Out and About (Aurin)

[Torin Kilvin]

The day was so good that Torin didn't spare a moment to think about how good it was. He was fully in the moments as they came and went, not worried, or noticing when they skipped away from one topic and landed on something completely different. Laughing and teasing and playing along was as easy as breathing.

The ride on the airship was as exhilarating as it was terrifying. Seeing Aurin, and all the other passengers, looking like this was so normal it was a bit boring helped to settle his nerves down till they landed.

The area he was led to was beyond beautiful, a bounty of trees and wildness that felt like a weight lifting from his chest. They wandered through for a little while, conversation dropping off a bit though not completely. It was easy to tell that the boy was drinking in his surroundings. Until they reached the base of the central pillar. The blond was shading his eyes, trying to squit up to the top when Aurin's words penetrated.

"Can we?" He asked, though it was mostly rhetorical. A grin came over his face in three distinct phases of joy, small at first, then wider, then unrestrained, eyes shining.

Shrugging out of the shoulder pack that held their lunch and water he stowed it under a convenient bush nearby, then started pulling his boots off.

"I used to climb trees in the forest outside the village." He confessed, having never gotten close enough to a mountain to try his skill on them. He'd spent his free time, which had been generous, mostly alone among the trees. Even the oldest had never stood a chance of stopping his scaling. Some of them were more than a hundred feet at their height, though, of course, his weight hadn't permitted him all the way to the top. He left his stockings on, mostly as a ward against the cold. Stuffing his thick mittens into his boots he cast about for the white, chalky rocks that were not uncommon in the area, until he found several. Returning to Aurin he offered a handful of the stones before taking off his belt and putting back on so the buckle was behind him with the deft movements of long practice.

"I got caught on a broken branch by my buckle once." He laughed, "I know what it feels like to be a kitten caught by the scruff now. I flailed for an hour before the rest of it broke and dropped me."

He studied the base ten feet of the pillar from several angles as he chalked his hands thoroughly. Tucking the rest of the rocks into his pocket he approached what looked like a good starting place. Glancing over at Aurin he grinned again, affection and gratitude mixing with excitement.

"Bet we can make halfway?" It wasn't a real wager, for there were no terms, but he started up immediately. Climbing by hand was not a thing to be done hurrying. Choosing your hand and footholds is a matter of deliberation and testing. The sun rose to its zenith as the pair made their way. In a sturdy nook about a quarter of the way to the top Torin pulled his thick winter shirt, now partly soaked with sweat, over his head and tucked it into his belt behind him. His body was at an intersection between skinny child a what would end up being a massively chested adult if he kept on growing the way he was. His father had been a large man, though not nearly as fit as his son now was. Each muscle in his back and arms could be seen clearly, bunching and stretching as he reached for holds and pulled himself up with little assistance from his legs most of the time.

They didn't talk much as they rose, except to offer suggestions for how to go and the occasional quip. Torin was impressed, again, by the lean strength of his companion. He might have been able to lift more, but he was sure the redhead could outrun him, over distance or otherwise.

Drenched in sweat and warm all over despite the frost clinging to the gaps in the stone, Torin was starting to pant hard before he reached the shallow opening large enough for the two of them to stand on that had been his goal from the beginning. When he finally pulled himself up with a great gasp he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes for a good long minute before his heart rate calmed down enough that he couldn't see it in his vision anymore. When Aurin joined him he said,

"Now that we're here I'm scared to look down." He hadn't considered the view, only looking up as they'd climbed. "Hold my hand, so I won't fall?"

Sometimes, when presented with places higher than his trees he got dizzy and sat down without knowing why. Doing so where he was would probably end in his death.

[Aurin]

Aurin laughed at how eagerly Torin took to the suggestion.

"Perhaps not so very high," he suggested mildly. "If one of us is injured, the other has to be able to get us back to the drop point. Let's not climb so high that death is a real and present danger."

He doffed his shoes as well as his socks, trusting his bare feet to feel out proper footholds better. It wasn't so cold he risked frostbite, and the exertion would keep hot blood flowing out to his extremities. He left his cloak behind too; he wouldn't need its warmth and it would be awkward while climbing, he thought. He mentioned climbing buildings in his youth, but he didn't say in which city or why he was doing it. Some who had known him would laugh to hear he was working in a cabaret by name that also acted as brothel and purveyor of intoxicants. If things had gone differently, he might have become a whore or a courtesan or something along those lines.

He certainly seemed to know the basics, but perhaps he was just acting as he observed the courtesans do after all these years. They were charmers, after all, not just warm orifices.

Conversation dwindled as they focused on handholds, footholds, balance, and endurance. Torin was stronger than him and would only grow stronger, but Aurin knew how to martial his strength. Perhaps that was something he could teach him, as well—how to make the best use of his strength for the greatest payoff. It was a meditative practice finally, much like his runs and his swims where he pushed his endurance as much as any particular skill. He didn't fall into a reverie, though, as he often did. Perhaps it was the inherent danger of climbing. Perhaps it was keeping an eye on Torin. Something kept him present even if they weren't conversing.

And then, hand over hand, they climbed until they found themselves a creditable way up, though nowhere near the crown of the pillar. It was a good exertion and his body had learned things it had known as a child and new things, as well. This would be an exercise he would be happy to repeat. The focus required kept him from worrying at any old thought like a dog with a bone. It was a nice break from reality, focusing on the very close reality of himself and the rock face.

Aurin, at least, wasn't afraid to look down. But he tugged on Torin's belt, catching him like a kitten, and then released it to take his hand.

"I won't let you fall," he promised. That promise ought to have been more of a comfort had he wings, but Torin seemed to think him invincible and all-knowing. It afforded him a warm feeling, but also a strange feeling of responsibility.

"We did it, though. Now enjoy the view and rest a bit so we can get down. I'm not letting you off the hook for supper even if you break a leg descending."

[Torin Kilvin]

Torin grinned when he was caught by the belt, realizing that it was probably a better hold on him to prevent falling than his hand. But the hand was reassuring and he held to it, perhaps tighter than was probably comfortable. Peering tentatively out over the landscape wasn't so bad, breathtaking in it's scope. He could see the city and the land around it as though in a painting. Looking down, however, was another matter altogether.

His breath sucked in hard through his nose as his muscles froze and then melted into water. Trying to step back only pushed him hard up against Aurin, and Aurin hard up against the rock behind them. The hand not clutching the other man's in a death grip scrambled back and grabbed whatever other part of him came under it first.

"Gods, this isn't even half way up." His voice shook and he turned to press his face into Aurin's shoulder. After a few minutes he was able to center himself, put the situation into the same perspective he had when looking down from high in a tree and stop the slight tremors running through his body. Only then did he open his eyes to meet his friend's.

"Sorry. Am I crushing you?" His hold on the man fell away and the hand being held relaxed. Adjusting his stance slightly closer to the edge to give the other man room to breathe he made himself look down again, concentrate on the surface, mapping his route back down logically. Things were less scary when you had a plan on how to accomplish them. He laughed shakily at the joke, before being reminded loudly that breakfast had been a long way down and far away.

"Alright," He said, sounding half like a man being led to the gallows, while also laughing at himself for it, "I'll go first, just don't kick me."

The descent took less time than the ascent, but it felt longer due to both the fear and the fact that his muscles were already tired. When at last he jumped the final yard and his feet were on solid ground he was grinning again. He thought about grabbing Aurin's ankles and catching him but thought better of it at the idea of the tricking being turned on him another time.

Retrieving his pack and the water skin inside it he drank the cold water as slowly as he could, which wasn't very. He knew his stomach and muscles alike would hate him if he filled himself too quickly. Handing the skin off to Aurin when the other man joined him he stretched, first high over his head and then spinning from side to side.

"We should walk a bit, loosen everything up before we sit." He said it decisively, like he spoke to himself in his own head before looking up at Aurin to make sure it was alright to do so. Redressing himself quickly he left the mittens off, wanting to flex his worn out hands. "Show me somewhere else beautiful, where we can eat."

[Aurin]

"A little," he admitted to the crushing. "It's nice." He didn't gainsay Torin when the lad decided to be the first down, nor remind him to be careful. They had enjoyed their momentary vantage, and now they focused on a safe descent. In no rush, Aurin took his careful time, considering a commission for much sturdier kunai that could act as pitons were he to climb and find a more sheer rock face that defied his clever hands. His descent was all economic movement, not wasting energy unnecessarily. As such, Torin had a few minutes to look up and watch his body in deliberate motion.

He almost called down to stop staring at his arse, but he didn't mind.

At the bottom, he dusted off his aching hands, flexing those as well as his muscles. There were small cuts that would sting for a few days, but no real damage was done. He nodded, having made no motion to sit. He knew Torin respected his intellect and store of knowledge; it wasn't condescension.

Pulling his boots on, he swung his cloak over his shoulders, though he didn't pull it close. His body needed to cool down, but he didn't want it to cool down too far too fast. It had been a while since he had been here and he wasn't sure he had ever been here in the winter, but he led the way toward a creek. If he remembered correctly, there was a pool with several boulders that would make decent seats. He found it. The trees were bare of leaves except for the evergreens that were a bit farther away. He had remembered it being darker for the foliage, but there was a certain beauty to the stark branches and the direct sunlight shining off the pool. It was only frozen around the edges, but the normal song of the brook was silenced. The little waterfall was an ice sculpture and, upon closer inspection, one could see that water trickled all but unnoticed down the ice still. Fish swam lazily beneath the surface.

Winter had slowed things, but not to a standstill.

He turned back, "Will this serve?"

[Torin Kilvin]

The pond was perfect for their needs. He wouldn't even have to break ice to refill the waterskin.

"Aye, this will do well."

Walking around the water till he found a large, flat stone surface big enough for the two of them to stretch out on if they wanted. Sitting and propping himself back on his palms he did just that, basking in the just-past-noon sunlight like a happy cat. There had been a pool like this in the woods back home, sans the waterfall. He'd gone there to swim in the summers as a boy. He told Aurin so, simple stories about turtles and light dappling through trees.

If there were other boys swimming when he arrived he would leave quietly before they were aware of his presence. The boys from the village had taken a dislike to him for a variety of reasons and he learned quickly to avoid them when possible. There had been times when he'd been swimming and it was a group of them that had come late to the pond. Those days ended in bloodied noses and bruises no matter how willing he'd been to leave. He hated to use the strength that his profession gave him to mete out damage to another person. He felt like his father every time he was forced to swing his fists against a fellow human. He came out better than the other boys more often than not but when he did it would inevitably cause trouble for his master, which was worse than the beating he got when he lost in his opinion. His master told him to defend himself, said it he would deal with angry fathers and mothers that came to complain about the apprentice. He hated it either way, so much so that he had stopped swimming after puberty had given him a man's height.

Banishing the bad memories that were showing on his face from his mind he reached for his bag, pulling out the simple fare they had quickly purchased on the way out of the city. Tossing an apple to the redhead he said,

"Did you have places to swim where you grew up?"

They talked through the meal, Torin giving away small childhood memories that skirted around anything unpleasant and listening to whatever Aurin wanted to offer in return. When the food had been gone for almost an hour the youth rolled onto his stomach at the pool's edge and carefully lowered the waterskin's mouth deep enough that the icy water filled it. Repacking what was left of the supplies in the shoulder pack he stood and swung his arms.

"How about that hike?"

[Aurin]

Aurin's hand snatched the apple out of the air fast as an adder striking. He immediately took a bite out of it, savoring the juicy flesh. After swallowing, he answered.

"City was on a river so there were plenty of dunkings. Too dangerous to swim at this time of year, though. If the river started freezing over, it was all too easy to get pulled under the ice and get dragged downstream." But ice had been a rarity. All the same, the water got cold enough and the current got strong enough to steal lives. Never his, obviously.

"Next time you want an adventure, we'll have to go polar bear swimming in the lake." He laughed, finished his apple, and tossed the core into a brown bush. Some foraging creature might gnaw on the remains during this time of hunger. He answered questions, occasionally even offering a tidbit about himself. Thankfully Torin's questions never drew near topics he might have to lie about. When the lad was ready to move on, he hoisted himself up, stretching again because the cold had inevitably seeped into his joints. While he knew the lay of the land generally—it was always good to have escape routes—he wasn't exactly an avid outdoorsman. He had always been a shoe made for the city. In any case, he let the younger man take the lead on their hiking, only mentioning they ought to get back when it seemed like they were flirting with not getting back to the drop point by dark.

He didn't really want to walk the entire way back to the city. By the time they arrived, they would be cold, tired, and famished, and then they wouldn't so much enjoy their supper as fall upon it like wolves. Thankfully, they didn't miss their ride, and the view was spectacular in a different way in the late afternoon light. Aurin shamelessly leaned into Torin's bulk to share warmth as the high winds from the high places whipped at the airship.

Stretching discreetly when they debarked, he looked to his companion.

"Do you know where we're going from here or do you need me to lead the way?"

[Torin Kilvin]

The large apprentice shivered delicately,

"Do we have to?" Too used to the warmth of a forge to be comfortable with the idea of all the freezing water. He would try, if that was what the other man insisted on doing, but he wouldn't like it.

By the time they were waiting in like to take the sky transport back to the city, the combination of the long, rambling hike and the earlier climb had his body the type of languid, relaxed tired that felt good all over. As the sun went down in its early cycle and the darkness overtook the airship it was oddly less frightening to be up so high when he couldn't see down. Like sailing through an ocean of stars, above and below. The parts of the city lit by magic looked even more miraculous from high above than they were on the ground.

The temperature dropped even lower after full dark and the combination of comfortable exhaustion and cold made Torin hung close to Aurin, brushing their shoulders or arms together as he watched the world glide around them. When the older man leaned deliberately into him he wrapped his arms around to keep them close, closing his eyes from a time and drifting, if not quite sleeping. It felt safe to rest even at such a height when he didn't feel alone.

He also stretched, less discreetly, as they got their feet back on solid ground.

"I could use some direction if you'd rather not lead." He had a vague idea of where the Astralarium was but no idea of where Aurin might want to sup.

"If you can get me somewhere warm where there is food I can try and puzzle my way to our last destination on my own. So long as you don't mind watching me wander a bit." He was in a good enough mood not to be self-conscious in his ignorance. "Or you can let me wander till my nose leads me to food if you're done leading for the day altogether." The food would be to his own taste if allowed to do so, but that was a risk his companion would just have to take. Feeling refreshed from the ride he walked backward as he spoke, playfully watching Aurin follow him.

[Aurin]

The older man left the threat hanging in the air, Torin's question unanswered. Let him worry that any time they were around the lake, Aurin was going to push him in. A little thrill would do him good. Being older, it took him a little longer to comfortably work the stiffness out of his limbs as Torin backpedaled away from him. But eventually he took a couple of long-legged, loping strides and caught him by the front of his shirt to stall him, then turned him around, pointing over the smith's shoulder so he could more easily sight the Astralarium.

"That dome there is part of it, hayseed. See if you can manage the hard streets of Kalzasi with a bad man at your heels." He chuckled darkly, then nudged him forward.

"Follow your nose. Don't disappoint me."

Supper had been promised, though Aurin was easy-going about most things. If they had parted ways then for the night, he would not have been cross. If supper wasn't amazing, he wouldn't be cross. But this was an experiment in human nature, as well—in Torin's nature—to see how he would react, how he would comport himself, to what lengths he would go to in order to please a new friend.

The smith had wanted more than his body heat on the flight back to the capital. Aurin did have a knack for attracting broken things, and while he was wicked, he did feel compelled to at least give them a hand, a bit of direction. There's the dome, kid. He didn't want to break Torin's mind over where to get something to eat, but people under stress gave up their tells rather more easily than they might otherwise.

[Torin Kilvin]

Torin grinned at the threat implied in Aurin's words, thrilled by them for reasons that were entirely boyish. Eagerly, for both the challenge and the food that waited at the end of it, he strode forward down the darkening streets.

The lights, either fire or magical, were being lit or activated as true dark came to cover the city, making navigation at least some easier. Keeping the dome that had been pointed out in mind as a general direction he searched areas of shops and homes until he entered a place where several taverns sat across from each other at a wide intersection. This was a nicer part of the city and there was a monument of some kind, not over large, in the center of the square. Different enticing scents assaulted him from all over and it took him a few moments to sort out from where each was coming.

There was a spicy smell from the nearest door that spoke of exotic flavors. While trying new foods was on Torin's list of desired adventures he had only had small meals all day and a great deal of physical activity. He wanted something he would know would fill him, and once done, not come back up. The second door, across from the first, from which light spilled had nice homey smells, roasting pork he suspected, but it also seemed to be quite full of a happily rowdy crowd. He usually enjoyed a group of happy drunks, which allowed him to sit quietly and observe or join in for singing, this night he wanted something quieter.

Moving down the street passed several other likely establishments that seemed equally popular he eventually found what he was looking for down a smaller side street. The tavern was well to do, but only middlingly so, the type of place an up and coming merchant might frequent, or a businessman like Torin's own master, if he wanted a quiet evening.

Stomping his boots off politely at the door so he didn't track in half-frozen sludge he poked his head in the door. The interior was warm woods long polished to gleaming, clean, quiet, and filled with what smelled like beef and barley stew, fresh-baked bread, and something sweet.

There were patrons enough inside but no so many that the tables were crowded. Nodding to himself Torin found a corner table where both men could sit with their backs to the wall. When they were settled, a plumply pretty woman who was past the bloom of youth but had ripped admirably walked over and asked what they would have. The boy ordered some of everything they had and the woman, who seemed owner more than serving wench, laughed, not unkindly, at his enthusiasm. When she had Aurin's order and their drinks down she walked away calling instructions out to someone behind the wide bar.

The food, when it arrived, was piping hot, of a better quality and taste than Torin was used to at his employers and he dug in as only a man of his age can. The stew has thick cuts of good beef along with vegetables and the afore-guessed barley. It was served with bread, dark and thick with plenty of butter, as well as an assortment of cheeses. After there were apple tarts with clotted cream and assorted fruit. Torin managed not to cry over the spread, but it was a close thing.

After they had eaten he leaned way back in his chair and began to nurse the mug of ale he'd all but forgotten about in his blind avarice for the meal.

"Well," he managed at last, "do I pass your test? Or were you looking for less simple fare after our day of meals stuffed into pockets and packs?"

[Aurin]

The search became another opportunity to study Torin, who was unselfconscious while focused on his new mission and, likely, the tearing growl in his belly. Aurin was famished as well, but had lived through long periods of privation and was practiced in hiding it, in enduring in silence. Life is suffering, she had said. You just get used to it.

His study of Torin continued to yield the same results. He knew him to be diligent in his work pursuits. Honest. Curious. Energetic. Strong. Handsome. His master found him trustworthy enough to send him to deal with customers, as well. But for all his positive traits, there were his weaknesses: an intense need for attention, affection, and approval. Clay to be molded, certainly. Someone to be trusted, perhaps, although Aurin was a miser with that. At the very least, Aurin could train the oversized boy into a proper man and come out of it with a loyal follower. Friend. Whatever. While not in the business of fortunetelling, he could prognosticate that Torin might easily succeed as a runesmith, connecting him with merchants, soldiers, magi, and any number of people with money, influence, and intelligence, the which he could share with Aurin.

The villain smiled as they sipped at their ale and allowed the food in their bellies to settle. After the long day of exertion in the cold, having warm insides and warm outsides made him feel drowsy and relaxed, which told him he ought to go home so he could drowse and relax behind stone walls and a locked door. This place wasn't dangerous. He had already cased it for clientele, wondering at its strategic value. Part of him just wanted to keep drinking and drown out the calculating voice in his head. The voice was him, though, his training and his trauma. It took a lot of ale to drown it out.

The villain smiled still.

"You did good, kid," he said finally, drawing out his answer until he could practically see Torin's tail wagging in anticipation. "Although now the poor owners' children will starve since you ate them out of house and home." His smile twisted. It might give the impression of a knife twisting in the guts, but his teasing had only the slightest edge, enough to thrill but not to cut. As the level of their drinks waned, he yawned, stretched his arms over his head, and nodded, his eyes heavy-lidded. "Time to go."