The Fox That Makes the Ravens Fly [Arvalyn, Torin]

[Arvælyn]

"Well..." Arvalyn began, glancing askance contemplatively, having asserted his thought before forming it fully. "As you know, I am not the best with finances myself." He considered the runesmith in his periphery, and managed his verbiage to suit the histories of Arvalyn or Arvine alike, "With my background, there was never much need, so you'll forgive me if I'm a bit dense..." He appraised the two plates that had been presented, and plucked a delicate morsel from the fancier dish.

"But how does all of this tie together?" He gestured with the canapé in his hand, "I mean the theatre and your wider brokering business. Would the theatre serve as some sort of front, or... I mean are you actually interested in that business beyond how it might serve your other interests?" He took the amuse bouche between his teeth and bit it in half, brow furrowed in bemusement at the information presented thus far.

Arvalyn felt a bit self-conscious about posing such questions in front of Torin, as it seemed the larger blonde was already more involved in this side of things than the smaller had been thus far. The last thing he wanted to feel was that he was at a disadvantage to the relative newcomer to Aurin's inner circle.

He brought the other half of the morsel to his lips and finished it off, with an approving nod.

"Exquisite." He parted his lips and drew his fingers closer, before realising where they were and electing not to lick his fingers like some underfed peasant. He wiped his hand against the napkin in his lap, and washed down the delicate flavours with a sip of his drink.

"I was rather hoping to retire from 'the life', but it seems like I might be more useful to your aims if I didn't..." He set his jaw. It was a sacrifice he'd be willing to make, but not remotely happily.

[Torin Kilvin]

The large apprentice was relieved to see that he recognized at least some of the food being served and nodded with a polite smile to the waiter who seemed gratified to be so acknowledged by the members of the table before he slipped back into the ethers of service.

He took two portions of the thing he recognized and ignored the food that looked like it would fall apart if he looked at it too hard. He ate with the utensils provided. It was a struggle to understand why high society scoffed at people who ate simple foods with their hands but then made dishes so fancy that were also supposed to be eaten with the fingers.

The food was good at least, very good, and, thankfully, he'd remembered to eat lunch so his body wasn't demanding he swallow without time to taste. Between listening to Aurin, listening to the room in general, and eating he even forgot himself enough to take another swallow of his drink. It tasted like sugar and vinegar. He was pretty sure those were the flavors. Oh, and alcohol.

Sometimes he was convinced that rich folk made things difficult or awful on purpose as a way to gatekeep their elevation above the common sort.

He nodded along occasionally, showing that he was still listening as the tidbits of information he'd been getting through Glade came together in a clear narrative.

His hand came to his amulet as it was mentioned. The fine chain could be seen in the neck of his shirt, which, though not as low as Aurin's, showed more skin than the boy was used to in public. Training himself not to make such leading gestures was taking more effort than any of the other lessons Aurin was trying to impart but he was working on it.

"Gods-in-honesty, since I finished making the amulets the runesmith has been cramming the business side of things down my throat so hard I haven't had time to more than dream of of my own projects. I know it's important but any time I have spent on the anvil has been so he could check that all my basics are covered before releasing me into the wild." He looked tired, under the light tan his skin was starting to pick up, but not exhausted.

"I've played with my schematic some, and I think I could make one that connected to several others, like a hub?" He knew the word as it applied to wheels and it felt like it would make sense here. "I could make more of the same as ours and then connect them all to a single matching one for you, but I couldn't add to the set once it was done. If you need more than... four was it? I would have to make new ones." The project would be expensive and take, mists, he tried to put the time frame together, half a season if he was allowed to concentrate on it.

"If you have need I can give you mine to pass around as needed." The reluctance in his voice was entirely personal. There would be a hole in his life without the knowledge that he could have a little bit of Aurin each day. But this was important too, for more than just himself. It wouldn't be too much longer before he could see the redhead whenever he wanted anyway. More so if his friend was free to run a business of his own instead of working for Mistress Lunaria.

Additionally, if the business took off and he could be, at least partially, a sponsored artisan he could spend more of his time working on creating new things instead of making the same old things over and over for others.

Arvalyn's first question seemed, he wasn't trying to be mean about it, but, dense. You built things one piece at a time. Aurin had laid out how he had been building his safety net, establishing himself, for years. Now he was stepping out of a subservient role into a leading one. As manager of the Golden Peacock, he would have both a base of operations where it wouldn't look odd if people came and went at all hours, a steady income in case secrets were scare for a season, and no one above him to question how he spent his time or send him on inconvenient errands as just the wrong moment. If the plan had been a piece of runesmithing the schematic would have been neat and functional, even elegant.

As the other boy went on Torin failed to understand how moving from being on stage at the Cabaret to being on stage at the Peacock could be considered 'retirement' for the elf but he didn't ask. There was something wry in the way he had been said that told him the subject might be sensitive.

[Aurin]

"No," he said slowly as he considered what Arvalyn said — as if it was for him to dictate Arvalyn's choices. "You can leave the 'life' behind as you have been. In fact, if you want to leave it behind entirely to focus on music, then I will support you financially in the meantime. "I mean, there are performers at the Peacock who moonlight as courtesans, but they host their salons and soirées and are much more selective about those with whom they share their beds. In any case, you will probably hear more as an up-and-coming star than you would in the rooms rented by the hour."

He spoke bluntly about such things, but he looked to Arvalyn for his honest response. Aurin wasn't trying to make his boys sacrifice more; he was trying to pull the trick that meant they could sacrifice less and claim their dream lives.

"And you," he said, turning to Torin, "should focus on what your master still has to teach you. I'm thinking in terms of the long game. Within a season or so, you should be starting your new business and perhaps by then I can pay you properly for such experiments. But perhaps you ought to bring me all your old notes and schematics and walk me through the things that have inspired you. There might be some I would ask you to look into further for future use. If I can turn my little holding company into a proper keiretsu, my work at the Theater will feed into it, and the money will go whither it needs to go so that all the concerned people and businesses can benefit.

"As for working at the Peacock... yes, I would take it seriously. As managing director, I would be a legitimate businessman. My partners would be the artistic director and the noble patron, keeping me connected to the artists of Kalzasi and bringing me into contact with the nobility. The keiretsu would be the means by which I spread that economic interest. And my penchant for secrets would be how we make deals that benefit our various interconnected interests. I could manage the Cabaret myself if Lunaria croaked tonight. I can manage the Peacock. But it would be a vertical career move for me within my life as Aurin Kavafis here in Kalzasi."

[Arvælyn]

"Yes." Arvalyn replied with a firm nod, "I should very much like to retire from that chapter of my life." It hadn't been all bad, but he hadn't really been prepared for it either when Lunaria urged him toward work behind the beaded curtain. Apart from his preliminary 'rehearsals' with Aurin, it had been a lot of learning on-the-job. That never really stopped, of course, as each client had altogether distinct preferences and peccadilloes, but in the beginning he was a novice to most of the basics, let alone the more niche requests.

He'd gone into it all with a great deal of optimism, and with the assumption that his rise would be more meteoric than it had been. He'd expected to skip rungs on the ladder to success, but instead he'd been paying his dues in full for several years.

"But I don't want you to support me beyond what I earn. You'll have my eyes and ears, but my arse will get a break." He quipped, reaching for another canapé and plucking it between his thumb and forefinger. As Aurin addressed Torin, Arvalyn enjoyed his dainty little appetizer and his artisanal cocktail. His mind wandered to Finn and their upcoming performance and he smiled. Perhaps it would be his swansong at the Velvet Cabaret, launching him forth to a more legitimate and glamourous career at the Golden Peacock. He'd long envisioned riding Finn's coattails to success, but it amused him to ponder the possibility that those tables might turn.

Aurin's attention shifted back to Arry, and brought him to the present.

"A vertical move?" He repeated, for clarity's sake. In his mind vertical could be good or bad, but he assumed the move to the Golden Peacock would be a favourable one. He certainly considered it to be so in his instance. Gold was more precious than velvet, after all, and something to which he'd oft been equated, due to his eyes, hair and general complexion.

"Do you think the marketing for the Peacock could use a poster boy?" He mused, stroking his chin and looking off into the distance.

[Torin Kilvin]

Courtesans

Share their bed

Oh.

Torin tried not to look over at Arvalyn as he made the connection, but he did anyway. He looked away again immediately, grabbing his drink and finishing it in one ungraceful swallow.

It was fine, he'd never had any judgment for those who made their livings rented by the hour. He set the glass down as gently as he could and forced himself to refocus.

He nodded with a barely audible sigh. Finishing his education was important and he would do it, more easily for Aurin having told him to.

"I'll bring some of my work next time I come by the cottage and we can discuss ideas. If you have anything particular in mind we can discuss if it's possible. If you could give me some tips on where might be a good area to start my forge I'll start looking into that as well."

The idea of the three of them, and seemingly several others, all pooling resources so that each got what they needed felt significantly safer than starting out alone. Of course, neither of the other two men at the table was just starting out. Having a group to rely on could still take a lot of the fear out of existing without the reassurance of a family. Perhaps they would be sort of a family, a replacement for what all of them seemed to be missing.

Crime syndicates suddenly made significantly more sense in his blond head. The thought that a crime syndicate might be exactly what they were starting never occurred to him.

It seemed the elf wanted to be done with his secondary (primary?) means of employment. Perhaps he would be open to Torin paying him for his time, not that the apprentice wanted to have sex with the smaller man. Rather, he hoped he might be able to teach Torin things that would interest Aurin. Putting the idea away for another time he decided to wait and see if they could be friends first.

While the two men discussed business at what might soon be their workplace place Torin listened with one ear while thinking about how his craft might assist. The pendants transmitted sound. If he could make a larger version of them, one that transmitted sound from a central place to several others it might be used to allow subtle performances to carry to the far seats of the theater. He'd never been into the Golden Peacock but perhaps he would go to a show and assess how it might be improved by runesmithing.

[Aurin]

"It would be a vertical move to go from a manager at the Cabaret to the managing director of the Theater, yes," he said, then popped a morsel into his mouth. He was definitely going to have to make a point of eating more when a main course arrived. When he was excited by a prospect such as this, he was far more likely to keep talking and keep drinking, but that could end poorly.

"And, well, the wages wouldn't be enough to live on, at least not at first, but what's mine is yours — as my fortunes grow, so will yours. But I can pay enough to be helpful."

The waiter returned and took their order, and that was one more thing taken care of while he tried to field other questions and concerns.

"Of course," he said to Torin. "I would enjoy seeing what you are working on. I don't anticipate putting either of you in any sort of danger, but quick communication can be quite helpful, especially if the movement of information is helpful for business deals. If a contact in the Low-City needs to communicate to someone in Cloudhaven, that could be done with more circumspection if they didn't have to costume change just to get into the neighborhood without comment."

Smirking at Arvalyn, he added, "I'll let you persuade the artistic director that you should be painted gold and posed for posters." Having seen Arvalyn naked, he was certain that would attract at least some of Kalzasi's citizens to the theater, though it would be a thin line before it seemed something more appropriate for the Velvet Cabaret.

Later, it occurred to him to add to Torin. "I wonder about having something for an emergency, though. Perhaps something that could be activated when things get bad enough to panic. An alarum, perhaps. I'm thinking more of my contact in the Low-City. She's relatively good at evading dangerous situations, but you never know... Ah, supper." He smiled beatifically at the server returning with help to present them their meal.

[Arvælyn]

"And for me to go from a rentboy-cum-lounge singer to a star of the stage at a legitimate theatre!" Arvalyn reiterated, half to clarify his approval and half to remind himself how exciting the advancement was by acknowledging it out loud in front of other people. He'd have been grinning from pointed ear to pointed ear, if they weren't at such an upscale establishment where a stoical filter felt more fashionable than beaming.

His eyes fell to the menu as the waiter returned to take their dinner order,

"I'll have the malai kofta." He announced, handing the leather bound bill of fare up to the server. "Well, if there happens to be some corner of the Golden Peacock where I can lay my head, my expenses are few." Arry noted. "I mean that place is huge- there has to be some dressing room or storage closet where I can take up residence, until I make my fortune and buy an estate." It seemed his fantasy life had grown increasingly vivid since the outset of this conversation. "Ooh, ideally a costume closet." He certainly made use of the Velvet Cabaret's costume collection as his personal wardobe, and he could only imagine how much nicer the pieces at the Peacock promised to be. He might not even need to accessorise so much to hide the moth holes and frayed stitching.

Arry shot a glare toward Aurin.

"Oh. So I need to be painted, now?" His eyes darted to Torin, whom he now verbally acknowledged for the first time since the young human arrived: "My complexion used to be golden enough on its own, in his esteem..." And as quickly as the attention was cast upon Torin, it retreated to the approaching waiter.

"Would you look at that presentation!" He exclaimed, approvingly. "My compliments to the chef for such artistry."

[Torin Kilvin]

The menu could have been in Mythrasi and the smith would have understood it better. He was starting to have a better grasp of the elvish language, actually. When the waiter inquired with him he just ordered the same thing Aurin had, their tastes weren't identical by any means but he was fairly sure he could at least eat something Aurin would enjoy.

He was about to answer the redhead when the food arrived so he waited till it had all been set down and the waitstaff had retreated.

"Setting up something that would just make a sound or move, vibrate, make a light turn on, would be significantly less difficult or costly than the pendants." He took a bite, not really noticing what it was as he thought, "A pendant or ring that lit of different colors or patterns to indicate different things, Red for Danger, Blue for We Need To Meet, Green to indicate going forward with a plan? Something like that might be very useful."

It might also be very useful to criminals, he realized. He would have to keep the schematics locked away, or, perhaps just in his head. The magic would be simple, the forging could be as simple as he chose, there was nothing to be done about the time to draw the power but for such a simple thing even that wouldn't be bad. The fact that such things didn't exist seemed most likely due to the scarcity of runesmiths and the great expense at which their time came.

When Arvalyn commented to him he tilted his head and said in all seriousness, "In gold dust and jeweled peacock feathers you could be the perfect icon for the theater." In his mind's eye, the elf was thus attired on a rainproof tapestry the height of the Golden Peacock, luring in patrons of either sex or artistry.

[Aurin]

"They have rooms and dormitories," he supplied, "and closets, I'm certain."

There had been an actress who rather enjoyed bringing him over and making the top bunk a stage for their performances, but it hadn't lasted. He hadn't wanted it to, as the Theater was still too close to the Cabaret for comfort. Mixing business and pleasure could lead to impossible combustions and, while they could be dramatic, they weren't what a man keeping a low profile wanted. He had just wanted sex.

It seemed likely that Arvalyn would have some climbing to do at the Theater, as well. It had its own pecking order and even if Aurin was able to step in as managing director, exerting too much influence on his behalf would ruffle feathers and could make it an impossible work situation for the elf. It would also reflect poorly upon him as a new leader. It had taken time to earn the trust of those at the Velvet Cabaret and while he would have some capital as one of Lunaria's longest-running managers, he would have some climbing to do himself, even if the Peacock was only part of his wider plan.

He caught Torin's eye after Arvalyn finally engaged him, his eyebrow rising, but saying nothing. At least things were civil. It was a start.

Knowing Torin would take his lead, he had ordered something he knew would be to both their liking. There were many little ways he tried to make the lives of these two men easier, most in ways he hoped they never recognized. It was easier than saying words that admitted his vulnerability. In any case, the food distracted Arvalyn and Torin both. He ordered another round of drinks but changed his and Torin's into something the apprentice would enjoy and Aurin would as well. He could appreciate fine things, but many of them were only fine in small doses.

As they tucked in, he said, "I need to educate myself on your craft to better communicate the things that could be useful. And, of course, because I am interested." He thought he might also have to talk to him about his own rules for himself. In a perfect world, he wouldn't break any laws, though, upon his death, they might have new laws to make to prevent people from gaming the system as he intended to do. Aurin wasn't a sadistic man and had no desire to ruin lives, but he might do things for expediency's sake that others would balk at. Time would tell.

He smiled around a bite of food to hear Torin's compliment. Perhaps he and Arvalyn would get along after all, especially if the elf realized that Torin was all but incapable of being anything but sincere. Aurin proposed a toast to their futures and then did his best to do what he did at the Velvet Cabaret: keep everybody happy, ply them with drinks, and things to please their palates. To see those smiles of Arvalyn's that weren't a performance at the same table as Torin's shier versions made him about as happy as he could be just then.

fin.

[Hikami]

The Fox That Makes the Ravens Fly

---

Points awarded:

• Aurin - 8 {No Magic}
  Torin - 8 {No Magic}
  Arvalyn - 8 {No Magic}

Lores:

• Aurin
  ► Show Spoiler

  Deception: Dressing the Part
  
  Business: Scheduling
  Business: Business Meetings
  Business: Effective Planning
  Business: Hiring The Right Sort
  
  Persuasion: Flattery
  
  Leadership: To Each Their Role
  
  Investigation: Calling In Favors
  Investigation: Understanding Undercurrents
  Investigation: Following Leads
  Investigation: Always Listening
  Investigation: Understanding The Skills of Others
  Torin
  ► Show Spoiler

  Business: Knowing When To Invest
  Business: Letting Customers Take Their Time
  Business: Knowing When To Ask For Help
  
  Body Building: Knowing When Not to Use Strength
  
  Persuasion: Apologies
  Persuasion: Asking Directly
  
  Perception: Listening To A Whole Room
  Perception: Learning An Area
  Perception: Putting Together The Pieces
  Perception: Understanding Subtle Language
  
  Runesmithing: Ideas on the Fly
  Arvalyn
  ► Show Spoiler

  Acting:
  Seeming suited to posh environs
  Appearing educated
  Upper-class demeanor
  Losing himself in a role
  
  Etiquette:
  Dining out in swanky places
  Sophisticated palate (Ordering of food)
  Sophisticated palate (Ordering of wine and spirits)
  Worldly wordplay
  Ignoring the unseemly
  
  Persuasion:
  Finagling free lodging
  Self-promotion

Loot:

• None

Injuries:

• None

Notes:

• Great thread!
  If you feel I missed anything contact me and we will make adjustments!
  enjoy your rewards!