"Wilting in the Light" [Lyra]

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Wilting in the Light"

Ale'Epherium
60 Frost 121

It wasn't an easy thing to slip away from Stefan so early into their Kalzasern excursion, but Brenner knew it was important that he see Lyra as soon as possible. He was doing his best to conceal the slow erosion that had turned the strapping, virile young Air Commander into a husk of his former self. There wasn't much he could do to conceal the weight loss, but he could at least use cosmetics to colour his features something brighter than the sallow complexion that had begun to replace the pink.

Lyra had been alerted that he was planning to visit at this time, but he hadn't written to her about his condition. He was keen to downplay it in Zaichaer, lest it hurt his reputation. It wouldn't do to seem enfeebled and frail, but increasingly that was how he felt. His doctors at home were baffled by the strange symptoms, which made Brenner suspect the worst- That the nature of his condition was magical in origin.

Fortunately, this trip had been planned before he'd taken ill and put him in reach of one of the only people in his life who might be able to help with such a thing: Lyra.

He shouldered his way through the door and into her shoppe, glancing about with pale blue eyes that were sunken more deeply than they'd been when last the witch of Kalzasi had seen him. Back then he'd been in the best shape of his life- hours away from embarking upon an expedition that promised to change Karnor forever.

Now his primary concern was living long enough to see what fruits his labour would bear into being.

"I am here to meet with Lyra." He rasped, "She will be expecting me."

[Lyra]

The woman behind the desk looked up as Brenner entered. Dark skinned and beautiful, Emma stood to greet what she thought would be a customer, despite his emaciated state.

"I take it you are Commander Dornkirk." she said, tilting her head as if listening to something only she could hear. Her eyes narrowed slightly before she pressed her hand on a glyph on the wall behind her, lines of light coming alive and raising upward into the ceiling.

"Would you like something to drink?" the woman's eyes showed some concern as she limped around the desk, using one hand to balance herself as she went. One leg was made of dark wood with markings that ran up its length, just barely visible beneath the hem of her blue dress. While they waited she would make idle conversation, or attempt to, though she always kept one eye on Brenner as if she thought he might fall over any moment.

It did not take long before footsteps from above could be heard coming down the stairs behind the desk. With a smile, Lyra glided down the last few steps, but she paused at the last where her smile turned into a frown. The boy's face was marred in ways that makeup could not hide. A glance to Emma said she had noticed as well at how gaunt the young man had become, a shell of the Commander Lyra had expected to be meeting today. What's more, as she opened herself up to the symphonies she heard the stark change. The fanaticism was still there but hidden beneath sharp notes of barely masked desperation, tunes of uncertainty, or perhaps it was fear, lingered at the edges of the anger of the unknown. There was something else as well, but it was too faint for Lyra to read without more study.

"That will be all Emma." Lyra said with a wave of her hand. With a last look at Brenner Emma turned and returned to her desk, and Lyra took her place at the man's side. Her golden eyes did not show concern as Emma's had, but something closer to curiosity as she examined him like one might examine a piece of interesting furniture.

"Did something happen during your trip?"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"My reputation precedes me, then." Brenner offered a wan smile to the woman, his eyes darting sidelong to follow her hand to the glyph. His upper lip curled into a slight snarl, which disappeared completely when she addressed him once more.

"I wouldn't decline a cup of black tea, if you have it." Though it was early in the day, he was already quite weary and wanting for a bit of caffeine to sharpen the blurring edges. He took a few pendulous steps toward the desk, and leaned his hip against it.

His eyes darted to Lyra when she appeared. He offered a faint smile that didn't even falter when her own fell away at the sight of him.

"I was hoping you wouldn't look so startled at a mere glance at me..." He offered wryly, "You've never struck me as someone easily taken aback." But he knew how stark the decay would appear to one who hadn't seen him since he was at the prime of his physical condition. In just a few months he'd plummeted far.

"Nothing that explains my present state, I'm afraid..." He sighed, letting the façade of good humour fade to reveal his earnest concern. "My doctors in Zaichaer were baffled to a man. I am increasingly concerned that I may be subject to some manner of hex or curse... My family has no dearth of rivals, and I have a particular reputation amongst those capable of conferring curses that might incline them to cast them against me." He paused for a beat,

"But I suspect you now understand why I sought you out in all haste. I only just arrived in Kalzasi and... Well, if there is any way to reverse this condition- Or at least conceal the extent of the decay- I would be much obliged. I would not have your pesky Shinsei clapping eyes on me in this state, lest he mistake my weakness for that of my fatherland."

[Lyra]

Her expression didn't change at his words, but Lyra did step close and spoke in softer tones.

"A certain level of propriety should be maintained." Lyra agreed. One hand touched Brenner's shoulder, and through the fabric, she could feel his emaciated state. It only made her frown deepen further, "I find it troubling that your healers could not find the source... but if it is as you suspect, and is of a magical nature, then perhaps it would not be surprising."

She looked as if she might say more, but stopped herself. She wondered if she wanted to comfort this man, who seemed clearly in pain and distraught. It felt odd to consider, for even as the thoughts crossed her mind something deeper and more primal purred in pleasure at seeing a man once-mighty laid low. These contrasting feelings stilled her words, and all Lyra could do was smile and act as she always had.

"You are fortunate Commander, or perhaps unfortunate depending on your view. There are few as knowledgeable as I in matters such as these." She could not keep the hint of enthusiasm out of her voice at the prospect, but quickly Lyra moved to a different subject, "I was not certain when to expect you, but I had rooms prepared for you at my estate."

From a hook near the door, Lyra took a thick cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling the strings tight and pulling gloves over her pale fingers, "I had just sent for my carriage when you arrived. Would you care to accompany, or do you have other business to attend to?"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

The weak smile he had conjured into existence despite his physical discomfort and existential worry slowly faded. If Lyra was troubled by his condition, then it was well and truly abject. He had hoped it might be something she would be able to identify and remedy immediately and, though part of him might have realised this was an unlikely scenario, Brenner Dornkirk was masterful at compartmentalisation. It did not serve him to dwell on the grim possibilities of what might await him, and so he focused on best case scenarios where he actually had some agency over whatever was rending its way through his form.

There was a novel expression in his icy blue eyes as silence hung between them. One that Lyra had never seen before- Overt vulnerability. When last she'd seen him, his masks of indefatigability might have seemed impenetrable, but today he looked both older and younger. Older, because he was gaunt and enfeebled. Younger, because his eyes pled for the comfort of an all-knowing parental figure to care for him. When Lyra finally broke the silence, Brenner parted his lips and hesitated before replying.

"I suspected as much... It seems I met you at just the right time." He offered with a hopeful half-smile. "I shall accompany you." He inclined his head in a prompt nod. This was the most important thing, for the moment. He had already begun the work that promised to change the face of Ransera, but now his priority was living to see the garden he'd planted blossom to new life.

"I traveled with my brother. I shall send for him when we've arrived at the estate, if you've no objection." This would not be news to Lyra, it had ever been part of the plan and had been broached in their correspondence, but Brenner remained deferential to the whims of his hostess, as he deemed it gentlemanly to do so.

He gestured for her to lead the way, glancing over his shoulder toward the one she'd called 'Emma'.

"I suppose I won't be taking tea, after all." He offered a nod, "Ta-ra, then." And he turned back toward the door to amble after Lyra.

[Lyra]

Emma returned the smile with a wave, "Perhaps next time."

Lyra held the door for Brenner as he stepped out, following shortly after into the chill of frosty wind that threatened snow. As the door clicked shut Emma's smile faded. Reaching beneath the desk the woman brought out a small book with a worn cover. Flipping to one of the few still blank pages she made several notes in a coded script before returning the book to its place and starting back once more on the stack of papers on the desk.

Outside Lyra pulled her cloak tighter around her.

"I believe we are well enough acquainted that we can drop formalities." Lyra's words could be seen in the air as she looked sideways at Brenner. Despite his weight loss and haggard appearance, he was still taller than her by several inches, "Your family is welcome Brenner. You can have a letter sent to him, or send a runner if you wish. Do not worry the cost as you are a guest of mine now."

As she spoke a sleek black carriage rolled to a stop in front of them. It was elegantly crafted with embossed patterns standing out against the surface. A man dressed in finery the color of snow stepped down from the carriage driver's seat. He was a tall man with an easy smile, his elven heritage showing through in the slight point of his ears and the silvery hair that fell down in a braid to his waist. He opened the door and lowered a step into the carriage before stepping back with a bow.

Lyra smiled at the butler as he extended his hand toward her to help her up, "You are prompt as always Salem."

"If my master calls for me, I would be remiss in my duties to make her wait even a second longer than is necessary." Salmen smoke in a smooth, silky voice that seemed on the verge of being sultry were it not for the formality of his words.

Lyra patted his hand before stepping into the carriage, settling herself on the plush red fabric while she waited for Brenner to enter as well. Salem would give Brenner what might be called a winning smile as he offered him a hand as well, and whether it was accepted or not he would bow and close the door before hopping back into his place at the front of the carriage.

"It is not far of a walk, but I admit I have grown accustomed to the luxuries of a carriage. I do not need to concern myself with the weather when I have errands, and I stay dry in the rain and warm in the winters." The carriage was notably warmer than the outside, and the source of it was obvious. A dark red stone was inset into the roof of the carriage, giving off a steady heat that filled the space to a comfortable level.

Lyra watched Brenner's reaction before saying, "I designed the schema for this cart myself. In fact, everything you will soon experience is the product of my work and design."

She said the words as if they were a warning as if to say 'brace yourself for what is to come'. Perhaps it was also meant as a comfort, for it was Lyra herself who had said she was an advocate for magic that was controlled.

From a small compartment in the wall, Lyra withdrew two glasses and a bottle of clear liquid. The bottle itself had inscriptions and gave off a chill. With a growing smile, Lyra poured and extended one glass to Brenner.

"It is only water. I have not yet perfected the designs that will allow for different liquids to be stored or dispensed, but I do have some ideas. Days like today would be perfect for warmed chocolate like they serve past the Jade Arches."

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Your hospitality is to be lauded." Brenner acknowledged with a dutiful nod, "I wonder. Did you come to your station by birth or by enterprise?" He paused, "I suspect you are aware mine is a novel dynasty in Zaichaer, my father having risen from the merchant class and built his way up from destitution."

If Lyra did not come from some storied stock, he offered this tidbit of his own background. He had enough experience amongst the old monied elite to know that their pedigrees did not inevitably translate to largesse. Some of the the crassest, most puerile troglodytes he'd ever met had counted themselves amongst the scions of the noblest houses, whilst some of the most charitable, hospitable souls derived from unremarkable backgrounds.

Brenner regarded the elven chauffer and, without acknowledging him beyond a glance, turned to Lyra to say:

"Elven household staff is quite the luxury in Zaichaer. Is it more common in Kalzasi? They cut such a fine figure in livery, don't you think?" He rebuffed the offered hand, reaching instead for the doorframe of the carriage and pulling himself up with a grunt of exertion, before plopping down across from Lyra.

He glanced up to the heat source above them, but it didn't seem to trouble or impress him enough to warrant a shift to his mild expression.

"Water is fine." He accepted the glass with a nod of gratitude, "It is early yet to indulge in aught as rich as chocolate." And he suspected it wouldn't agree with him in his current state, but he didn't say as much aloud. He sipped at the water, before placing it back down in the side compartment from whence it had come.

"You'll forgive my singlemindedness, if I ask whether you have any suspicions as to what might be afflicting me?" He glanced out the window, as if uncomfortable with prolonged eye contact whilst feeling exposed. "As you can imagine it weighs heavy 'pon my mind, of late."

[Lyra]

"I have been in this city for little more than a year." Lyra said in response to Brenner's question, "I am fortunate that my endeavors have been so fruitful, wouldn't you say?" She offered no more explanation, and only smiled as if to say further questions would be pointless.

"Your father is to be admired then. It is no easy thing to create wealth from commerce." her tone was respectful as she acknowledged the statement, "It would serve you well to learn as much as you can from him. Is it not the duty of the son to grow what his father started? I expect much from you then given our partnership."

Then when Brenner sat across from her Lyra looked one last time at the half-elf before he disappeared behind the closed door. She had not considered having elven servants a sign of luxury, but she supposed it was.

"I am told he was trained in the courts of Sol'Valen." the words felt dry in her mouth as she said them, and a faint spark of anger flickered in her eyes before it was masked, "The etiquette and refinement required are quite stringent. Those skills are worth far more to me than any heritage." The thoughts of that hated place soured her mood, but with a smile, Lyra set it aside and gave her little speech to Brenner, sipping the water in her own glass while she considered his question.

The carriage rocked gently as they made their way through the city. Outside people could be heard talking, lively despite the chill but that was not unexpected given the type of person that would live in a location such as Kalzasi. The cold and fierce wind did little to bother those that chose to live near the mountain peaks.

One nail tapped rhythmically at the side of the glass for several seconds before Lyra replied, "There is a magic that inflicts curses upon others. It is a nasty sort which even I would be hesitant to explore." Setting her glass onto the armrest Lyra reached into one pocket and pulled out a set of silver spectacles, placing them on her knows as she landed forward and inspected Brenner, "What I understand is that the caster weaves a portion of their own aether into another person, and over time it corrupts the host with whatever affliction they desire."

The glasses were delicately carved with small runes along the rims, and the glass was slightly blue in color. Through them, Lyra could see Brenner's aura, dim but still quite vibrant. She was no semblance user, but even without that instinctual knowledge, Lyra could sense something was... off.

"I do not see any obvious signs of a curse." she said finally, sitting back but still staring at Brenner, "But there is something there."

She raised a hand to point toward Brenner's chest, toward his heart that Lyra could see awash in red light. She looked up to meet Brenner's eyes, "I will not pry, but if you wish for the most out of my help I will need you to tell me more about how you became... like this."

[Brenner Dornkirk]

“Ah, then you’ve an industrious spirit of your own. I knew as much from your Southerly ambitions espoused in our last meeting, but your efficiency is to be applauded. Were you acquainted with Talon before coming hither, or did you charm him so effortlessly as to enter his inner circle in so short a time?”

He smiled faintly,

“My father is indeed an impressive man from whom I’ve learnt a lot…” Brenner would not elaborate on the negative qualities vestigial to his difficult rise to prominence. His ardent obsession to be accepted in a class of society that deplores new blood, and his wholesale acceptance of backward customs intended to prevent other industrious plebeians from rising as he did. He saw them as rivals, rather than potential allies in a united cause of modernisation.

“Ah, but the power of the superficial is not to be underestimated in posh circles. An handsome elf in footman’s livery is a better investment than sculptures or paintings… They’re cheaper and they’ll sing for their supper, as it were…”

He listened intently as Lyra spoke to his condition. His eyes widened as he grew increasingly anxious about her hypotheses. A hex like what she described could be the end of his career as an officer of the Zaichaeri State. Worse, it could reflect poorly on his family and even lead to incarceration, experimentation and execution. He knitted his brow and looked down at the hands fidgeting in his lap.

A soft sigh of relief escaped his lips when she noted no outward signs of a curse, but the unknown “something” that she could see was cold comfort indeed. It might have been something even worse…

“I… wish I could tell you more. I can say that I breached the Warrens South of my city and spent many days exploring their depths. It was upon my return that these changes started to reveal themselves. If I came into contact with anything that might have bestowed a curse upon me, I can’t recall it. I vied with sundry beasts, but nothing that seemed particularly intelligent. I came into contact with ghostblooms, fungelione and other such strange flora, fauna and hybrids of the twain…”

[Lyra]

Lyra did not reply to the questions regarding Talon, smiling as she had before to indicate she would not reveal that information so easily. It was one thing for the Commander to know they were acquainted, or friendly even. It would be another if he knew that her original escapades were backed by House Novalys itself. Perhaps one day she could mention it, but not now while their relationship was so new.

"Salem is more than a footman. He runs most of my estate as my butler, but I give you that he is quite fine to look at." Perhaps too easy on the eyes, for his charms were growing a tad annoying given how he drew the eyes of many men and women wherever they went. It wasn't magical, for Lyra would have noticed that, but rather the sheer force of his charisma. That man could cause a corpse's heart to race had he the mind to.

So it was a trip to the Warrens. Lyra thought as Brenner gave what little information he could, Whatever could have drawn your attention there?

Perhaps most interesting was that the man had been able to reach the Warrens from Zaichaer, or so it seemed at least. Did that place truly expand so much of the region? It seemed fantastical, but given her own experiences, Lyra was not quick to dismiss the possibilities.

A glance out the window showed that they were nearing their destination. Lake Udori was in sight, and down a curving path away from the rest of the marketplace, near the edge of the lake itself, rested her manor. The Wisteria trees that lined the path up to the entrance were dormant now, their limbs like a cage around the carriage as it passed beneath them, letting light through while making it seem as though they could never escape.

"The Warrens is a mysterious place, especially the deeper levels." Lyra said, looking away from the window toward Brenner once more, "There are things there that can confound the mind, and twist the soul. It could be that you encountered such a thing and the memory of it was stripped from you."

That was right. The deeper levels of the Warrens were where Lyra had been found as well. If a prison meant to hold her could be found in the white desert of the Third Deep, then certainly other powerful beings could reside there as well. That glow in the center of Brenner's chest thumped steadily with unusual power. She thought it was magical, but the longer she looked the more she wondered.

"I have a special place in my home that I will take you." She said, sipping from her glass once more as the carriage began to slow in front of the manor, "There we can examine what is happening more closely. I do not know if I can stop it, but I can make it so that no others in Kalzasi will even notice the changes."

The door began to open but Lyra put a hand on the handle to halt it, "To do this, however, I will require an oath from you to keep what you see a secret from others, as well as a promise of compensation in the future." She smiled, "I will be magnanimous when the time of payment comes, I assure you."