile, making light of the idea, but also fully committed to serving Zaichaer even if he was forbidden its embrace. He smiled wider at Brenner's obvious enthusiasm, and Stefan's answering enthusiasm. It did suddenly seem as though childhood dreams were becoming manhood realities.

"I will definitely read all that you have collected and whatever Professor Stef assigns." He nodded and took a sip of his whiskey. "Plenty of time to read in my bunk, and I will step up my physical training, as well." He realized he was repeating some things, but that had a habit of happening when old friends were drinking and enthusiastic.

"Perhaps I ought to have a small office at the Windworks. Nothing fancy. I could reasonably be called a consultant and it would give me more reason to be there with some regularity, though again, I suppose this should happen later in the season for me so it doesn't all seem like one connected narrative."

His eyes settled on Brenner's finer, Stefan's comments starting to settle in his mind. He was comfortable in his dress uniform, personally. It was a reminder of the identity he had built for himself, armor against unkind glances, though he was more or less accepted at this point. Few and far between were any slurs now that he had conformed to all things human and was proving his worth with hour of his service to the State.

"Stef's ready for his bath," he said, chuckling at his growing lack of clothes, though he was unaware of any inside joke going over his head.

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"You are a dream and a treat, brother mine." Brenner complemented the compliment with a tip of his tumbler in Stefan's direction, followed by a sip, followed by a smoke.

"Indeed." Brenner agreed with Stefan's basic run-down, "Anything we can borrow from the Windworks or the State, we should. If we're branded renegades, they can just say we stole it. But if anything needs to be purchased, just submit that to me and I can release coin from our project budget." He parted his lips, taken aback slightly at Stefan's question and, after a pause, chuckling.

"It's probably just because I don't have all those bulging muscles of yours making the finery feel constricting." He jibed, but began to undo his tie and kick off his shoes. He hadn't been uncomfortable in the least until Stefan brought up that he ought to be, and then he became aware of his underlying discomfort.

"If we fail, we join the gods in oblivion." Brenner amended Eitan's notion with his own darker prediction and placed his tumbler aside as he used his heels to kick his shoes under his chair so he wouldn't trip on them later.

He chuckled at the light barb at Stef's expense and nodded,

"Feel free to make yourself comfortable as well, Eitan. It's too late and we've too much left in this bottle to send you home tonight. You may as well commit to the eventuality that you'll be sleeping over. Stef and I have already resolved ourselves to this understanding." He said blithely, gesticulating more broadly with his hands than when he was sober.

"Honestly, a warm bath doesn't sound like such an awful idea in the least..."

[Stefan Dornkirk]

"I think," Stefan said, as he turned enough to begin untying the cravat at Brenner's throat for him with the absent efficiency of lots of practice, "That both of you seems to be ignoring the most likely outcome. That we will go and not find what we seek and come back quietly. If things leak out or we make a loud fuss of ourselves of course we should be due for a banishing to oblivion. If we come back with our quarry well in hand we can work diligently to implement it and then bask in the glory of our accomplishments for the state.

Do you think we should bandy some tale about us Dornkirks reveling in our wealth and going off on a pleasure cruise, perhaps to celebrate my upcoming marriage, assuming I can manage to become engaged?"

Sliding the tie carefully from his brother he laid it aside and then nodded once to Eitan,

"Indeed, you must stay, I already had the servants set up a room for you before sending them to their own beds. I doubt if there is a soul awake in the house but us now, so, sadly, if you do want a bath, Brynn, we'll have to fetch and carry for ourselves."

Sitting back he took a long swallow of the now mellow feeling whiskey before continuing his thought from before,

"If I make an appointment to meet you at your family's manner at a time when your youngest sister will be there, do you think that would be too obvious? Or, if it is, that it would be a bad thing to make my intentions clear?"

He paused for a moment as if thinking deep thoughts and then said blinking a bit owlishly,

"Do you think you'll remember that I asked tomorrow, or should I make a note to remind myself to ask you again?"

[Eitan Angevin]

"She's hardly a child, Stef," he said. "I'll ask after her schedule, telling her why, and then you can just come calling and we'll both be there so everything's proper and more relaxed as we'll bypass Friederike entirely." He would much rather talk about such things than the possibility of failure or just nothing coming out of their chance to do even more important work for Zaichaer.

Then, "Though, I don't know what you two are going on about." He brushed the immaculate front of his dress uniform. "I was born in this uniform and 'tis as comfortable as my own skin."

After a bit of a laugh, he nodded. "All right, all right. If you've gone to the trouble, I'll stay. And yes, probably best to send me a note to remind me if we are going to do serious damage to the liquor cabinet."

Eitan paused thoughtfully. "All right, maybe not as comfortable as my own skin, but the booze has me too languorous to take my boots off. No worries, though." He just sprawled a bit lower in the chair, back bending as much as the strict tailoring of his jacket would allow. He stretched his legs out in front of him and let his free arm dangle over the side of his chair while the other kept hold of his drink.

It seemed they had naturally come to the conclusion of their preliminary planning and just in time as he didn't think he was the only one feeling the seductive call of the whiskey. He wasn't entirely aware of the beaming smile shining on the brothers. It was strange to feel proud sometimes, but he was proud to be included in this endeavor, and in the fraternal feeling. He felt comfortable here, which was only remarkable when he realized that he didn't often feel comfortable. But best not to think about that, lest dark things come up and ruin the mood.

[Brenner Dornkirk]

Brenner tipped his head back casually to ease Stefan's work at removing his neckwear.

"Do you really think that His Excellency the Grand Marshal would brook disappointment so casually as to let us return to our normal lives unimpeded, should we fail to produce specimens?" He arched an eyebrow, letting his head tilt forward again as Stefan pulled the tie free of his collar. "I'm afraid I don't share your optimism. Or, perhaps I exceed it, because I am only prepared to conquer. Victory..." He took a pull of his cigar, "...or death." And followed it with a complementary sip of smoky whiskey.

"Mm. Perhaps a hunt, rather than a pleasure cruise. Let our enemies not think we are lazing about in the sun, but that we are waging war against fantastical beasts and making Ransera a safer place." He suggested with a smirk that fell away at Stefan's talk of preparing their own bath.

"Don't be common, brother. Good servants sleep lightly." With all Brenner did for Zaichaer, he wasn't carrying water for anyone but the State. "And we keep good servants." That last bit was added for Eitan's benefit. Brenner regarded the other Air Commander, "Don't let Stefan's pitiful hosting skills mar your experience here at Dornkirk Manor- If you'd like a bath, we'll ring for one." He glanced to Eitan and chortled at his jest.

"Tsk, tsk, Eitan. Haven't you conjured up enough revisionist history about the legend of your birth? Let's not get greedy." He placed his tumbler on the table and rose from his seat, sauntering across to where Eitan sat and kneeling in front of him. He glanced up to meet Eitan's eyes- his own looked devious, as he leaned down to unlace his fellow commander's boots.

"Take note, Stef. This is peak hosting."

[Stefan Dornkirk]

The drunken heir to all he surveyed blinked quite slowly at the young Lord Angevin, then looked at his brother as if assuming the younger Dornkirk could easily read his mind and give him an answer to the question of whether or not he should sink to his knees and assist with Eitan's boots as he would have with Brenner's.

When no words in answer were forthcoming he turned back to stare at the offending boots, as though they offended him. Gathering what wits he had left back around himself he decided not to contemplate Brynn's grim, though probably accurate assessment of the future.

"Mmm, a hunt would explain any odd specimens we return with, and the soldiers we will be 'borrowing'."

Frowning, suddenly, at Brenner's teasing, Stefan tried to suppress his annoyance at how spoiled Brenner was at times and his even greater annoyance at how charming he found it. Stefan spent most of his days working with men who would have been called common, just as their father would have been before either of their births. His sympathies lay significantly more with the middling class than the one he had been born into. Rousting hard-working people from their beds to accommodate the whims of young drunkards seemed quite inconsiderate of all the hard work the staff put in on a daily, and, when Brenner was home, nightly basis. It was one thing to request such at the Madam's establishment where the staff typically slept during the day. He sighed, suppressing his displeasure, he would not argue with a man in his own room. Stefan was unlikely to argue with Brenner when he really wanted something at all, but those were thoughts to be briefly contemplated and put in their little box by a sober man.

Submitting as much as he could he said, "We do have very good servants.", as a sort of apology directed to Eitan. "I just didn't wish to inconvenience them, which is, I know, very vulgar of me." The last was directed, accusingly, back toward Brynn.

The conversation, teasing, and drinking continued into the night. Planning supposedly continued as well, causing Stefan to find several illegible additional notes in his little pad in the morning, some of which were not in his own hand, not even his inebriated one. The morning was not kind, but it was not as cruel as it could have been, so he must have gotten some water down into them once the whiskey was gone.

Over the following days, he would set up their schedules for the next few months, aligning the three men to one purpose and finding it did not feel at all foreign to now include Eitan in the threesome that had once been two.