Gaining Insight [Æros]

[Hilana Chenzira]

Frost 70, Year 122

[Closed - Æros]

It was at the tail end of the afternoon, and Hilana was waiting for her friend's arrival. She knew full well that he probably hadn’t had much to eat,, and as such she had put together an assortment of dips and appetizers. There was enough variety and quantity for him to enjoy as much as he liked, and she could deal with the leftovers when she was ready for it. She wasn’t sure how long she’d be aware and relatively functional - Elementalism had been fairly difficult as threshold sickness went, but Hilana was prepared for Semblance, having brewed up some helpful herbal remedies and medicines to take the edge off to start with, and Vasilei would be by once he closed the shop in another hour and a half or so.

The Vastiana had done her best to time this so it was the least inconvenient schedule for the Fae who was giving her her second Rune. Her mentor was just happy that she was getting it ahead of the Derby, as that gave her a few months to learn how best to manage it and study the Rune. She had progressed quite satisfactorily with Elementalism, and hopefully, she would manage just as well with Semblance. Worst case, she didn’t, but Eliana would have notes for her. He understood, too, why she wasn’t getting it there. While Eliana was a nightmare and a terror, and she would certainly help keep the relatives at a distance, Hilana wanted to be able to focus on the Derby and be somewhat relaxed in Tertium. Not feeling under the weather from threshold sickness allowed her to keep her guard up and be aware and alert to her family’s shenanigans. Besides, if Hayima’el won… there would be more need for her to be attentive and negotiate with others who might want him to father calves. Beyond that, Hilana worked hard. Vasilei had faith in her, and Semblance helped them with everything that they did on a daily basis. It was to his benefit too that she acquired the Rune, and learned to recognize signs within the body with all of the knowledge she already had of medicine, botany, and ecology.

Tiaz was basking on his branch in the living room, and Fiya was in her terrarium for once, having eaten her rat the night before, out of sight in one of her log hides. Risdra was lazing on the couch, enjoying the sun as Hilana smoothed her long skirts and went over her apartment and the spread that she had prepared once more with a critical eye. Drinks would be poured for him once he got there, because while she had seen his liquor cabinet... well, he might enjoy the burn of homebrew tequila that had come from one of Asher’s crew. That drink brought back memories, but the hangover that came in the wake of it had been truly godawful. He’d promised her that he’d refined it since their first adventure with making it, and, well, they would find out. But she also had sparkling, effervescent fruit juice, meads, and wines on hand for him, too.

Materials for the initiation had been gathered - brush, ink (which was essentially a light-weight oil she had made for her hair with some dried flowers added to it), bowl, and so on. She was sure she could have gone to his family’s Umbrian estate for it and then used her Mask to get home until Vasilei was ready, but it just made more sense to do it in her apartment. While she knew there was no need to go out of her way to gift or make him things for his time, she had put together a basket of goodies for him to enjoy at home, and she had a feeling Khyan would definitely investigate the mead once he got it back, too. She didn’t want him to think that she was taking advantage of him and his kindness, after all.

[Aeros]

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For more reasons than one, Æros generally refused to leave the confines of the Umbrium before noon or anywhere near the height of the afternoon. The second sun was just…far too bright. Luckily in this scenario, time of day wasn’t particularly pressing in terms of importance. One could confer a new rune onto another at any time of day.

Hilana had asked that he be the one to grant her her second rune, an honor he was happy to perform. It was funny to him, though, how she’d spent her entire life thus far shirking the acquisition of even one, but that within the course of a few short months, she’d end up with two. Of course, Æros understood her prior reticence, he was just happy that she’d managed to get over it and excel with the potential and drive he knew she possessed.

The horned Fæ had never been to his friend’s apartment. Frankly, he wasn’t sure what to expect other than a lot of plants and a large variety of animals. She had told him that all he had to do was show up, that she’d gather all the necessary materials. While unnecessary, it was convenient of her to do so– plus it afforded her more control of what was, ultimately, a very personal thing. Upon his arrival, Æros realized he certainly wasn’t far from the mark with his assumptions. He’d knocked on the door and she’d welcomed him in, her decor being much as he expected, though he had forgotten to imagine the variety of treats she had inevitably prepared prior to his arrival.

Looking around at the flora and various living creatures, “I’m surprised you’ve managed to fit…all this…into what space you have.” It was, indeed, crowded. “...but I do applaud your ability to do so. It appears you’ve gathered everything necessary, but is there anything else you might want around?” And then, eyeing what gifts he could reasonably assume were for him, “...and while payment of any sort isn’t at all necessary, I’ll never say no to anything you make. Thank you.”

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana was happy to see him when he had gotten to her apartment, letting him in and beaming, stepping aside so that he could go past her while she shut the door. “Hello, Dominus, how are you? Thank you for coming.” The apartment definitely was most likely what he had expected from the girl: plants were everywhere. When he came through the entryway, he found plants in all sizes of pots, some large, some small, some deep, some shallow. They were on shelves or stands or simply on the floor. Some hung from braided cords from the ceiling. More lined the windows, colourful little pots and plants that were clearly enjoying the sunlight. There were racks overhead, too, on which herbs and flowers were drying. They were lighter, smaller ones than he had seen in Sweet Remedies, but they were there all the same. The aromas were a wonderful blend of plants, food, and spices, of baked goods savoury foods alike. There were three terrariums in the living room, the largest belonging to Tiaz, though her favourite snake wasn’t in it. Another held Fiya, who was content in her hide. A dwarf tegu was sunning himself on a log branch, munching on greens that Hilana had positioned strategically the make him work for it. There was a shelf with the notebooks and textbooks that Æros doubtless recognized from hosting Hilana for her lessons: Elementalism and the text on summoning, and more still now on world magic. Another title was on meditation, and she had acquired the recommended book on Semblance.

A rather large cat lifted her head from the couch, curiosity and interest in her symphony as she left her lounging spot and made her way over towards them, meowing rather loudly. “Dominus Æros, this is Risdra. Risdra, this is Dominus Æros.” Hilana introduced the cat. The patterned feline with the big blue eyes was closer to the size of a medium dog - as house cats went, she looked rather substantial, though sleek and well-cared for. Hilana scooped her up to present her to the Fae hybrid, and if Æros wanted to try holding her, Hilana would pass her large cat to him. In any event, Risdra definitely hadn’t seen anything quite like him before, that was for sure.

From the living room that they were now in, other rooms led to the tidy kitchen full of herbs and spices and naturally, and a table spread of cooked food that was waiting for him. She knew him well enough to know he’d probably been slacking on the eating part of his day, but she had brought enough food by him and his estate to have some ideas about what he liked, and the spread on the table was tailored towards his appetites. But as it was, the horned senator seemed to like what she made, and that worked out well for her. Another open door off of the living room had dozens of symphonies within it - the snakes. The venomous snakes.

“It’s a bit funny. I never used to acquire so much stuff,” Hilana admitted. “I mean, I had little things in the sands, but since you can only take so much with you and you need to pack essentials… even in Tertium, I didn’t really bother with buying things. Probably because I was always planning my escape back into the Expanse. But now that I’ve decided this is home… well,” she raised her hands to indicate everything around her. “It mostly came furnished, I’ve just added other things. But I do need Tiaz,” the girl admitted. He’d been helpful for Æros, and he would be helpful for her. She already had her teas in her room. “And you’re very welcome, Dominus. I appreciate the favour that you are bestowing on me,” she beamed at him. “There’s something new in there that I came up with that I wanted to try… it’s a cheesecake with a baklava crust,” she grinned. “Did you want to see the snake room first?” She offered. “The mambas arrived.”

[Aeros]

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Upon his arrival, Æros was most immediately distracted by his surroundings, but the rather demanding meow of a cat and then Hilana’s introduction pulled his attention back to those that were before him. “Oh, she’s precious–” but before he could ask if he could touch the cat himself, his friend had moved to pick her up and offered to hand off her feline friend, much to his apparent delight. He happily accepted the kitty into his arms, and though she was large compared to the average house cat, the horned half-breed was, himself, a bigger person; she fit comfortably in his arms.

While Hilana talked, Æros began to passively pet Risdra, scritching her head behind the ears, and following the cat’s Symphony to figure out where exactly she liked to be touched. Peering around, he was tempted to go forage for food in her kitchen, because now that he could smell it, his hunger was becoming harder to ignore. But then…to see the venomous snakes was also more than tempting.

“...yes. I’d love to see them, but before we begin, ah…I would like to eat something, if that’s alright.” His request was delivered somewhat bashfully, as if his continued forgetfulness in this regard, and the fact that she had seen that coming, embarrassed him to some degree. “I have been meaning to ask about you and what interest you have in venom, poisons and the like. I know you’re a healer– but have you grand plans for anything more nefarious?” He asked this with a coy sort of smile, something oddly innocent though given the subject matter, potent poisons are rarely used for innocent means.

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana chuckled as Æros was all too happy to take Risdra. As cats went, she was a solid one, but the hybrid was more than equal to carrying her around. The bengal continued to meow as he scratched and petted her, and when he found the sweet spot on her head, she began to purr, and she wasn’t quiet about voicing her pleasure. Hilana was rarely shy about such things, so it stood to reason that her cat could be quite opinionated too. She all but vibrated against him, rubbing her head against strong fingers. “You’re such a good girl, Risdra,” the Vastiana chuckled.

When he professed a desire to eat first, she smiled brightly. “This way, Dominus,” she led the way from the living room into the airy kitchen. The kitchen window lended to plenty of natural light, though knowing her guest, Hilana had adjusted the shade to tone it down a bit. More plants, though he might well recognize those as edible herbs, rested on the windowsill in a variety of clay pots. Herbs and spices in bottles were on a wall rack; more were drying overhead from the ceiling rack, though they wouldn’t bother Æros, even with his height and horns. This was the place where a lot of magic happened, and while it wasn’t as large as most kitchens that he had seen, Hilana made due with what she had. She indicated a chair for him, where a plate setting was already laid out before the veritable buffet of prepared food. Plenty of it he already recognized from her bringing spreads and treats over while she had lessons when he lived in the Luxium, others that she dropped off when she was in the Umbrium... the girl loved to cook.

There were multiple bowls of different dips, from the whipped yogurt that was labneh, hummus, and muhammara. She had pita chips and little slices of toast, not to mention fresh, soft pita to enjoy the spreads with, along with crunchy cucumber slices and smaller crisp tomatoes that were the size of grapes. Kofta kebabs were arranged on their bamboo skewers with tzatziki sauce in the middle. There was a dish of rice with beans and chicken, the rice a golden yellow from the turmeric and other spices that wafted up from it. There were bowls of dates and figs and some olives stuffed with a slice of pepper. Another bowl held a fattoush salad. The fun thing, perhaps, was that just about all of it could be combined in any combination to make wraps, or enjoyed individually - the choice was his, really, and the sky was the limit. “I’ve got tequila, blackberry or raspberry mead, ouzo, or berry wine?” Hilana offered. She knew he liked his drinks, and she hadn’t forgotten Khyan’s advice way back when to make sure she had alcohol on hand for company. But once she’d poured, she set the bottles where he could reach them if he wanted more, and seated herself as well.

“I do,” Hilana admitted. “When I said that I make antivenin from the venom of the snakes, that isn’t a lie, I do do that. Purifying pesticyte dragonshards is tricky, and you don’t see too many of them... but I’ll get to that part of alchemy yet. But all that said, the most common snakebites here are the cobra and the asp. The asp can dry bite, but the cobras never will. So for medical purposes, we like to keep a supply of the antivenin on hand, because seconds count. My elder brother passed when he was two due to an Atraxian cobra. So that is a large part of why I keep them and get the venom, so medicine can be made that can save those that are bitten by them. But I do very much have an interest in poisons.” She had a small smile at that confession.

“You see, a botanist’s skillset can be used at either end of the spectrum. An herbalist, the healer. That’s one. But on the other end of it... that’s your poisoner. One skillset, two very different mindsets. My Great-Aunt is a grandmaster in Tertium, and she’s the one who started teaching me. None of her children or grandchildren have any interest or desire to learn, but I did. There’s a value in the abilities of a poisoner, even if you just like to focus on the healing aspect like Vasilei does. He knows how to make a number of them, simply because you need to know what’s in them in order to counteract and treat the victim, right? But when you get good... as good as she is... there’s a power in it. All of the shadowed threats and understated plots and schemes... well.” She was aware that this was perhaps a funny topic to have at a table while they had food between them, and she hoped that it wasn’t going to put off her friend’s appetite. “She gets enough customers from Solunarium Proper that want someone who isn’t nearby to make different things. And that’s very much what she does. Anyone can take cobra or asp venom and make something that will do a lot of damage. But because they’re well-known... you have to alter it, augment it, enhance it... and then that goes beyond what your standard antivenin can fix. That’s where the knowledge of plants comes in.”

With the Fae hybrid serving himself, Hilana was happy to add to her own plate. “The Founders advised me to work on that, too. They’d like to see what I can come up with, I think... and how it can be used. I’ve got some interesting ideas about it and our neighbours to the east, and that's going to take a lot of learning with Alchemy... but that can be done. I've been looking into different shops that I might be able to assist in part-time in exchange for teaching.”

[Aeros]

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Æros would always come across as innately good with animals mostly because he could read them with Mesmer, and more recently, Semblance if he felt such an addition to be necessary. He also, quite simply, liked them, so he would use what insight he gained to endear the creature to him on purpose, as he was doing with Risdra. Evidently, his tactics were working like a charm– the sweet bengal had melted in his arms in very little time.

“She surely is,” Æros responded.

Cat in tow, the starborn Fæ followed Hilana into her kitchen, a room which had just as much greenery as the previous. At her gesture to sit, he did so, looking around at the sheer variety of different flora– figures one would grow one’s ingredients oneself given her particular interests and talents. The variety of food she had prepared for this particular instance also caught his eye, and the effort she had gone through to prepare all of this for him was touching.

“My, you didn’t have to make this much,” he remarked, punctuating the comment with a bashful sort of chuckle. “...but to drink? Hard choice. Probably to start, ouzo and some of the raspberry mead?” Æros was always a fan of richer, sweeter spirits.

After saying that, however, he wasted little time to begin picking away at the veritable feast laid out before him while Hilana began her response to his inquiry regarding poisons. The girl had mentioned her aunt before, though not much about her, so it was interesting to learn that she held the opposite mindset to Vasilei. Having both of them at her disposal for guidance and learning, it made sense, then, that Hilana herself would take a liking to both sides of that coin. The comment she made about the Founders also piqued his interest, though he shared that memory, in a way. He’d seen, in her mind, the conversation to which she was referring.

“I share Their curiosity,” Æros replied, an impish sort of grin on his lips. “I wonder what heights you’ll reach as your skills grow. Those in Ecith should serve well as test subjects too,” and though macabre, he laughed. “...but do remember that anatomy is not always the same between races. I, for one, being Fæ-ethalan, am markedly difficult to poison. My metabolism processes most toxins faster than they can harm me. So you’d either need something dosed extremely high…or something niche that targets Fæ in particular. I don’t know much about Orkhan, but if they have their own quirks, you’d best learn them,” he winked, clearly encouraging the Vastiana in that direction.

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

“I wanted to,” Hilana admitted, when he told her she hadn’t had to make so much. “I wanted to make sure you had a good variety to enjoy, especially since it’s your first time here. I’m used to preparing for a lot of people, I did it often when I traveled with my pack. I don’t now, obviously, but the leftovers keep well and in the chance I don’t feel like cooking for the next few days, food is prepared,” Hilana served him two glasses, one of the raspberry mead and another of the ouzo. She liked both; but then again, the girl definitely had a sweet tooth. Vasilei would probably help himself to the leftovers as well when he got there to keep an eye on her, and Hilana found often that the flavours just kept developing as they were allowed to settle. It was a win-win situation.

“Here’s hoping,” Hilana agreed. “I have a lot of ideas, it’s just a matter of getting the concoction right, and I will need to go to the Elemental Plane of Wood… so at some point… I’m going to ask Vasilei for Traversion. Perhaps after the Derby next season. Or if some of my maternal clan comes… one of my uncles on that side has it. He offered it to me before, and in hindsight I should have taken it then,” her lips quirked. “But no matter, I can get it in Glade. I will need it to get to the five Elemental Planes, at any rate.” She scooped some of the food onto her plate once he had served himself.

“That is true, Dominus,” Hilana agreed. “But my Great-Aunt and Vasilei have procured many, many books. I’ve learned a lot about the intricacies of the anatomy and the biology of many races. That is one good thing about my father having so many connections as a merchant. He doesn’t say ‘no’ when Aunt asks him to find something like that through his contacts overseas, and for them, money is no object,” the girl shrugged. “But that is so. There are plants that are not ‘poisonous’, per se… but they interrupt the way the body digests nutrients… And that one lingers,” she smiled a little at her plate. “Just as an example. But targeting the victim’s race specifically can be done through alchemy, my Great-Aunt told me. Fae aren’t the only ones that are more resistant to poison than others here,” she had a bite of her pita, having pinched up some of the rice mixture with it. Re’hyaeans, apparently.

But for the poisoners, aside from knowing but the bare specifics about the target, once it was out of their hands… the blame went to the one who wanted it, after all. Eliana was well past the age of those who delivered it. But Hilana, with her Mask of Midnight’s Mother… “How have you been, by the by? Keeping busy? Anyone you need removed yet?”

[Aeros]

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“Well, whether your intent is to cook for one or many, you’ve always friends and the like that will happily accept that which is leftover.” Hilana’s penchant for cooking led her to be quite good at it, and as such, many in her life would be happy to accept anything she made, regardless of whether or not it was originally prepared with them in mind.

As she continued to speak, Æros drank from one glass and then the next, his movements relaxed, languid, in nature. “Traversion, hm? I’ve a mind to get that myself…eventually, though, as the list of runes I’d like is…” he clicked his tongue, “...probably longer than most would deem reasonable, but oh well.” It wasn’t as if the Fæ-touched elf held many concerns about the viability of this endeavor, it would simply take time to accomplish. He needn’t rush. "So by the time I’d like it…I might be taking it from you,” he added, punctuating the thought with a friendly wink. “...but in Glade? I’m waffling between Elementalism and Kinetics.”

Upon her explaining her prior knowledge on the intricacies of mortal anatomy, Æros simply smiled. “My apologies– I should’ve assumed you’d be well read on the subject, given the breadth of your knowledge on other subjects.” He sounded genuine; for himself, he didn’t like to be underestimated, and so he felt a pang of guilt when he treated those he respected that way. “...and aye, the elves have their own bits of resistance. I’ve got a little bit of both, which is neat, isn’t it?” There were many reasons why he regarded purebloods as plenty pretentious, and the fact that hybrids bore the boons of both of their forebears was one of them.

In the midst of eating, he paused at her query to chuckle. “Oh, believe me, if there was anyone that particularly displeased me, you’d know.” Whether or not he’d explicitly name them would depend on whether anything could actually be done, but he’d say at the very least some vagary or the like about any particularly problematic person. “But not…necessarily. Frost has mostly been an adjustment period; given the nature of the waves made during Ash’s denouement, I imagine that most are holding back in terms of further disruptions. As such, the minutiae of my day to day isn’t really…worth speaking about? At least, I don’t think. I did finalize plans about getting Reaving, though– a few weeks from now.”

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Hilana Chenzira]

When he mentioned that he might get Traversion from her, Hilana smiled at him. That would be quite the difference, but the girl would have been honoured. It at least gave her time to study it, to train in it, and become proficient enough that she could pass the Rune onto him. But it seemed that she’d have some time yet to get there, especially if he had others that he wanted to work on first. As much as Hilana loved taking Hayima’el out and going into the sands, it would be decidedly convenient to make quick trips to and from, and it could save her time when she was in a hurry. That wasn’t to say she was going to become lazy about it, but it could be very valuable. Especially to go to lands beyond the kingdom and days away.

Or the other Elemental Planes... Because like it or not, she wasn’t going to be able to ride Hayima’el to those...

“I think either of those would be good,” Hilana nodded solemnly, gathering up some of the food with a pinch of pita and popping it into her mouth. She had fully embraced her Rune of Elementalism, and that was in no small part thanks to Dominus Æros. “Which one do you feel is more advantageous to you right now? I may see about Kinetics one day, but I will cross that bridge when I get to it. I am not going to rush things,” she said with a chuckle, picking up her drink and taking a sip. Raithen had it after all, and if she got it from someone, it was likely to be her Avialae lover. “I’ll see how I manage with Semblance, first. That’s a lot of learning in and of itself, isn’t it? Elementalism is a lot of spellwork and training, but Semblance seems to be a lot of recognizing and understanding and interpreting information.”

“No, no, nothing to apologize for, Dominus,” she smiled at him. There was no offense taken, he could tell that easily from her. “As insulated and isolated as our home is, such knowledge is not commonplace, not here, especially if you don’t have access to the big libraries. But I will admit that it is something my father is good at, procuring things from overseas through his connections,” Hilana conceded. She had to give credit where it was due; despite how poorly they got along. Her Great-Aunt had said that she had the best and worst traits of both of her parents, and that she came by her stubbornness honestly, and that was part of why she didn’t get along with her father and the rest of her immediate family. “Great-Aunt Eliana said it was valuable to know. Not just so that you could fix the body... but so that you knew how to break it. Your being both makes it interesting,” she was thoughtful as she had another bite of her food, having spooned some of the muhammara onto the pita chip. “You see, you never really -know- how a hybrid will be. Full siblings are usually a good indicator, but not always. If one mixes Re’hyaean and Vastii, you can generally estimate just how effective they have kept their resistance to poison, or how long they can go without water like their Vastian parent, but there’s always some variation to the degree of impact. Youuu are exceptional because both of your parents offer protection, but is still as effective? Is it more effective? Less? I’d have to actually test that, or just go straight into overload. You, my friend, are a wild card.” Alchemy could be used to target him specifically, and to neutralize part of that resistance that his parents’ blood bestowed on him, but that was something that could be a bit of trial and error. And poisoners really didn’t have that luxury.

She was attentive as he talked of what was going on with him and the people he had to work with and be around. She supposed that made sense. Frost had been essentially paralyzed as people were trying to figure out what was going on and what and how they wanted to see from their leaders, and deciding on what suited them best. But had it not been for the Sceptre of Avaerys in the sky, Frost would have been naturally a bit of a slower season as it was, with longer nights and cooler temperatures, and it surprised her how she missed it. But she was a seasonal creature, and having things that were so off was just unnatural, and she didn’t like it. But she had to trust that the combined courts - who had come together for this last season - had a reason for it. “I can understand that. Nothing exciting yet, just the wheel that keeps on going,” she nodded. “Oh, is it? Let me know when, and I’ll let Vasilei know I’ll need to be off for it,” the girl was pleased. “With Commander Asim, yes?”

[Aeros]

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To Hilana’s query regarding the usefulness of his next prospective runes, Æros, at first, paused to ponder. “It’s sort of a toss-up. I could easily get Elementalism from Palæ whenever I’d like, that is, if he and I are not plagued with conflicting schedules.”

“Kinetics, however? I don’t really know anyone aside from Arvælyn with that rune, and I feel like it’d be a bit of an overstep to push for a rune from a prince,” he laughed, the other’s status making the idea particularly funny to him. “So in terms of pure convenience, it’d be far easier to get Elementalism.” There might be somebody within House Sælyan that had Kinetics, too, but Æros didn’t exactly keep an inventory of everyone’s runes, and his house was more known for Mesmer and Masquerade– Palæmon being a unique standout with his Elementalism.

“Regarding the actual usefulness of each respective Craft, that’s where it gets a bit more complicated. I’m quite enamored with the idea of using kinetics with Reaving; ranged bladework, I think, would suit me a bit more than direct combat. But then, Elementalism would also enable ranged defenses, just not in the same manner. And with Elementalism, you and I could also learn from each other. My Semblance, you and Palæmon together for Elementalism, we’d all benefit one another. The practical benefits of Kinetics are also innumerable…you can manipulate anything at a distance, augment your movement, so on…” Æros trailed off, clearly struggling to make a decision on the subject.

“Semblance is like a sixth sense as opposed to the traditional spellweaving involved with most every other rune, though, you are correct about that.” There was markedly little casting involved and the æther use was all passive; ebbing and flowing with how deep one looked into something, or the ætheric complexity of the subject in question.

As their conversation shifted from matters more magical to matters of poison, he listened as Hilana further spoke on the subject of anatomical quirks and how they blunted– or heightened– the effects of anything one imbibed. “Knowing both how to heal and to harm are quite powerful skills, indeed,” Æros responded, wearing a smile laced with mischief.

Regarding himself, the horned hybrid, at first, simply shrugged. “I have never actually been poisoned so I can’t exactly say. Although one could argue some of my vices are, in their own ways, poisons. On that front, all I can tell you is that I need to take quantities that would result in the death of the average person– elf or not.” That was, perhaps, augmented by his mixed blood, though in large part it was due to the quickened metabolic rate he possessed from his Fæ ancestry. In order to stay high, one had to continuously consume, and over a period of time, the net total would far surpass what one would consider remotely safe.

And as for politics, he nodded at her response. “Indeed. The wheel continues to spin, though I can’t say the future will be nearly as uneventful, all things considered.” What exactly Æros meant was ambiguous, in large part, because he didn’t know any real details. “People are talking about making waves again; it’s just…that’s all hearsay.”

“...but yes, on the nineteenth of Glacial Dusk. I figured you’d want to show, though if you’re busy, I won’t enforce your presence.” He didn’t really want to impose that, but also, coordinating schedules with yet another person would make settling dates more complicated.

By now, they’d both eaten a lot of the spread that Hilana had provided. “Further, I am ready to impart Semblance onto you whenever you’d like to start.”

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"