Care for a Drink? {Hilana}

[Dreyfus]

Company: Hilana & her snek | Thoughts: Must learn about the Solunarium | Mood: Intrigued, Curious

☬ Her question of how he arrived made him blink a few times, turning his eyes onto her. He was caught a bit off-guard as he was expecting her to press the question, but he remembered she was curious after all about people and places beyond these borders. "To be rather honest, I wouldn't be able to tell you. I was either busy crying my eyes out over the loss of my family, or dealing with a slight moment of depression that I alone survived." there was some truth in those words as he drew in a deep breath. He hoped she would let that part of his cover rest.

The more and more she explained to him the more he was rather glad he had the fortune of bumping into her, mentally thanking the goddess of fate for such a fortunate encounter. Hilana was showing herself to be a wellspring of information. If it was possible he would have to cultivate a friendship, some sort of bond with the woman as she could become invaluable in his endeavors to aid Talon and make good on his promise to the King of Dragons.

As she continued to give him insight, the vampyre shifted back into his seat, folding his arms under his chest as she spoke about the citizenship process. That alone sounded strenuous but it may be his only option into the nobility. As much as he didn't want to be tied to this stifling place, he would have to do what he needed to complete the task given to him. Converting to religion just to become a legal citizen was not a leash he wanted to be draped around his neck, but what choice did he have?

"I've only recently come to find belief in a higher power." he chuckled at that before continuing. "In Zaichaer, we are taught that to carve a path through life one does not need the aid of fickle and petty being such as the gods, but self-reliance in the ingenuity of the human mind. I found that my people's upbringing was very narrowminded, as they found magic abhorent and I am a mage with many runes of my own" he added, opening his shirt to reveal the runes on his abdomen before covering them again.

The waitress finally came back as they were chatting bringing their drinks and offering the special to them. Hilana explained the local dish and it sounded like it could be quite the meal. "Make that two." he said with a smile to the server. Afterward, he turned his attention back to the woman in front of him. Sipping from the glass he removed rogues strands of his hair from his face as his eyes met with her brown orbs. "This.....Varvaerynism? I'm rather curious as to what kind of religion it is." curiosity swirled within those words as he waited intently behind the glass of wine that came back to grace his lips, his eyes never moving from off her. ☬

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Hilana Chenzira]

She listened curiously as he spoke of not keeping track of where he went due to the loss of his family and home, and Hilana decided not to press further. It raised more questions for her, because if she was traveling thousands of miles, even if she was grieving, she would have wanted to know where she was going, especially to end up in a place like this one. While she was proud of her home, her culture, her people, it was difficult for outsiders at the very best of times when they had no grasp of Vastian or Vallenor. She did notice that he avoided the question about why Solunarium in particular, but chose to let it go, nodding instead.

When he spoke of Zaichaer, and their preference for self-reliance, the girl nodded along. That went along with what Arvaelyn had told her; that mages were rare and quite limited there. She found it hard to imagine, considering magic was very much a part of life, and had been growing up, but when Dreyfus revealed his runes, Hilana did glance across the table at them with interest. Ah, so that was the source of the glow. “That is more than most, isn’t it?” She sounded admiring. “Which ones are they? How did you learn them if Mages are so restricted there? Were you punished for having them?”

The waitress nodded when he asked for the same as Hilana and departed, leaving the two of them to their conversation to continue. Her darker eyes met his red ones across the table and she raised the glass of the berry wine to him. “The Luxium is known for its white wines,” she told him as an extra piece of knowledge about the city he was now living in, and she sipped it. “The Umbrium, down below, tends to favour the reds… but this one is one of my favourites.”

She set it back down on the table. “Varvaerynism is the acknowledgment of only Deus Avaerys and Domina Varvara,” she told him. “That means worship of other Gods is blasphemy. Varvaerynism is involved, at different levels, of almost every aspect of life here. Our gods are not petty or fickle… but They are watching us, though They were sealed away. They will return in time.” The girl seemed quite certain of that, at least. “There are a number of important considerations, but I can summarize it as so: the Church essentially is the State, though I understand from talking to other Peregrini over the years that this is very different from a number of territories. But as I said, it is involved just about everywhere within the government. They cannot be separated. Secondly, it is said that when They return, the Hytori and Siltori will be combined into one race, the Deitori. Starborn. Thirdly, and I think this point will most appeal to you considering your own prowess, one’s abilities in the arcane arts is considered a divine gift.”

Her fingers came up to brush the python’s side, stroking the sturdy-looking reptile. Despite the intensity of his eye colour, she didn’t seem to be unsettled. “Are your eyes always like that? Is it from one of your Crafts?”

[Dreyfus]

Company: Hilana & her snek | Thoughts: Must learn about the Solunarium | Mood: Intrigued, Curious

☬ "Its quite complicated actually." he began with a smirk. "I was a mage sanctioned by the state, which allowed me to gain my runes. I have five, all together, which was cause for concern among my former superiors. As far as punishments go......" he continued running a hand through his hand.

"I come from a prominent family and in Zaichaer, that goes quite far, plus I was valuable to the state." he mused, the waitress departed from their table so they could continue their conversation. She went on to explain the different types of wines produced in the Upper & Lower levels of the Solunarium. He was quite a fan of wines so he would have to look into that. His eyes locked onto her as she explained this religion that gripped this isolated country. It was clear to the vampyre that he would have to devote himself to this cause.

Besides he was up for meeting another divine. Looking at her he smiled, as he could use the tidbit about magical prowess to his advantage. As far as anyone was concerned he was a skilled Kinetics mage. "Well that is rather interesting, I look forward to being a member of the faithful here. This mage is rather glad he made it to a place that's so accepting of magic." he mused, looking away a moment, only for his orbs to come back to her and her pet serpent at the mention of his eyes. His smile widened a bit.

"Yes, my changed as I progressed in one of the runes I hold. Though it's not a rune that is most common. The change to my eyes grants me some benefits, but most magics come with aesthetic changes." ☬

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Hilana Chenzira]

She listened to him as he spoke, her wine back on the table having had a sip of it. Hilana found such things fascinating, and she could at the same time see the parallels between her home and this land that was so very far away. If you were of the right families here, one could get away with murder, quite literally. And perhaps that was true of the homeland of the man across from her. She would have to find out, and if he skirted the questions, she could always ask Arvaelyn, as he had known of the place... Her eyebrows went up. “I see. Five all told? That’s quite impressive. One doesn’t normally see a master mage with more than two.” The snake shifted along her arm, resting his black, grey, and white head in the crook of her elbow, and he seemed to be watching him. His long tongue flickered out, though he moved no further now that he had resituated himself. The Vastiana was not bothered by the new position either, it seemed.

“I take it when you say you were valued by the state, it is because of the combination of your runes and your ancestry?” Hilana’s head tilted at the question. “Which one of those that you hold is your favourite? Is it difficult to balance them? Would you consider yourself a master of any, or are they all a study in progress?” It was always interesting to her to see how others managed with the runes that they chose to undertake, and considering how many this Peregrinus had, that was something worth considering. It must have taken a lot of balance to accept five of the Crafts on him, so she did wonder which ones he had taken. He’d avoided that question, she had noticed, which only made her more curious.

“There are not many places beyond here that are so welcoming of mages, are there?” she asked Dreyfus. “From my understanding it is very uncommon; that many distrust mages, like your homeland,” she paused to take a sip of the berry wine. “It is a long journey, and as I said, it is not an easy one. There are many Peregrini that do not attempt to obtain citizenship, but if you are interested in societal advancement, it is really your best and only option. And once you start, it may go quite smoothly for you. The process can be different for everyone depending on how well you take to the lessons that the Church gives you with regards to Varvaerynism and our laws,” the onyx-haired girl smiled at him across the table. “Once you are over that step, I would think it would be smooth sailing, especially since you’ve such a ready mind to be able to take on five runes.”

When he offered her a hint about his eyes, she looked rather thoughtful. Not a common one, but impacts the eyes in such a way. Surely it wasn’t Animus; Animus was common enough and she didn’t think having crimson irises was normal as most animals didn’t have such things. She did remember Khyan’s commentary on the subject from their initial meeting and reunion, so that one was out. If he was part elf, she would have guessed Hytori, considering his colouration, so she didn’t think it was something to do with witchmarks, and even if it was, that was a strange manifestation. The others that she could think of were much more widely used, so that contradicted his statement... “Is it Vitalis? That makes your eyes such a colour?” she asked at last, having puzzled it out enough to venture a guess, it seemed.

[Dreyfus]

Company: Hilana & her snek | Thoughts: Must learn about the Solunarium | Mood: Intrigued, Curious

☬ He chuckled at her assumption of him being a master. "I am far from a master mage my dear, I only have one rune that is of that rank currently, but I am working on gaining mastery in the others" he chuckled, taking a sip from his glass. He was finding the berry wine to be rather interesting the more he sipped it, the flavor actually to his liking, remembering his love for wine he had back in Zaichaer.

"You truly are a curious one dear Hilana, does magic interest you that much?" he teased, a slight smirk on his face as she pelted him with inquiring questions. He inclined his head and thought for a moment, before finding the words to answer questions in the order they came at him. "Long story short I had a rare condition at birth as a result of a curse given to my mother while still pregnant with me. It caused me to react to ambient magic in the area or rune magic, which caused my eyes to cry tears of blood. The state found that rare defect valuable, along with the fact that my mother was a prominent member of the State investigative police force.

Taking another sip he moved on to her other questions. "As far as which is my favorite, I would have to say I don't really have one. I am a fan of magic in all its entirety. Personal or world magic makes no difference as I am fascinated by it. I will admit however it is rather strenuous to keep them all in order and manage all of them but it's worth it." he admitted as she went on to note back on the process of becoming a citizen and the access it would allow him. He was somewhat suspicious of her, as for someone so knowledgable he would have figured that she was a plant to distract him.

If it wasn't for her genuine level of interest in him and his life abroad he would have believed it. He watched her as she seemed to be thinking of the magics that could be responsible for his eyes, and when she guess Vitalis, he was astonished. "You would be correct, my eyes are a result of my Vitalis rune, which I happen to hold mastery over." he noted, pointing at the rune. "The one below it is my rune of Kinetics, and the one below that is my rune Negation, and the last one that rests on my navel is my rune of Summoning. On the back of my neck is the rune of Animus. he mentioned, indicating where each one was and allowing her to see them for herself.

"You are the second person to discern that I have Vitalis. A young man by the name of Khyan I had the pleasure of meeting just yesterday discerned I was a wielder too. I take it Vitalis is something of common knowledge here? If so I would be very keen to meet others who wield the magic. I have come to know only one other practitioner besides the one who turned me." he inquired as he looked at her rather curious eyes, leaning in a bit. ☬

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Hilana Chenzira]

She nodded as he explained that he considered himself a Master of only one of his five Runes. She was curious, though, especially to know that he had so many. Even in a place like this, that wasn’t very common at all. Most people she knew had two, perhaps three at the most, but five... Her curiosity was piqued and Hilana wanted to figure this out. Especially as someone who had no Runes herself. Her eyes were enormous as he spoke about a condition that made him cry tears of blood when he was around magic, and she supposed that for a place like that in which magic was abhorred and restricted... perhaps that was very valuable to the state. Kind of like using birds or other animals for natural alarms. The herbalist in her certainly needed the answer to something, though, just for future keeping in case she ever came across something like it. “That makes sense. How did they find a cure for it?” She reasoned that they must have, because he certainly wasn’t leaking blood from his eyes here in a place like this.

And that really would have gotten the attention of people here...

“I am very curious, truthfully. I cannot imagine having so many Runes, and no one I know has more than three, to my knowledge. I imagined it would be incredibly difficult to keep them all in line, much less advance them all regularly. I do understand that some work together cohesively, but some can be dissonant,” the Vastiana admitted. “So it would fall down to which you have and how you use them, I would think.” The doe-eyed girl was attentive as he explained his Runes, following his directions as he went from one to the next. There were no standard, cohesive shapes to Runes as far as she was concerned, nor had she much experience with them to speak of, so when she had looked at them briefly originally when he had opened his shirt, she couldn’t have guessed which was which. Vitalis, Kinetics, Negation, Summoning, Animus. That was a surprising blend, but clearly, they worked well for him.

Of all the things Hilana might have thought she would do today, having dinner and drinks with a Vampyre was not one of them. But when he mentioned Khyan, she was surprised. She hadn’t seen her friend in a couple of days since they had reunited earlier in the season, but surely he was managing. She would have to go and find him later, but this Peregrinus had been quite kind to her so far. Surely it had been the same with her friend in the Umbrium. Khyan had Semblance, so he would have figured this out before she had, too.

“We are taught about Vitalis, yes,” she nodded. “The Arcane is a divine gift, after all, and Vitalis is one aspect of them. It is less common, and when you mentioned that... I did have to think a bit as to what it might be,” she smiled. “Masquerade is common enough. Animus would have been another option, but I do not think there are animals that have crimson eyes that look so much like a normal human’s. It would have been an odd manifestation of Hytori witchmarks, if you had that blood in you... so I guessed Vitalis. That Rune is not commonly practiced here, though it is allowed... but it is largely banned beyond the sea, no? Especially if someone as well-traveled and connected as yourself has only met two others. There are some with it here, but approaching them is more difficult,” she picked up her wine to sip it, thinking. “Let me think on that one for a bit. There might be a way.”

She set the wine back down, still looking rather thoughtful. But she left that subject alone for the moment. “What Totems have you taken with Animus?” Hilana wanted to know, turning them back to a less sensitive subject as her python shifted on her arm, draping himself over her chest to rest his head on her shoulder.

[Dreyfus]

Company: Hilana & her snek | Thoughts: Must learn about the Solunarium | Mood: Intrigued, Curious

☬ He sipped his wine listening to the young woman explain more interesting information about the Solunarium. It made sense now for Khyan to have been able to discern his vampyrism. This place was an interesting contrast to where he has been so far. He was contemplating more on how to go about his path of ingraining himself into society. He would have to gain citizenship first, then acquire noble status somehow.

From there he could better gain intel on the ruling class. As he pondered his ascension, she asked about the totems he had made. A regretful smile came over his features as he scratched his head. "In all honesty, I have yet to acquire any more totems." he admitted, chuckling a bit to make himself feel better about not training said magic. "However I would like to expand my totem catalog beyond my initial wolf totem." he noted, reaching into his pocket and retrieving his totem.

"I can see you have an enthusiasm for magic, if you want, I could teach one of the ones I have if you are willing?" he offered, a smile on his face as he has always liked the prospect of teaching magic to others, as it truly was a gift to mortals. Everyone who was able to handle it should invest in learning magic of some kind."I believe magic should be learned by those who are willing to brave that risk. I would be so glad to help usher you into becoming a mage." he humbly offered.

"That is if you wish it, of course, I don't want to force my views on you as a foreigner of course." ☬

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Hilana Chenzira]

At the mention that his totem was the wolf, Hilana brightened even more than she usually was. “Wolves are amazing creatures, aren’t they? Do you take their whole form? What is it like with such enhanced senses?” She had a clear love of the beasts, but why that was was another question entirely. Surely the wolves from across the sea hadn’t made it to these lands, but the girl certainly knew what they were. But who knew? Maybe someone had some as pets or on display somewhere, or she had heard stories and legends considering her interest in outsiders and the lands across the sea. “Are they native to Zaichaer? Are they as big as people say?” She gestured with her hands to indicate the approximate size, if somewhat over, what she thought one of the woodland wolves would be.

“If you’re interested in other totems, what sorts of creatures are you considering?” the girl was curious, feeling Tiaz’s tongue against her bare shoulder, and she raised one of her fingers to touch the serpent’s side. Muscle rippled under her touch, and the python did not move or fuss from the contact. The relatively thick serpent seemed quite content to hang out up there, though how long he actually was was a question of itself. He’d remained coiled or otherwise wrapped around his mistress since they had met in the streets of Port Vasta, and looks and curves could be deceiving. This line of thought certainly piqued her curiosity. If he had gone with a wolf of the lands beyond the sea, would he go for a native creature now, if he intended to make Solunarium his home and try to achieve citizenship?

“That’s very kind of you,” Hilana inclined her head at his offer. Dominus Æros had managed to talk her into agreeing to one that morning while they were at the Greenhouses, so for a girl who had no Runes as of yet... She did remember what the conventional knowledge was with regards to the gifting of Runes, however. “I thank you for your generous offer, truly. I do understand that you need to have achieved a certain level of competence to confer a Rune on others... you’ve said you’ve Mastered Vitalis, but what of your others?” The inquisitive expression on her face didn’t change. The colourful Vastiana’s curiosity ran deep, it seemed.

[Dreyfus]

Company: Hilana & her snek | Thoughts: Must learn about the Solunarium | Mood: Intrigued, Curious

☬ Her enthusiasm and inquisitive nature was starting to grow heavily on him, granted this being their first meeting of course. He smiled as she hurled question after question at him liking that she was intrigued by magic. "It whole depends on what you consider big." he began, taking another sip of wine before continuing. "I have yet to take a full transformation but I can say apart from the initiation, depending on the animal you choose to make your first totem out of, you get a permanent trait from that animal. In my case, I took a wolf's sense of smell."

At those words he took in a deep breath taking in her scent, taking note of the little hints that permeated her scent. He looked at her with a confident smile. "I have your scent now, so should we be in the same area for a time, I shall be able to find you with no problem thanks to having a wolf's sense of smell. Granted I could always mark you with a brand from Vitalis, but I feel that is more on the intrusive side." he mused, rubbing his chin at the thought.

She brought up the interest in knowing what animals he would make totems from, and he gave her a look of uncertainty as he looked over at the view from their table. "I can't say I know any of the native biomes of this region, but I would suspect that there are plenty of reptiles and avians I could make a totem from. A snake or lizard perhaps, a raven or crow. These would serve a purpose for me in the long run." he hoped that would suffice as an answer for her.

Then she came to the question of which magics he was proficient in. He smiled but that soon faded as he thought about how he had focused so much time and effort on mastering Vitalis since acquiring it. "The Rune of Kinetics would be my second most proficient magic in my arsenal, with Negation as a close third. My Animus & Summoning skills need a bit more practice, unfortunately." he explained. He wasn't sure what she would think but he was glad that he had the fortune of bumping into such an incredible mind. ☬

---

"Common Speech"
"Silandris Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Hilana Chenzira]

She nodded in understanding as Dreyfus explained about the totem and the trait that had stuck with him. "Did you find you were able to choose that trait specifically, or that it was just what happened?" Hilana was curious, her head tilting as her eyes were on him. She knew another friend of hers with Animus had made it seem as though it was a random trait, but maybe she had misunderstood something somewhere along the lines. The Peregrinus had been rather open about it thus far, so perhaps he understood. She wasn't about to let the opportunity to find out about that, either, because if she ever did get Animus, she would certainly need to be thoughtful about her totems. "Do you find it hard to handle it, with how many people there are out and about? I mean, I know there are areas that smell worse than others, too, so that has to be difficult as well," she reflected on that. She'd been in some truly horrible-smelling stables, and there were plants that smelled rancid while being perfectly ripe... plus the wyvern dung fertilizer she had been working on for some of her botany projects... Founders, with a wolf's sense of smell, she would probably never want to touch it again.

"There are a lot of options, really," she was cheerful. "We've got hundreds of species of snakes, from the field snakes that you find in the agricultural areas outside of the cities to asps, to cobras, to rock pythons that are even bigger than Tiaz," she rested her cheek on the python who only shifted slightly to lift his head, his tongue scenting the breeze. "In terms of birds, now... we do have ravens and magpies. They're rather common, and they're smaller birds... besides, you can train your tongue to talk as a Magpie, you know. Magpies are able to imitate human speech, but I understand you have to really practice in that shape in order to accomplish it, and you don't even need Masquerade. Now, if you wanted to get away from those smaller omnivores... there's many types of hawks and falcons of different sizes, not to mention eagles and vultures," Hilana had a sip of her wine.

The waitress arrived at that moment at the table carrying a tray with two large bowls on it, along with two smaller bowls of salads, and a basket of flatbreads. "Gratias," Hilana thanked her, looking over the lamb giouvetsi that they had ordered. The portion sizes of the lamb stew with the pasta was substantial, as if the taberna was used to feeding starving sailors rather than slender shopgirls, but Hilana always managed to drum up an appetite. She would tackle a meal at any hour of the day or night, and now was no exception. Their wine was refreshed, and the two of them were alone once again. "This pasta is called orzo," she explained. "It looks like rice, doesn't it? But it's something different altogether. The meat is lamb, and this salad is quite common and a bit refreshing. It's tossed with a vinaigrette of oil and lemon," she added. The salad had different types of greens, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, onions, chunks of cheese, and sliced black olives. "The breads are pitas, so you can take one and open it if you like," she selected one off of the basket and gently opened it at the side in order to reveal the pocket that the bread made, showing the Vampyre the hollow insides of the bread. "You can add your giovetsi or your salad or even both to it if you wanted to and eat it that way, or you can just rip off chunks and dip it in the stew," she added. He was new here, so it didn't hurt to explain the possibilities to him in case he was concerned about not being too familiar with the cuisine and habits around here.

"What sorts of things do you do with Kinetics?" she asked him. "Sit saluti," she raised her glass to him. "It means 'to your health' in the local tongue," she added to translate the toast. Apparently, it was a Vastian way of saying 'cheers'. Well, when in Solunarium...