Oh, You Sweet Summer Child.
xxxHe’d watched her for nearly three days now. The first he knew it would be too soon to approach, the second his plans were crushed by a wolf mongrel of a man, and the third… well. Third time’s a charm. And he intended to be very charming. His name was Lancelot Havershim IIVth, son of the late Lancelot Havershim IVth, and the only living Havershim left. He was a tall, tanned man with grey and black peppered hair and dark hazel eyes. His nose, pinched, held a pair of reading glasses which he removed promptly as he adjusted the top of his dark grey cloak to ready himself for the afternoon ahead.
xxxDamn. If he did say so himself, he was handsome. And a fantastic mesmer mage. Though no one else would likely give him that sort of praise, least of not his past mentor. But he had no need for that old coot - tonight he would prove to himself yet again exactly what it was that made him a fantastic mage. He would get the girl. The innocent, bubbly, new to town, naive Fawn. And he wouldn’t need to take no for an answer. But he would need a different tactic.
~~
xxxFawn was dressed in her simple blue linen dress and cream top, which was admittedly less than ideal clothing for such a cold Frost, but her mishap with laundry earlier that day left her without a cloak. It was a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget as she stepped into Veyl's Clothier's, an unfortunate lack of coin on hand, but ready nonetheless to spend the last of what she had on a second cloak fit for the cold of Frost that lingered behind her.
xxxShe smiled as the clerk greeted her, cheeks as red as her hair, and began flicking through the racks of cloaks in the front of the shop. Wool, linen, bright blue, deep red, every manner of color and fabric was available, and after a few moments of searching she finally picked a simple white wool cloak with pockets on both the inside and outside of it’s design. Perfect for someone like her, always losing things, and always carrying way too much. She smiled and brought the piece to the counter and paid her dues with a gulp of hesitation from the price. Not ideal, but necessary. As the newly poor girl exited the shop, she threw it over her shoulders, it’s warmth instantly taking hold of her and she sighed in relief. Even though it had not been made by her aunt, it smelled and felt like home. Like safety. ’So much better!’
xxx ”Excuse me, are you..?”
She turned towards the horizon where the sun had begun to set to see the very man who had been scared witless the day before approaching her with a soft smile.
xxx ”It really is you, I wanted to apologize. I was eager to meet you and got a little ahead of myself, and I didn’t mean to anger your friends.” She had been about to walk away, leave him behind just as Telion and Rickter had warned her, but something in his kind features drew her in and beckoned her to stay. She hesitated at first, but smiled at him reassuringly.
xxx ”It’s alright. I’m sure they’re fine.” She said, shrugging and clasping the cloak closed with the decorative woven button symbolizing Veyl's Clothier's logo. The man sighed in relief and brought a hand to his forehead, sheepishly grinning before putting both hands in his pockets and clearing his throat as if breaking tension in his own being.
xxx ”Well, I would still like to make it up to you. How about this, I can walk you home and show you around the city a little more, and if you’d like you can tell me all about what it is you want to learn as a mage and I will think of which connections I may have that you can speak to.” Outwardly, he smiled softly at her and offered his arm. But, inwardly he was salivating and drawing on tiny tendrils of aether to entwine with his words and his eyes. Had it been done to any other person, they may have seen the glint in his eye or even noticed the air of aether slowly slipping from his lips to her, but he had chosen his prey perfectly. She had no idea what to look for, or how to avoid it.
xxxThere couldn’t be any harm in this, she thought, after all he was apologizing and had connections to her most desperate needs- magic. And, the best kinds of people are the humble. And so she smiled, and nodded at him with excitement as she placed one hand on his arm. ”That sounds wonderful, but I didn’t catch your name. I’m Fawn.”
xxx“Pleased to meet you officially, Fawn. I am Lancelot. Now, let’s get you home. Now, where abouts are you stationed?” He asked, beginning to walk nonetheless exactly where he knew her to live. Where he’d watched her through her window for the first two nights.
xxxFawn matched his pace rather easily, as she had been very used to keeping up with horses. ”I’m actually behind the dumpling shop near the entrance to the city.” The man nodded with all the regality of a man ready to court a woman. Back straight, arm locked, and onward they walked.
xxxPerhaps if Fawn had been paying attention while they talked she would have noticed that she no longer recognized any buildings. Even in the dark of the night that had covered the city after the sun had set, that unlike the commoner style homes and buildings of the West entrance, the buildings were becoming much more widely spaced and the walls were now higher. There were less people around, as well, which gave him all the reason he needed to pull off to the side of the street and tuck them down an alleyway.
xxxFawn raised a brow. ”Wait- where are we going?” She asked, her heart suddenly quickening.
“Shortcut.” He said, his voice excited but.. somehow dark.
She stopped. ’No...something is wrong.. Why does this feel wrong?’
”I.. I think I’ll find my own way-” Fawn pulled her arm from his and took a step back.
But Lancelot frowned. He was so close- just two blocks ahead. No small mishap, no dumb broad, no stupid woman was denying him, not tonight, and not ever again. And this time she didn’t have that mongrel of a wolf with her.
xxx”That won’t be necessary, we’re almost back.” He stated, forcing a smile back upon his face and tethering aether into every word. Albeit sloppily, and grabbing her by the arm. He was desperate, and desperation and aether never mix well with people like him.
Panic began to set into the girl's bones as she tried to yank her arm out of his hand. She felt nauseous, her head ached, he suddenly reminded her of the snakes she was normally so disgusted by, and she realized in that moment that no matter how hard she pulled he would not let go. Rickter and Telion had been right- she shouldn’t have trusted him.
18th of Frost, 120
xxxDamn. If he did say so himself, he was handsome. And a fantastic mesmer mage. Though no one else would likely give him that sort of praise, least of not his past mentor. But he had no need for that old coot - tonight he would prove to himself yet again exactly what it was that made him a fantastic mage. He would get the girl. The innocent, bubbly, new to town, naive Fawn. And he wouldn’t need to take no for an answer. But he would need a different tactic.
~~
xxxFawn was dressed in her simple blue linen dress and cream top, which was admittedly less than ideal clothing for such a cold Frost, but her mishap with laundry earlier that day left her without a cloak. It was a lesson she wouldn’t soon forget as she stepped into Veyl's Clothier's, an unfortunate lack of coin on hand, but ready nonetheless to spend the last of what she had on a second cloak fit for the cold of Frost that lingered behind her.
xxxShe smiled as the clerk greeted her, cheeks as red as her hair, and began flicking through the racks of cloaks in the front of the shop. Wool, linen, bright blue, deep red, every manner of color and fabric was available, and after a few moments of searching she finally picked a simple white wool cloak with pockets on both the inside and outside of it’s design. Perfect for someone like her, always losing things, and always carrying way too much. She smiled and brought the piece to the counter and paid her dues with a gulp of hesitation from the price. Not ideal, but necessary. As the newly poor girl exited the shop, she threw it over her shoulders, it’s warmth instantly taking hold of her and she sighed in relief. Even though it had not been made by her aunt, it smelled and felt like home. Like safety. ’So much better!’
xxx ”Excuse me, are you..?”
She turned towards the horizon where the sun had begun to set to see the very man who had been scared witless the day before approaching her with a soft smile.
xxx ”It really is you, I wanted to apologize. I was eager to meet you and got a little ahead of myself, and I didn’t mean to anger your friends.” She had been about to walk away, leave him behind just as Telion and Rickter had warned her, but something in his kind features drew her in and beckoned her to stay. She hesitated at first, but smiled at him reassuringly.
xxx ”It’s alright. I’m sure they’re fine.” She said, shrugging and clasping the cloak closed with the decorative woven button symbolizing Veyl's Clothier's logo. The man sighed in relief and brought a hand to his forehead, sheepishly grinning before putting both hands in his pockets and clearing his throat as if breaking tension in his own being.
xxx ”Well, I would still like to make it up to you. How about this, I can walk you home and show you around the city a little more, and if you’d like you can tell me all about what it is you want to learn as a mage and I will think of which connections I may have that you can speak to.” Outwardly, he smiled softly at her and offered his arm. But, inwardly he was salivating and drawing on tiny tendrils of aether to entwine with his words and his eyes. Had it been done to any other person, they may have seen the glint in his eye or even noticed the air of aether slowly slipping from his lips to her, but he had chosen his prey perfectly. She had no idea what to look for, or how to avoid it.
xxxThere couldn’t be any harm in this, she thought, after all he was apologizing and had connections to her most desperate needs- magic. And, the best kinds of people are the humble. And so she smiled, and nodded at him with excitement as she placed one hand on his arm. ”That sounds wonderful, but I didn’t catch your name. I’m Fawn.”
xxx“Pleased to meet you officially, Fawn. I am Lancelot. Now, let’s get you home. Now, where abouts are you stationed?” He asked, beginning to walk nonetheless exactly where he knew her to live. Where he’d watched her through her window for the first two nights.
xxxFawn matched his pace rather easily, as she had been very used to keeping up with horses. ”I’m actually behind the dumpling shop near the entrance to the city.” The man nodded with all the regality of a man ready to court a woman. Back straight, arm locked, and onward they walked.
xxxPerhaps if Fawn had been paying attention while they talked she would have noticed that she no longer recognized any buildings. Even in the dark of the night that had covered the city after the sun had set, that unlike the commoner style homes and buildings of the West entrance, the buildings were becoming much more widely spaced and the walls were now higher. There were less people around, as well, which gave him all the reason he needed to pull off to the side of the street and tuck them down an alleyway.
xxxFawn raised a brow. ”Wait- where are we going?” She asked, her heart suddenly quickening.
“Shortcut.” He said, his voice excited but.. somehow dark.
She stopped. ’No...something is wrong.. Why does this feel wrong?’
”I.. I think I’ll find my own way-” Fawn pulled her arm from his and took a step back.
But Lancelot frowned. He was so close- just two blocks ahead. No small mishap, no dumb broad, no stupid woman was denying him, not tonight, and not ever again. And this time she didn’t have that mongrel of a wolf with her.
xxx”That won’t be necessary, we’re almost back.” He stated, forcing a smile back upon his face and tethering aether into every word. Albeit sloppily, and grabbing her by the arm. He was desperate, and desperation and aether never mix well with people like him.
Panic began to set into the girl's bones as she tried to yank her arm out of his hand. She felt nauseous, her head ached, he suddenly reminded her of the snakes she was normally so disgusted by, and she realized in that moment that no matter how hard she pulled he would not let go. Rickter and Telion had been right- she shouldn’t have trusted him.
