Legend of Ransera

From what he had observed of the blue man, he reacted to life more than he acted. Aurin could intellectually understand that mode of living, but he would never share it. So much had been taken from him, he demanded agency. It would be so easy to manipulate Korvaelis, to promise this marriage or that marriage, string him along as he wore his heart on his sleeve in many ways. Certainly, Aurin was aware that he was forming tentative ties with Great House Dahshida by befriending Korvaelis and young Aki, but that wasn't his sole reason for returning month after month.

The pup might not have decided he was her mother, but she didn't seem to hate him either. She was interested. But he followed Korvaelis to the treeline, anticipating Aki's subterfuge. He didn't mind ceding the pup; it would be better only to hold her and give her affection when she wanted it until she decided he was one of her pack. But he crouched, elbows on his knees so his point of view was lower like hers, and he watched the proceedings. Korvaelis and Aki both seemed more animated, more themselves, playing with the creature. That made him smile while nobody was paying attention to him.

He laughed when she seemed less excited by the idea of coming back, but she would learn.

"You're the expert," he said, looking up from below, holding out a hand to see if the pup would want a sniff. "But that seems well trained for barely weaned, no?"

Bringing her back for more training would be his excuse to visit in the future, he supposed. He wondered if Korvaelis would still value his friendship whenever he did find a new matrimony to complete him.

Aurin snorted. Korvaelis talked tough, but eventually, he would get lonely and send a message down the mountain to him. It was all right, though. A joke was a joke. He was going to say more, say he liked the look of the pup, liked a survivor, but he never got the chance. The blue man hurried over to a tree and began to retch again. Thankfully, Aurin didn't get sympathetic queasiness like some, but he winced all the same and grabbed the pup by the scruff when she began sniffing the air with interest in the direction of the vomit. Apparently, the wolf pup had picked up that bad habit from the dogs; he didn't figure wolves were keen for regurgitated human food.

He shared a concerned look with Aki while Korvaelis was turned away from them.

Then, "Yeah, all right. You go take your tonics and get some rest. I'll play with her and wear her out, then maybe she won't protest when I kidnap her." He smirked, using Korvaelis' own humor. "Aki, I can help you out with things while I'm here. Then I'd imagine you can take payment for the pup before I go?"

It probably worked out the best this way. Korvaelis was tender toward the wolf, but was trying to raise his specific breed of dogs so she couldn't stay without complications and it was unlikely he could sell her otherwise. But Aurin would take her, and he liked the idea of her being a bit wild, of needing to be taken out into the world sometimes. He didn't know enough about animals to say whether or not it was too late to return her to the wild properly, but he assumed with the scent of man on her, the wolves would stay away and she wasn't equipped to hunt on her own yet. Winter was too harsh for that.

He picked her up and stood. She licked at his beard, which was probably a good sign.

Aurin just stared at the shouted negation. He continued to observe Korvaelis as he protested through his hand that he was fine, that he could take care of things, while the fox-faced man was just ready to dance out of the way if the blue man turned green and projectile vomited in his direction. Very quickly he started spouting nonsense, or at least Aurin didn't have the context to understand what he was going on about. All the same, he gingerly set the pup down per Korvaelis' request. He hadn't paid for her yet and Korvaelis was the expert in these matters.

The man had a love-hate relationship with mysteries and secrets. He hated not knowing, and when he was aware that he was in the dark, he could get obsessive with finding out what was at the bottom of things.

"You're talking in circles, vague as fuck. Spit it out, Korv." His words were terse, his voice lowered as Aki went about his business. Had the blue man been keeping secrets or had he just realized something? Aurin was determined to figure it out. He had been blue in more ways than one since Aurin had met him, but his oddity had only increased over the seasons of their acquaintance. But this was so chaotic and emotional; Aurin hated being ill, but Korvaelis was acting irrationally, speaking in riddles as if Aurin should know the answers.

Hazel eyes narrowed, but he just waited. Eventually, Korvaelis would have to explain himself or at least send Aurin off with the pup and then Aurin would begin to investigate him in earnest because at this point, he was a bit worried about the man's mental health as much as his physical health.

Aurin continued to watch with a critical eye as Korvaelis vacillated between deflection techniques: denial, insanity plea, agreement, flattery. The nervous tic wasn't even necessary to know that he was lying, attempting to obfuscate matters. Were it one of his people, he might plow through the rain of bullshit to get at the truth so he could help, but Korvaelis had always kept him at arm's length—well, emotionally speaking. He didn't know if strongarming his way to an answer would ruin their friendship, so he stood there and observed the apologizing and the pathos plea of loneliness, as if Aurin wasn't here in part to give him company.

But Aki saved Korvaelis from his eyes and Aurin from having to decide what to do.

Aurin walked over to watch the wolf pup attacking Aki's padded leg and he had to smile at the boy's excitement as well as the pup's. He did hope she wasn't the sort to bite without orders, but they would soon find out.

"Excellent work, my lord," he said to Aki, his face softening.

"Very well," he said coolly to Korvaelis. His tone made it clear he saw through his ruses and wasn't pleased to be lied to. The man could just tell him it was none of his business. "I will pay for the pup and for her training. When can I bring her back to continue that?"

He might leave for the nonce, but he would be back and he would be back regularly. At first, he had intended Timon to attend most of the training since the boy needed more responsibility and might get along with Aki. He also intended for Torin to come when his schedule permitted because he would enjoy having a hand in the training of his guard dog. But now, he intended to be the one here, at least until Korvaelis' issues were straightened out. His reprieve from Aurin would only be temporary.

"I'm no sir."

The pup didn't have too fall to far from Aki's hands to his own, though she gyrated a bit and he had to hold her to his chest and murmur to her, petting her, to calm her down. The rumble of his voice in his chest beneath her seemed to be the most helpful.

"All right," he said as they walked. "You can also send word when you think you might be free and if I have time, I can come up with her." Whatever mystery Korvaelis was playing at, Aurin decided he wasn't going to suss it out today, so his brow unfurrowed. He was worried, but Korvaelis was a grown man who could ask for help if he needed it. Aki, at least, might offer him some intelligence when he asked. The boy might make a good spy one day, or at least an informant for him among the highest echelons of Kalzasern society. Boys did like their adventures.

"I've never been knighted," he said and shrugged, but he wasn't arguing points anymore. Korvaelis refused logic. Once inside the barn, he set the pup down so she could get the last of her energy out before he had to keep her close all the way back down to the forge. He took the board with the papers, a pen, and began to quickly read before signing and initialing and dating where necessary. Even before he had become a proper businessman, he had known to read contracts critically lest he be taken for a ride. When all was complete, he handed them back to Korvaelis.

"All right, girl, are you ready for a nap and then to explore your new home?" She had taken a seat on her rump, and at the attention, she pawed at his boot and whined. With a smirk, he knelt down to scoop her up, gave her some attention and then helped her burrow into his coat so she could hopefully take a nap and not be a handful on his way to Torin's home.

"Perhaps you don't want to trust me with what's wrong, Korvaelis, and that's your prerogative, but—trust someone. If not for yourself, then for Aki and the animals. All right? Thanks for the pup. Feel better."

That said, he turned to go.