The Perfect Party Guest (Destyn)

[Korvaelis]

Korvaelis Dahshida

He often wondered why the other wives and husbands of Koiteki nobles pitied him so much. Perhaps, it was his new title? Dowager Koiteki did not mean much to him yet it could mean something to others. Dowager seemed to belong to older people whose husbands had passed away only, Korvaelis knew that much as he was constantly reminded whenever he would visit the Dahshida’s main house and find himself amongst the elderly women of the household. All who seem to pity him just as much as others. It must be his age-- he was too young to experience the death of a husband. It was way too soon and there was nothing to show for it either except the business which was left behind for his dearest son, Aki, only. That could be another possible reason for why the other koiteki pitied him too; he was living by the grace of his stepson, who could be influenced to turn against him at any given moment. Korvaelis’ status could very well slip out of his hands at any moment.

It’s sad, nonetheless, the hardcore truth and the druskai didn’t know what exactly to think about it. Is this something that would upset him? Probably not. It would upset his brother though, which would lead to his disappointment. If he was being truthful, Kodi, his brother, wasn’t too happy with his status as it stood already in both society and his household. Akiba was very likely to become heir to his house, if not already. All that was standing in the way of Akiba’s succession was his father, who has yet to step down from Daizoku, but Kodi swore if Korvaelis pushed for Akiba’s succession it would have most definitely happened. But Korvaelis did not push for it, he just could not see that plan panning out all too well. Now, He’s a dowager with no past accomplishments according to his brother.

Korvaelis shook his head as he approached a lovely manor carved into the mountain. He wasn’t trying to hold onto such negative thoughts while entering the place. Especially since the merchants of his house were kind enough to invite him without entirely knowing who he was aside from the known fact that he is the husband of a deceased noble and friend of the host. Standing at the door, he knocked a few times before fixing his robe and making sure the bun on the top of his head decorated in ornaments and jade stones was properly set up.

The large doors of the manor opened slightly before a tiny human woman peeked through the crack and immediately burst into laughter at the sight of him. The sound caused a mild panic within him.

“Lord Korvaelis! We are so happy to see that you have finally accepted our invitation.” She finally opened the door wide enough for him to see the entire inside of the house. “My husband was such good friends with Akiba, you do not know how much it means for us to see you here!” The woman motioned for him to come in before taking a steep bow and guiding him through the house and a crowd of people that paid the two no mind despite the woman’s excitement.

20th of Searing, 121

[Destyn]

The Perfect Party Guest

20 Searing, 121

Destyn imagined his patrons bore only the best of intentions when they insisted he join them in attending a soiree hosted by another prominent family. A more suspicious, worldly sort might have suspected they brought him along to show off their benevolence by putting their Fae'ethalan refugee on display before other notables. But Destyn was not worldy and, until recently, not particularly suspicious. He certainly wasn't savvy to the politics of Kalzasi or its ruling class. He'd objected at first, but then it had rightly been pointed out that he'd been a relative recluse. His host family wasn't aware of a few excursions he'd made out the bay window of his luxurious bedroom to stretch his wings and spend time in gardens. He'd even made a friend- An Elf named Sivan Sunrunner, who'd helped to salve the traumas of his recent past with enchanted implements and herbs. One was a gemstone worn about his neck, which he rolled between fidgety fingers as he crossed the threshold into a new and unfamiliar estate- first with a click of his crutch, followed by a pendulous step.

His eyes scanned the large foyer, from its high ceilings festooned with opulent chandeliers, to its walls lined with realistic depictions of people Destyn imagined he ought to know, down to the cold, stone tiles that lined the floor. Although it was bright and meticulously appointed, it felt far from warm to the young Fae- devoid, as it was, of plantsong. There was music, but it was played upon instruments carved from long dead trees and though it was jaunty, the hollow resonance of dead wood sounded funereal to Destyn's keen ears.

He tagged close behind his patrons, fidgeting with the folds of his borrowed kurta which, like everything he wore these days, was a hand-me-down. He'd been told early on that they belonged to an adolescent Avialae, which meant the styles afforded consideration for a winged creature. Fortunately, though Destyn had four, dragonfly-like wings rather than the two bird-like variety inherent to the Synnekar, they were still positioned in such a way as to be complemented by the garment. Since his wings were translucent, nearly transparent really, one could still see the green hue of the robes beneath. The patrons had been kind enough to allow him to choose the colour, if not the style. His ever-present accessory, of late, was the cane that allowed him to take the weight off a bandaged, splinted leg.

The family had arrived on the early end of the soiree, and the bashful Fae was paraded around and introduced to sundry notables. He only spoke in brief responses to questions asked directly of him, but his benefactors seemed more content to relate the tragic tale of his orphaning with their own embellishments, which Destyn didn't both to amend.

When, eventually, they grew tired of recounting the same story, they encouraged Destyn to mingle so they could do the same without babysitting him. He hobbled his way over to a bowl of fruit and plucked up a pear, before ducking out of the ballroom in search of somewhere less overstimulating. By and by, he followed the quiet voice of a lone plant that beckoning him out to a small balcony. He smiled faintly to the poor, stunted fern that hung over the ledge and reached a hand out to caress its crisp, verdant leaves.

"Are we not a pair?" He intoned in his native Vallasren to the little plant, as he leaned against the railing and looked out over the sprawling city that was slowly becoming familiar to him.

The Perfect Party Guest

[Korvaelis]

Korvaelis Dahshida

"Oh...yes.” He paused to sip his wine as he wracked his brain for another sentence, a word, or anything to contribute to the conversation. Korvaelis sipped slowly each time it was his turn to participate or engage with the others, that way they wouldn’t find it suspicious either. Truthfully, he wasn’t exactly the best at lengthy conversation yet here he was, engaging in one of the most nerve-wracking conversations he has ever had since becoming a noble of the Dahshida family. The conversation was about his own family--his husband-- and he could not think of anything except to vocally agree with what this group that was so fond of his spouse had to say. But he could tell they were growing worried. “Akiba enjoyed political engagement. He enjoyed building and working on connections with the merchants and other koiteki families of Kalzasi even more. I know my husband believed that the hard-working families like yours kept this city together.” His lips curled into a smile as he gripped his drink for stability.

The group of merchants that the hostess had introduced him to seemed very pleased with his answer. Korvaelis had a feeling that they were very patriotic. Truthfully, he knew nothing of his husband’s business with these men. Akiba never told him what went on outside their relationship since the Avialae did not think it pertained to it much and Korvaelis couldn’t agree more. Anyway, Korvaelis guessed by looking at the wardrobe of the merchants, which was very much Kalzasi culture attire. There was a chance that he could have been wrong, but the men mentioning how they working strictly under Kalzasi business laws only was a huge factor as well.

“Men, please excuse me.” He built up the courage to finally walk away from the shenanigans. At first, he made it look as if he were to join another group conversation so that they were to never follow him. Passing by another group of active people, smiling and nodding at each person within it, he made his way into a quiet hallway where he would crouch for a bit as he tried to take deep breaths.

“Lord Korvaelis? Korvaelis!” A familiar voice called for him, causing the man to jump up and run throughout the home until he found two glass doors leading to a lovely courtyard with an interesting maze. Before anyone could see him, he ran through those doors and hid in this newfound maze, reverting into a crouch position so that no one would suspect he was even there.

He continued his heavy breathing yet this time it was from all the activity. When you’re wearing a thick silk robe with what felt like a dozen undergarments, it could feel as if you are running a marathon.

“Why are you like this?” The Lord said to nobody but himself. “Why do you feel so uncomfortable?”

Once a few minutes had passed, he stood up and began walking through the maze, which wasn’t hard to navigate at all. There were no tricky pathways or slip-ups, but a straight path that eventually led you out and into what felt like an entirely new world. It seemed the misses of the household enjoyed exotic and different types of flowers and plants. He could not recognize plenty of flowers and bushes in the garden, but they were pretty and he enjoyed giving most of them a sniff. There was a lovely group of exotic looking roses underneath a balcony that he could not help but pick up. He made sure to be careful not to touch the thorns, holding one between his index finger and thumb on a small part that did not have a sharp thorn sticking out of it.

He was so focused on the flowers that the voice of another person completely shook him. Taking the flower with him, Korvaelis tiptoed out from beneath the balcony. The voice sound nearby, however, there was no one closeby.

It took time before he finally noticed the man on the balcony. He could hardly make out his figure. Nonetheless, he assumed it was someone he met at the party since the question seemed to be directed at him.

“So you found me? I’m sorry, I had to step away and find a quiet place.” Korvaelis looked up at the figure.

20 of Searing, 121

[Destyn]

The Perfect Party Guest

20 Searing, 121

The young man on the balcony blinked at the sound of a voice speaking Common from below, apparently in response to his Vallasren utterance. Destyn leaned over the railing to peer down at the source of the sound, and he laid eyes upon an unfamiliar creature. His blue eyes darted over blue features, like a timid animal appraising potential threats at a distance before deciding whether to flee, remain in place or approach. He opted for the lattermost choice, picking up his crutch and spreading the wings that had been draped at his back.

He used his stronger leg to hop into the air, catching himself with the sudden rapid beating of his four wings- which yielded quite a din and a great deal of wind swept over the garden below as he descended to land gently with the weight upon his healthy leg, letting the crutch touch ground before his wounded leg followed suit. From this closer vantage he now regarded the stranger. Destyn was surprised to note that the young man, whom he presumed based on his features to be Druskai though he'd never seen one in person, was a few inches shorter than he. Everyone always seemed so tall in Kalzasi, he thought, though he'd been around a great many Avialae which tipped the scales of his anecdotal experience into a more statuesque direction than the common visitor might experience.

"You found me first. I thought I was alone with the plants..." Destyn amended. When speaking Common he had a marked accent with a sing-song lilt. His final D's sounded closer to T's, his R's were either barely audible or slightly over-pronounced, all of his S sounds went unvoiced and his long O was rounder than was common in Common.

He took a few halting steps closer to the stranger, leaning his weight on his crutch as he came to pause a few paces from him.

"It is... Overstimulating within." He said, glancing over his shoulder towards the building from which they'd both emerged with the sounds of chatter and music emanating therein.

"I, too, sought solace. I will leave you to yours, if you would be alone." He tilted his head thoughtfully. He was certainly curious about Druskai and he loved to explore other cultures and different walks of life- at least in the more intimate one-on-one setting they now enjoyed. In large crowds he felt overwhelmed and it was hard to focus. Especially given recent traumas that put him on edge for the foreseeable future- ever poised to flee, should violence emerge from nowhere as he'd seen happen in the South.

The Perfect Party Guest

[Korvaelis]

Korvaelis Dahshida

Did he find the man first?

Korvaelis could’ve sworn the man sought him out. He couldn’t exactly make out what he said earlier, but this man was hanging over the balcony calling out for him a minute ago. Right? The thought of him speaking first and causing unwarranted attention would make him a little uneasy, so it was safer to assume what the man is saying isn’t exactly correct. If he believed otherwise, Korvaelis would have to believe that he spoke to this man first and that wasn’t exactly something he would do unless the situation called for it. He didn’t even notice the man was present until he spoke aloud. “That’s not. True.” He whispered as he looked over the man.

What is he?

The lord would recognize the man’s youthful face, which didn’t match his voice at all and if not for his height, could be mistaken as no older than his dear boy Aki due to his big blue eyes and lovely blonde hair. What surprised him the most were the wings protruding out his back, something he could only assume was there because he just witnessed the man leap into the sky similar to the Avialae. There shouldn’t be any other race with wings, so he had to guess it had something to do with magic. Korvaelis heard of people altering their bodies all the time with it, adding or getting rid of body parts to suit their own needs. Perhaps, this man longed to fly and placed a pair on his own back.

“Very. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I can handle it much.” His voice was a little louder as he began playing with the rose in his hands like a kid. “The people are lovely, but many intrude on the other’s personal life.” He stopped to think about all the questions he received about his current situation and Aki. Although he’s sure that the people meant well, he didn’t want to reveal how tough of a time he was having with his stepson or how studying medicine was much more difficult than he imagined. He didn’t want to tell anyone anything.

The man offered to leave, which is the best idea anyone’s ever proposed that night. He couldn’t let him go though, so he shook his head and stepped closer to the man who looked all too curious about him. “I have a better idea.”

“It seems we both do not want to return to the party and if we’re seen alone, the hosts will guilt trip us into returning. Let’s stay out here. We don’t have to talk or anything, but let’s walk the courtyard until this party comes to an ending.”

Korvaelis turned away from the man, looking over the large courtyard as he looked for a remote location where the two wouldn’t be heard or seen. In the distance, there was a beautiful pond that appeared to be perfectly adorned with lily pads and other flowers that sustained life in waters as well as a few benches.

“There. Let us go over there.” He pointed at the location with the rose.

20 of Searing, 121

[Destyn]

The Perfect Party Guest

20 Searing, 121

Destyn tilted his head in the other direction, bemused at the stranger's cross examination of his prior assertion.

"Oh." He pursed his lips and grimaced, "I am sorry. I did not notice you until you spoke to me. I was..." He glanced back up to the balcony and the plant that hung there, lonely and longing. He recalled, all at once, that his people were not commonplace in Kalzasi and that their ways were little known to the general public. This sort of misunderstanding had come up several times during the weeks he'd spent in the strange city.

"I was actually talking to the fern. They do not comprehend language, but I find they are soothed by the sound of a friendly voice." He offered a bashful shrug, and listened as the stranger elaborated upon the travails of the party that bustled on inside. Destyn nodded profusely,

"It is difficult to meet so many new people and answer the same questions again and again." He added, "Especially when the answers are unpleasant to think upon..." Destyn had not arrived in Kalzasi under remotely favourable circumstances. He constantly relived his anguish when his mind was idle, and so he did his best to occupy it- But at this event people kept asking questions of him that roused the memories he most sought to hold at bay. It was almost torturous.

Destyn's lips curled in the opposite direction, smiling with relief at the Druskai's proposal.

"Yes!" He beamed, "We can walk and... I do not mind speaking with you. It is easier for me with just one person at a time. But if you would prefer silence, you can tell me to make shut my mouth." Destyn's Common was really quite good, but he did have little slip-ups every now and again with sentence structure and diction. He put his crutch out first and began to limp in the direction of the pond toward which the stranger gestured with his flower. He paused and waited for his new companion to set the pace of their saunter.

"I am calledDestynrael Dromlach’darach de Clann na Feithidí Uisce." It didn't even sound like a mouthful with how smoothly and musically he intoned the phrase in his native Vallasren. His language sounded somewhat like one of the Elvish tongues, though the shifts in pitch that coloured his diction were specific to this particular dialect which was impacted by its evolution in the Everwilds from whence came Destyn's ancestors.

"You may call me just Destyn." He noted, biting his bottom lip as they made their lazy path toward the pond. The young Fae had many questions he wished to ask, but for fear of behaving in the manner that had so put the stranger off at the party, he elected to forgo anything that might feel intrusive.

"I am... Very new to the city." He would speak of himself and, if the stranger wished to reveal aught of his own life, Destyn would welcome it without applying unnecessary pressure. Who knew what this blue fellow had going on in his life? Perhaps he'd been afflicted with even worse fortune than Destyn.

The Perfect Party Guest

[Korvaelis]

Korvaelis Dahshida

So the man was talking to plants. Korvaelis didn’t find anything unusual about that, he’s heard that a lot of people with green thumbs often talked to their plants while watering them. It’s said to be good for the plants. He was embarrassed though now that he knew the man had no intentions of catching his attention whatsoever. The man was minding his own and it seems Korvaelis interrupted him rather than it being the other way around; how embarrassing! It was a night, so his blushing wasn’t noticeable at all. He still brought his sleeve to his face out of habit, covering the lower half of his face for a brief second before responding to the man.

“My apologies. This party, the guest, and how talkative everyone seems to be here has made me assume that you wanted to talk to me too. I must have some sort of ego to assume that to be true.” He let out an awkward laugh before leading the way toward the small pond. He noticed the man had some sort of support under one of his arms. Something must’ve happened to him and he was curious about it, however, he decided not to bother the man about it yet. Especially after discussing how he disliked people asking about his situation. “I don’t mind talking...I am guessing we’re like-minded in some way. I’m not too good at conversation, but since I bothered you first...it’s the least I can do.”

Korvaelis paused for a moment as the man said his name. He took note that he did not state it in a way similar to how most people of Kalzasi would say their own nor did it sound like an Avialae name whatsoever. Still, it was a beautiful name that sounded very colorful as it escaped his lips. He tried to say it under his breath. It was not easy, so it was best that he called this man by his nickname.

“Sir Destyn, you have a very lovely name. It doesn’t sound like a Kalzasi name. You must be a foreigner.” He smiled at the man before placing his hands together under his long sleeves. It wasn’t long before Destyn admitted to not being from Kalzasi, which was pretty obvious by his name.

It wasn’t like he was all too familiar with the city, but Korvaelis was still a citizen by marriage and he worked so hard to emerge himself into the Kalzasi culture so that he would not stick out amongst the other nobles. He even remembered specific locations considered important or historical to the city dwellers to at least appear like he was born and raised here. If not for his common accent, nobody would second guess him.

“Allow me to be the first to welcome you properly, Sir Destyn.” Korvaelis turned his entire body to face Destyn so that he could do a proper bow. “I believe you will grow to like it here. There is no safer city! The house that I serve is strong and so are the others.”

Large green eyes seemed to panic as he soon realized that he did not introduce himself in exchange for the blonde’s own.

“I’m sorry, I did not introduce myself, did I?”

“I am Korvaelis Dahshida, a dowager of the late Koteiki Akiba Dahshida.” In the same way, Destyn introduces himself, Korvaelis would follow. While most of what he said was in common, when he stated his name and that of his husband, it was in Synskrit.

20 of Searing, 121

[Destyn]

The Perfect Party Guest

20 Searing, 121

The young Fae shook his head, brow knitted and waved one hand dismissively.

"You need not apologise." He consoled the embarrassed Druskai, "As I said, I do not mind talking with you. It feels, inside, more uhm... Oppressive?" He wasn't sure if that was the right word. It felt a bit dramatic, but it was the first to come to mind.

He inclined his head, smiling warmly at the other man's deference that verged on self-deprecation.

"It is clear to me that you are most humble. That is, I think, a favourable trait." Humility was certainly preferable to its antonym, he figured, so he hoped the Druskai would take the comment for a compliment rather than a slight.

"Thank you." He glanced down to the path before them, after the kind comment about his nomenclature. He was proud of his heritage- perhaps more so since he'd lost his clan. He felt that it was his alone to uphold their memory, and his name was a part of that. His full name included that of his fallen clan. And now he was a clan of one...

"I am, in a way, foreign. I think this is true of all Fae'ethalan, even though I was born not far from here on the banks of Lake Udori. My people were landless wanderers, but we mostly kept to our own and so this language is not my first." He paused his gait to return the fellow's bow, tilting his head in curiosity when the man repeated his application of an honourific to Destyn's name.

"I... Do not believe I warrant being called 'sir'. I am little more than a penniless refugee. The only reason I am at this party rather than dead is because I was..." He paused, considering how detailed he wished to get with how he arrived in the city. He elected to skirt around the darker bits, "...Blessed with the attention of the Shinsei when I was in a time of need. Thanks to his influence I was taken in by your House of Lekivian."

Destyn bowed when the other man introduced himself, mimicking the way Korvaelis had bowed to him upon learning his name.

"Korvaelis." He repeated with purpose, then furrowed his brow. "I do not know this word you speak... Dow-a-jehr?"

The Perfect Party Guest

[Korvaelis]

Korvaelis Dahshida

"Humble?” He asked quietly. It was the first time anyone has ever referred to him as such. He frankly didn’t think he did anything so extravagant and selfless to earn the compliment, but his acquaintance thought otherwise. Korvaelis was being his normal self and no one has ever referred to his introverted side as humble. Some might even believe it is the opposite if you consider how most introverts value their privacy and self-interest over others and what they want out of them. A part of him wondered why Destyn thought so highly of him, however, the conversation moved on so quickly that he did not even have the chance to ask.

“Forgive me, I have never heard of your kind. Fae'ethalan? Are most of your people nomads that prefer the outdoors rather than the likes of the city?”

The race seemed so foreign to him. The Fae’ethalan are not the first to sound strange or completely out of sight and mind to him either, even his own mother’s race was foreign. He groups up in a strange city where humans are ideal. Aside from them, the elven races were probably the most common. Then he arrived here and the Avialae had become a new race that occupied a majority of the space he was in. “Please don’t be upset, I am a foreigner too. I come from another city and there wasn’t enough diversity. I cannot identify a lot of races or colors. Possibly...not even my own unless they look exactly like me.”

“Hmm. I guess I can refer to you as just Destyn...I prefer titles though since I don’t see it appropriate to call someone by their first name alone. But I can make an exception since I cannot pronounce your last name, unfortunately.” He slowly nodded as he listened to the rest of his story. It was a kind act of the Lekivian house to take him in. There wasn’t much he could say about the household, but he’s heard of how kind the Lekivian family was to the city’s people. “I hope you’re finding your stay with them comfortable?”

Their slow pacing would eventually reach the pond. Keeping in mind Destyn’s injuries, Korvaelis made sure to sit down on one of the benches immediately and pat the space next to him so that he too would have a seat. The question would make him sigh before he began explaining what it meant to be a dowager. “It’s usually given to widowers after their husband passes away and they hold some sort of land. I don’t think that’s exactly true for me. My theory is that I became Dowager Koiteki after my husband’s death so that I could look after his son. No big deal...I guess.”

“It protects me, keeps me in the grace of my house.”

20 of Searing, 121

[Destyn]

The Perfect Party Guest

20 Searing, 121

Destyn grimaced and canted his blonde head to one side, concerned that he may have given offence.

"I am sorry. Perhaps this is not the correct word? I lose my Common, sometimes, when I am nervous." He offered by way of a pretext, in case he'd misspoken or otherwise inspired umbrage in his new acquaintance.

His eyes lit up at hearing that Korvaelis had never heard of his entire race,

"Really?!" His voice went up in pitch and his wings straightened out at his back, as he grinned broadly. "Then I am the first you have met! You are also the first of your kind that I have met, but I think I know what you are. I have read about your people- are they not of the sea?" He inquired, before getting around to answering the question posed to him.

"I do not know what most of my people do. We are very diverse. There are different courts, and we can look very different from one another. My clan stayed near waterways and traveled afield of the cities, but only lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. I have never seen the mighty ocean... I would love to see it one day. Were you born there?" His leg may have been hobbled, but his speech certainly wasn't- He spoke rather quickly, in his wide-eyed, child-like way.

"I am sorry I do not have a title for you to use..." He frowned, "The servants at the estate call me Master Destyn, but the family just calls me Destyn. I do not know how Kalzasern society works. Things in the forest are not very formal." One could only be so grand, when a bird might elect to poop on ones head at any given moment, after all.

He winced a bit as he lowered himself onto the bench where Korvaelis gestured to join him.

"I am as comfortable as one can expect under the circumstances..." He replied. "Ought I to call you Dowager Koiteki? I know you prefer titles, so I can use yours if that makes you more comfortable. I think your name is prettier than 'Dowager', though." He offered encouragingly.

The Perfect Party Guest