Two Mesmers, One Bar [Aeros]

[Finn]

"I don't know how old I look, but I celebrated my twenty-seventh summer this year right after arriving in the capital. I don't know how old that makes me, relatively speaking. My parents were married and I was born when they were this age, but I don't know if children are in my future." He certainly wouldn't get any upon Arvælyn, and while monogamy wasn't the hard and fast norm where they came from, his lover was jealous and so Finn was entirely faithful. It didn't usually feel like a sacrifice. Finn admired beauty, but it took an emotional connection to want to do anything about it other than admire.

"The Orkhan in Kalzasi are exceptional, I think; they were mostly monks when the Avialae found them, so... not like the Orkhan on Ecith from what I understand. I suppose I shall find out if I travel more on this continent, but that is my understanding."

Finn wasn't sure how much information to share with a relative stranger, but some of it, at least, ought to be all right.

"I played for Sentinel Phocion in Kalzasi," he admitted. "He made Solunarium seem fine indeed. One of the reasons I've come to visit. Perhaps whenever I leave, you will come too, and I will introduce you to some Fae'ethalan." His smile was genuine, and his offer sincere, though he wasn't expecting any sort of plans to be made on this, their first time meeting. They hadn't had nearly enough to drink for such hilarity to ensue. At least, Finn hadn't. He was circumspect with his drinking while performing, and he had only just finished.

"I don't suppose you know where else I ought to ply my craft?"

[Aeros]

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His companion was actually a bit older than he had thought, but not by so large an amount that it was any kind of shock. How quickly a human would wither was actually somewhat difficult to predict for the half-elf, being that he’d seen many of similar years to one another look…substantially different.

“Mmm…for elves, that’s quite young. I, however, am twenty-one.” Æros paused for a moment, taking the number into consideration, “...I still think you’ve traveled quite a bit for your age but, ah, most who live here don’t travel much, if at all, to be fair.”

‘Twas true. Even those who worked in diplomacy rarely left, as isolationist as Solunarium was. This being their nature, it would make sense for their culture to find immediate infatuation in anything deemed remotely exotic, hence the recent fascination with Kalzasi. It did make him wonder, what would be next?

Regarding the Orkhan, he tilted his head at the thought that the northern Orks were much different. “Really? I don’t know much about Ecithian Orkhan myself. Only what I’ve heard in rumor or the times the subject was glossed over in my schooling, but not much beyond that. I can say a lot of us here, both Re’hyaen and Vastii included, aren’t their biggest fans.” He punctuated the sentiment with a bit of laugh, mostly due to the fact that this was a major understatement. The last time he spoke of Orkhan was with a Vastii woman who hated them.

The name ‘Phocion’ rang a bell in his head but he didn’t quite remember why. This was because the name was that of a prince, although Æros often mixed their names around or…forgot. He didn’t really care that much about a lot of the princes, to be frank. The prince’s title of Sentinel gave him far more information than his name. It made sense with the story, considering it was the Vigilia Argenti that handled diplomacy.

“Ah, so it was a chance encounter with our diplomat that steered your path in our direction? What a lovely thing, that.” The celestial elf paused, considering the second sentiment the other had said. “I…wouldn’t say no if you found me again some time in the future with a location in mind. The only place that means much to me across the sea would be Mount Kaladan, I think, but…my knowledge of geography is, admittedly, limited.” Æros chuckled a bit, almost in embarrassment.

A bizarre thing it would be if such a thing actually transpired. However, on his end, Æros was a bit aimless for the moment– his only ‘goal’ to speak of was to eventually fall asleep and not wake up, but that’s not really something to strive for, now is it? And so if other people came ‘round and offered…alternatives, a fool he would be to decline. Plus, the more precarious the opportunity, the more likely his ‘goal’ of death would come to greet him.

And to the man’s last question, “I do, actually. There’s a fair amount of places that enjoy performers of all types here in Umbrium. Is there any particular, ah…type of establishment you prefer?”

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Finn]

"Ah, yes, I have heard that they are... many unflattering words. But I haven't been there or met any so I haven't any means to judge for myself." He was trying to be polite. This wasn't his home, nor were their ways his ways. The Orkhan he had met in Kalzasi had been good people, but he supposed he hadn't been sure of them when he first moved from country village to city. On Ecith, though, their commonwealth or whatever they called it was a rival to Solunarium so he supposed it made sense given how isolationist they were.

"Well, I have certainly never been there..." He wondered how dangerous it would be for someone not of the Varværyn faith to tread those slopes. "It's in the northern mountains of Auris. I don't think it was visible from the airship when I flew to the capital of that realm on my way here."

Considering Æros' counter-question, Finn could only shrug and smile.

"I have written and conducted symphonies in amphitheatres and I have busked on the street and various things in between. I am always looking for someplace new and interesting, or new collaborators, new forms. I learned a few desert songs the other day... nothing like anything else I have heard in the city. And I danced with a friend to the music of a woman who must have learned Mesmer from the moment she learned to play... Few words, mostly instrumental, driving rhythms..." Finn didn't yet have the vocabulary for the forms of Solunarian music and dance. He would, though, eventually. It didn't seem as though he and Arvælyn would be leaving any time soon.

What had been a short fact-finding mission now felt like an emigration.

[Aeros]

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"I've never met the Orkhan myself, so my opinion isn't a strong one. I just have heard many a story of them, ah…harassing the Vastii villages of lesser fortifications. That, and they apparently look to catch out Vastii trade caravans which…has always, to me, left a poor impression on their behalf." This was completely true in that he found their underhanded tactics relative to the Vastii to be ultimately distasteful, but what he did not mention was the immense judgment he had against their rather primitive lifestyle, especially given the glut of natural resources located within Ecith.

"You've not been? I suppose that makes sense…even one well traveled has little reason to tread along remote mountain slopes. I think I need to make peace with the Founders a bit before I make the journey myself, but I do plan on it…eventually." Though he laughed at the end, he sounded oddly regretful.

And regarding Finn's career history, it would seem that the other has very likely spent the bulk of his adult life as a musician, traveling or not. Perhaps more than just his adult years, too. Finding one's purpose and sticking to it was an admirable thing. It was also something Æros envied, purposeless as he was, though he held no bitterness towards the other.

"Certainly there is no dearth of new things for you to find, then! …at least, I would think. Good enough to keep you entertained while that lover of yours is kept busy, no?" The elf wore a smile reflecting something akin to pride; Solunarium's arts as a whole were both diverse and impressive.

"The desert peoples also have cultures all their own compared to Luxium or Umbrium, who also differ from one another just a tad. I'm a fan of their traditional dances, myself. I've meant to ask a Vastii girl, friend of mine, to show me more of their music, too– she's quite invested in what her village practices." Æros came across genuinely enthused about the subject, though, to be fair, he could listen to the friend he spoke of talk about anything and never get bored.

"Do you have any particular preference for what you've found here thus far? Relative to the arts of the city or the desert, I should clarify."

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Finn]

"I don't know the history of this continent well enough to say where the animosity started, but I suppose two very different cultures on the same continent are bound to have some friction and border skirmishes." Finn knew he was being understated, but he was also being polite. A stranger in a strange land couldn't afford to offend the natives. And he nodded regarding the journey to Kaladon; he understood pilgrimages and he wanted to find Syren to return her lute to her, but he had already met a demigod in person and didn't see the need to go seeking most of them. But he was strange here.

"Ah, yes," he said, laughing. "We do a fair amount together, but we have other interests beside and so we go our separate ways betimes." It seemed as though he was going to have to play the role of a subvigil if he was going to keep accepting education and training from the Sentinels, however, so that might be a drain on his free time in future.

"Oh, yes. I wasn't aware before I came that Solunarium isn't a bloc, that it is made up of several cultures, not just the fused culture of the elves and the Vastii. I suppose I should have known, but the farther away someplace is, the less reliable the knowledge about it, I suppose. And I don't know that I have a preference, although I am quite curious about the mixing of magic and music. I want to understand how far one can go guiding someone's emotions before it becomes unethically manipulative." He hurried through that, though, ears catching on something of interest. "Dances...? Do you dance or is it just an interest of yours?"

Finn rarely got to dance as he was usually the one providing the music. At least he knew how to feel the music and subdivide the rhythm with his body, but he had done more dancing that one time with Khyan than he had in a long time.

[Aeros]

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Æros was not a historian of any variety, but he wasn’t ignorant to the longstanding sparks and flames of conflict that burned as a result of the tension between the Vastii and Ecithian Orkhan. “The Orkhan generally boast a peaceful nature, but I suppose there're outliers to every culture,” he spoke with a roll to his eyes. “We…generally try to just avoid one another at this point. Doesn’t stop people on the borders from picking petty squabbles with one another, however.” He sighed.

Admittedly, the Færie was curious about who the other’s lover was, given his own propensity to be rather nosy. It felt, however, a bit too early to pry that much about the subject. Gaining trust and peeling away people’s layers were fun games in and of themselves, but they were harder when one couldn’t really use one’s Mesmer…as was the case here. Finn was a bit too skilled to not notice his attempts, at the very least.

“Yes…Solunarium is a bit of a mix, though we stand united due to our shared faith for the most part.” Æros appeared intrigued at the notion of whatever knowledge there was to be gleaned about his home from elsewhere. “Isolated as we are here, I do wonder what information there even is in the north regarding us. Vague, probably, but would you say anything you learned prior was even particularly accurate?” Spoken with a slight cant to his head, the Fæ’s eyes glinted with a distinct sort of curiosity.

Æros thought the man’s concern about ethics and magic was…funny. A lopsided sort of smile pulled at one edge of his lips. “Well, that’s for you to decide, really. Everyone here that plies their trades that way makes that choice individually. I’ve used my Mesmer for performances before, though really only if I want a specific mood or if I want the audience to feel undercurrents of the same thing. I use it as much as I don’t, though– it’s a fun sort of trick but not necessary.”

Regarding dance, “...dancing used to be more of a hobby than anything else, but I am very good at it. Being a bit, ah…” he laughed, “...vain, I do so enjoy being on stage. So at this point I perform at a variety of locations in the Umbrium, much as you now do with your music.”

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Finn]

"Much of what I had heard of Solunarium was romanticized," he admitted. "Then again, the theater seems rather more more accurate than not. It seemed grandiose pageantry in Kalzasi, but it wasn't inaccurate. Solunarium does know how to put on a show." From the dramatic architecture to fiercely enforced hierarchy of roles, it was the sort of place a dramatist might have invented.

Everyone here seemed to think that the idea of ethics applied to magic was a joke, and that confused him. He was aware that his power gave him some clout, even as a peregrinus, but he worried there were unspoken rules about its use. Perhaps it were best he consider everyone here much like a black-robed Circle mage, ambition being the only lodestone. Ambition itself wasn't evil, though he figured it ought to be tempered by other virtues. It just seemed that there would be consequences if he bilked strangers out of their coin with his Rune, even if he erased the memories of all present.

Or perhaps so long as he wasn't caught and he didn't cross anyone important enough to "matter."

Finn smiled thoughtfully; he would figure it all out eventually.

"Fascinating. I do hope to see you perform soon. Perhaps we might even collaborate at some point." Kyrin or Phocion might have him perform here and there, but he considered it payment for the room and board and such, even if that was given to him only indirectly through Arvælyn. This was a strange way to live, and Finn was keen to have some income so he wasn't entirely beholden to his lover's family. That could too easily got awry and leave one or the both of them in financial trouble. Royals might not fear that, but village-born Finn did. It might not have been romantic, but neither was starving.

[Aeros]

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To Æros, comparing the theatrical majesty of Solunarium directly to the grandiose pageantry that often graced many a stage was really a rather lovely compliment. For it was true. His people were a sort with a flair for the dramatic, that much was certainly impossible to deny. And why would it not be? If one knew anything about the Founders, one only needed to take one look at Aværys and it would all make sense. While Varvara’s hand was of equal importance, her ministrations were less coruscant, less…radiant by nature. Yet together, it was very clear that the twins who founded this nation most glorious were those with a theatrical penchant themselves and their descendants wore those colors most proudly, Æros very much included.

“Oh, I concur. Is life not so much a spectacle in the north? That seems…remarkably dull, to be frank. What is life without whimsy of both lesser and more grand varieties? With so much strife in these paths we walk, why not make it more fun?” The man was one of distinctly Solunarian convictions in regards to how one should treat their own life as well as that of others. That being the case, he did tread the line of being suicidal far more than others of his ilk, however. His flagrant disregard for the suffering of both others and himself might come across as crass to those with more sympathetic natures to pain, however.

At the notion of collaboration, the half-blood Fæ cocked his head in interest. He appeared to think for a moment, then replied. “You would be amenable to such an idea? My, how I honored I am for such an opportunity,” excitement in his eyes, he spoke with a sort of flirtatious lilt meant more in jest than anything else– he did not want to incur the wrath of a jealous lover, no, but this was…just how he was. He talked to pretty things as they were, and that meant acknowledging their beauty and his fondness thereof. He also had a lover of his own, though he was not that confident in his own loyalties at the moment.

“I think we’d make a fair pair on stage, no? And with the power behind two Mesmers, we can really play a crowd, don’t you agree? I am working on developing a bit of Masquerade as well,” he paused, opening his palm and flexing a bit of æther through his aforementioned rune– the stars on his hands glistened brighter, coruscant as they were, before a veritable galaxy of constellations appeared in the air above the man’s palm. It was beautiful, but the image flickered and faded away just as quickly. “I was given the rune so very recently…but bending æther grows easier each day, so it should not be that monumental a task for me. I imagine I’ll be able to advance it with a speed most reasonable.” The star-crossed Fæ seemed quite pleased with the both himself and the idea the other had proposed, mere suggestion as it was.

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Finn]

"A different sort of spectacle, I suppose," he allowed after due consideration. He smiled. "The colors are different, though the mountains no less grand. Forests, Lake Udori... and we have Avialae and Fae'ethalan dancing in the sky in place of wyrms and wyverns. And I suppose the cast of characters is more diverse." He paused again. "But some of this might as well be familiarity... Solunarium is new to me. Perhaps Kalzasi would seem a spectacle to you with its floating islands wreathed in clouds and the quite different architecture. And you would get cold..." He laughed. "Or not. I don't know whether the Winter Court is immune to cold like the Avialae."

Finn smiled all the wider when the eldritch elf seemed excited by the idea of collaborating artistically. His head canted to the side at the sight of his glamours, a different sort of glamours than those native to his species.

"Well, I can see how that would be helpful in the arts." Arvælyn was no longer treading the boards, but it had seemed a wise investment at the time. "I suppose it would be a trick if I could create some visual element to my music..." He rubbed thoughtfully at the faint bristle on his jaw. "And I'm certain you will grow more skilled; it seems a thing you will have great use for."

Still not quite the connoisseur of Solunarian art, he had to ask: "So, what would you want to do by way of collaboration? This realm seems to have its fair share of genres and styles. I like to think I might come to master any of them given enough time and effort, though some might come more easily than others."

Finn was at a disadvantage, though. Æros had seen him perform, but he had never seen the elf on stage.

[Aeros]

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Finn was silent for a moment after the Færie posed his question, but when he did once again speak, Æros found himself really rather fascinated with the differences that the other man listed regarding his home. He’d seen depictions of Kalzasi in artwork, in the illusions woven by those competent in Masquerade, but he was altogether unsure on how accurate these man-made creations were. How true they were to life, really, he couldn’t be sure– art and illusions are both colored by the perceptions of their creators.

“The majesty of the islands and the newness of what nature exists up there I think would serve to enchant me at least a bit,” he said with a small laugh. “Regarding temperature, however, I can tell you that I fare far worse in the heat than…pretty much anyone else I’ve ever met here. I imagine I could weather the cold a bit better than my peers, though I can’t quite say for certain. It does fascinate, me, however, the idea of meeting other Fæ– those born outside the confines of Solunarium have always had me curious, to be honest.”

When the subject shifted to the two potentially working alongside one another and Æros had brought up the rune of Masquerade, he smiled at Finn’s response. “I’ve a sister who spends the majority of her time weaving illusions for sets most elaborate, here. She helps with theatre, offers her services to musicians, dancers, all manner of performers, really. The extent to which Masquerade can be used to either tell a story or simply create an enthralling visual is endless. It was she who gave me the rune, too. Alas, I only possess a spark of her ability right now.” His voice was most enthusiastic when he described the ways in which the magic could be applied, though it did wane into a sort of dramatic, faux woe-is-me sort of sound when he regarded the state of his own ability.

To the man’s subsequent question, “...mmm, that really depends. My performances run quite diverse, from dances of a distinctly traditional nature, acting as a background spectacle to a musician or singer, to things all the more lascivious in nature– I’m not the pickiest person. I just like to dance with feeling, I suppose.” He paused, as if in consideration. “Then there is the choice of picking something new to you or new to me. I’ve probably a less diverse roster than you, truth be told. Or perhaps something altogether not familiar to us both? I’ve honestly not gone that far into learning the dances of the Vastii, but that is…mostly because I so rarely venture out in the sands wherein most of their practitioners reside,” he laughed at that, though a bit awkward. “Nonetheless, I do have interest in that route, too.”

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"