Watching the Wheels [Rune]

[Aurin]

The Market
27th of Searing, Year 122 Steel

People say I'm crazy
Doing what I'm doing
Well, they give me all kinds of warnings
To save me from ruin
When I say that I'm okay, well, they look at me kind of strange
"Surely, you're not happy now, you no longer play the game"

Aurin grunted as he twisted, stretching sore muscles, before taking a seat at the bar, his back to the wall so he could keep an eye on his surroundings. He figured he was safe enough among the covens. If they were going to kill him, well, they outnumbered him and he was on their turf. But it seemed as though they were coming to accept him. Even now, he had another meeting scheduled. This pub was less intoxicating than the domain of the Myshalarai, but he wanted to keep his wits about him in any case. They had been more forthcoming, at least, which spoke to a growing rapport and trust. He had been told a representative of the Railrunners and another from the Kindred would meet with him.

It had occurred to him that, if he was successful, they might have to work out a schedule for his initiations. Masquerade and Semblance had been awful, mostly because they came simultaneously and he was fed some alchemical solution to blunt the effects of threshold sickness that only made it worse in some ways. But as long as they accepted him, he would consider it a win. With the largesse of the First Minister, he ought to be able to travel freely between the cities depsite the growing tensions; he could get his hands dirty helping targeted coven witches out, and perhaps they would complete initiation when he got them safely to Kalzasi.

There were plenty of ways things could go, though he supposed if things went well with the Railrunners, that ought to be his priority given he was trying to become a terminus for their underground railroad.

But he tried not to overthink things before there was something to think about. His eyes surveyed the room, wondering from whence his contacts would come.

[Rune]

The Railrunner was easy for him to spot, as it was the same woman who had initially pulled him aside for the chat that had led to these coven meetings. She didn't look quite as young this time, and nowhere near as innocent, with no Mesmer strings pulling at his heart. The second woman was slim and tall, tanned with dark hair and a presence that spoke of peace and calm without any need to employ magic.

Valencia sat down across from Aurin and the other woman sat beside him with a nod and a small smile.

"This is Farza, of the Kindred" The white-blond haired women introduced, the other woman nodded again but didn't speak. After the brief introduction she pulled out a sheaf of papers and places in on the table. "I have drawn up the contract you requested. Its the same as we had with our last agent in Kalzasi, with a few adjustments."

She pointed out the adjustments with the back end of a pen. The pen could be felt moving through the air to anyone with the ability to sense aether. It didn't seem to be doing anything at the moment, but if one looked close they could see hundreds of tiny Scrivened symbols, carved in the amber of the body.

Both women seemed content to let him read and reread over the contract as much as he wanted. After about ten minutes the Kindred raised a finger to get Valencia's attention, something seemed to pass between the two women but then she shook her head and the space above the seat beside the Railrunner shimmered and coalesced until a form appeared. It was decidedly not human, seeming to be made of constantly climbing vines, if they were climbing something invisible in the vague shape of a humanoid. The vines in the space of the head formed a face of sorts that changed expressions only when the vines grow away and again.

Greetings, I am Muin. The head inclined slightly, I am Farza's Aidolon. I am her voice, when she needs one.

The voice spoke Common and was easy to understand but at the same time it sounded as though it were made up of the rustling of leaves as the wind moved through trees. The Aidolon turned to it's bonded and something passed between them for a moment before the creature of vines turned back to Aurin.

Farza would like to know if there is anything that you hold sacred, any form of life?

[Aurin]

A contract he understood. Valencia he knew. This was a less unsettling meeting than he had shared with Eshar of the Myshalarai. But now he was one of them, and now he had the Whispers following him around. Some, perhaps, wanted to ensure he made good on their bargain; others, perhaps, wanted to make sure he survived to do so. One of Jacq's was leaning against the bar, keeping an eye on him and everything. But that only helped him relax a mite.

There was magic in the parchment, in the pen, in the women at his table and the people all around. After introducing him to the Kindred and explaining the changes in the contract, Valencia was silent.

His eyes shot up as the women communicated, and he peered at the empty seat, sensing the shift in the aether before the Wild thing appeared.

He blinked.

"Good day, Muin," he said, unsure whether he ought to shake its limb or not. "Sacred?"

Aurin sounded dubious, looking from Muin to Farza.

"I don't know that I do," he admitted. "Life taught me to look out for myself because nobody else would. But I have people now... and they are sacred to me, I suppose. I don't know if that word is correct. I'm not a religious man. But you care about one person, you have to care about more people, and I've found that circle expanding. The Myshalarai have taken me in. The Grymalka have accepted me. Sort of. I don't love them, but they are my people now, as well. I grew up in cities, but... now I regularly take my people out into the green places. My boy has a garden and it... hm, it's peaceful to sit out there as the sun is going down, the wolf pup patroling for small game. His friend is a summoner... apparently his garden is a sanctuary for spirits and... life."

He shrugged. He hadn't seen it, but Torin spoke of it almost reverentially. Aurin rather thought the Kindred would take a shine to the elf.

"Ah... he's a friend of Urs' as well. You might ask him more. Sorry, didn't mean to deflect. I think the answer is... I'm starting to. I don't know if that's an acceptable answer."

[Rune]

Valencia glanced between Aurin and Farza while the Earth Spirit Muin expressed its Aidolon's question. She was interested, but not in a professional way. Unless the Kindred declared anathema on Kavafis, whether they accepted him or not wouldn't change the contract or connection the Railrunners were forming with him. Still, it was interesting to see the man under this sort of pressure.

Farza's expression was sad at the first part of the answer, a slow sort of sorrow that spoke of knowing. Perhaps more than the fox-faced man would be comfortable with her knowing, Valencia mused. The Kindred's expression softened and then sort of perked, her head going slightly to one side as though to better see the man who was speaking. When he finished Farza looked at her Aidolon and they seemed to commune for a time, both swaying so minutely that only one looking for it would have noticed, as though they were moved by the same breeze. At last they both turned back to Aurin.

The journey you are on is your own, but it is reassuring to see the direction you choose. Something more passed between the two and Muin nodded what was in place of its head and restated, "We are reassured by your answer. The types of 'love' offered by the Myshalarai are not often safe; even those that are rarely remain so long. Knowing you are now counted among them had worried us, for there is little they hold sacred. Hmm."

The last was more of a sound then a word, a sort of wind through the trees pondering. More passed between the Kindred and the Spirit, she gestured, they both made expressions the same as if the conversation was happening aloud. When they both turned back to Aurin, Farza was giving him a gentle smile, almost tender, motherly without condescension. When Muin spoke it almost seemed to come from the woman, the tone more feminine, somehow.

We will think of you as a friend, Aurin Kavafis, and you may call on us if you have the need. Use our names to any Kindred and they will try to aid you, so long as your request is not one of destruction. We would appreciate it if you were to pass on our greeting to the Summoner you spoke of. If he is interested, we would like to correspond with your assistance. We would consider it a boon, and owe you one in return."

Having said this Farza rose, and Muin dissipated from view, the woman nodded to Valencia, who returned the nod, looking a little surprised, then made her way out of the establishment.

Valencia watcher her leave with raised brows before turning back to the man who would soon be the newest Railrunner.

"Well. That was unexpected." She sounded impressed, mild but genuine. "It isn't everyday a contract killer is offered the friendship of a Kindred. Her Aidolon came out and spoke to you too." She eyed him briefly, as if wondering what secrets Farza had noted of Aurin's soul to cause the reaction before going on,

"The only way she can speak now. The Order took her tongue when she was little more than a child. Not sure if they intended to make her one of them or make an example of her but she bonded that Spirit of her's and somehow it aided her in escape."

If she was watching him for a reaction, well, it was only fair, this was an interview of sorts, even if the conclusion was foregone.

[Aurin]

"Thank you, Muin, Farza. I would consider it an honor to have you as friends." The man was, oddly enough, serious. "I will certainly carry your greetings to Kalzasi, or if you would commit them to paper, I can carry them when I leave. The courier business is slightly less dangerous than playing Myshalarai games."

They would find him a strange bird, no doubt. He was now Myshalarai, but preferred to blend into the background and only strike when necessary. He was accepted by the Grymalka, but ignored the ghosts in his own life. When he signed this document and received a Rune, he would be a Railrunner, but he didn't travel as much as he used to. He wondered what it might mean to be a friend of the Kindred; they hadn't offered him their trick, but that was all right. They were friends and he was already doing them a service. That could build into a working relationship.

Aurin watched them depart, then turned back to Valencia.

"I was raised by a contract killer, but it's not my true profession. Information. Connections. I know I'm unexpected and brash, coming in here wanting to become a member of every coven of note." He shrugged. "Fortune favors the bold, I suppose. Also, these are interesting times, eh?"

His eyes continued to peruse the document. So far, he hadn't found anything to protest.

"As for connections, I know a particularly talented runeforger. He works with the summoner who... is also a alchemist and artificer. They seem to be going in together to create new wonders. If the covens need things... at least, I haven't heard of any major coven who crafts artefacts. Well, I have an in on them and I could smuggle them into the Market. I would just have to assure him that they would not be used against Kalzasern citizens, only the Order or in self-defense. That sort of thing."

Aurin would broker a deal for Torin, but if he could, he would let Torin be the connection with Sivan if the Kindred wanted a Summoner in Kalzasi, with Kala if the Grymalka wanted a Necromancer. Mists, if Arry and his minstrel hadn't left the continent, he might have tried to get them involved in all this.

"All right. You don't want my firstborn... You seem to be protecting me as well as yourselves, which is gratifying." He looked up. He hoped that once he proved himself, they could dissolve this contract and just treat him like any other Railrunner, but if not, it wasn't so odious a yoke. He twirled the amber stylus about between his fingers; its clear magical purpose had made him want to ask questions about runeforgers in the city, but he would have time to learn.

"Without further ado, then..."

Aurin signed the contract.

[Rune]

Valencia smiled at Aurin across the table, it was a subtly different smile then the more polite one she had worn in the presence of the Kindred woman, but no less friendly for that.

"If I'd been offended by the brashness of your intentions I'd have ended your suit that first day. The Covens need something to shake them up a bit. We've grown... content."

The last word came with a twist of her mouth to show how she felt about the state.

"We've reached a sort of equilibrium with the Order, they don't kill too many of ours and we don't kill too many of theirs. We keep ourselves quiet and they can tell everyone they are winning. Pshaw!"

The last sound was an imitation of spitting, which earned her the eye of the innkeeper till the man realized she hadn't actually soiled his floors.

"We've forgotten that it is a war we're fighting one for our right to exist and thrive. We shouldn't be skulking, ducking our heads and thinking our oppressors for the right to do so. But..."

She sighed, as though this was part of a larger conversation that usually involved other people,

"That isn't your problem. Not yet. Tonight your problem is this contract, and the room waiting for your upstairs where we'll find out if you can take the lines of reality all pressing in on you at once. They are doing it now, of course, always have been, but being able to see it happening... Well, I've seen people break under the strain in a matter of moments."

She let that sit for a long breath and then smiled again, "I think you'll be fine though. You survived a night in The Menagerie, and that also involved pressure from all sides, I've heard." He smile became something of an insinuating smirk here, but she asked no questions and only nodded when he took the Scrivener's Pen and made his mark. She felt it, like something settling into her bones, so there was no question of him trying to sign something that he didn't consider his.

"You seem to have all manner of contacts and mages willing to name you friend. A strong network bodes well for our partnership." Taking the pen back she slipped it into a little case and that into a pocket before rolling up the contract and depositing it into a scroll case. "Now that's tidy, we can get to the business of marking you. Is there a place you'd prefer it? Makes no difference to me, though somewhere obvious would feel almost sacrilegious to my people. I'll stay with you as you enter the Aetherium, make sure you don't get lost."

With an experienced guide the chances of an initiation gone wrong were slim, but not non-existent. Some people were unlucky, got attacked by something suddenly or attracted the attention of something too powerful for even the experienced mage to handle. Valencia would fight hard for a new Railrunner, but she wouldn't give up her life for one. She'd never lost anyone she'd drawn the rune on herself, but then, all of her previous attempts had been her own apprentices, who she knew, who she could predict. The night might be an interesting one.

"Unless you have something important planned for the evening..?" Here she stood and gestured towards the stairs.

[Aurin]

To Aurin's mind, the problem of the Order of Reconciliation was already his problem. He was Myshalarai now, and part of him wondered whether Myshala Herself would come sniffing after him at some point. His coven did revere her and while he wasn't particularly religious, he did believe the Dragon Gods and Mistlords existed. He didn't want to get on her bad side. And anyway, even as far as Kalzasi where their dogma was disregarded, the Order had most likely engineered the attack on Torin's minstrel friend. They were acting with impunity on his doorstep, and he wouldn't allow them to keep their foothold in what had become his home if he could help it, not so close to his people.

And now these were his people too. This was a great deal of responsibility, but it came with a great deal of power and spun the threads of his spiderweb of a network ever farther and wider. It gave him the ability to more carefully tend to his home and his people.

But he didn't disagree. He just nodded along with all she said, agreeing in general, though she didn't seem to want to delve too deeply into details just yet.

She took the contract and the magical stylus, and he didn't resist. He could sense the bonds tightening around him, but he also sensed the strength this contract would give him. She was now bound to mark him or see him initiated in the Railrunners' mysteries. Aurin had given, and he would receive. That settled onto his shoulders and he didn't bother hiding the nerves he felt with glamour or willpower.

"I've survived three," he said, "so I'm made of stern enough stuff, I think. But I know it's more of an art than a science, so I'm not foolish enough to think there's no risk. But now... we trust one another. We're bound. I know you will do right by me, and I will show you that I will do right by you. I suppose the contract just gives us a bit more confidence in each other." He smirked at her innuendo, but neither confirmed nor denied it. People did like to assume quite a bit about his sex life, and most people would be disappointed in some ways, perhaps titillated in others.

"Ah, do you have any advice about that?" he asked when she mentioned placement. He stood and nodded toward the door. Aurin would precede her if she insisted, but contract or no, he didn't like turning his back on people. "I have the entire day set aside for this meeting and whatever might come of it, so I'm at your disposal." When they were upstairs and in private, he doffed his clothes down to the waist, not to seduce or impress, but to show her his others. Masquerade hidden under his right bicep, now with a new shape within it, reminiscent of a stylized rose. Semblance under his left bicep. Negation on his right shoulder.

"I suppose left shoulder for symmetry, but..." He shrugged.

[Rune]

Raising a brow as she rose from the table Valencia gave him a nod of mild respect,

"Old hat to you then, that's reassuring." She said it almost as if she didn't know what runes were hidden under his clothes, and maybe she didn't. Privacy was something Railrunners respected in each other, if in few outside their numbers and who Aurin had come to them an outside she had suspected this is where they might end up.

Leading the way up the stairs she showed him into a bedroom that was neat and clean but not fancy. There was a middling size bed and a fire lit even though it was Searing. She removed her cloak and hung it on a peg before fetching back out the Scrivener's pen and a bottle of ink that would show up almost as strongly as the pen to Aurin's Semblance.

She shrugged a shoulder when he asked advice about the thing that mattered the least,

"You've gotten runes before, you're advanced enough to have given them." There was a question there but not one spoke, "Surely you know they can be anywhere. Though..." Here she tapped the end of the amber pen against her lower lip, "I've never seen one on an eye, actually, hm."

It sounded like she intended to do research later, but after just a moment she returned to the man. He bared himself, which was, she realized, a politeness not an intention for anything other than what they'd literally signed up for. Taking him up on the offer she barely touched him as she lifted one arm and then the other to examine his first two and then moving around without touching to view his newest.

"These first two, they are not skillfully done. No matter to your skill or ability, but the ones who did it either hadn't done it before or did not care about the outcome. This one, the newer, that was done with significant skill, even..." Her eyes narrowed which could be seen in the mirror on the wall they were both facing, but after a moment her eyes lifted and she only seemed thoughtful.

Nodding at the suggestion of symmetry as though it fit well inside her idea of how the world worked she moved over to the little table where she had placed the ink and pen and unbuttoned the tight sleeves of her dress so she could roll them up.

"You could lay down, or sit, if you wanted, but considering your height and how you memorize the exits to buildings you enter I imagine it would be more comfortable for us both if you remained standing while I draw the rune itself. First though," She took a seat and nodded to the single other chair, "You aren't my apprentice and I don't have time for all the lessons but I'd like to at least give you the syllabus."

What followed was a careful, well thought out explanation of what he was to expect, which admitted that, considering it was the Aetherium that they were going to, they had to accept that they wouldn't know what to except. Her explanation of slip space was comprehensive and she even demonstrated while asking him to use his Semblance. Not everyone with even the highest level of Semblance could see the streams, but some could, so it was worth trying.

[Aurin]

"I... don't want to be an experiment, but I would be interested to know what happens to the person you mark on the eye." He paused, then smirked, but it wasn't so sharp as before. He wasn't negotiating, wasn't playing a game on shifting sand. They had an accord and he knew how far he could trust her and her coven, though, of course, one couldn't always account for every single person's possible actions. He was curious about her amber pen, as well, but he supposed it wasn't time to ask about artifacts yet. But perhaps he would be able to give Torin some idea of the wonders he was seeing in order to help his boy engineer new wonders of his own—his wonder boy.

"I don't know who gave me the first two; I was not fully aware, though I suppose I must have been aware enough to consent or it wouldn't have worked... at least as I understand these things. They were less concerned with me surviving, I think. I got them both at the same time, and was pumped fully of alchemical... things to make the threshold sickness less likely to be fatal, but... well, awful in different ways. The third came from Talon Novalys... Or Arcas if you believe in reincarnation. In order to safeguard a dangerous artifact. I don't know if his skill and power had anything to do with it, but I definitely grew in power with that one much more quickly."

Aurin didn't know if it was his sharing that got him the lesson, but sitting there, he was able to connect what she said with things he hadn't been able to articulate about his other tricks. He tried not to feel stupid, but he also wondered if Torin would sit down and teach him magical theory, and perhaps even his elven friend would deign to inform the man who had only gone to the school of hard knocks before.

"Thank you for that," he said without irony or sarcasm after she answered one of his many, many questions. "That will really help, I think. I won't be blipping around any time soon, but perhaps I can easily sneak into town for the midwinter meeting or something." He was going to have to do some traveling, the better to map out the slipspace in his mind. Eventually, he might be able to oversee an empire called Portions for Foxes if communication and movement could be nigh instantaneous. It was a wonder the Railrunners weren't more powerful. Perhaps he could help them become so. Perhaps, the covens might become cells of his business in a sort of symbiotic relationship.

But that was getting ahead of himself.

"I have seen the slipspace, I think. My Semblance trick is strong, but I don't... always know what I'm looking at. Perhaps that will help me, though. All right, well. I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

The fox swallowed his nerves and turned his left shoulder toward her so she could do her thing if she was ready, as well.

[Rune]

Valencia paused in her preparation and gave Aurin a searching look. If he had trauma associated with receiving a rune it could complicate the evening.

"Were you coerced?" She asked, her voice not alarmed, but not casual either. Listening to the rest of the tale did not cause her to return to arranging her tools. Pale brows rose at the name he dropped as the originator of his third rune. It seemed as though the story of the life of Aurin Kavafis would be something to hear.

The first two together, given together, told a story of spy work, or assassination. Useful as a Railrunner, but not their chosen aether conduits. Negation made sense having been given as a way to protect something. Together the three were a cocktail for getting into and then out of places one should not be safely yet with not as much ease as Traversion.

By the end she was nodding,

"Learning the manipulate aether makes learning new runes go faster for some." She turned back to her setup but kept talking. "And, surprisingly difficult for others. Some grow too used to how the altering effects their first rune and find learning a new way to use their essence a struggle. Having received two at once as your awakening likely saved you from that trouble, though,"

Here she glanced back over her shoulder at the redhead, "likely caused troubles of it's own."

When the lessons were done and he had thanked her she inclined her head. His gratitude was not required, they had a compact, but it was appreciated. Based on his questions during her teaching and what he had told her of how he'd attained his runes it was obvious that he was not classically trained, possibly not trained at all. Self-taught runic mages could be a blessing to a Coven, bringing in new ways of using aether that no one had thought of before. They could also cause friction and be inefficient, but they could be trained out of they were worth it. She considered taking him as an apprentice or... no. Looking over the strong form and determined face before her she knew he would never be in that position, but he might be appreciative of further lessons at some point. He was fully intelligent enough to make use of the information. They could discuss it another time.

"You won't have to go alone, not this time." She said it with unexpected tenderness. Her first step into the Aetherium had been alone and she bore scars both physical and mental from the experience. None she marked would undergo the same. She began chanting, to Semblance enhanced eyes the music of her voice was like lines of light written into the air. The tune itself was soothing, almost like a lullaby without the intention to cause sleep. A calm decided on the room, on the two people in it, allowing their minds to clear and sharpen without without becoming agitated. When she saw that the muscles in the shoulder he had turned to her were relaxing she took up her pen and drew several symbols over his skin before turning back and dipping it in the ink. Pen ready she stepped back in front where he could see her and projected... something.

It looked like herself, but it was older, the features slightly different, scars visible, hair black, and it was more in some fundamental way.

"This is how I will appear to you in the Aetherium, it is a truer version of myself, though I would not say it was the fullness of my True Self." The distinction was exact in her voice. It was becoming obvious that, despite her social behavior, Valencia was a very precise person. "Look for me when you arrive, I shouldn't be far. If you don't see me and you aren't in immediate danger, wait till I find you."

She had explained what to do if he was in danger as part of her lessons. Stepping back around she laid a hand on his skin so it would accept touch and he wouldn't jump when the sharper tip of the pen made contact. The drawing itself was quick, the design was one she had worked on and practiced. Part of it was for her, as the giver, and part of it was for him, as the receiver. She had studied his aura closely until she felt she knew the idea of his essence enough to include him. It was personal. It should be.

Less than a minute from the start it was done, she felt the magic solidify and the other symbols she had Scrivened on him without ink glowed. They would allow her to find him when he... then he was gone.