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[Talon]

37 Glade 123

He had spent the past two days either traveling to attend to his obligations or buried under the work of drafting schematics designed to address the project in Solunarium. At that particular moment he was rubbing his brow attempting to get rid of the nagging headache that was beginning to present itself. He was in the middle of setting down his pen when he felt hands come to rest upon his shoulders in the beginnings of a massage.

“You are overworking yourself.” Aoren’s deep voice was soft in his ear. He felt his husband press a gentle kiss to the top of his head, prompting Talon to lean back into his touch.

“These problems are not going to address themselves, beloved.” He looked up into Aoren’s fiery eyes. His bondmate was smiling down at him indulgently. There was a knowing expression on his face.

“They also are not going to be addressed in just a few days.” Aoren gently pulled him up from his seat. “Besides, you are forgetting something.”

“I am forgetting something.” Talon repeated the statement even as he brought his hands up to rest upon Aoren’s hips. His husband nodded. The amused smile on his lips grew bigger.

“Yes.” Aoren reached up, placing his hands upon Talon’s neck, fingers gently massaging the tense muscles. Talon wracked his brain to try and figure out what it was that he was forgetting. Over the past few days he had been engaged with meetings at the Palace of the First Wind. He had convened with the Conclave of the Circle of Spells to determine the next shipments of dragonshard requirements and negotiate payment. He had sent missives to the detachments assisting with the efforts going on in Zaichaer. He had met with the elder council and let his opinions be known regarding some of the legislative matters for Kalzasi. Presently he was working on compiling a registry of materials, experts, and details that would need to be undertaken for the Solunarium project.

Solunarium…

“Hilana!” His wings jerked with the revelation. Talon groaned and pressed his face into the warmth of his husband’s chest. Aoren chuckled, running his hands up and down his arms.

“You were supposed to send for her yesterday.” Aoren kissed his brow. Talon let out a long sigh, his wings drooping and his shoulders slumping. Aoren was right. He was a bit overworked and there looked to be no break in sight. He would run himself ragged if he did not take a little bit of time to rejuvenate himself. He needed Hilana because of her alchemic insights into the nature of the voidspawn but in all of his duties across the past two days, he had completely neglected to bring her to his workshop.

“Come. We should bring her a gift by way of apology.” Talon stood up straight and nodded. He knew just the thing to buy for her. He would be paying a visit to Lyra’s shop.

---

Aoren knocked on the door to Hilana’s apartment. Meanwhile, Talon was fidgeting nervously. He felt awful for having forgotten to send for her to join him at his workshop. Hopefully the woman was not too cross with him. Aoren stepped back from the door, wrapping an arm around his waist. His husband trailed his hand lightly up and down his side.

“Breathe, love. I’m sure she might tease you but we all understand the pressures you face.” Aoren pressed a kiss to the side of his head. Talon relaxed a little.

“That is not the point, love. She is an important part of the work ahead and I just…forgot to bring her.” He held a wrapped package in his hand along with a new satchel, both of which he had bought for her. Aoren sighed fondly, shaking his head with a soft smile.

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana had packed her rucksack for her little excursion with her notes and some freshly killed… well, gathered... samples in order to show the reactions if they wanted to see them in person. She had prepared her black shawl-like scarf in case it really was as cold as it was supposed to be out there, as the girl wasn’t entirely certain. Tiaz and Fiya had been secured in their terrariums, simply because Hilana would not risk her scaled darlings catching the sniffles. She had her hibiscus tree in a painted pot for them by the door so that she did not forget it. Sandals had been traded for boots - something Domina Clelia had suggested for lab work. She wasn’t sure if Daemon’s lab was anything like her paedagoga’s, or the Underforge when she had peeked at the Gnome’s, but likely better to be safe than sorry. But with her long tiered skirts, her footwear wasn’t being seen anyway. She had a baklava cheesecake waiting in her icebox, lemon tartlets for them to try, and after a while she got out one of her alchemy books to keep reading. Eventually she got up and cleaned her apartment, not wanting to leave it in case the Avialae did come and Hilana didn’t have time to race home and get what she needed.

By the time dinner rolled around, Hilana figured that they had just gotten busy. That didn’t surprise her: they doubtless had incalculable calls on their time and attention, and even though Daemon was a god, he couldn’t be everywhere all at once, surely. She got changed out of her nicer outfit and went into the kitchen to throw together a chickpea salad before heading down to the street market to get herself some octopi skewers and settle in for the night. Just in case. Maybe they’d lost track of time. They’d surely just gotten busy or into a battle or, well, something. The girl didn’t know. She just hoped that wherever they were, they were okay. She left her bag packed, just in case.

When there was a knock on her door the next day, Hilana headed to answer it, Tiaz on her shoulders and Fiya wrapped around her wrist. The door unlocked, and she drew it back and was absolutely delighted to see them standing there. “Hello Daemon, Aoren. Come, come in. I was worried about you, is everything alright?” Her big brown eyes looked from one to the other as she backed up from the door to hold it for them to come into her apartment. Daemon did look a bit tired, and she would usher them from the front hall and into the living room. She brought them from the living room into her kitchen, where the chairs were much more suitable for wings. The kitchen was full of plants, either those fresh in the pots in the windowsill, or more that were drying from racks along the ceiling. There was the smell of food, spice, and plants. “Mind your heads,” she warned them. Her Raithen was a good bit shorter than they were, after all. “Let me get you something, you look like you might need it,” she added, eying the silver-haired Avialae over her shoulder. With her foot, she hooked a little wooden step stool from where it was tucked in the corner and stood on tip-toe, reaching for one of the enormous flowers that was hanging upside down and drying from one of the metal racks. The flower itself was quite a good size, at least a foot across, and Hilana had five or six of them hanging out to dry. But it was the freshest bloom that she reached for, and from the multiple layers of petals, she took down six of them, offering them to her guests. “Magma blooms,” she explained. “It’s a local plant, and the petals have a nice bit of spice and sweetness to them. But more importantly, they’ll give you energy. Can I get you something to eat? Tea? Have you ever tried ouzo?”

He looked like he could use those and more, that was for sure.

[Talon]

The door opened and Hilana was there, smiling brightly with a look of delight in her eyes. He had not realized it but he was glad to see her. It was nice to simply speak with someone who was as personable as Hilana. That her first question was regarding their well-being spoke to him on several levels. Tired as he was, he returned the smile to her. Aoren squeezed his arm before ducking into the apartment with a smile.

“I was just reminding my beloved that he is still half-mortal and should not stretch himself so thin.” Aoren bowed slightly to Hilana, folding his raven wings close, wrapping them around his body so that they appeared almost like a cloak draped across his shoulders. Talon smiled fondly at his husband then stepped forward offering the satchel and the package that he had wrapped.

“For you. My apologies for leaving you behind.” As he stepped inside, he closed the door behind him politely. Should Hilana unwrap the package it would reveal a thick tome made of fine leather inlaid with gold and what appeared to be gemstones of various types. Across the surface of the book’s cover there was a crystalline swirl possessing a starry and celestial appearance. A blazing sun was emblazoned upon the cover. Upon brushing her fingers over the symbol it would glow faintly with golden light.

“It is a Grimoire of Spells. Each page can be inscribed with Scrivening pictography and turned into a scroll capable of containing a spell of rune magic. The pages will not crumble once the magic within them is expended, so you can change your pictography endlessly.” He then extended the satchel to her with another smile.

“This is a Featherlight Bag in the shape of a satchel. I thought you might find it useful. It will never weigh more than it does now and can contain several hundreds of pounds worth of items provided it is small enough to fit through the opening. As long as the bag is not torn, it will hold those items perpetually. You need only think about the item to summon it to your hand.” He relinquished the satchel to Hilana then produced a piece of paper.

“Here is a list of materials that are currently inside the satchel and how much as well as what each item is and does.” Talon cleared his throat once he had finished presenting these things to Hilans.

“My gifts. An apology for…umm…forgetting.” He rubbed at the back of his head with an embarrassed blush to his cheeks.

“I have never heard of a magma bloom before.” He picked up one of them and inspected it both with his normal vision and his Semblance aided sight. He studied what he could discern of its properties, using the aura as a proxy for his senses of smell, touch, taste, and even filtering through what he could make of its immediate qualities.

“Tea sounds lovely.” He set down the magma bloom.

"And if you have some food, I will never turn that down." Aoren grinned.

Off Topic

Hilana has been gifted the following:

Grimoire of Spells - Using this book requires that one be learned in Scrivening. This book is constructed of alchemically treated leather binding to protect it from the decay of time and damage from the elements. Each page is a product of Runeforging crafted from dragonshards, the most basic of which are Mnemonosyte shards. Every page within the book is imbued with the ability to serve as a scroll of magic. Rather than the page being expended after being used, which normally causes a magic scroll to dissolve, each page can be inscribed with a spell of the wizard's choosing perpetually. The pages are not torn from the book but simply activated according to their chosen parameters. Using either Infused Ink or Spellwright's Ink, the wizard can write pictographs upon the pages of the book. The Tier of Mastery of the spell intended determines how many pages it takes to store it. Novice (1 page), Apprentice (2 pages), Journeyman (3 pages), Expert (5 pages), Master (10 pages), Grandmaster (25 pages).

Featherlight Satchel - A satchel or pack made of carefully runeforged cloth that is stitched together using enchanted threads. The bag uses spatial magic to create a small pocket that is much bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. Capable of holding up to 600 lbs in material not to exceed a total of 70 cubic feet. The bag is 2 ft. in diameter at the mouth and 5 ft. deep. While the material is reinforced and unaffected by the natural elements, it is not impervious to being torn or pierced. If the bag is ruptured in any way, the spatial magic contained within it distorts and collapses, sending all materials contained within it spilling out into the area around the bag.

Spellwright's Ink (Aetherite) (Average Quality) (x2 bottles) - Enchanted ink that is used in the drawing of Pictography. Given the ink is enchanted, one does not need to awaken the pictographs drawn to the presence of aether as by using Spellwright's Ink, the symbols are inherently capable of capturing and manipulating magic according to the principles of Scrivening.

Scrivener's Quill - A feathered quill covered in pictographs; Provides minor corrections when used to draw pictographs and helps aid stability of final product.

Ring of Traversion

Owner: Hilana
Attunement: Yes
Purchased: 2,700 GP
Enchantment: Journeyman Traversion
Charges: 10

The power of the ring requires activation. It is attuned specifically to Hilana’s aetheric signature, meaning that only she is capable of using the magic of the ring unless the attunement is wiped from it. The ring will produce the listed effects until such time as the last charge is expended, at which time it will go inert. It takes a total of 2 hours for a single charge to be regained.

Railway (5 Charges) - Requiring that the wearer channel the power of the ring for a short period of time, the ring aligns the Slipspace opening a portal to a location that the wearer is familiar with. Provided that the location is not guarded against the use of portal magic, an opening will be created. The portal is stable enough to allow for up to (5) people to travel through it at one time. The portal will remain open for up to (2) minutes.

Vault (2 Charges) - The wearer is capable of teleporting only themselves with this ability. Provided they are not barred from doing so, the wearer is able to teleport to any known location within a 5 mile radius.

Scrying (2 Charges) - The wearer of the ring uses the reflection on an object, such as a mirror, glass, or even the surface of water, to create a porthole between them and a place in mind. This allows the Traverser to scry their surroundings, and even establish communication lines with other people over vast distances. Provided they know the person whom they are attempting to scry and there is a reflective surface nearby them, the wearer’s reflection will appear in that nearby surface and the two will be able to communicate. If no such reflective surface is near the intended recipient or the user does not know the recipient, they will not be able to communicate with them, only observe.

Blink (1 Charge) - The wearer is capable of only teleporting themselves with this ability. Provided they are not barred from doing so, the wearer is able to teleport rapidly to any location within their field of view up to a distance of 60 ft.

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana grinned at Aoren's words about not being stretched so thin. She could imagine that the weight on his shoulders was heavy, as a warrior, king, and demigod. "You've nothing to apologize for," she sought to reassure him, smiling up at them. "You have so much going on, and yet you've taken the time to help us with our homeland. This is so kind of you, thank you," she was shocked when he offered her the beautiful satchel and the wrapped gift. The girl appreciated craftsmanship, that was clear, and long, nimble fingers touched the hand-tooled leather. "Please understand that you didn't have to do this, but I am so very grateful to you for them."

Her big brown eyes only got bigger, and bigger, and bigger, as Talon explained the treasures that he had given her. Her breath caught in her throat, and the girl was completely shocked by the display of kindness. Gentle touches explored the gifts as he explained them to her, caressing the Grimoire carefully like she thought she might damage it by being careless, and there was a steadily growing delight there on her face, mixed with awe. She had never received anything like any of this, and for perhaps one of the few times in her life, Hilana was rendered speechless. She wasn't entirely certain what she could have done to deserve this, but she was very much affected by the treasures that she now beheld. From the beautiful ring with the little petals and leaves that actually fit perfectly on her finger as if it was made and sized just for her, to the wondrous Grimoire, and the satchel that fit perfectly over her shoulder to rest on a curved hip.

And then there were the materials contained within. Oh, Founders. If her eyes got any larger, the wonder was that they were not rolling over the smooth stone floor of her apartment. The Grimoire was set up carefully on the table, and the satchel set carefully on the couch. She looked from one Avialae to the other. "Gratias," she told them, bowing to them. She had no such incredible gifts for them, but she had what she was able to produce, like her ever-blooming hibiscus that would manage all year long as long as it had light and some warmth, and considering Daemon was a Runeforger of considerable skill and the God of Light, well, that likely wouldn't be a problem for him. It was hardy enough that it could manage the colder weather, or it could be kept inside. "I thank you both from the bottom of my heart. While I cannot truthfully say I understand all the weight that you must carry, I try to imagine it and I think that just about anyone else I know would fall apart under that stress. May I give you both a hug?" The girl looked from one to the other.

She had not forgotten that last season, they had had signs of stress, exhaustion, and she had thought she recognized trauma there, too. Further, they were warriors, and if there was one thing Hilana knew, you did not jump on one without permission. She did not wish to trigger something in them, to stress them out, or make them uncomfortable. Her mouth tended to run a lot without thinking, but the act of touch could say a lot more than a girl who had grown up with herders and nomads in the vast desert of the Atraxian Expanse.

"The magma bloom petals are for you to eat," she advised him when he set them down. "They have a bit of a tangy taste to them, but they will give you a pop of energy. You seem a bit tired from everything that you have going on," Daemon did seem somewhat tired to her, after all, and he could surely use a nice little pick-me-up. "You won't find them anywhere but here, I don't believe. It is the cave system combined with the geology near the spillways that makes them as they are, and while I know there are other volcanoes around the world, I would think that there are very few cave systems like ours in the Umbrium by the spillways where such fauna can grow. We also have a special type of wheat that grows near there, too. It won't grow anywhere else," she smiled at that, putting the kettle on for tea. From the refrigerator she produced a tray of tartlets. Well, what passed as Avialae-sized tartlets; for her they were the size of normal hand-pies that fit in her palm. The pastry was golden, but the curd inside of them was a bright yellow, and they could both smell the lemon. She set them down between them before getting out some of her earthenware plates, setting one between each of them. Knowing Aoren's penchant for liquor, Hilana poured him a glass of the apricot mead.

"I have asked around the Forum, the marketplace, about Kalzasern Rose Milk Tea," the Vastiana admitted to them. "Vasilei, my mentor, traveled to Kalzasi when he was younger and learning about plants... so I made him taste-test a couple samples that the elders and I reasoned out. Hopefully, this is close to the tea of your home," she smiled at Talon. Black tea was set to steeping, and Hilana pulled down a bottle of something viscous and pink. Rose syrup, it seemed. She also set up another cup of tea, this time with dried magma bloom petals and the accompanying spices. That one could steep, and worst case scenario, the silver-haired Avialae did not like her attempts at recreating the tea from his homeland, he could always enjoy one from hers. Dates stuffed with cheese were also laid on the table for them to enjoy, along with serving bowls of dips that they might well have recognized from their picnic with her last season. The girl kept them on hand for snacking and company, and the contents of a wooden box were put in a bowl: pita crackers for the dips.

Once the tea was done, Hilana added the rose syrup that she had made, swirling some in before pouring in some milk and giving it all a stir. She added a few crushed rose petals to the top for the garnish, scent, and flavour, and put the cup before him, clearly intent on seeing his expression and well-prepared to fix it and add more to it if she did not have it right, considering all of the components were still at the ready.

[Talon]

Talon blinked for a moment at the request for a hug. It was rare these days that he opened himself up to being physically touched by anyone but Aoren. For Hilana, whom he was beginning to consider a friend, he could make an exception for the bright spirited woman. He nodded, opening his arms. As soon as she stepped into the circle of his arms, he wrapped them around her, lifting her slightly so that he did not have to stoop. He squeezed Hilana gently before setting her back on the floor. Aoren, on the other hand, scooped her up, squeezed her tightly and enveloped her in his warmth before setting her back on her feet, using a hand on her shoulder to gently steady her.

Talon inspected the magma bloom. He plucked one of the petals and sniffed it in order to get a sense of its aroma. He then opened up his aethereal senses, inspecting it with his Semblance. He breathed in the scent, he tasted without tasting, he explored its texture without having to touch it. He was always fascinated by new flora and fauna and the various properties that could be found across the world. Everything he examined was always cataloged in a way that he could come back to it for a future idea, a future project, or something to simply jot down in one of the many, many journals that were scattered about his workshops and offices. Talon then took a nibble on the petal. The tangy flavor reminded him of citrus fruits mixed with cinnamon spices and a bit of chili peppers. He immediately loved it. He held out the petal to Aoren who immediately popped the entire thing into his mouth and chewed.

“Fascinating. I would love to be able to explore them some day.” Talon truly meant that. Some of his best and worst memories were from the days and weeks he had spent exploring the Warrens.

“I wonder if I might find something similar in the Otherwilds of the Warrens. All manner of interesting things grow there. It is one of my favorite places to go when I feel like braving the trails the get to it.” The journey to the Otherwilds was not a safe one by any stretch of the imagination. To get to the Second Deep of the Warrens meant traveling the First Deep of the Buried Empire. The endless hordes of monstrosities that crawled from the muck and mire of the First Deep were never pleasant and always encountered no matter how cautious one was. It did not matter where one turned, facing the Gravebound Hordes was an eventuality, not something anyone could avoid when they ventured into the Warrens.

As soon as Hilana produced the lemon tarts, Aoren’s eyes went as wide as saucers. The boyish grin that spread across his face was one of absolute joy. He immediately reached for one then stopped with a sheepish look.

“May I?” Upon being given permission, he immediately began munching on the lemon tart. A pleasured moan came from him as he enjoyed the flavor. When Hilana passed him the glass of mead, he looked positively in heaven. Talon chuckled, running a hand through his husband’s hair. Aoren responded by brushing one of his wings along Talon’s side. The demigod politely bowed his head before accepting a glass of the concoction that Hilana had devised to produce rose-milk tea. He was very deliberate and diligent in his accepting of the tea, grasping the cup with one hand while placing it on the palm of the other, approaching the matter as though it was a meditative art form, which spoke to his cultural roots. After allowing the tea to mix, Talon brought it to his lips, blowing softly before taking a sip. It was not quite the same balanced flavor that was to be found in Kalzasi but it was not unpleasant. He closed his eyes appreciating the brew for a moment before nodding to Hilana.

“Not quite the same but I would deem this an Atraxian success. You are a gifted concoctioneer, Hilana.” He took another sip. He allowed himself the peace of simply being somewhere that was not his royal office, his laboratory, or his study. A simple meal with his husband and a friend. It was strange, he was beginning to feel more at ease in the sands of Atraxia and in the Solar Kingdom, a place whose very religious structure reviled him, than he felt in other parts of the world. Perhaps it was for that very reason, a place that went out of its way to ignore him, that he felt more able to be at ease with himself.

“Have you been working on your Scrivening? What of your other magical pursuits? Tell me what you have learned. I would enjoy hearing it.”

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana was simply delighted when they accepted her offer of a hug. Had she been declined, she wouldn’t have pushed further, but she was all too happy to step into Daemon’s hug and wrap her arms carefully around him when he hugged her. They were that much taller than she was, and so when she was lifted, she wasn’t at all minding - it was right up her alley, and she tightened her arms on the Avialae Prince. When she was scooped up next by Aoren, she chuckled, and squeezed him back. But for both of them, she tried to put as much emotion into those hugs as she could. She wanted to express her appreciation and her gratitude, her respect and care. “Gratias,” she told them both, smiling once she was on the ground again. She could only hope that the hugs could convey part of what she couldn’t put into words without sounding like a babbling child.

“When we have the opportunity, I’ll show you the best places to find them in the Umbrium,” Hilana was pleased that they liked them. It doubtless seemed like a funny suggestion, to go ahead and eat a flower petal, but the Vastiana was not about to steer them wrong in that regard. “That must be an exciting place to go. Does Traversion work in the Warrens?” The girl was curious. “So that you can get past the First Deep and go right to the Second?” If so, that would have made it much easier to go back and forth and explore it. But perhaps since it was so different to Ransera... Traversion did not work there. But maybe...

“Of course, please help yourself,” Hilana beamed when Aoren asked. “They are for you both to enjoy,” she was happy with his reaction to the lemon tarts with the crispy pastry and the thick, creamy curd. Apparently, lemon was a big thing for him, and she put that tidbit away in her head for later. Now that she knew... well... lemon went with all kinds of things. She could certainly experiment for him, and she would figure out more of Talon’s tastes, too, and figure out what he liked. It was one thing to introduce them to her peoples’ cuisine and culture, but if they had favourite flavours... she would be all too happy to make sure that they were included.

With the red dragon eating, she could watch Talon and try to read his cues, too, as he investigated her attempt at the Rose-Milk tea. When he approved, and called it an Atraxian success, the girl all but bounced on her toes, utterly beaming. When she had the opportunity to visit Kalzasi and find one of these teas, she was going to study it and semble it until she had it completely figured out. Then she could replicate it, or just keep putting her own spin on it. But Hilana wanted it to be as close to the original as possible for her guest in order to honour their cuisine and traditions, too. “Gratias,” she beamed at them, and settled down at the table in the sunny kitchen, the scent of herbs, plants, and spices, of fruits and bread and roasted meat lingering. Tiaz was perfectly content on her shoulders again, and Fiya was making her way up there, too.

She considered the question. “I have been,” she agreed. “Slowly, but steadily. It’s a lot of practice,” Hilana admitted, but she also clearly didn’t mind that. She was not afraid of digging deep and working at it, because that was what she had been told, over and over. One did not just practice until they got it right, they had to practice until they couldn’t get it wrong. “Something that I am working on is scrivening on one of our lodestones so that it can steadily release air from it to help a friend of mine with breathing underwater... while utilizing convergences and continuums to help control how much air is released at once. I want to try to make sure that the lodestone is optimized in order to best extend the time that one can spend down there. He’s not an elementalist, so manifesting air while swimming below does not work as well,” Hilana explained. She knew that that concept of what she was working on would likely intrigue him, and he might well have some tips and suggestions on how to accomplish that goal. “My practice of Elementalism continues to improve. I am able to attune with different elements now, but I have not yet picked my Arche,” she admitted. “I want to be able to utilize all nine elements first, and then see what speaks to me.” The girl had a sip of her tea with the magma bloom in it, savouring the warming flavours of the spices contained within.

“I was gifted with the Rune of Semblance at the end of Frost, which is another craft that I have been working on. My Alchemy paedagoga has also been advising me with Semblance as well... not so much that I have additional lessons just for Semblance, but for helping me understand what I am seeing and pointing out processes and things that I do not recognize.” She spooned some of the hummus onto a pita cracker, and enjoyed the bite. “The temptation to use it and keep using it until I push towards overgiving is there, and it comes on much faster than I expect. When I get closer to my limits with Elementalism, I can feel the headache before it starts, where with Semblance... I sometimes do not realize how much I have used it until I am about to give myself a migraine. So it is understanding when to stop, rather than constantly pushing for more. I think it is easier to gauge with Elementalism because that usually does produce a more tangible result.” She was among friends, and Daemon was one of her teachers. If she could not admit where she was having trouble to a teacher, she could not hardly expect to get any better, could she?

[Talon]

“To an extent.” Talon answered as he held his tea in quiet thought. “You are able to teleport across the layer that you occupy. Travel between layers still requires that you physically walk there yourself.”

It was a curiosity that none of the scholars who had studied the Warrens were able to answer. Even the Masters of Traversion were incapable of teleporting from one layer to another. It resulted in an unpleasant situation where they found themselves adrift in the Slipspace. Some managed to make their way out and back into the layer they had previously occupied. Others were lost forever.

He listened as Hilana explained the status of her progress in learning magic. He could understand well the desire to use Semblance to gather as much information in the world as one possibly could. He was continually using it to investigate his surroundings. His habitual use of it had evoked the development of some preternatural senses that helped him better intuit the moods and intentions of those he dealt with. It also gave him a keener insight into the nature of what he examined, not to mention a few of his senses were better honed through it.

“Semblance is a gift, one that is considered a staple among the mages of my homeland.” When he thought about it, there were very few Kalzasern mages that he could think of that did not either possess the rune themselves or something imbued with it. House Briathos and the Circle of Spells had instituted a culture such that Semblance was considered a standard magic. It was both curious and interesting to him to see how magic was utilized in other cultures. He took another sip of his tea.

“All things in good measure, however.” As he said this, his eyes trailed over to Aoren who was stuffing something else into his mouth. His husband blinked at him prompting Talon to simply smile at him fondly.

“I am here to bring you to my laboratory in Kalzasi.” Talon turned his silver-eyed gaze to Hilana. “I am working with a few materials that would benefit from the insights you have gained from your alchemical studies of the voidspawn.”

He took a deeper drink of the tea, enjoying its unique flavor.

“The materials are a tad delicate and difficult to move in their current state. Otherwise I would have simply moved them to the Red Rock Citadel by now.”

[Hilana Chenzira]

As he explained about the Warrens and using the Rune of Traversion to travel through them, Hilana nodded. That made sense, about as much as anything seemed to about that place, and it was a good warning to keep in mind for the future. It was unlikely that she was going to have any opportunities to visit there in the near future, but perhaps one day. She would at least like to visit the Second Deep and see what plants and animals there were to be found in it. Perhaps she could find something fantastical there, even more than what existed here in Ransera.

Maybe one day. But for now, there was enough to do at home before she went to explore something so otherworldly.

“You’re right, it just takes time,” Hilana agreed. “Time to practice and learn to understand what you’re seeing, and to cultivate it until it becomes a second nature.” She didn’t seem put out by that in the least, however. She was an industrious girl, and she was determined to work hard and train. If she did something, it was rarely in half measures. She went all in. “Do you use it often, then?” She was curious. “Do you also have the Rune of Semblance, Aoren?” If given the opportunity, Hilana had a thousand questions, and there would soon be far more.

“I’d love to,” the Vastiana beamed, her eyes brightening up and she set down her tea. “I just have a few things to grab, and then I have everything,” she was already up from the table in a whirlwind of colour from her skirts. From the refrigerator came a reed box that was on the larger side, though it was short, and that went on the table. Semblance would reveal the contents if he so chose: it was a confection, large and heavy. There was something that combined a treat of her homeland, baklava, and cheesecake. She hurried towards the door, grabbing her loaded rucksack on the way. She was tying her purple scarf around her hips before she made it to the door where she had left the last part of what needed to come with her. She scooped up the large hibiscus tree in the hand-painted clay planter, its flowers a vivid yellow with a deep red centre. It was nearly as tall as the girl was when she set it down in the warm, inviting kitchen beside Talon’s chair, with a trunk as thick as her fist.

“My gift to you,” Hilana told the silver-haired Prince before smiling at Aoren in turn as well. “To both of you. It’s.... not as magical or as incredible as the treasures that you have blessed me with, but it is native to Solunarium. It is also very hardy, and it will survive the cold, too, once it is planted. You may want to keep it indoors for a little bit, until the Great Darkness has ended, but then it will be good to go outside.” She had an envelope in her rucksack with all of the instructions needed for its care and upkeep, and a woven bag full of fertilizer and plant food to help it along the way.