"Dancing in the Dark" [Brenner]

[Lyra]

"Imbibing?" cracked one eye and chuckled, "It is a local liquor served warm. I do not know its name though, but I am told it is common in other regions that enjoy outdoor and public baths. I quite enjoy it, but it isn't overly strong."

"If only that could be true," Lyra said in response to Brenner's comment on the health benefits of the bath, "But even magic has limits, though so many try to ignore them or bypass them."

Lifting her own cup with her fingertips Lyra stared at the painted designs on it's wooden surface before taking another sip herself.

"Tell me of your family." Lyra said suddenly, "Are they like you? So devout to the cause?"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"It is pleasant enough." Brenner acknowledged, placing the cup back down. "Nevermind that it isn't very strong. I've still got my gin." He noted as he sipped that next.

"My family?" He took in a deep, steamy breath and let it out. "Well, I've told you a bit about my father. Mother is a Gelerian noble who moved to Zaichaer as a young adult. I've never met any of her family, and she isn't overly fond of dwelling on her past, but... Well, we were raised with a marked awareness of our distaff culture. We spoke Kathalan around the house and so forth." He shrugged one bare shoulder.

"My brother is like the taller, handsomer version of me... Well, more so than usual given my current state, but he was always quicker to build muscle and hold a tan, whilst I was turning red as a cooked lobster in the sun. We both have great hair, though, if it isn't too immodest to say." He observed with a playful chuckle.

"And yes. We are all rather devout. I think, um..." He paused and pondered, before articulating his thoughts. "I think, because we are a newer name of note in Zaichaer, we've always pushed a little further than those who are more established. That was my father's doing, though my mother helped." He pursed his lips, unsure if he was getting his meaning across.

"That is to say, we had no laurels upon which to rest- Only money. So it was incumbent upon us to prove ourselves by being ever on top of the latest fashion trends, displaying greater largesse to charitable concerns, evoking a more patriotic Zaichaeri spirit than our peers who think they are our betters. It is often, thus, I think... That the newly uplifted display more nobility than the actual nobles. That was us, but as for the, um... the 'cause', such as it is? I think I'm probably the most strident in the family. At least the most outwardly so, but that could also just be that I'm the most extroverted member of our little clan...

"And what of you, Lyra? Have you any family? Where are you even from, originally?" He'd only recently learnt she wasn't a native of Kalzasi, after all.

[Lyra]

So he was Gelerian. The fact was not surprising, neither was the upbringing which he described with a mixture of tones that suggested a mixture of fondness and deeper frustration that perhaps even he did not realize he possessed. Was he compared often to that more handsome brother? Was he expected to uphold the family ideals to a greater degree than his siblings? The struggles of a father who fought to put his family into a position of prosperity would undoubtedly bleed the family in unforeseen ways. That sort of pressure could not be taken on without the burden being shared by even the youngest of the family. Lyra was beginning to understand this man more and more.

"You carry quite the burden. I do not envy you your position." Lyra looked over to Brenner and smiled before finishing her cup and setting it on the side of the bath.

"A family... I am certain I had one once." She began. Her brows pinched together in a thoughtful expression, "A mother, yes, who had expectations for me. A father who I think hated me. It has been so long, and I cannot even remember their faces."

She did look troubled at the realization, but rather curious as she sat up to look at Brenner, "My home, or the place I am from is no more. I suspect if I told you about it you would not believe me," She paused and smiled, "Or you would detest me more than you already do."

Again she paused, not hesitating but rather considering as she looked at Brenner, "I told you a bit of my past, of how I suffered at the hands of those who misused magic and took away a part of me. It was more than my ability to bear runes of magic that they took Brenner." Raising a hand Lyra tapped her temple with one finger, "What they did... Frayed my soul and tore my mind to tatters. I lost myself, whole pieces of what made me who I was, and again I lost more when what fragile wisps remained were shattered into dust."

For some reason the words... hurt, and it made Lyra frown and look away and up to the open sky that was darkening enough to see stars. Was it because she had not told anyone else this before? No, she had spoken of such to Naila in the past, in told others pieces. Perhaps it was the company, or the situation that she found herself in.

"Much of my time before coming to Kalzasi is like a tapestry filled with holes." Chuckling Lyra picked up her cup and refilled it, "Even now I feel the edges of my mind beginning to unwind, like there is a small crack in the glass of my soul that is steadily leaking out onto dessert sands."

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Do I?" Brenner tilted his head, considering the supposition. "If I carry a burden, it doesn't feel like one to me. I know that I am a child of privilege, in the end. Even more so than Stefan who can remember a bit of the time before father had accrued his wealth. And, being so, I feel that much more of a sense of duty to the State that afforded me so many boons. Not all who are patriots find an easy, natural course to that state of being, but I did. Sacrifices must be made, but I am happy to make them for a Greater Good."

The Air Commander tilted his head, a bit bemused at the way Lyra posed her response to his questions about her background. It was odd that she seemed so uncertain... that her memories seemed so clouded over. She seemed to be working to draw up the recollections as if they were remote, nebulous things. Still, he did pause to insert.

"I do not detest you, Lyra. I only think you are misguided on some subjects, though you doubtless think the same of me." He bobbed in the water, drawing slightly closer as she elaborated upon her own affliction as they took a break from broaching his. His brow furrowed in concern, as her words grew more impassioned, but also less comprehensible.

"You sound as though you are at some manner of crossroads." He noted. "I suspect the same is true of me..." He extended his arm, and regarded the black rivulets that crisscrossed his forearm, just beneath the moon pale skin.

"I think, Lyra, that you shall change me or I shall change you or both of us shall change the other. I do not know, but I hope it is for the betterment of our souls and of the world we twain inhabit. I-..." He winced and the outstretched hand snapped back toward his chest and clenched into a fist as he felt a strange churning and a surplus of heat. The blackened veins at his neck were protruding with strain as he lurched forward, his face nearly dipping into the water as he felt the heat emanate and spread out as if through his very bones until they burned.

The moment seemed to pass, and he lifted his bloodshot eyes to regard Lyra once more.

"Apologies. That happens from time to time... More frequently than I'd like, particularly of late."

[Lyra]

Lyra examined the blackened veins on Brenner's forearm when he lifted it above the waters. It looked so strange, like an affliction yet it acted so unlike any affliction she had ever seen. Some of what he said did resonate with her, that she was at a crossroads and would need to make a choice. Lyra felt that she had done nothing but make conflicting choices since the day she arrived in Kalzasi, but that was life for mortals she suspect. It was something she was not entirely used to, and if she had lived with such decisions in the past she could not remember. A part of her hated that she had to decide on what she would be and where she would go, for so long she had simply been without the need of thought. It was tempting, to live as instinct without care of the world or the self, but now that she did hold a somewhat singular mind Lyra thought that living like the wind might be more limiting than living in a cage.

When the convulsions took him Lyra sat up and set her cup aside, eyes focused and watching with interest as the veins stood out beneath pale skin. Her eyes though traveled down to his chest which he clutched, and she could see the rhythmic thumping clearly through the man's chest. It was unsettling, like the man's heart struggled to beat from his chest with more force than a human organ should have. As the episode seemed to pass Lyra slid closer and rested her hand against his chest, but immediately pulled it back as the heat burned her skin to the touch.

"Curious..." She whispered, rubbing her fingers together before examining Brenner's bloodshot eyes, "These spasms, are they random or is there a pattern to them?"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"The fever is severe, is it not?" Brenner frowned profusely. The doctors he'd consulted had seemed alarmed, but being Zaichaeri men of science, they were reticent in their assessment of the unknown. Despite of their reservedness, Brenner could tell from their reactions that they felt out of their depth... That his affliction was wholly unknown to them. It was that response that had put him in mind of seeking out Lyra's aid.

"The spasms seemed random, at first, but now that they're happening more often they seem regular as clockwork... Slowly increasing in frequency and intensity." He forced a smile, "It's rather like a woman in labour having contractions." A notion crossed his mind and the smile collapsed.

"Mists, I hope I'm not gravid with some foetal demon or Warren-dwelling insectoid egg sack..." He shivered at the thought, and shook his head.

"At any rate, they present in different ways. Most of the time I feel like my bones are on fire... The whole of my skeleton just aflame with searing pain, but sometimes it's more localised. My stomach, for instance, has grown quite finicky. Sometimes I'm ravenous and other times the notion of so much as a biscuit nauseates me. As for the veins..." He lifted his arm and tilted the soft underside up extending it out for Lyra's examination. "That's new. I only started noticing that they seemed darker within the week. At first I thought it was just because I've grown so pale, but now they're almost black." He pursed his lips,

"I'm lucky I packed for Frost in Kalzasi, so I have plenty of high collars to stave off the chill and conceal my symptoms." The blackness of the veins had crept up his neck, but his face still seemed unblemished, albeit pale.

[Lyra]

"Were you much hotter," Lyra began with a playful smile, "I could give you water to boil."

She did not shy away from him or give any indication that she was uncertain or intimidated by what he said. Her gaze was steady, and despite the heat, she laid a hand over his chest and felt the thumping of his heart. If there was a pattern, then given time Lyra could find it. She could understand it, and she could comprehend it. Those were the thoughts that edged her mind that did not quite bubble to the surface.

"Your concerns are noted," Lyra said dryly to his remarks, "Pray that I do not have a similar reaction should I become subjected to your spawn one of these days."

Pain and symptoms that moved about, but not to single areas of the body, but rather to entire systems within. The bones, the organs, skin... Paired with the growing frequency it seemed almost like.

"A purge." She said softly, though her expression was puzzled like she didn't quite believe what she said. A finger traced the dark veins on Brenner's arm, pausing at the shoulder where she traced small circles over his pale skin. She had come so close she was nearly in his lap, and without thought, she settled herself there fully.

"You are certain you can tell me no more of what transpired on your... trip?" Lyra took Brenner's head in her hands, bringing her face within inches of his. Her eyes flicked down to his lips, but with a smile, she turned his head from side to side so she could look at his ears and under his chin. She even used her fingers to open his jaws to peer down his throat.

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Why, without the grim context, I might think you were flirting with me..." Brenner played along, smirking. At her next jape, though, his expression flattened out a bit.

"I have to admit I was a bit nervous that I might have 'subjected you to my spawn' when we coupled back in Zaichaer..." He hadn't used any prophylactics, unplanned as that epilogue to their meeting was. "I was actually considering a betrothal to a young woman there, at the time, but... I fear her interest did not survive my month abroad of the High City and I've not seen much of her.

"In faith, I felt rather guilty after our tryst... Not that any promises were made and not that she'd any right to my chastity, but-" He shook his head sharply, "Now I'm relieved I acted on the impulse. Had I declined your advances for the sake of a woman who would later spurn me, I think I might have regretted that for the rest of my years..." A point which felt all the more salient when Lyra began to examine him up close with intimate, tactile contact.

A light sigh escaped his lips as she grazed his skin with touches so tender he was forced to wonder whether there was any actual audit of his symptoms was being performed. It felt more sensual than science... Especially when she wended her way onto his lap. He tried to will away the evidence of his carnal interest, but his body betrayed him- as it so often did these days. He might have blushed had he the blood to spare.

"I'm..." He sighed, "I'm afraid not much. I came in contact with some strange fungi... Some upon the walls, and some in feline form. We fended off a few other attacks, but... Once we got to the Fademire, well... My memories are like the steam wafting off the surface of this bath. When I think I have a grasp on a moment, it dissipates into thin air."

[Lyra]

His professed guilt over their little act was adorable, and the thought likely showed on Lyra's expression as she continued her examination. Though she wished it, she would not embarrass him here when he had opened up so much to her. To state that this body was barren would be like pulling a horse up short of the finishing, jarring and ultimately pointless.

There were no obvious signs that his body had turned on itself from natural causes. His throat was clear of abscess, there were no marks on the skin that could have been from hives or boils, and the gums were their normal pinkish coloring. Lyra would have expected some greater outward sign of rejection, or perhaps a more violent and prolonged episode that ended in the man's death as many of her test subjects had when she worked with her black blood. When she had tried to alter their blood from the inside the rats would bodily reject the process, often violently until they had either clawed out their own innards or burst from within. Brenner showed no signs of that, and what's more his episodes were cyclic, growing steadily stronger over time. What that implied she couldn't be sure.

"Women are fickle creatures Commander. Eventually we all lose interest, and the man is left to wonder what he could have done to hold our attention." Feeling his excitement Lyra glanced down from her inspection of him chuckled, "Take comforted, for at least one part of you is still quite functional."

Satisfied she let her hands trail down to rest on Brenner's shoulders, merely looking at him now as she considered his words.

"Mobile fungus?" she asked, amused, though her smile faded slightly, "Tell me... how deep into the Warrens is the Fademire?"

[Brenner Dornkirk]

"Are women prone to be more fickle than men?" Brenner wondered aloud as his body relaxed against her touch- Well, most of it at any rate. "I've heard it was the other way around, but I think I buck that trend. To me, loyalty is all important. My heart belongs first to the State of Zaichaer, but my stalwart spirit has room to spare for family, as well. Eventually..." He turned his eyes from her, "That will doubtless mean a wife."

He froze, taken aback when she openly referenced his arousal. After a beat, he couldn't help but laugh out loud at her wit. It was a loud, full-chested guffaw that echoed throughout the resonant chamber that housed the baths. He was embarrassed, so the jest granted an outlet for the discomfort and he laughed the harder for that reason.

"Mobile and rather aggressive fungus." Brenner confirmed, able to chuckle about the experience with the distance of months, though it had been quite terrifying at the time.

"Mists, we trekked through the Second Deep for the better part of a week, following ghostblooms until they ultimately led us to the Fademire." He explained, thinking back to that time. The expedition had started out so exhilarating, but after time, exhaustion and waning rations had begun to take their toll, tensions rose and connections began to fray. Finding the Fademire had been such an exciting, renewing moment for them... It was a shame his memory grew so murky thereafter. He'd been warned about the mind-altering effects of that part of the Warrens ahead of time and they'd come prepared with the tools to stave off the worst of it, but still he came out of the experience with little recollection of some of the most important moments of the entire endeavour.