Shake It Out [Rivin]

[Sivan]

"You are welcome," he repeated, word and gesture. Sivan slowed it down a bit, enunciated more clearly, though not so much that the man might be offended.

"A bit," he agreed. He had more than a bit of alchemy, but he didn't want to brag, nor overstate his skill. Master Jacun was a true genius when it came to these things, whereas Sivan was more of a hard worker. "Oh, no. It shouldn't affect things like that, just the extreme cold. You could still get hypothermia, so don't get drunk and pass out in an alley or anything, but... you should be more comfortable so long as you take care of yourself." His smile was awkward, but genuine. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rivin. I... don't mean to be rude, but are you part Dratori? My mother is, though I take after my father's blood."

His smile flattened a bit. All his parentage had meant was that he wasn't Hytori enough in Silfanore and he wasn't Dratori enough in Dalquor. At least in Kalzasi, he was just another oddity, but so was Rivin. He just didn't know whether his question would be invasive or normal, and so he had offered a bit of his own pedigree.

Rivin seemed ravenous, so Sivan offered a few tidbits of information in between his own bites, which came at a more measured pace.

"I'm an apprentice of Master Jacun. If you need more of the elixir, just stop by his shop in the Plaza of Jeweled Arches. Across the street from the Roasted Hen, which also has good food if you are in the neighborhood."

All the while, he was slowly eating, slowly filling the man in on the neighborhood since he seemed to be a foreigner, and slowly scanning his aura for answers to the question that burned in Exael like a (literally) holy flame.

It wasn't until Rivin slowed down that he diffidently asked, "Did you know that a demon has marked you?"

[Rivin]

His mind ran the words through several times, trying to get the sound of them embedded properly even as he filled his stomach as quickly as he could without making himself sick. It wasn't that he hadn't eaten on the journey, only that his body was used to more food, of better quality, and less activity. He could run for more than a mile around the inside of a courtyard but it turned out that walking from sunrise to beyond its Frost setting was entirely different.

He was leaner than he had been when he'd boarded Commander Angevin's ship, harder. He spared a thought to hope that the man hadn't been punished in any way for assisting in his escape. It seemed unlikely since Ilex wouldn't have advertised Rivin's slavery or his escape. A quiet, insidious search was certainly underway, but to cause trouble for the Commander his loss would have to be admitted.

The question as to his heritage felt odd, and it made his mind reel for a moment. The whole situation felt suddenly like he'd been sucked into one of the adventure stories he'd spent most of his life buried in. He was in a tavern, having met a helpful stranger, and they were now having a conversation that involved both magic and small talk. It was exactly like a storybook. Was this what normal life was like? Were the stories only made-up versions of realistic events? Based on the histories he'd read, it seemed unlikely. The world was made up of washerwomen more than wanderers.

Realizing he was taking too long to answer he covered by taking a swallow of the ale in his mug and then said,

"Yes. My father was Dratori. I think he was. My mother thought he was. I never saw him."

His father had likely also had Lysanrin blood somewhere in his history, though that was something Rivin had only realized after reading the lineage books Ilex kept on all his test subjects. Mixing the blood of many Lysanrin seemed as important as mixing the Lysanrin with other races.

The use of the honorific 'Master' was not the same in Kalzasi as it was in the Imperium. Rivin had to keep reminding himself of that. Sivan was not a slave to this Jacun, only worked for him. While he reassured himself of this fact his researcher's mind collected all the information he was being offered and squirreled it away for when he would need it.

When the stew was gone he made himself stop and assess how his body was feeling before ordering more. Scooping up the last of the gravy with a price of the hot bread, he ate this more slowly. Eating enough to make himself sick would only cause his paranoia to flare and his night to end in misery.

Halfway through chewing a bite Sivan's newest question caught him like a strong hand wrapped around his tail. He didn't choke, not quite, but he did turn and stare without swallowing. It wasn't Sivan he was staring at, though that was where he was looking. His mind raced through all the available information and came to a very definite conclusion that he had been entirely absent of until that moment.

"Oh." He said.

Laughter echoed in the furthest reached of his consciousness, fading out quickly but leaving an afterimage that lingered like burning.

Rivin's eyes refocused on Sivan and he spoke very slowly,

"Yes. I think I do know that."

[Sivan]

"My mother is Dratori," he supplied, tit for tat, "and my father is— was Hytori." He had intimated as much, but felt as though he ought to spell it out for clarity's sake. It was unwise to assume what another person might or might not know.

When he asked the inevitable question, the man seemed almost surprised and then resigned, though Sivan wasn't the best at reading people. So the elf just nodded.

"I was talking to a Celestial who demanded I look into it," he admitted. "I know one can summon an Infernal without being evil. I'm not trying to get you into any trouble, but I suppose... if you are in trouble... Well, you have no reason to trust me, I suppose, but I might be able to help."

Part of his long engagement with Exael was to ensure that he didn't just want a body to ride to enact some holy jihad against some evildoers. There were unbending, unyielding Celestials that frightened him as much as any Infernal. Sivan pulled a bit of scratch parchment and a pencil out of his bag and began to write a few things down.

"It can be difficult to find affordable housing here that isn't a scam," he explained. "I got lucky when I got here a year ago. I'm writing down the name and address of the person who helped me find my cottage. And a couple of inns that I can vouch for. The Crown and Lion in the Low-City is inexpensive, but it is clean and the proprietor is fair. If you don't bring them trouble, they won't give you any. Their food is also good, and sometimes the music." He set the parchment between them. Jacun's address was on there as well.

"I'm not going to follow you or anything."

He went back to his food, which he was eating at a much more sedate pace.

[Rivin]

The idea that they shared blood did not make Rivin feel immediately kin to Sivan. All those his own age that he had ever met (aside from a couple he had ignored that were part of the caravan from Zaichaer) had shared some of the racial blood in his veins. But, oddly, after a few moments, as they spoke, it did begin to make him feel a draw. The elf spoke Rivach, which could greatly increase Rivin's own working knowledge of the language, he was helpful, not condescending, and didn't seem to be judging Rivin for... anything. Yet.

"I can tell your Celestial nothing of one I am bonded to." It was simple fact, stated with the same vague resignation. Taking a long, hard look at Sivan Rivin tried his best to read the man with all he'd learned trying to protect his own life.

"Are you also a Summoner?" Rivin knew much, but formal training was something he lacked. Perhaps it wasn't needed, but, if the demon living in his head was any indication, perhaps it was.

When the answer came he nodded, still looking intently and openly at the blond man. At last he nodded, once, as though to himself and said,

"I am not in trouble. I have left trouble, only some weeks ago, and it might find me again at any time."

There wasn't anything specific in the admission, nothing that might lead back to the Doctor, nothing truly dangerous. Yet still, it felt vulnerable.

With what he had taken, in both coin and goods, from Ilex, it seemed likely the man would start looking for Rivin in the nicer areas of the city, and in places that could be rented. Staying with a random elf, who did not seem overly well off, though also not impoverished, struck him as an exceptionally good place to hide. But it was not a place to stay he was being offered, he realized as the paper was passed to him. Respectable inns sounded nice, but the very issue of being looked for there kept him from seriously considering it. He would have to find a place to lodge that was less official.

Sivan had been trying to be helpful so far, so Rivin ventured,

"I should not stay at an inn, they are easy to find, and I am not ready to procure a house of my own, yet. Do you know of anyone looking for a lodger?"

Deciding that he was still hungry he ordered a second bowl of the stew, which he would tucked into more slowly when it arrived. The flavor of the lingering alchemical potion mixed with the spices nicely. If it wasn't so obviously prohibitive to use alchemy as a flavor aid, he might had developed a taste for it.

"I would be willing to pay for your help. I do not know this city, but I do not wish to sleep without a roof anymore."

[Sivan]

Once we have bonded, I might be able to rip the Infernal out of him.

Sivan blinked. So, now we are certainly bonding?

We will discuss this when we are in your home again.

"I am a Summoner," he averred. "I was a Spiritwalker first, and the wild spirits assured me I would survive the initiation, so it was the first one I took. I've gotten rather good at it, I think. So have you from the power of your aidolon."

He let the man eat in peace for the most part, until he started asking about people taking boarders.

"I don't. But the proprietors of those places, or the person who helped me find lodging, they might know someone. If that doesn't pan out, you can find me and I will try to help. Master Jacun's workshop and storefront are in the Plaza of Jeweled Arches. People ought to be able to direct you, but I wrote that address down, too. And mine. It's in the same neighborhood."

If the man had been seeking a spot in his home, it had flown over his head entirely. Common didn't seem to be either of their first languages.

"It doesn't feel right to take money for it, but if that makes you feel better, I suppose I can." He frowned. He knew he was going to have to get better about money if he was going to support himself after his apprenticeship, if he was going to support IX and Flower and the spirits and his enchanted garden.

"Anyway, an inn should be safe enough for a little while. Trouble doesn't know you came to Kalzasi specifically, does it?"

Trouble had found Sivan in Kalzasi, but he was doing what he could to secure his home better.

[Rivin]

The demon stirred inside Rivin, but so deeply and so quiet that he barely felt it. The idea that it too, might be hiding bloomed in Rivin's head like a tree waking to Glade's warmth. He blinked, and it made him realize how exhausted he was. Perhaps, an inn, for only one night, would be alright. It was too late in the evening to procure a more long-term lodging space, so the options were an inn, or the streets, again.

Attention turning back to Sivan he tried to keep his expression neutral as he scanned through his memories of the one book he'd ever read on Summoning. The implications that the demon in his brain was his aidolon were not comfortable. It would be a discussion for another time.

"I did not have a teacher. I am not fully familiar with all the terms." It was true, as much as it was also a lie. He could hope that would be enough.

"I will figure it out." Was the answer to the answer to his inquiry as to housing, sounding more tired than he had meant to let out. Rivin would figure it out. As disconcerting as the demon was, it seemed very likely it would not allow his host to starve or die of exposure. It even seemed to be concerned with his dignity, more than Rivin himself was, and Ilex did not know where he had come, it was true. He had considered going to another continent, and perhaps he should have, but enough of panic had been in him to take the first caravan leaving for a destination he might blend in to.

"No," His voice was quiet as he stared down at his mostly empty second bowl, "Trouble doesn't know."

Rivin could only hope that was true.

Coming back to himself as much as his tired mind would allow him he gestured gratitude again.

"You have been helpful." It hinted at surprise, as though helpfulness was an unusual quality.

"Let me pay for this meal, at least. I am not familiar with the currency here." Pulling out a single gold coin, he laid it on the bartop.

"Is this sufficient?" It felt like it should be. Gold was a lot, he thought.

[Sivan]

"Power without skill can be dangerous," he said, though he softened it with his expression.

Clearly, if he is host to that powerful an Infernal.

"But you have ways to find me now if you have questions." He didn't think it would be helpful for him to demand that the man come to him for training. That would likely lead to some sort of magical battle to prove himself, which wasn't his way at all.

Sometimes force is required.

Sivan nodded in commiseration. He could only imagine how tired one would be if they were being ridden by a demon. When he pulled out gold, though, Sivan's eyes widened a bit. He nodded, though.

"Thank you for dinner. That will cover it, and more. You could have another bowl. I could, as well, and we could have more drinks. And you would still have enough to tip our bartender well enough that you would be welcome the next time you came. Perhaps... perhaps I ought to come with you to ensure you find a place for the night and that you don't... well, no, the places I wrote down won't steal your money. They will offer fair prices."

All the same, he was perturbed. The man was exhausted. People who were exhausted made mistakes...

Like bonding to Infernals.

"When you are ready to seek your bed, I will lead you so you don't have to find it on your own. Or, if you prefer, I will let you go alone. But it seems like you don't know anyone here so... you know where to find me if you have questions or need help or... anything." He frowned. Helping strangers was how he ended up guarding the tree that kept Flower alive. Nor would he abandon IX. Even Destyn was a lost puppy of sorts. Perhaps he latched onto the broken ones for a reason. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but he could hardly examine it here and now.

[Rivin]

Rivin listened, making his tired mind do the math however much it wanted not to. Putting the gold coin away he replaced it with enough silver to cover their meal and still leave the type of tip the elf implied was generous. Many stories had expounded on the virtue of being generous with servants and working people.

"A teacher would be of use to me. Perhaps we can come to an arrangement when I have found somewhere to be." The sentence was not polished, but it would make sense, mostly. Rivin needed to find a place to live, but he was to worried about being tracked to find a place that belonged to him on anything like a permanent basis. He would need to develop a network of temporary homes until he could figure out a solution. Perhaps, if he was able to get professional training with summoning he could bond spirits strong enough that he would be able to worry less. Guardian spirits, like guard dogs, to watch over him as he slept, to keep strangers out of his home. It was an idea worth exploring.

Pushing away the, now empty, second bowl he nodded to the bartender with what he hoped was an acceptable expression.

"If you would not mind pointing me in the right direction, explaining to me how to get to the right area, I would be more grateful."

Rivin was not good with directions yet, his mind struggled with the unfamiliar finding of his own way, but, if the alchemical potion worked as Sivan had said it would, at least the Lysanrin would not be cold while he looked. The idea was greatly appealing. It would be a struggle to make himself find an inn for the night if he walked outside and felt only warm. Curling up in a doorway or corner was foolishness, but anywhere warm was a drawing idea. Like a bath.

The idea spark something that would motivate him to find a proper resting place. As they stood and made their way back toward the door he asked,

"Are any of the places you suggested equipped with bathing facilities? The road has left stains that I would be pleased to soak out."

[Sivan]

Sivan also managed a smile for the bartender. His face was familiar enough that the elf felt fairly comfortable here. Pleased that the familiar face would be happy with his tip, Sivan agreed to the strange man's request. Once the meal and their drinks were finished and he was certain Exael was appeased, he got up to make good on that agreement. The elf walked with him to the edge of the Plaza of Jeweled Arches, giving as much knowledge as he thought a tired mind could absorb about how the neighborhood was situated and the city laid out. At the main thoroughfare, he pointed him in the direction of those establishments he had listed, pointing out which ones he suspected had the best bathing facilities.

As they stood on the corner, he considered the man. He had his distrust of strangers warring with his desire to help, the angel on his shoulder preaching caution while his instincts screamed to take a chance.

"Just a moment," he said, and then quickly unwrapped his scarf from around his own neck and carefully wrapped it around the Lysanrin's. Then, an order in Rivach: "Khal-syfer. Warm the horned man's raiment."

The fire sprite, quite robust and complex for its kind, flared into view and then swarmed around Sivan's dinner date until all his clothes were toasty, and then it whirled playfully around Sivan's head like some sort of fiery halo. He smiled apologetically.

"Stay warm, traveler," he said, with a Rivach gesture of farewell. He turned away and began to walk home, giving the man the benefit of his back so he knew he wouldn't be following him. Caginess was understandable if he was escaping trouble.

Was that wise? Exael asked.

I don't know. I think it was kind, though.

The Celestial was thoughtfully silent on that count.

[Rune]

R E V I E W

Lore:

Sivan:
15

Rivin:
14


Points: 10 each, may be used for Summoning by either

Injuries/Ailments: None

Loot: None

Notes: New Frembs =)