[Open Prompt] What They Loved Is Gone

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: Sundered Rise 10, Searing 123
NOTES: Refugees [Open Prompt]
Weather: Cold. Overcast skies.

House Ahtivin has put out a call for assistance to those with the means to help. The devastation of Zaichaer still has lingering effects on the populace. Refugees from the former High City of Karnor have flocked to the Low City of Kalzasi. A crisis of culture is steadily brewing wherein citizens of a still-recovering city are struggling to find their place in what was once (and to some still is) a culture viewed as the enemy. Despite the armistice that is in place, despite the assistance that Kalzasi is giving to the common people, despite the fact that Kalzasi has openly stated that it was in fact NOT responsible for the cataclysm of Zaichaer, there are those who do not see this as enough. People are cold, hungry, displaced, and struggling. They need help.

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- - -

About a year prior, the city of Zaichaer had been leveled– the sky had torn open and a devastating mist storm was unleashed upon the populace below; it was a degree of decimation the likes of which many alive now had no point of reference for. In the time since, those that decided to stay in the rubble of their home had managed to erect floating islands upon which they had started to rebuild while the covens below organized machinations of their own. But not everyone decided to stay, not everyone could stay, and many that were forced out ended up finding themselves in Kalzasi.

Kalzasi had always been a welcoming place, relatively, and what refugees of the ruined city that showed were certainly not turned away– but that didn’t erase the fact that the two cities had been hostile towards one another for some time and that Zaichaer had attempted to blame their Kalzasern neighbors for their misfortunes. Some of the new arrivals even carried this attitude, despite the fact that these claims had been rebuffed every step of the way. Such accusations were also simply untrue in reality, but this was hard to prove to the masses in any objective measure.

- - - - -

In the aftermath of the Shokaze’s coronation, one Novalys Jae-Seong had wanted to make his leave of the city. In particular, he’d wanted to visit a village he’d helped defend a few months back to see how they were doing, but as he was preparing to leave, he was made aware of a call to action courtesy of House Ahtivin. He’d been told that new Zaichaeri refugees were still showing up, and that they, along with some who’d been here for some time already, were in need of aid.

On this notion alone did he feel the need to stop by and check out the situation for himself, but when he expressed such interest, he also heard that many of the refugees still harbored resentment towards their new home. This was…disheartening, but if anything, it only made him want to do more– maybe with his assistance he could also help dispel some of the malcontent? Or maybe that was wishful thinking. Either way, one cannot know if one does not try.

For this small sojourn to one of the neighborhoods in the lower city where many of Zaichaer’s displaced had started to congregate, he wore pleated umanori hakama layered over a paired kimono. His clothing was finely tailored and durable, and observers with relevant knowledge might recognize from the fabric quality along with some of the dyes that what he wore outclassed the standard citizen, but all the same, he was far from ostentatious, keeping ornamentation minimal. For the weather, he might appear lightly dressed, but his temperature was kept regulated by way of elemental lodestones.

House Ahtivin had set up a center of sorts for aid in a mid size building, one with fairly traditional Kalzasern architecture, nearby. Should they choose to, the refugees would be able to enter and find succor; food, warmth, the like. There was ample enough space for people to spend time there, too, as the Kalzasern nobility who had set it up did so both to help and in an attempt to foster a sense of community.

When Jae-Seong arrived, his first move was to approach somebody who was already working there– he didn’t want to impose or upset whatever balance they’d already established, if any such thing existed. The Ahtivin noble explained much of the situation; they needed as many hands for a variety of tasks as they could get.

Jae-Seong, in particular, thought he could, perhaps, be most helpful in attempting to provide relief to the cold. He was no master of Elementalism, but he could make simple lodestones; imbuing them with warmth was not a complicated task. These could be held onto to keep one’s person warm, or a large enough collection of them could even heat a room. While making and handing these out, he also figured he could speak to those struggling, see if he could reach any of them and assuage their fears or frustrations in one way or another.

The Ahtivin noble directed him over to two people sitting together by the fire; a man and a woman. What skin was exposed was pale and cold even still; they looked completely exhausted.

Closing the distance, the mercenary introduced himself as Novalys Jae-Seong, his actual name– most of the time, he’d give a pseudonym, wanting to eschew his ties to nobility in favor of keeping a low profile. In this case, however, he saw no benefit to doing that. And whether they recognized the name immediately didn’t matter, but he did want people to know that Kalzasern nobility genuinely wanted to help where they could.

- - -

'Thoughts'

"SynskritTongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

"Inandoth Tongue/Speech"

[Shuai Chisuo]

Bull.

Bear.

Bull.

Bear.

Bull.

B-

Well the idea doesn't exactly fit the situation but it does illustrate the situation well; down and up, Zaichaer and Kalzasi. While the idea would imply that Zaichaer's state of heading to the pits would lead the way to some form of prosperity to Kalzasi that isn't the case at all. In fact current developments as of late meant quite the opposite as it would seem that Zaichaer- Zaichaer's refugees in a way could very well end up dragging Shuai's home down into the pits along with them. Not that the refugees could really cause much harm to the city, yet, but there is some concern that in the long run as the steady stream of refugees opens up into a flood of new persons into the city would eventually become unmanageable.

Waaaa. Waaaa. Waaaaa. 'I'm cold. I'm hungry. Its been a journey and I can't find a place to rest. Please sir, just a little for the rest of the day. Help. Help... Help!' While Shuai should have felt just a little... empathetic as he listened to the general sentiments of those refugees being repeated to him, he found it hard to open himself up to the idea that those from Zaichaer were truly deserving of any help. It was an idea, very contrary, that the refugees would both be blaming the 'lowlives' of Kalzasi for all their troubles and yet be looking at them as their saviors. As for the rest of the people of Kalzasi, the ones who would rather not deal with the refugees so they could go on with their day to day lives? Well it was easy for them. Look to the leaders of their community to solve their problems. Look to the nobles of Kalzasi.

After all, 'with great power comes great responsibility'- though Shuai had heard of an opposing view which probably applied to whatever befell his neighbors in Zaichaer; 'power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely'.

While Shuai may be considered to be displaying some of that power, to no one's benefit in particular but his own, it was still important that the noble of some position to his house if nothing more than being fortunate enough to be born in it still be kept safe from the ne'er-do-wells especially where he was making a trip to the lower city which was most definitely and certainly infested with them. His house bodyguards to his left and his right may seem intimidating but then again intimidating was the right vibe to go for as it kept the less... genuine of the masses away from him and, "oh, I don't believe we have enough to distribute to everyone the first time round, so we need to make sure no one tries their luck to get more than they need," or at least as far as the official story would go.

Which made Shuai think a little on why he had to be in the lower city to begin with if all he had to do was deliver the Chisuo's share of the burden. He remembered a little of the conversation going around when House Ahtivin put out the call, of how the younger generation had to learn to maintain the Houses' public image and all that and while he would not mind at least keeping up appearances, it was his hope it would not take too long as there were a lot of other things he could be doing.

Yeah maybe he could pay someone off to distribute the food and goods to help the refugees on his behalf but then again with the lack of foresight to have thought of that earlier, he was only left with the people now in the lower city with him and trusting any one of them probably would not be the best of ideas. And the trip back to get someone more... respectable, that would take too lo- oh wait he was respectable as far as society was concerned. Well, looks like its to his misfortune that he would have to actually stick around. "Lads, lets just hand these off to the Ahtivin and see what else needs doing for... I guess two hours?" Maybe more, maybe less but definitely before it starts to get dark out.

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

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Beyond the nobility that were spearheading this charitable endeavor, House Ahtivan, there were a slew of other scattered members of Kalzasern nobility that came and went, many of which were simply dropping things off– sometimes just porters, but there were others who lingered. The benevolence of the city's upperclassmen certainly varied per family and then per individual (always, there were outliers…), but to Jae-Seong’s understanding, Kalzasern patricians averaged higher on altruism than those native to Zaichaer. He was, however, self aware enough to realize that in being a member of the former group himself that his perspective was likely biased.

Channeling a flux of aether through the polychrome flesh of his right arm, a brilliant, kaleidoscopic light sparked in his open palm before rapidly solidifying into a small, lucent crystal. For a moment it sat inert, but then a
another light flickered from within; this one was a far softer sort– red-orange and warm like the glow of a candle’s flame. The task of creating lodestones was far from being an arduous sort, though it very quickly became tedious; nevertheless, he continued.

With each one of these little glowing gems he conjured, he either passed them off directly to what refugees present approached him or placed them in a ceramic bowl he'd enmeshed as a heat sync. People collected them almost faster than he could make them, but he'd nonetheless taken the precaution to enmesh the container as it would have been exceptionally embarrassing to have set anything on fire unwittingly if he stacked too many of them together. The patrician figured he'd stay at least until he felt his aether begin to strain. He wanted to help, but not necessarily hurt himself to do so– and it wasn't as if there were any incredible urgency; he could always resume this endeavor another time.

While he did this, Jae-Seong would converse casually with the refugees that passed by– or, rather, he would always at least try to. Some were more receptive to his friendliness than others, which was understandable given the circumstances. He understood that many were in a hurry and had things to attend to, were tired, or simply not very social folks. All of that was fine; it only saddened him to hear some of the more bitter commentary from those he considered to be at least some degree of delusional.

The worst, however, were those with the strange and, to him, ignorant anti-magic sentiments the fallen city had for some reason fostered. It was one thing to not want to utilize magic oneself, but the disdain that some of the Zaichaeri expats had for the arcane frankly did not compute with him. Magic was dangerous, sure, but so was nature, so were men. They'd make bizarre comments either to one another or to him directly despite his overall cordiality– this befuddled him, but the last thing he was looking for was to pick a pointless fight with the defenseless. All provocations were met with a mask of friendliness, though this seemed to bother some even more.

But of this endeavor of arcane conjuration, Jae-Seong eventually did tire. He felt the slightest tug of guilt when he had to stop as there were still folks that had been interested in his assistance he would not be able to help. However, it would not be good for his health to continue– it felt like his blood was beginning to burn him from within during the creation process of the last lodestone he'd made, and he knew that would only get worse if he were to continue. And even further, it felt like the elemental spirits themselves were urging him to cease; to shirk such advice would be folly, he thought.

Of course, he apologized when he stopped, and while most present were understanding, there were some that were not. A lot of the common folk of any nation were fairly ignorant about magic, and it was almost worse for some of those present from Zaichaer– he heard mixed mutterings as he stood and strode away; some thought him selfish, some, contrastingly, were glad he'd stopped because they thought what he was doing was an abominable endeavor. A patently peculiar sentiment, that.

The mercenary didn't walk far, however, before he noticed another nobleman present– one who'd arrived flanked by guards. This wasn't entirely unusual, as some of the patrician class weren’t well versed in manners of self defense. Jae-Seong himself usually walked alone because, well, that was what he preferred– but also that he was more than capable of doing so whilst incurring little risk unto himself.

He heard the other noble's comment in passing, and when close enough, he looked to the other and said, “...know you any magic? The Zaichaeri might be skittish about it but that's the most efficient; I'd been making elemental lodestones, but unfortunately, I've reached my limit with that for the day.” Jae-Seong suggested sounding amiable enough, if a bit austere.

- - -

"Synskrit"

"Common"

"Inandoth"

[Shuai Chisuo]

Even if it was commonplace, when Kalzasi was compared to Zaichaer anyway and as a noble Shuai has had a chance to see a lot of the curiosities available in the city, he would have noticed the lodestones as he was passing through the crowds- even as far as the borders of the lower city itself as some of the refugees had left to occupy themselves or, other spots which are underutilized in the city in terms of actually supporting the increased populace. In fact it should have been something he could make himself if he actually bothered although at this point, not at all. Why make lodestones when one could just churn out a lot more talismans which much more utility- wait. That was something Shuai should be doing already although such things would not be given together with the supplies just yet.

And those supplies would actually be a lot more useful. If Shuai bothered to care about the logistics of such things, he too would have known while it was less flashy, less convenient, it would still be something to be better utilized whether by those who were unable to use magic themselves or those who completely abhorred the use of such practices, present company included. Of course by present company it would be assumed to be the refugees from Zaichaer which were all around but in his immediate vicinity? More of those people he could call his fellow countrymen. Not only his bodyguards, although where they actually came from was not something he could be completely sure of, but the newcomer asking him if he himself knew any magic. Not a question which Shuai would scoff at as some other nobles would. While it can be assumed that Kalzasi had its mages (which Shuai figured was in a safe, conservative ratio of one in ten from no study whatsoever to support him other than those he had seen- a rather skewed view when most he meets are nobles themselves...) it was not a guarantee that everyone was one. It was still a troublesome craft to learn as he would know, having to learn some things not in his interest but his own House's.

But how should he approach this... he did not know this other noble and while it would be easy to figure out Shuai's own affinity to magic just by asking around with those in the know, one of the things he learnt to survive as a noble was information was not something to be given freely or easily. After thinking on the query a little, Shuai motioned for the other man to wait for a moment as looked to his two bodyguards, the bruiser and the sneak and gave them some instructions to deliver their cargo to the Ahtivin representatives ahead with him catching up in a few. "No it shouldn't take too long. Just send it there, tell them its from us and keep an eye on it for us." And what about him? The bodyguards were actually there to keep an eye on him too. "Like I said, it wouldn't take too long. You can keep an eye on me from over there if you prefer but we'll be there shortly," he said before having them go on to fulfill the task he gave them.

Finally to address the other man, "I. Know a little. But that's the problem right? I know a little, you more than me, but we'd both hit our limits. Eventually." However there is something they both have in Kalzasi which in comparison has no limit, or the illusion of having none which brings the suggestion. "Instead of wearing yourself out why not just help me distribute the relief items? Its a lot more efficient. The rubes won't be scared to use it like your lodestones. They will actually know how to use it. They can use it whenever they want." And most importantly, "we'll also be able to go and get more anytime they need more stuff," barring the nobles convenience to supply and distribute the items anyway. With no more convenient time than now as they were already in the hot spot the refugees were gathered, Shuai gestured the man towards the goods his bodyguards were watching over. Was this him being amicable? Perhaps. But it was also a more practical consideration if he could persuade someone else to help him with his work.

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

- - -

- - -

Jae-Seong's mannerisms, both his manner of speaking and his demeanor, might read strangely depending on to whom he was speaking. It wasn't that he lacked decorum, more that his was expressed somewhat atypically. Those within the patrician class often, at first blush, had trouble outright discerning if he was truly nobility or merely a vassal thereof if they didn't recognize him. He looked the part but didn't necessarily act the way other notable nobility did. This would be almost entirely because of the sheer volume of time he had spent away from the city since he became of age, though some social customs had always gone over his head.

He had, however, been raised as any other member of House Novalys, with all the class and decorum one would expect, but having spent most of the last two decades in the Kalzasern wilderness applied a degree of degradation to that. And further, he was never a politician nor socialite, rendering him a bit on the blunt end for nobility. People might find him somewhat aloof, cold, or even oblivious to or forgetful of certain social customs, though he did always at least try to remember.

Jae-Seong did, however, recognize that the three before him were of or affiliated with House Chisuo– their crest was present on the supplies they were dropping off. That family, he knew, served beneath his own and of the lesser nobility, he was actually more familiar with them than many of the other families within that same caste. Like most Kalzasern nobility, the house had its mages and encouraged those within it to pick up such crafts– while not everyone ultimately did (and some, unfortunately, died in their attempts to learn), the mercenary considered it worth a shot to ask about the subject.

It did, however, speak volumes about how much time the swordsman spent away from the city to have not recognized Shuai at all as well, because while he was the third-born child, he was still a child to the family's main line. And had Jae-Seong himself actually spent appropriate time amongst his own kin, Shuai might have recognized him. They were two strangers who, by all accounts, should've been at least vague acquaintances by now due to the pre-existing relationship between their families.

The space they were in was an open room; it was a two storied building and one would note that members of House Ahtivan or other nobility might be seen climbing up and down a staircase on the room's far side but that those of Zaichaeri lineage– or even just lesser citizens of Kalzasi– congregated in this main open space. In the back near the stairs there was also a doorway, though what purpose the space it led to served would be ambiguous.

Shuai and his guards would've been able to, upon entering the building, see a space designated for dropping things off; it was a section of the large, open room with tables and shelves and the like presided over by a few of Ahtivan who were sorting through that which was brought in. From both there and near the room's entrance, it would've been possible to have seen Jae-Seong approach them; he had been working over by the far wall, near to the second floor's staircase. He was, however, a quiet man with light steps, so not noticing his approach in general wasn't a rarity.

At first, Shuai looked to and acknowledged him and then his gaze flitted back to the guards that escorted him, giving them instructions on how to handle the cargo that they'd brought in. Fair enough as they had yet to speak to the Ahtivan representatives nearby. Only once the two of them, one far more surly than the other, walked away did Shuai address Jae-Seong.

The Novalys patrician would've been of ambiguous age and race. By human standards of aging he looked young, and he had elfin features but no points to his ears alongside the horns of a Lysanrin. Being crow Rathari as well as Avialae, he did not wear his wings or other avian features omnipresently like other males of the latter race– based on visuals alone, discerning him as being of one of the greater Synnekar Avialae houses would've been unlikely.

From the other nobleman’s response, Jae-Seong gleaned that the other either didn't consider this task worth his aether or was, genuinely, weak with or new to magic– which it was he couldn't rightly say yet.

“I'm no consummate caster myself,” he responded at first with a wan sort of smile– perhaps an attempt at being light hearted?

“...but that was part of the point; making the lodestones was for my own practice as much as it is a charitable act,” the swordsman further extrapolated with a slight shrug.

He also hoped, perhaps naively, that his doing so would end up helping at least one of those folks that were wary of magic soften to the idea of living in greater proximity to it here. The other man did have a point, though– magic made quite a few Zaichaeri expats ornery.

“I suppose I can help you out with that; I've time left to stay,” Jae-Seong acquiesced after thinking about the request for a second.

“What did your family bring that would be best handed out first?” Better to ask than be presumptuous, he thought.

And then, as if realizing something forgotten, “...I'm Novalys Jae-Seong, by the way. What can I call you?”

It felt weird to introduce himself using his actual surname, but in this circumstance, a pseudonym would serve as counterproductive.

- - -

"Synskrit"

"Common"

"Inandoth"

[Shuai Chisuo]

Indeed Shuai was unfamiliar with much of the nobility of Kalzasi but for whatever he could see on the surface- usually comprising of those who made way too many public appearances to put themselves on the spotlight; as someone who did the bare minimum of being a noble unless specifically requested to, much like on this occasion, it was only those he would truly recognize. A 'oh, its that piece of shit from last time' or the usual 'isn't that the same scumbag who did the thing?' had become a norm for those events and this outreach to the Zaichaer refugees was no different as he ran into some as he made his journey with the goods. Someone from Novalys, the highest of all nobles, would indeed fit the bill as those gloryseekers especially those who were not so high up in the house and needed to prove themselves as someone of standing so this Novalys Jae-Seong was a bit of a surprise to his expectations.

Making those lodestones? Shuai would have actually assumed if the man's intentions were not communicated to him that they were for nothing but to just show off how much better life is in Kalzasi under nobles generous with magic for the other residents of the city compared to their neighbors whose city had become so fucked and unsustainable that they had to shove off from Zaichaer. Even if he was to treat it as some sort of boast that the making of the lodestones would be the charity act which was needed, the admission that it was also for Jae-Seong's own practice does seem to suggest that the man had some foresight- maybe not for some long-term master plan but at least able to look ahead enough to plan and improve on his own future abilities. Perhaps he should follow suit. After all "that sounds like a really good idea, quite practical the more I think about it- and not many people think about it too far" as he too needed the practice and if he could also do some charity work publicly for his house? That would be like stopping two mouths with one morsel.

However there was one thing stopping him from following through with that idea and that was the fact that doing it now, only once it was suggested to him, would make him seem shallow. No, he would be shallow. Just like all those other nobles he normally viewed with much distaste for doing things to be in the spotlight, at least to other people he would be making those lodestones just to make a show of doing the charity work. No. He will keep that idea, good as it is, for some other time and stick with his plans for the day. Fortunately the Jae-Seong, whether or not he had reached his limits with the lodestones, seemed favorable to the idea of doing the more mundane parts of charity work with the time he had left. "Great if you are happy to help. Another set of hands lets me finish up faster and I get to go home too."

But happy as he was, Shuai saw that one of his bodyguards, the smarter one seemed distressed with the idea when he brought the man with him- it was only because he was too accustomed with the man's mannerisms that the ape-like face seemed more... droopy than usual. Nonetheless, Novalys or not, it was not like Shuai forced the man into anything. The other man was at the Ahtivin's relief efforts on his own accord, as far as he knew, and the same went with him accepting Shuai's suggestion. As they went the introductions were returned with a "I'm Shuai, from House Chisuo." Thinking on it for a few moments he, then continued to ask "should I just call you Jae-Seong then? I guess you'd rather not have anyone being more careful, I mean more careful than those refugees already are around an obvious mage, for someone from your house or you'd have a big ol' parade of bodyguards and a much less tiring job than churning out lodestones. Or am I wrong?"

With that in mind, why was there a need for any special treatment? Or so Shuai thought which was the alarming point in contention as it was his next bodyguard which gave a little whinny and looked away as though he understood some sort of implication from the little bits of the conversation he overheard and wanted nothing to do with it. Nonetheless Shuai continued on. "If I'm not mistaken... those containers by the horse guy has the food. I was told because that is the bare minimum that the refugees need to be given, so they don't get taken for a ride by some opportunistic bastard, we need to be strict enough to give them just about as much as they need so we can make sure it gets distributed to as many people as possible..." As for the next one, the next important thing, "we can't provide them shelter but the big guy over there has the next best thing. Blankets, firestarters, you know. The stuff which can keep them comfortable somewhat so they won't act like animals," which was kind of an amusing proposition since there were animalistic people about, "until they can get themselves settled in the city and provide those for themselves." Was he missing anything else? Maybe. But if he could not remember that would only mean it was not even that important.

Now from what he heard could be the hard part, with elevated emotions and needs, Shuai quickly pointed out "since you have been giving out the lodestones already from before, maybe you want to take a different pace and give out the food with my pal Rubodean over there instead. I'm quite sure the refugees would be a lot more happy for those. I'll just give out the necessities with Skammak. It'll also give me a chance to find out if my house is really providing these refugees with what they need while they are here over the season. The Ahtivin already sent us their requests but we'd be more comfortable being sure with some of the recipient's feedback." It was a simple enough task, Shuai assumed, and if there was no other queries, he would promptly be making sure with the Ahtivin representatives how they should be setting up shop and arranging all the goods so both he and his companion can just quickly get on with the distribution to all those people before it gets dark out.

[Moon Jae-Seong]

TIMESTAMP: -
NOTES: -

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- - -

Making the lodestones was, indeed, an act Jae-Seong had orchestrated with the intention to ‘kill two birds with one stone,’ as some might say. Though he had lived through both his Reaving and then the ensuing initiation into Elementalism, both had taxed him greatly and as a result, he spent a significant period of time after each ill with aether sickness. This was, to him, a nuisance; he’d never before had anything resembling a frail constitution, but in the end, at least, he’d recovered fully. Still, the amount of time he’d spent unable to wield either rune put a delay in his ability to actually learn to cast– so now that he freely could, he felt rather rushed to make improvements, as if trying to catch up to an invisible goal post only he could see.

Jae-Seong had always been an altruistic sort, and as such, had not been compelled to show his face that day; it was simply convenient that he was able to weave in endeavors more arcane alongside his altruism. His house had already donated much in terms of money and material goods, so ultimately, this worked out well for him. The concept of converting one’s charity into an opportunity to practice magic seemed to resonate with the Chisuo man, too, but it would appear that he must be a busy fellow, eager as he was to return home. Or lazy, perhaps, but it was sort of hard to tell at first blush.

The Novalys noble responded with an affirmative nod when spoken to again; he had little issue helping. He did, however, note the difference in demeanor held by the bodyguard when they then moved over in that direction. The man must’ve overheard Jae-Seong’s surname; many reacted much the same when they learnt it, which was, ultimately, why he so often opted to give a pseudonym instead. It was rare that people shifted their demeanor upon learning his lineage in a way that served him. It didn’t matter whether the reaction was one of respect, reverence and submission or disdain, annoyance, and the like; the swordsman simply preferred to be perceived by his own words and deeds. Well, most of the time. If it truly served to further a cause of his, he’d not shy away from the invocation of his family’s name.

When Shuai introduced himself formally, the rest of his response resulted in the noble of higher status stifling a laugh.

“Yes– that’s correct. I don’t often make use of my titles,” he responded with a minute nod.

He really didn’t; the only time he enforced the use of his titles was in social situations which demanded it lest he appear as if he were disrespecting himself or in the rare case where he distinctly disliked the speaker. There were, in fact, a select few for which he felt hearing his own name upon their lips was akin to piercing his eardrums with daggers.

“And generally, I’m more than capable of protecting myself,” he’d add.

This held true in almost all cases aside from being taken by surprise or if he was assailed by particularly potent magic. The latter wasn’t much of a risk, however, given that most mages in Kalzasi were nobility themselves or worked with nobility; it would border into the realms of the absurd were one of them to threaten him in public. But aside from his own competence, Jae-Seong just didn’t like to walk in step with any sort of entourage.

With pleasantries exchanged, Shuai started to extrapolate upon that which his house had brought and what needed to be done. The four of them– the two nobles and the guards– didn’t take long to finish all of the listed tasks, as at least three of them moved efficiently.

- - -

[with this response, Jae-Seong & Shuai's endeavors will continue in a new thread.]

- - -

"Synskrit"

"Common"

"Inandoth"