Lectiones Provectae [Talon]

[Hilana Chenzira]

40 Searing, Year 124

[Closed - Talon]

Hilana kept herself busy, day in and day out. That was how she liked to be, and that was what she preferred - while there was downtime, purposeful downtime... Between her animals, her jobs, her lessons, her friends and family... there was always a great deal to do. But today, she had guests coming from overseas, and the apartment was full of the scents of food, both savoury and sweet. She was looking forward to seeing Talon and Aoren again. It had really been too long. While she regularly, and frequently, checked in on Rickter and his family given this strange change in Searing; Talon and Aoren had their own duties in loftier places. That wasn't to say she didn't drop by Talon's forge and leave gifts and goodies on the regular, but they were also decidedly busy with their own lives, and brief visits were about the best she could hope for at the time.

But she was rather tickled with the plans that had been suggested last time she'd actually caught the demigod in his forge, and that was a visit and a chance to talk about magic and perhaps go over some Scrivening. While she had learned a lot from Rickter, Lia, and Domina Clelia, Talon had been the first one to teach her about it, and had shown her the rather complicated Lyrcalastra. They had practiced Elementalism within it.. and she still had the lodestones he had gifted her that day. She was of a mind to do it again, and she wanted to practice it so that she could teach it to Lia, and it could be scrivened into her skirts. Hilana would stitch skin, no problem, but fabric? She was less enthusiastic and would leave it to her sister.

The table and counters had plenty of food, and she had pitchers of juice, bottles of mead and iced hibiscus tea, and she could boil the kettle for hot tea if they were so inclined when they got there. She had her notebooks and pens, along with papyrus and pencils, all ready to go. Her pythons were in their terrariums, having been fed recently, but all three of her cats, from the larger Risdra who had been happy to accept bribes in order to ignore their wings, to the smaller green fluffy Sylvine cats that she had collected from the Delta and were now yearlings. Lia had made plans with some friends of hers, and that left Hilana to anticipate the arrival of her northern friends. She was quite excited to talk with them and see how they had been, and to see what new tricks she might be able to pick up from the much more learned mages.

[Talon]

T A L O N

Before venturing onward to visit Hilana, Talon had made a brief stop at the citadel that had become something of a checkpoint for those of foreign divinity as had become customary. After notifying the proper authorities of his arrival and purpose, he and Aoren had waited patiently. Once their passage had been granted, the two of them had made their way further into the realm of Solunarium at a leisurely pace. When they reached Hilana’s dwelling, Talon reached up and politely knocked on the door.

It had been some time since either of them had been to Solunarium. Between his duties at the Kalzasern royal court, the business of teaching and training the Dawnmartyrs and governing House Novalys and its territories, Talon had been incredibly busy. Today, however, he had decided to make an effort to step away from the normal commotion of his life in order to visit a friend.

“Try to contain your excitement, love.” Talon glanced at his husband. Aoren was practically giddy at the prospect of once again being able to indulge in Hilana's cooking. It seemed like every time they visited her the two of them walked away with bundles of goodies, not that either of them was complaining. Aoren simply grinned at him, not an ounce of shame in his countenance as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

“As if you aren't excited for her latest experimental tea.” Aoren cast him a knowing look. Talon did not have a response for that. Hilana always seemed to present him with new and interesting teas to try whenever they visited. Some of them were wildly successful and delicious, others had not been as palatable. It was a trial and error, one that he was happy to be part of.

[Hilana Chenzira]

As soon as she heard the knock, she stopped surveying her table and the assortment of comestibles laid out and hurried for the door. Her enthusiasm lengthened already long strides, and she made short work of the distance, pulling the door open wide and beaming up at them. When the door opened, all those smells of food and herbs and spices and plants came wafting out, all but enveloping one hungry dragon in a blanket of aromas.

"Come in, come in. It's good to see the two of you again," her eyes were bright and she stepped back to usher them in. Her bright skirts a number of blues today, some of them greener than others, or darker than others, with peacock feathers painted and stitched onto the fabric. Her long hair had been bound into two thick braids, and all manners of trinkets were on display within the ebon tresses - glass and metal beads, teeth and claws, and if they looked with Semblance... there were lodestones shaped like beads woven in, some of them containing different spells - mostly Elementalism, but there were a few others here and there from some Negation.

"How have you been? It's been too long," Hilana was happy to offer hugs, but if she wasn't taken up on it, she wouldn't be too put out. Claiming hugs from the two of them was a special event, and if they were not up to it, they were not up to it, and she would not push. "Look at your hair, that's beautiful," she was tickled as she inspected Talon's longer, silvery hair. "Like moonbeams." She knew better than to touch, but she definitely wanted to. Maybe one day she could braid it up for him. "How have things been at home?" She would close the door behind them and lead them in. There were little touches from Hilana's sister here that they could see now - things were more orderly, though there were as many strange knickknacks as ever. Plants hung from the ceiling or on shelves or stands, but there was also more exotic glasswork and such that had been carefully shaped and sculpted.

She would bring them to the table, and Risdra was eying Aoren rather intently. Oh, she remembered him, alright - there had been many treats before, and she was clearly thinking she might be able to get more out of him. And with her staring, the other two smaller green cats were getting interested in the new guests. They took their cues from the bigger queen, and the Sylvines with their long hair and glowing eyes were intensely curious, too. Hilana had taught them well. "What can I get you both to drink?"

[Talon]

T A L O N

“Looking radiant as always, Hilana.” Aoren grinned. He stepped forward, offering the young woman a gentle hug. Talon simply inclined his head in greeting with a small smile.

“Thank you.” Talon brushed a hand through some of his thicker locks. He had been letting his hair grow out over the past year, aided by some of his own ability to alter his physical form. It was now full and long, long enough to reach all the way down his back. He was letting it hang loosely with long strands falling over his face. His eyes scanned over Hilana, aided by the vision granted to him by Semblance. He noted that several of the beads in her hair were laced with elemental and protective magic. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

“Did you enchant the beads yourself, Hilana?” Talon nodded to the artful beads that were threaded throughout her hair. It was only after he brought it up that he considered it might have been rude to ask. Solunarium was a place that was always so secretive about its magic. The mages draped themselves in garments designed to obscure and conceal to a degree that even his powers were sometimes pressed to pierce their veils. He recalled well the lesson in Scrivening that he had given her and some of the magical discussions they had exchanged in the time since.

“This one refuses to take a moment to relax.” Aoren gently nudged Talon. His jeering did not last as he was already inspecting the many appetizing dishes arrayed on the table. Talon could only smile fondly after his husband.

“The Dawnmartyrs are in need of guidance and direction. The affairs of House Novalys are now mine to direct. The elder council requires my input and of course, the king seeks my counsel. There are, of course, others throughout Kalzasi who seek me out for more personal reasons.” Talon did not begrudge the many duties that were on his plate. He enjoyed staying busy and productive. There was an edge of weariness in his voice however and he had to admit that he had been feeling stretched thin as of late. It was one of the reasons why he had decided, after much convincing from his partner, to step away from Kalzasi and visit Hilana directly. In many ways, Solunarium offered him a reprieve. In this realm he was…well…not nobody. The royal courts of both the Umbrium and Luxium took note of him. Rather, he was more free to be an individual because Solunarium was so far removed from the epicenter of his day to day life.

“A simple tea, please.” Talon found himself a seat.

“Just water for me.” Aoren was in the middle of trying to entice Risdra to come to his lap by bribing her with meat.

“And how have you been?” Talon gave a grateful nod of his head once he received his tea. “How are your studies?”

[Hilana Chenzira]

"Gratias," the young woman beamed up at them. Hilana leaned into Aoren's hug, giving him her own. It might have been her imagination, but she was starting to think he might have grown a bit since she'd gotten a hug out of him last. "It does suit you. Have you ever considered braiding it?" she asked Talon when he ran his hand through his hair. She wondered if he tied it up in his Skyforge or if it just stayed out of the way when he made it so. There was really no way of knowing, but her fingers itched to try to braid it. However, knowing some of what she did know about his trauma, and knowing it was certainly not polite to touch others without consent, she wasn't about to go there.

"The elementalism ones I did. I've collected some traversion ones from my employer, and the negation ones are from my sister, Athalia, Rickter, and from another employer in the Umbrium," she admitted. "They're good to have in case of emergencies." She always had the Ring of Traversion that they had gifted her before, and she got quite a bit of use out of it, but in case of emergency... well, Hilana tended to err on the side of over-preparing when she went out into the sands, and the lodestone beads often stayed in her hair until she washed it, and then they could go right back in. "I still have the ones you made for me, you know, back then. I keep them in my rucksack in case of emergency." Hilana tended to err on the side of caution when it came to aether expenditure, and found it easier to build up a large assortment in lodestones of various sizes, and scrivening when she got better with it,

Hilana did understand not taking time to relax. She had heard that said enough about herself, too, but this may have been a comparison of apples to oranges. Sitting still for extended periods could be a real challenge for her, unless she had a lot in front of her to work on - she had too much energy to just sit. But Talon had endless amounts of responsibility on his plate, and the drive and determination to see them through. It spoke well to his character that he kept on going, even when it seemed like there was no relief in sight.

"Water and tea," she nodded. The kettle was already piping hot, so she sorted through her tins and found one that she rather liked. When he requested simple, she knew where she was going with it, and added a spoonful of the blend to a fine mesh ball before closing it up and putting it in a mug. Water from the kettle was added, allowing the flavours and aromas to start blossoming, and she placed it on the table in front of him. It was, for her, a simple tea - native red bush tea with dried blueberries, lemon peel, and cinnamon. It wasn't one of her more complex blends with intricate flavours, but there was something to be said for the simplicity of it. For Aoren, she filled a tall glass with water from a jug in the cold box, and placed it on the table for him. Plates were there, and each of the dishes and baskets had servingware in it for the big red dragon and the demigod to help themselves. Risdra, knowing the tallest being she'd ever seen would have some goodies for her, did follow to climb into his lap, meowing rather loudly. Meat! That, in turn, meant that the green Sylvine yearlings were hanging around his feet, too, pawing at his legs. "Diya and Zahra," Hilana sighed at the longer-haired cats. "They know good people when they see them, though," she smiled at her company.

She got herself some hibiscus iced tea, making herself comfortable with it at the table. "Do you find it easier to have someone else as King rather than taking on that mantle yourself? Or do you find it makes an extra layer of work from delegating a position that you were expected to take up?" she was curious. "My studies go fairly well, I like to think. I did visit your elemental plane last Searing," she smiled at that, holding her palm up and Manifesting a little spark of light, over her fingers. It was not dawnfire, but it was something special and beautiful to her all the same. She still needed to visit three more, but all in good time. "My scrivening is getting better. It could be a lot better, but it's improving slowly," she offered Talon one of her notebooks. It had her practice glyphs in there - she'd come a long way from being the girl who hadn't known what a Path was until he had taught her, but she was far from being a Master. He might recognize a sketch in the pages, though - it was a nearly exact replica of the Lyrcalastra that he had made that very first day that they had met. And while it hadn't had the pictographs applied to it... the Vastiana had a clear memory of the massive glyph he had made with Kinetics. "I am doing better with Semblance - I can use it more for diagnoses, picking that information out of one's aura. I'm not lightning-fast at it, not yet, but I will get there."

Hilana was a stubborn girl, and if she said she was going to do it, well... she was going to find a way.

[Talon]

T A L O N

Talon sipped his tea with a contented sigh. It was the perfect blend of flavorful but light. He held the cup in his hands, enjoying the feel of the warmth in his palms. He watched as Aoren contented himself with feeding the felines and gently petting each one of them. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He enjoyed these peaceful moments. They were always something he cherished and helped highlight how busy he typically was. He considered Hilana’s question for a moment.

“My position is largely unchanged. Even before my father’s passing, I was handling many of House Novalys affairs while he tended to matters of the realm. Karam named me Shinsei, so I am still handling the matters of the Prince. If anything, I have more responsibilities than before.” Talon chuckled. “But I have more help as well.”

The Dawnmartyrs were quickly becoming an integral part of not only House Novalys but were beginning to be viewed as extensions of the Sky Guard. The knights regularly assisted with patrols, extended the reach of the Sky Guard throughout Kalzasi’s territory, and were heavily involved in rebuilding and stabilization efforts across the outlying villages and townships. He listened as Hilana explained her progress in her arcane studies.

“I felt you enter the realm. I am sorry that I could not come and greet you properly.” It was strange sometimes, he had a peripheral awareness of the happenings of the Plane of Light. Much like being vaguely aware of those who carried his emblem or who invoked his name, it was something he did not focus on unless the feeling drew his attention more strongly.

“Would you like assistance with Semblance? It is a magic that I use frequently.” He had used it almost immediately upon entering her home. Ever since his kidnapping and imprisonment he was less reserved with his use of it. Being informed of his surroundings, even at a superficial level had proved more and more useful over time.

[Hilana Chenzira]

The three cats were not about to leave the dragon alone now. He had treats, and he had access to treats on the table, and if they kept up, he might be convinced to share the goodies that were up there, metaphorically out of reach for them. The one Hilana had called Zahra was standing on her hind legs, patting Aoren’s leg with her front feet to try to get him to lift her up, too, even though the much larger and senior cat had claimed his lap and might be less inclined to share it, and the redhead’s attention. Diya’s back end suggested she was getting ready to jump up, whether he had space for her or not.

The Vastiana listened as Talon explained what he had on his plate at home, and she found herself nodding. There was no shortage of things to do, there never was. What there was a shortage of was hours in the day to get things done. Maybe she needed to try to get her hands on the Rune of Aeternus to help with that, but the odds of that ever happening were about zero. Probably less than zero, if she was honest with herself. Still, she was glad that he had more help. That was important - he needed to be able to take time for himself, not just time for him and Aoren, but for himself as well. Rest, work in his forge, meditate, go for a walk in nature, soak up the heat of the sands… whatever made the silver-haired Avialae feel better. She was a sociable creature herself, but she was perfectly happy in her own company, or in the company of her animals. She could only hope that they took time regularly from their enormously busy schedules just as they were doing so now.

“I understand,” she smiled. “It’s a beautiful place, though. We didn’t go far, mostly just had our picnic while I attuned and meditated, and we enjoyed the spirits there. It’s so peaceful.” She certainly wanted to go back - there were loads of flowers and plants there that she was itching to investigate and catalogue… but all in good time. She could perhaps do what Sivan had shown her when she eventually acquired Summoning and do it that way. Scooping up a number of plants may otherwise have been frowned upon, and might make her less welcomed back.

At his offer, Hilana brightened, reaching for a notebook and pencil. “I would love that, please. I like to think I’m getting better at the details, but I know there’s bound to be all kinds of techniques I’m missing.” At the top of the fresh page, Talon would be able to see that she wrote down “Paedagogus Talon” at the top. She did, of course, offer him a date stuffed with goat cheese first. and guided a few more over to Aoren to help the ravenous giant out.

[Talon]

T A L O N

Aoren contented himself with lauding attention onto the cats. He certainly had room for another in his lap, the dragon knight’s broad thighs providing ample space and his natural body heat certainly an incentive for the felines. Talon watched Hilana take out her trusty notebook. He had seen it on several occasions during their time together. Filled to the brim with her questions, her thoughts, and certainly the lessons that had been shared between them. He always took a bit of joy in sharing his knowledge. Perhaps one of his favorite activities in days of late was teaching and training with the Dawnmartyr knights. They were a group that was quite eager to learn, especially from him and his husband.

“Semblance is, in my not so humble opinion, largely misunderstood by the broader population of mages in the world.” With a simple wave of his hand, Talon cleared a space on the table between them. Drawing upon his kinetics, he gently lifted the plates, cups and objects so that he could demonstrate a few of the things he had in mind to Hilana. Pulling upon his rune of the Masquerade, Talon wove together an illusory construct that was a simple projection of golden light. It took a humanoid shape that was devoid of any detailed features, appearing largely to just be a mannequin of sorts for the purposes of the lesson. It was about as tall as a common chalice cup. He applied a veneer of blue light around the humanoid mannequin.

“When most think of Semblance, they are taught that it is a magic whose primary purpose is the reading of an aura. The fundamental aspect of which is to infer the mood of the subject who is being viewed.” The blue light around the mannequin shifted color indicating a variety of moods.

“That is a very rudimentary understanding of its powers.” The blue light around the golden shape flowed into it, creating a network of blue webbing that spanned the entirety of its internal being. Talon brought his tea cup up to his lips to take a sip. As he did so, he flicked one of his fingers and the golden figure suddenly multiplied into several copies. Hilana would be able to see one figure with its front facing her, one with its back to her, and one with a side profile view.

“When properly applied, Semblance is the means by which we can study the flow of aether on an exceedingly detailed scale. This is an important fact to remember about it.” Talon set his cup down. “Recall that aether is the very foundation of all of creation. It is that which tells something that it will be a rock, what will be a bird, what will be a human, and what will be an elf.”

A silken stream of violet-blue manifested as a ring around the three golden figures. Talon brushed his fingers over it.

“It is the information of the universe. Semblance is the means by which you can study this information as one might read a book in a library.”

[Hilana Chenzira]

Diya and Zahra certainly made their way up onto Aoren’s lap, and it may have surprised him when Zahra didn’t just stay there, but took the opportunity to go from Aoren’s lap to his broad shoulder, perching rather easily and from that spot, she was smelling him and checking out his hair and wings, patting one with a little paw as her tail dangled over his chest. Risdra and Diya were happy to share the dragon’s lap, and Risdra purred loudly, looking up expectantly. Snacks? She was ready for snacks!

Hilana was an attentive, and incredibly enthusiastic, student. As he spoke, she watched the illusion that he wove, and her pencil was immediately writing. She did tend to be a quick study, but her refusal to cooperate with her father’s plans for her meant she had not attended proper training the way many Solunarians would have, not to mention the advanced opportunities opened to those of wealth and privilege. Her family may not have been the latter, but her father’s family had certainly secured the former. But in many ways, these lessons suited her much better. Talon was as quite good at explaining these concepts to her, breaking down concepts and ideas into ways that were easier for her to grasp.

Like now.

As he talked, her pencil went across the page. She didn’t look at it, her attention remained on him. This was normal from what they’d seen of her by now - standing or sitting, she would make her notes and keep her focus on the paedagogus. Her eyes went from the display of Masquerade to him and back. This did bring in new questions, and one of which dovetailed into her Alchemical practice. "Since aether tells us what we are, and what we are to be... can an Alchemist change that composition of one's aether into something else? Transforming a fish into a cat, for example? Or can the aether not be changed in such a way of a living being?" The Vastiana knew that it was somewhat off-track, and she would accept whatever answer she got about it. Semblance was what was most important at the moment without going off on a tangent about Alchemy. It might be a fun theory for them to come back to later, though...

But he was right about Semblance, and she could see how what he said referred to her example of using it for diagnoses of her patients. Just looking them over and reading the aura was what one used the Rune for, but Semblance did have so much more to offer. It just required you to get creative with it. "When you refer to a book in the library, are you talking about studying the Echo of an aura?" She paused in her writing at last. "Since an echo would allow you to look back years and even longer for a master, no?" She remembered Khyan, and Khyan's ability to figure out where Israxa the Black had gone to... just from being there in the area where Melindranovion had fallen all those thousands of years ago. That, she was sure, had been the Echo. And when she had the opportunity, she was going to return to the place where the brown dragon had gone down and see if she could study that Echo for herself.

[Talon]

T A L O N

Aoren gently leaned his head into Zahra's soft fur, nuzzling into the feline's flank. He flexed his wing slightly so that the big cat could more thoroughly inspect it. He alternated between petting and feeding the cats in his lap, a look of contentment on his face.

“The potency and purity of aether exists on a scale. The more potent and pure the aether, the stronger its inclination to maintain its natural state. It is far easier for an alchemist to transmute a rock than it is to transmute a living thing. The more intelligent and stronger the willpower of the living being, the more challenging it would be to transmute.” Talon took another sip from his cup. He took a moment to compose his thoughts.

“However, even the simplest of transmutations will eventually decay. This is where the concept of the alchemical half-life originates. The alchemical half-life is a measure of how quickly an alchemy transmutation will remain stable before decaying either back into its original state or becomes an unstable and volatile compound. The ethics of Mortal Alchemy aside, transmutation of living beings is fraught with complications. People, animals, creatures with intelligence, instincts, willpower, entities with a sense of self in any capacity present a challenge for alchemists that only the most brilliant or utterly insane even attempt.” Talon had studied the works of alchemists who had attempted Mortal Alchemy before. The Circle of Spells had very strict rules when it came to performing alchemy on living things. It was a field of study littered with an endless amount of moral debates.

“The aura is a record of things current and things past.” Talon waved his hand over the illusion in front of them. As he did, it exploded into a cascade of glittering dust. He flicked his fingers and the dust scattered around the entire room. He raised his hand, snapping his fingers and the light in the room dimmed until the glittering dust became pinpoints of light much like stars in the night sky. Talon then made a spinning gesture with his fingers and the silken stream that represented flow of aether shimmered into being in a large web connecting each glittering speck of dust.

“Correct. If a given thing's aether is a book, then our world is one of the many archives containing one vast repository of the experiences of all who live in it. Semblance, being the means of reading these books, is capable of deciphering even the smallest of footnotes left by a person, place or thing.” To demonstrate this Talon made some of the glittering dust and silken stream take the shape of himself and Aoren near the doorway to the room.

“When you experience the sensation of unease upon walking into a place where much suffering and horror has happened, what you are experiencing is the aether's memory of the events that transpired there. While Semblance will not bring to life the events themselves, it will allow you to read into facets of it. Where there was a house fire, you will be able to discern the heat of the flames. You could smell or taste the smoke and ash. You could feel the fear of those trapped. The astute observer can draw intelligent conclusions from these contextual clues.”