A Dream of Home [Aurin]

[Rune]

Glade 40, 124

Though Jacq and his tiny coven had found refuge and succor in Kalzasi beyond what they had expected, beyond what the world had taught them could be expected, as the season finally, finally turned from the constant chill of the forever-Frost to the first warmth of Glade, their thoughts returned to their home.

Master Cavafis, Master Kilvin and Timon had provided for them in a way that offered safety and freedom both. This was not what they had encountered in Zaichaer, so one might wonder why they, as a group, all interconnected mentally, would realize that they wanted to go back. Even they had been surprised at first when they had gathered for one of their mostly silent conferences and came to the realization together. However good Kalzasi had been for them, it would always feel unfamiliar to the young group, the rules always a little off center to their senses.

They had heard of the new government, of the restoration and, unexpectedly, how well their native nation was doing under the circumstances. There was less starvation in Zaichaer than in Kalzasi, even if it never touched The Whispers. The disaster had caused widespread death and destruction but its remedy, it seemed, was causing equally widespread opportunity for those willing to seek it.

Jacq was aware that Aurin had connections with most of the remaining covens and that the services of his own coven, honed significantly in their time working as employees in Portions for Foxes, might be worth a great deal to the magical community. If the rumors were true, they might even be worth a great deal to the government, mundane and magical alike. If they were not true, and things went sideways, they could come back. At least, that was the hope.

Clover and Ruhig would be sorry to see less of Timon, and little Bastion would have to stay to complete his apprenticeship, but he would always be considered a member of The Whispers. Jacq was only a little worried about asking their employer's permission and aid in this endeavor and this had less to do with the redhead and more to do with the fact that Jacq worried about everything.

The next time they had their weekly meeting to report their findings, after they had done so, Jacq stood. In his hesitant, oddly knowing way, he met Aurin's eyes and did his best to explain while the others sat, watching, waiting.

[Aurin]

Aurin had been pleased with their work, and said as much. He had also sensed something in the air. His aura was always inverted and protected against intrusion, and he had ensured they were all capable of the same, even those with less power than others. One show of respect he had always offered was not attempting to snoop, nor bypass the mental protections of the weaker or less skilled ones. So, if anything was the matter, it was pure human intuition rather than magic.

When Jacq rose, he sighed. When the young man was finished, he merely nodded. For a moment, he looked almost haggard.

He was pleased that Bastion, at least, would remain long enough to complete his training with Torin; the smith would miss him terribly when he was gone. This might soften the blow. The fact that Jacq mentioned coming back suggested he--and they--would continue to see him as a patron, a resource.

Whatever their designs, he decided to treat this as an opportunity.

"Very well," he said, rubbing his hands together. "As I have done my best to keep you up to date on the covens specifically and Zaichaer in general, you are correct that this is a lucrative time to return." In fact, he had shared with them mind-to-mind on several occasions, trying to focus on the positive aspects. "We will find you a defensible home and I will ward it for you, leaving a permanent portal in your basement to escape back to Kalzasi should the need arise. I have contacts with the other major covens, and they will become your contacts. Valencia with the Railrunners, Eshar with the Menagerie, and so forth... If you wish to partake of the Order's amnesty by obtaining licensure, that is up to you, but I would suggest keeping the youngest ones out of their eye until they are old enough to make an informed decision. You will remain on my payroll, though you are welcome to focus on extracurricular work for the covens and people in need of your particular skills. You will not let the Order know about me. As far as they are concerned, I'm a sleazy smuggler who's cozied up with the Dornkirks, and that's how I'd like to keep it."

For a moment, a ginger brow rose as if to challenge anyone to say, 'But Aurin, you are a sleazy smuggler who's cozied up with the Dornkirks.'

"Oh, and you will stay well away from Dreyfus Monteliyet. Vampir just wants followers and food." He might want the sort of thing that Jacq wasn't interested in, and his magic allowed for a bit of compulsion.

Aurin hoped that if he dictated terms while allowing them their way, he could keep them still. Getting away from him was good, was the goal, but he didn't want them to leave him.

[Rune]

As the information filtered through Aurin the whole little coven seemed to lean forward, toward him. It was an odd show of support and might have felt ominous or threatening to one who had not spent time with them before. It was their way to show support for the unspoken things, in fact, much went unspoken aloud between the group. Their voices were most often heard by outsiders for, between themselves, in their little domain, it was all but unneeded.

That the practice had an effect on persons so young as The Whispers was obvious, particularly in the youngest of them. Bastion rarely spoke at all, and while some of that might be the trauma of his youngest life having been lived on the unkind streets of old Zaichaer and then the sudden loss of his new home to be transplanted in Kalzasi, some of it had to be attributed to the unusual upbringing of the coven. Their silence was apt, considering the secrets they held and fit in with their stated purpose, but it was still off-putting for most people to be in a room of young people whose eyes knew so much and whose mouths said so little.

To Aurin the slight movements would feel like the supportive surrounding of strong arms wrapping around his psyche, filled with the reassuring reminder that they wouldn't be any further from him on a typical day than they were now. He traveled frequently and with him setting up the wards on wherever they took as their new home he could allow himself to pass through them in an instant with his Traversion. He was their mentor but there were things they had taught him also. They were kin, as all children who had grown up in the underworld, on the streets were, and beyond that, they had chosen him as much as he had chosen them.

There was nodding along with his plan, it aligned with their own intentions exactly. Jacq had been in contact with members of a couple of the older covens before they had been forced to flee and, if they were still alive, he could reestablish that contact. If not, well, Aurin was himself a member of two of the covens (three if you considered The Whispers) and might make introductions. The Whispers would probably never be a large coven in terms of members but they could easily find the niche into which they would fit in the wider scheme of the groups of Zaichaeri witches.

A little smirk passed between Clover and Ruhig in answer to the suggestion that Aurin was not a sleazy smuggler. Vivi gave them a disproving look which only made them snicker.

A frown passed over Jacq's face at the unfamiliar name of Dreyfus Monteliyet and he pushed gently at Aurin's mind, asking that he open up and let the younger man see what the matter was. It was not unusual from Jacq and felt a bit like a trusted animal butting their head against one's leg.

"When Aurin had finished speaking Jacq spoke again,

"We don't want anything to change, we just don't feel..." He looked to Vivi, who finished for him, "At home, here. We are Portions for Foxes." Her voice was warm but also quite decided.

"As you are a Whisper." Jacq added, his voice, often toneless, now earnest.

[Aurin]

Aurin was unraveling some of his psychic protections to update them on the threat of Dreyfus Monteliyet when they blindsided him with support and affection, naming him one of theirs as they accepted that they were one of his. He was unable to hide how touched he was before they could feel his heart opening like a flower, only to hide once more, leaving only tinges of affection. Especially with the littlest ones, he tried to be more open lest he be the one who warped them more than trauma already had.

He paused, blinked back emotion, and then carefully continued to unravel the bits of his experience with Monteliyet, both his reconnaissance to the manor-cum-cult hideout and the interview where he had put him under Valencia's oversight, at least. He was careful not to out Eshar; while he knew They would forgive him an error, he also knew how important aliases were. The Whispers, at least, knew Ernst Klein and Darus of Haqs.

When they had all grokked what they were able, he moved things right along.

"Should be able to have you set up in Zaichaer by the end of the season, then," he said, keeping the dread out of his voice. While he might make noises about being crowded by their presence from time to time, he liked having them underfoot. "And I suppose this will give me a reason to set up my own junction and some permanent portals for my Foxes. That way Bastion can easily spend a week-end with you, or you can come visit him. Torin will expect you here for holidays." He was stern about that because he didn't want the little brats hurting Torin's feelings. And his own personal backdoor system through the world was something he had been meaning to work on, something Valencia had strongly urged him to focus on, but there just was never time between all his plots and schemes, his day job, and taking care of his people.

At least if he was picking her brain on the topic, he would be in Zaichaer and able to oversee his Whispers' transition.

[Rune]

The Whispers sat still and quiet, eyes seeing what Aurin showed inside their heads rather than anything in the room. The oddity of them; their unity, their physical youth, their mental lack of it, caused most people a deep sense of discomfort if they stayed in the company of more than one of them for any length of time and they were most comfortable with their redheaded rescuer. This comfort meant that the silent communication they employed was in full effect and the room was one filled with pregnant information sharing while also being all but perfectly silent.

It was something one had to get used to.

The knowledge of the vampyre passed through them in little ripples of physical shifting or tiny changes in breath. The creature was deadly dangerous and unpredictable, his only visible motivation seemed to be self-aggrandizement.

Plans were made, as several conversations were passed between them all at once without any confusion. They did not 'speak' over each other but their form of communication moved as the speed of thought which made speaking on multiple topics a simple thing, at least to anyone trained to keep up.

They laid out their plans to make contact with the most useful Covens, to obtain licenses for both their little Coven and its members. They had been a fully illegal and sometimes hunted coven before the 34th had driven them from their home but they were more stable now and the opportunity offered by the supposedly open pathway for mages to legal status wouldn't last forever. They would offer their services independently with Portions for Foxes as an affiliated organization, officially. There was little chance the two would not remain tangled together too deeply to separate unless something even more drastic than everything that had already occurred came along. Jacq or Vivi would go to look once a building was located that might suit them and they could take up residence as soon as might be arranged.

No mention was made of Aurin's feelings, or their own. Feelings were to be felt, thoughts were to be discussed and rarely the twain should meet. Throughout the exchange, despite the separation of heart and head little assurances were passed that showed clearly that, whatever worried their benefactor might harbor, the rest of them didn't expect much between he and they to change. Travel was easy for him and they would be passing information as constantly as ever, at least in their minds it would be so.

[Aurin]

Later that season, Aurin looked up at the building he had purchased for his little family. Of course, he didn't think of them in those terms, but if he allowed himself to feel his feelings, he might know that the often frustrating feelings he had toward the Whispers were paternal or, at least, fraternal. His wards were now complete--simple ones woven into the wood and stone of the building, and more dense, complex ones over the basement where he would leave them their arcane escape route, where they would be able to hide things much as he did below Kilvin's Forge.

Once he was inside again, the door closed behind him, he let his masquerade drop. Portions for Foxes could remain their client, but he didn't want them too closely associated lest the Order connect them to Aurin Kavafis. It didn't seem like overweening pride to imagine that they had a dossier on him given he was playing himself when speaking to their First Minister.

They might suss the connection out eventually, but that was a bridge to burn when he came to it. He knew of some Order activity in Kalzasi, but hadn't turned them in, thinking it better to be aware of what was there than nip it in the bud and be unaware of their next attempt.

His hand went through Ruhig's hair, messing it up so the school uniform didn't create too neat a picture. It was the opposite of what he had done a few days previous when they had all dressed somberly and gone to visit the Grymalka necropolis and the final resting place of young 'Rick.

Though it had been less than two years of association between him and the pack of gifted children, they had been through quite a lot together in that short time, and he vaguely remembered how much longer a year seemed at that age than it did now. He was a permanent fixture in their lives will he or nil he, and so he needn't worry about "losing" them. He would check on them frequently, whenever he was in Zaichaer, which would be a simple enough thing, even when their planned defenses were complete. Valencia had promised him a work-around. Or, well, he could vault someplace outside the city and walk in on his own two feet.

Be subversive, he thought at Ruhig, his thoughts manifesting as words for clarity's sake. But then he asked where Jacq was with a more conceptual thought; he could speak Whisper.

[Rune]

The Coven was settling back into their native land with a comfort that might have seemed odd to someone who knew their history. Their activities pre-Eclipse had been illegal and they had been hunted, technically. In reality the Order had been preoccupied, understandably, with groups and individual witches that posed an active thread to the population or the government. While high level Semblers could be a threat to national security they could only be so if they were in proximity to the minds that held the secrets. At least, so they believed. The Whispers had a way around that age old restriction but the people that knew of their secret were all inside what they considered their family.

Now they were, officially, legal citizens and legal mages, or they would be, once the paperwork was all filed. Jacq and Vivi were beyond school age and, as Coven members, were not included in the legal mandate that required military training ans service. The new government had decided that forcing witches to serve alongside honest men would cause undue conflict and foster the enmity that they were working to keep down.

The younger members, at least the ones who had accompanied their elders back to Zaichaer, would be attending school. It seemed likely that the new school systems would try to recruit Clover and Ruhig into the ranks of the Order and while there had been discussions no firm decisions had been made as to whether it would serve or harm the Coven to have a member who was also part of the Order. Thankfully the choice could be held off as the pair were several years from graduation out of the initial education. It would give them all time to see what the changes in the State had done to the Order before choosing their futures.

Jacq had met with Valencia, forming a working relationship that might lead to an alliance in time. Railrunners procured things, Whispers procured information, it could prove a very powerful connection if their goals aligned.

When Aurin ruffled Ruhig's hair the boy grinned at him as though they were part of a conspiracy to undermine the rigid correctness of Zaichaeri culture and then nodded his head towards the room that was now the main office of The Whispers. Jacq was within, the thought that accompanied the nod informed the redhead before he skipped out the door heading to school.

The young leader was, indeed, within, leaning over a desk and going over a set of papers. His mind was open to Aurin and if the older man cared to examine he would see lists of properties that were left to be claimed by any surviving members of the families that had once occupied them. The Reclamation of Zaichaer was all consuming and included everything from lost objects to entire abandoned villages but within the city limits it mostly involved houses and businesses. The Whispers could make a tidy profit by memorizing lists of expensive goods, movable and otherwise, and then scanning the city for the minds they belonged to. It was an odd sort of information brokering but adapting to the times was what made new men, or Covens.

[Aurin]

A part of him thought Ruhig would be better off flinching from signs of affection, but it warmed the dead, dark thing in his chest that the Whispers had warmed up to him. While they weren't allowed into the depths of his soul, they had all rummaged around a bit in his mind and they still found him worthy of their affection and loyalty. That was something.

Aurin let Ruhig know that he would be in and out for the day if he was needed, and likely back to Kalzasi on the morrow. While he didn't comment upon it, he didn't hide the warmth of affection that the smile had engendered. Whatever the details, Ruhig knew that the fox-faced man was there for him. They parted, and he went into the young leader's office. Jacq was a good man, and a good leader. He was glad the Whispers had them and that he could just support the young man's leadership rather than supplant it. For a little while, he let their minds mingle and he highlighted a few parcels, a few names, and offered context and intelligence that would help expedite matters and consolidate their reputation as people who could find things.

It was, at least, unlikely that their antics would draw the ire of the Order. More likely, it would make them all the more likely to recruit. That would be their choice, though, whether he liked it or not.

Silently elaborating on the little changes to his plans, he queried whether anything was needed. Otherwise, he was going to the Menagerie. He was very popular there since he rescued them from a mist-confused Eshar. A season ago, he might also have tried to do a few favors for prominent Sunsingers but now that he had his magic knives, he didn't really care too much about their rune, though he did want them to be his own personal army. Perhaps he ought to start sparring with them, prove he was as capable in a fight. They were soldiers; they would respect that.

[Rune]

R E V I E W

Points: 15 for Aurin, may be used for magic

Injuries/Ailments: None

Loot: None

Notes: A good establishment thread for later things, thanks =)

Mod XP: Rune: 8