Legend of Ransera

"Good of you," he said, his smile warming. He found himself warming to Vadim as well. A kindness done to the boy who had grown into a man Aurin loved, well, that was like a kindness done to him or better. "Thanks."

His eyebrows both shot up, though, as he was applying the mustard to his sandwich.

"Arkady was my granddad, aye. But I never heard of a golden queen or a desert throne." He frowned thoughtfully. "Mum said Ruslan was a traveler in his youth, but she also said he was full of colorful yarns, so..." The confused look gave way to something else. "Perhaps there was something to it. Would be nice to think so... rather than that he was a sad old drunk." He frowned, then looked up with a bit of sadness in his gaze. While he had never met the man, he had been better to Arry than Aurin's own father had been to him. He wished there were happier things to uncover for his young friend. "Never knew him as an adult, but he was good with young kids."

He sighed and bit into his sandwich. Perhaps it would be read as nostalgia, or a bit of grief somewhat removed by time. He swallowed his bite, then smiled ruefully at Vadim.

"Sorry, I won't become another maudlin customer. Promise." He nodded to the sandwich. "S'good."

While Aurin didn't know the entirety of Ransera, the only desert throne that made any sense was Solunarium. He knew there was a strange elven realm there, though he had never gotten farther than their port and he didn't know if they had a queen or a king or a Grand High Poobah. He had been focused on other things than politics at the time. It would certainly make Arry more the snob if he thought he was a prince among elves, but if that were even true, it was more likely a target on his back than anything else. Perhaps Ruslan had been a bit of a hero for his son after all.

Aurin frowned. He knew the little bauble, one of the few things Arry had brought with him to Kalzasi.

"Aye, he wears it still. Makes sense it were a gift from his mum." He rubbed at the back of his head thoughtfully, then took another bite of his sandwich. A closer look at the thing would be necessary when he returned to Kalzasi, and not just with his eyes.

"Perhaps it was magical," he said with a grin after he swallowed his bite. "Ensorcelled to look plain and simple, when really, it's worth more than a bar of gold. Would make more sense why Ruslan would get so upset about it, eh?" It all seemed so unlikely, but given her strange way of reaching out to Arry while he was undergoing his initiation in Masquerade and the other strange stories Arry had shared, perhaps it wasn't so unlikely after all.

"Thanks... I know Antiris is mostly bad memories for Arry, but some of this might ease his mind a bit. Vadim, was it?" That was what his sister had called him anyway. And Arry had mentioned the deceased Kolyov, who would seem to have been their father. "I'll let you know if he comes into his kingdom anytime soon." He grinned, then laughed. "After a Kalzasi Frost, I wouldn't mind a bit of desert warmth, eh?"

That was an interesting thought. Arry's mother was quite clearly a powerful mage, but was it possible his father had been one as well? If only Arry and Torin got along, he could have Arry describe his father's toys in greater detail and perhaps Torin would recognize whether there was magic afoot or it was merely clever clockwork. In either case, he would ask Arry about those toys when he returned.

When the man offered his name and his hand, Aurin felt the inexplicable urge to lick the foam from him. It probably lent a quirk to his smile and a sparkle to his eye when he shook the man's hand, a bit firm, a touch lingering.

"Arkady Petrou," he said, giving him the full name of the alias. "I'll ask him if he brought any of the toys with him to Kalzasi."

But he was fairly sure he hadn't. The boy hadn't had a spare change of clothes when he swooned on Aurin's doorstep.

"Oh, well. A day or two unless something keeps me longer." He spoke slowly, possibly hinting at things. "If the brekkie's as good as the sandwich, I suppose I might as well lodge here. Best view I've had since I got here." He wondered if Vadim was on the menu, or his sister, or both. He smiled like he knew something. He knew a lot of things, but just now he was only hazarding guesses at what might be in store for him in Antiris. He didn't know if Vadim had any more intelligence for him, but he would be a passing lovely way to spend some time while he looked up any other leads in the city, both on behalf of Arvine Venasyr and on behalf of Portions for Foxes.

He was getting a lock on Kalzasi, but he did wonder if he couldn't connect with the rest of Karnor.

"Mouth is already watering," he promised. Aurin—rather, Arkady—smirked. Perhaps he hadn't made a go of it as a courtesan at the Velvet Cabaret, but if he could make a seasoned bartender blush, then he still had that weapon in his arsenal. Ava had taught him well, though he banished thought of her lest it twist his insides to the point where he couldn't have fun with the charmer.

"Thanks, mate," he said, washing down the last of his sandwich with ale, dusting his hands off over the remains and pushing it away so he could get more comfortable. When Viorica gave him that look, he gave her one right back, ribald as anything—and inviting. Given an inch, he would take a mile. He remembered what it took to survive in places like this, in worse places, as well. When Vadim tried to regain his cool, Arkady relented and didn't push so hard as to turn him off.

"Half-elfy," he corrected. He rubbed at the golden stubble on his chin. "Ahh, probably poke around to get a sense for how business works in Antiris. I suppose even if we don't relocate, 'twould be smart to figure out how to expand out of Kalzasi. Even if everything calms down with Zaichaer, having a foot in the door here would make relocating easier down the line. Don't know that Kalzasi and Zaichaer will ever kiss and make up properly. So far away I don't rightly know why they bicker so much."

He finished his ale and then held it up.

"Please, sir, may I have some more? And why d'you ask? Have a day off and want to take me sightseeing?" He grinned. For all that it was back to teasing, this time, he was gentle.

There were several things he could have said about dying that might have had to do with choking or... well, choking and other things, but he didn't want Vadim dead, but perhaps a little death shared. Arkady behaved. He was rewarded with more information, nodding slowly because he hadn't been there when Arry was conceived, birthed, and all. He didn't know his parentage except for what he had been told. It was entirely possible he was entirely elven; he certainly favored his mother's race. It might take an elf to say whether he was mixed or not.

It would have been easy to write all this off as a bit of exaggeration, but the gift Arry's mother had bequested him was, in fact, magical coercion. If Ruslan Venasyr had been his father in name only, then he could be the progeny of elven nobility. If he had been sent away, it was probably for his own protection, though the old drunk hadn't been much protection in the end.

Thankfully, he hadn't laid the glamour on too thick. He didn't look like Arry's brother, but like there could be a blood connection. Vadim had almost caught him out.

"I'll have to think on it, then, whether Arry would want to know or not." He frowned a little. "Might explain why he didn't bring him to Kalzasi himself... Anyway, what was that you were saying about concierge service?"

If Vadim was busy, all the better. Arkady would have to sleep sometime, and then Aurin would reemerge. There would still be time to play, and banter while the man worked. He had already been a solid source of information, though he would seek others to corroborate or complicate matters because he wanted as full a picture as possible. While he had been paranoid for years now, Arry's mother actually did track him down from time to time to get her claws in. At some point, he would have to face her, though the man didn't like that idea one bit.

"Mm, thank you," he said, sipping the freshly poured ale. "Seems you know how to keep a man happy."