Siv and Desty Do Ecith [Destynrael]

[Sivan]

45th of Glade, Year 123 of Steel
Somewhere in Ecith

Sivan wasn't really one for adventures, but he also wasn't one for letting Destyn go flittering off into danger as he was wont to do. At first, he had only had wings and was scared to fly too far afield. Now he had a relic that took him whither he wanted to go and a child's faith in his own invincibility.

So here they were.

Sivan blinked at the sudden heat and humidity. Torin's lamp kept the gloom at bay, but shadows weren't the only dangers to be found abroad. Everything was so lush here, and he found his little elemental friends zipping about to explore. Thankfully, he knew they wouldn't travel too far from him. He fed them, cared for them, and created with them. His garden was their home; this was but a holiday. Of course, Laurevere had come along. The noble elf was a strange one. Sivan had never met a Val'Anything who would give him the time of day, let alone befriend him and care about his wellbeing, as well as that of a friend of his—not to the extent that the elf was here with them. At least he was another blade, another mage. Destyn's own magic was in a remission of sorts; Sivan assumed it had to do with the trauma of losing his family, but they didn't talk about it.

"This doesn't look like the place you described, Destyn," he said carefully. "Are you sure...?"

His odd neighbor had eyes everywhere. He never let his hand rest on the hilt of his sword; he called that posturing. A real swordsman could draw his weapon swiftly without resorting to such theatrics. His words, but he had been the one to teach Sivan to defend himself with steel, so he wouldn't gainsay him.

Exael was a comforting presence in the back of his mind, as well. The celestial aidolon was often content riding along and borrowing Sivan's eyes much as he had when the had first met and formed a less permanent bond. If he felt the need, he would manifest in all his terrible glory, but hopefully there would be no need.

But here they were, and Sivan did hope he might learn more about the seed germinating in his garden under a lamp crafted by a demigod. If not, at least he could look out for his flighty friend.

[Destyn]

Siv and Desty Do Ecith

45 Glade 123

Destyn beamed with an unearned pride as they stepped through the portal his amulet engendered. Or perhaps his pride was on Toruń’s behalf, for he was the one who actually crafted the device that enabled their high speed, intercontinental travel.

“So, this is South Ecith!” He proclaimed, spreading arms and wings wide and doing a quick spin, using the ball of one foot for purchase and then landing facing Laurevere. “Oh hi!” He saluted, as if their new environs warranted renewed greetings.

“Is it not?” Destyn wrinkled his nose and glanced about their immediate surroundings. “Well, but things look different in different spots, though.” He defended.

“The elements are strong here, but some are more powerfuler in certain parts. One time me and Imogen fought off fire monkeys and stoled their hoard of fruit. They attacked us for no reason first, but still I felt guilty after and we went to get them some of the giant buggies the crawl at the bottom of the sea, but I almost drowneded so then I gave up and the fire monkeys had to deal with it.” He shrugged, having apparently resolved the ethics of the scenario with himself in the intervening months.

“But I like it here because it is very alive. Do you not feel the energy? It feels like home, except that you and Torin aren’t here-…” He blinked, “But wait, now you are here! So it is home until you leave. I wish Torin came, though.” He leaned in to whisper,

“Laurevere is nice but he does not talk much, nor smile.”

Siv and Desty Do Ecith

[Sivan]

"It is that..." Sivan agreed slowly, looking around, hearing the myriad chatter of local spirits. It wasn't that they spoke a different language—language wasn't really a concept for minor spirits—but the feel of their communication was entirely different. His little sprites darted around, attempting to make friends. Laurevere contined his spiraling prowl outward from whence they had arrived, marking whatever it was he sensed. Silent and sober he might be, but Sivan was glad for his presence. Huge flora meant huge fauna, and he didn't know that he would be able to deescalate a situation if some megafauna was hungry enough.

The elven lord ignored Destyn's observation. He wasn't as bad as most Hytori back in Sol'Valen, perhaps because he too was of mixed heritage, but he hoped that Laurevere would warm up to his friends eventually.

He grinned at Destyn.

"I was just in Torin's valley, binding elementals to help them survive the unending winter," he reminded him. "Perhaps when things are settled, he will come with us to see the giant bugs. In the meantime, where should we go from here?" The elf had a pack strapped to his back full of all the things he thought he might need while roughing it. Despite his Dratori upbringing and facility with wild spirits, he was a city elf at heart, finding ways to blend civilization with the wild as he had in his garden.

The elf looked up. The canopy was high, and there were different spirits swimming through the latticework of branches. He supposed Destyn could fly up for a better look to orient himself, but Sivan didn't have the first idea where he was going. This would be a learning experience and perhaps he would see that his airy friend knew how to take care of himself as well as his companions better than anticipated.

[Destyn]

Siv and Desty Do Ecith

45 Glade 123

The Fae scuffed his feet along the soil below playfully as he meandered around in circles.

"Oh! That is good that he is doing that, but yes he should come when he has time and see the giant buggies that crawl on the bottom of the sea. People keep trying to correct me and tell me that they are called krebs, but this is a stupid name. Sometimes Common is a stupid language." He blinked, blushing, but then sighed with relief when he remembered that Common was not Sivan's native tongue either. He'd learnt that his elf friend had come to Kalzasi with much worse Common than Destyn, though now he seemed to have exceeded him. He supposed that might have come for him to if he didn't spend extended periods away from people and keeping the company of plants, animals and other less complicating beings that instilled him with less complicated feelings.

"So, is there anything in particular that you would like to see? I have travelled much. First there was a beach. We took The Duck near to the coast, but then The Duck vanished and everyone fell in the water. Well not everyone. I did not fall, because I have wings and I caught myself in the air before I went sploosh in the water. So I can take you to the beach, if you want... Or this is part of the jungle, of course. This is where I spend most of my time, because it has pleasant chaos and much to eat. And no salty slime people, also, which is nice. I do not really want to visit the fire monkeys again because they were naughty, but I will take you there if this is your wish, though."

Siv and Desty Do Ecith

[Sivan]

"I often find Common insufficient as well," he said with a smile after Destyn's sigh of relief. His own mastery of the tongue had been lacking when he arrived at Kalzasi; with his older master, he hadn't really wanted to talk to people other than the elf who taught him artificing and the Awoken who currently slept under a sheet in his growing tower. But Master Jacun had required that he work in the shopfront, dealing with customers had accelerated his learning. That and meeting Destyn and Torin, with whom he had actually wanted to speak.

Sivan considered. He still wasn't sure he was entirely clear on what had happened with the Duck, but Destyn had survived, which was the important thing.

"I have no great desire to meet the salty slime people or the fire monkeys, so I am happy to try what can be had to eat here in the jungle. The beach sounds nice so long as there aren't salty slime people. I am quite interested in where you found the seed, though. Since I am taking care of it, the more I know about where it came from, the better I will be at helping it grow. I also need to... hm, send a message to the Palace to see if Shinsei Talon can show me how to turn the light down on his crystal. Sometimes, it makes it difficult to sleep, the light sneaking through cracks in the shutters..." But he grinned. It hardly seemed the thing to bring up with a prince and a godling.

"And perhaps... we might find the right sort of flying creature I could meet and possibly learn how to shape its wings for myself... so I can fly with you."

So far, he had made pacts with the Wolf and the Bear spirits. They had talked about dragonflies, and he wasn't averse to the idea, but he was curious what other flying creatures might abound here on the southron continent.

[Destyn]

Siv and Desty Do Ecith

45 Glade 123

Destyn's own relationship with the Common Tongue was older, but less consistent than that of his companion. Whatever the case, he seemed pleased at Sivan's support of his sentiment.

"This is most wise." The young fae nodded sagely at Sivan's apparent aversion to fire monkeys and slime folk. Sivan was a good listener and had surely taken this cue from Destyn himself.

"Oh, there is much to eat! There is a great deal of fruit, but sometimes it belongs to the little fire monkeys and they try to scald you. I am not sure if it was clear before but I am not being poetical when I speak of fire monkeys. They are not just orange, they are actually, uhh... fire-some? Fiery? Fiery." That sounded like a word he'd heard, though so did 'firesome'.

"Whatever. If you see anything that looks yummy I can tell you if it is filled with poison or yumminess." He frowned, "But also you can probably use your magic to do this on your own. You do not really need me, I guess, but it is more fun when I am here." He tapped his chin, pondering there current location.

"The seed falled on my head at the beach. Let me, um... I need a better vantage." He crouched slightly, and hopped into the air, catching himself with his wings before he fell back to earth. He shot up sharply and plunged beyond the canopy to glean a topographical view of the surrounding area. When he returned a few minutes later, he was holding a midsized blue melon, which he handed to Sivan.

"Here you can eat this because it is good. The beach is that way." He pointed, "What kind of wings do you want, though? The good, hovery kind or the stupid glidey kind where you cannot stop in the air?"

Siv and Desty Do Ecith

[Sivan]

"Firesome monkeys," he agreed solemnly, wondering what manner of elemental had paired with a monkey to create such things. Of course, Sivan didn't know what was naturally occurring, what was a magical construct, and what was a product of Sundering or Storm. He was here to learn, as well as to keep an eye on Destyn.

"If you weren't here, I could make sure things weren't poisonous," he agreed again, "but you are here and I would rather you tell me what is delicious and what is only good if I'm starving." And he supposed if there was anything that Destyn absolutely adored, Sivan might bring some seeds home to study and perhaps germinate in his magical hothouse just in case travel to Ecith for snacks was no longer an option at some point.

"Oh!" and then Destyn was aloft and disappearing into the canopy. Sivan caught Laurevere's significant look and shrugged. For all that he was a half-breed to Hytori eyes just as Sivan was, the Siltori-Hytori nobleman could be just as self-important as any pureblooded noble from Sol'Valen. "Nobody twisted your arm to join us, geítonas." The high elf sighed and continued to mark the perimeter. Sivan let his spirits do the scouting, instead feasting his eyes on huge leaves and strange flowers. The spirits were strange here, wilder, brighter. Those weren't the right descriptors, but he couldn't think of the right descriptors in any language.

If he forgets to take us home, Exael said, I can manifest and fly. It will still take some time.

Sivan shook his head. Exael could be just as grouchy as his neighbor.

"Oh, thank you!" He turned the blue melon over in his hands, examining it with his eyes and sniffing at the rind rather than sensing it with his magic. Of course, he glanced toward the beach to orient himself, and noted Laurevere doing the same. At least he trusted Destyn's reconnaissance. "Well, if you are the one teaching me to fly, I suppose I should try to find a gigantic dragonfly, eh? I don't want people thinking I'm an Avialae!" He grinned.

The insect would crowd his rune, but he knew that sooner rather than later, he would be able to take on more creatures. This was just a domain he was learning from the spirits, which was different from having a master like Jacun.

"Should I crack open the melon or save it for later?"

[Destyn]

Siv and Desty Do Ecith

45 Glade 123

The Fae youth seemed pleased at Sivan's conferral of deference to his hard-earned wisdom. Lacking any capacity for Semblance himself, Destyn had relied upon the guidance of plants and spirits- The former of which could be cryptic and the latter of which could be mischievous. This amounted to a lot of trial and error, though he'd only taken ill a few times.

"One thing I have learned that is not good to drink is the water from the ocean. It seems very flavourful when compared to normal water, but it will hurt your tummy and make your froat dry." He nodded sagely. He'd taken in far more seawater than he was proud to admit. The first had been a mistake in judgement, the second had been an involuntary intake of water as a result of his near drowning. In any case, he would spare Sivan the details and leave him with just the knowledge.

"You are welcome! Yes, there are large buggies here not just in the ocean. I would wager that we will find many buggies with good wings in our travels. Do they need to big big buggies though? The Animists in my clan could grow parts to scale with their Fae forms when they, uh... mix and matched body parts? That sounds macabre. It wasn't, though." He shrugged, and started to lead them through the dense jungle in the direction he'd marked as being beach-ward.

"It is your melon, Sivan!" Destyn whined, "You do what you want with it! It is up to you! Oh, look! A pretty bird!" He gestured to a brightly coloured parrot of some kind. "Do not get any ideas about those wings, though. They are pretty, but not as good as mine. Can you, also, fly Mister Laurevere, sir?"

Siv and Desty Do Ecith

[Sivan]

Sivan laughed.

"I can only change parts of myself so far," he informed his elfin friend. "But I can mix and match. The snout of a wolf and the tail of a bear, perhaps?" He smiled, thinking he ought to practice. Most of the time, he only borrowed characteristics of Wolf and Bear: improved senses, claws for digging in the garden. Perhaps when he was able to fit more than a few spirits in his Rune, he would also be able to transform himself more entirely. "Hmm..."

He looked down at his melon while Destyn interrogated the proud knight of Sol'Valen. Kneeling, he cracked the melon against a sharp stone, pulling away some of the rind so he could get at the flesh of the thing.

For his part, Laurevere was kinder than was his wont. He regarded the Fae thoughtfully.

"Fly? No." But, abruptly, he shot into the air. Sivan saw him manipulate the aether, but it was only fancy use of Kinetics. Laurevere touched the trunk of a massive tree, then shot even farther aloft. But after bouncing off of a boulder, he descended again, using smaller blasts to reduce his momentum so he didn't hurt himself landing.

"Showoff," Sivan chided with a smile. Then he took a bite of the melon. "It's good! Mm, the buggie can be small... it just needs wings similar to yours and... well, they ought to be big enough for me to see them well. And we oughtn't to harm it. I have to have a little conversation with its spirit so it will teach me... about itself." Animus had so far utilized his spiritwalking, and his affinity for wild spirits built from years of making compacts with them, as well. Perhaps that was not how others did it, but that was his way. It made sense. It worked. He was safe and the spirits were happy.

"So a... giant dragonfly or...?" He looked curiously at Destyn, wondering what he would come up with.

[Destyn]

Siv and Desty Do Ecith

45 Glade 123

Destyn nodded, trying to imagine Sivan's pretty face with a long, furry snout protruding. It was, to him, an odd notion.

"If that is, you know, something that appeals to you, then it is, you know, your body..." He noted with a shrug. His attention was then on Laurevere as the elf replied. He blinked at the burst of speed that sent the knight up and away, seeming more confused than impressed by the display.

"Goodbye, then, I guess?" It was as if Destyn was unsure whether or not the Kinetic acrobatics were meant to be related to his question, or if he was just keen to get away from the Fae and his stupid questions. He was still mulling this over as Sivan expressed approval of the melon.

"Yes, is it not? I like that it is blue. There should be, I think, more food that is blue and also delicious at the same time." As Sivan's focus returned to the matter of wings, he nodded and his eyes darted about.

"Yes. Dragonflies are very good at flying, I think. There are, you know, often dragonflies in the dunes, or... the bigger ones are usually by the creek. Would you rather go to there instead of to the beach? I do not know what you most wish to find here. This is, you know, your trip. I want for you to enjoy yourself! I have splored much of this land already, so I am, you know, your guide or whatever."

Siv and Desty Do Ecith