"He of the Sceptre..." [OPEN]

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana saw Arvaelyn wave, and raised her own hand to him, waving and smiling in reply. She wondered what he thought of this, and if he'd seen such a Mass since he got there, though this one was particularly special with the eve of the Equinox. The python continued to emerge from her backpack, until the tip of his tail coiled around her left arm to anchor himself as the girl plotted her course. Where she might normally have just darted and ducked and bobbed and weaved, doing so with a leg that was less than what it normally was amongst these crowds was hardly ideal, because she would certainly collide with the wrong person or stumble. And doing that today, here in this temple was just going to be a problem she didn’t want to have to deal with.

“Ready?” she murmured to the white, black, and grey snake, her hands finding the colourful folds of fabric of her skirts to keep them about herself and make her way over to the knot of people. Arvaelyn, Finn, and the exotic horned Elf that had visited Sweet Remedies earlier, Aeros. It was a path that involved stopping and starting, letting people go and then moving about as quickly as she could out of the way of the others, until she reached safety within the numbers of the cluster. The sharp pain had at least settled back to a throb since the hike up the path to the mouth of Mount Sorokyn, and a throb was much easier to ignore.

She offered a small bow to them once she got there, her wrists crossed before her. The linen wrapped around her midsection restricting too much movement at the moment, but she did her best. “Dominus Arvaelyn, Dominus Aeros, Finn, good morning,” she smiled at them as she straightened. Friendly though she was with the golden half-elf, deference in public was a must, and even the nomad knew it. The python was used to such movements, and was apparently quite unbothered, as relaxed and chilled out as a snake could be despite the earlier spectacle. “This is Tiaz,” she offered in introduction, one hand coming up to touch the python’s jaw and letting him tip his head up as he enjoyed the petting. The only one of the three that had met him before was Arvaelyn when they had enjoyed teas and snacks in the Forum, and come to think of it, she hadn’t quite introduced him then, either...

[Aeros]

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Finn's silence reinforced his assumptions that the human was not the world's largest fan of what procession had just occurred. He didn't need to pry deep at all into the other's Symphony to make that conclusion, really, it was more from what little comments Arvælyn had made about the man and the stoic sort of blankness to his expression. After seeing something so grand, a non-reaction was akin to a negative one– one either enjoyed such an event or disliked it, very rare was it to be genuinely neutral towards what had just occurred. Æros didn't hold it against the man at all, really, because to expect somebody with morals as soft as what he'd been told of the North to shift their views so quickly would be a bit of a tall order.

At Arvælyn's words, the Fæ looked around more at the walls, the pillars, everything around them. There really was so very much to look at. Æros loved the stone carved statues most; he found the skill to make such soft looking textures like skin out of stone to be utterly fascinating. However, he did enjoy all of the art that surrounded him, granting him some semblance of distraction regarding whatever ill-suited fate awaited him later in the day.

Moments later, a fourth party approached the trio, having been waved over by Arvælyn. A little surprised, Æros recognized the woman as the botanist from the herbalist's shop he'd visited some time earlier in the month. He was a bit curious as to where she and the Golden elf had met, but he supposed he could ask. When she approached, she seemed to move oddly, as if…maybe…injured? Probably not something he could ask about.

She greeted them formally then introduced her snake– Tiaz. While Æros was not the biggest of fans of arachnids or insects, he did quite admire reptiles and this particular individual was so very pretty.

"Ah, Hilana! And you know Arvælyn? How'd the two of you meet?" First, he really did have to ask this in order to sate his curiosity. "...Tiaz is lovely, too. How long have you had them?"

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Arvælyn]

Finn's silence felt so deafening to Arvælyn, who attempted to compensate with consoling physical affection. He wished to broadcast his concern in a fashion that would be apparent to Finn, but subtle to other onlookers. In the presence of other Mesmers, he would not employ that form of communication, though he might cast aside incursions upon his own Symphony should any be attempted.

"Good morrow, Hilana." He offered with a good natured grin and a genteel nod of his blonde head. "...and Tiaz." He offered, upon the official introduction to the serpent who had been akin to a living accessory upon their prior meeting.

To Æros he tilted his head, and answered the question posed to the two of them.

"We met in the Luxian Forum a few weeks ago. I had paused at a tinker's stall to peruse the wares. My Vastian, being as middling as it is, meant that I was missing some of the nuance in my exchange with the merchant. Hilana stepped in to help me, and then she introduced me to a lovely place for a spot of tea and a light meal. It all seemed terribly traditional. Very good..." As he noticed most of the public was dissipating, leaving robed clerics to attend to their place of worship, Arry got the sense that they ought not linger in idle conversation where the eyes of vengeful gods were often cast. Aværys did not strike him as the type to appreciate aught casual in His presence.

With that in mind, he urged their little group to join the queue that led out of the temple. It was slow going enough, that they could continue their discourse, but with their obvious intention of course they might offset the vexed glares of cleric and Founder alike.

[Finn]

Finn let the people in his vicinity color his symphony, putting the spectacle out of his mind for now. Arvælyn was his person, and always brightened him. Æros was a mysterious artist himself, and that was intriguing—he thought about asking him to teach him how to dance; it was a cousin of music, a bodily expression of sound, and would make him all the more elegant and economical with a blade. And Hilana—she just seemed like good people. She had saved his ass in the desert, helped his lover in the market, and even Æros knew her. It did seem as though his small circle of acquaintances here was connected

"Ohh, lovely..." His hand still on the small of Arvælyn's back as they joined the exit queue, he leaned in for a closer look at Tiaz, humming a soothing melody to charm the little creature into calm so it wouldn't feel threatened by his looming presence.

"Good morrow, Tiaz. I'm Finn." When the little tongue flickered out to taste the air, he smiled. "You're correct. I'm no desert creature."

The man wasn't necessarily a snake person, but between his own magical charms and his faith in Hilana's handle on her animals, he didn't feel threatened. As a boy, he had been fast enough to catch garter snakes and ring-necked snakes with the other village children, claiming them as pets and familiars for an hour and then releasing them. Perhaps that was why he hadn't the same atavistic fear of them that many did.

He stood up after a moment to give the others a chance to greet the little creature. Arvælyn was a city boy, so unlikely to feel at home with that sort of an animal, but Æros was a local and perhaps more akin to the tiny wyrms since his people venerated the greatest ones.

[Hilana Chenzira]

With Arvaelyn explaining to the elegant Fae the circumstances of their meeting, Hilana nodded along in agreement. “He was doing really well, truthfully. I just know merchants, I’m afraid,” the girl made light of it. She knew enough of expected social mores from her time in the city, and where most were taught not to diminish themselves, it was the proper thing to do in such a setting. And yet, all of it had been true: Arvaelyn had held his own, she’d just... made sure that the Vastian man had to be honest. They had had a great chat and she had gotten to introduce him to some of her favourite treats, and she had very much enjoyed his company. Still, as more moved to leave, she would move with the group when the time came to exit. There was safety in numbers, and people were far less likely to run into those who had the stature and status of her companions.

“Tiaz is four years old now as of the tail end of the last season, actually. I got him from a trader when he was a little hatchling. You might not think it possible, but he once fit in the palm of my hand,” the Vastii smiled and remembered just how tiny her python had been once. “He should grow another couple of feet over the next year or two, I think... He should be about as long as you all are tall when he’s done,” Hilana was rather proud of the serpent and how relaxed he was up there. He was utterly unfazed by the swells and waves of people, and his symphony was calm and content. When Finn leaned in, Tiaz’s head lifted, his tongue flickering in his direction, smelling him and looking him over that way. He wasn’t of the bright colours one might have expected, but his patterning was unique enough between the steel-grey diamond on the top of his head, outlined in black, with white lines underneath it. While the pattern did break up later, the same three colours, white, grey, and black, were present over the creature’s length.

That the bard was so charming with him didn’t surprise the Vastii; he had all but turned Hayima’el into a friendly puppy when they had found him in the mastic grove earlier in the season. And if there was one of Hilana’s animals that was stubborn about people, it was Hayima’el. Tiaz was just used to being around people in close quarters, because he accompanied her everywhere, unless he had just eaten or was mid-shed, or she was going somewhere it was entirely inappropriate to bring him around... which, truthfully, wasn't too many places in a land like this. The python’s every whim was catered to by the girl he was resting on. He wanted for nothing and he was largely content to hang out on her and be admired by all and sundry. He had only ever bitten one person, and that person was back in Tertium.

“He just finished his shed, so if you want to touch him, he does like it,” she offered them, making sure the lower body was as accessible as the python’s head. She didn’t know if any of them would take her up on it, despite the fact that the python was very much not a venomous creature, but she would let them go at their own comfort level if they decided that they wanted to, even as they fell in with the crowds making their way down the steps. If they did, he was relatively cool to the touch despite the heat of the sun overhead, but Tiaz had spent most of the morning sleeping lazily within her rucksack, and his skin was firm but pliable, as soft and fresh as the inside of one’s wrists. “Do you have plans for the rest of your day? Will you all be going to the Umbrium later for the Waning Prayer?” she inquired, wondering what they had ahead of them.

[Aeros]

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Æros listened to both Arvælyn and Hilana regarding how the two of them first encountered one another. They were not entirely too specific about exactly what had occurred, but he supposed that wasn’t necessarily that important, although the Fæ did enjoy hearing any good tale. It did make sense, though, that the sun-touched elf would struggle to negotiate with a Vastian merchant when his Vastian was…fine, really, but many merchants of the sands would take any advantage they could get. That would mean exploiting any lack of understanding to be had, and since Arvælyn was not fluent, that would be easy to pinpoint on the merchant’s end. A bit cruel, perhaps, but those after profits were known to be quite cutthroat and he imagined that such a trait would be shared among others of similar professions the world over.

After the four of them had remained in one another’s presence for a beat, he noted that any oddities he’d detected initially within the melodies of Finn’s Symphony had smoothed over in their entirety. Ultimately, he was only concerned for the man’s well-being. Given the person he was tied to, balking at Solunarium’s faith would be greatly frowned upon, though Æros himself felt a bit more neutral on the subject when it came to foreigners. Expecting those born and raised elsewhere to adapt with swiftness was rather shortsighted, he thought. Mortals are nothing if not stubborn things, he’d learned.

Nonetheless, his focus quickly shifted from any of that and onto the snake wrapped ‘round the shoulders of Hilana. The creature was a pretty thing with shining scales and glinting eyes, a formidable rope of muscle and sinew. Yet at the same time, it was remarkably friendly. One would imagine a serpent to be a bit more, well, wild, but he supposed it would make sense that this one would lack that attribute. Though his interactions thus far with Hilana had been limited, he gathered that she was a very passionate, enthusiastic woman and it would not be that much of a leap to assume that this snake would have its every need meticulously catered to. That, and it would be exceptionally well loved.

Æros was not entirely familiar with serpents but unlike arachnids or insects, he was actually quite fond of them. “Really? I wonder how large he’d be if you sourced his food from Ecith,” he chuckled, and though his suggestion was in jest, he did genuinely wonder how large the natural fauna over there became.

After Finn had leaned in to get a better look at Tiaz, Hilana proceeded to state that the snake had recently shed and was amenable to the idea of being touched by complete strangers. How lovely! The Færie stepped closer to Hilana and her serpentine companion, looking the docile little beast in the face before lifting an arm to run a hand over Tiaz’s back, fingertips starting near the base of the skull. Reptilian scales varied quite heavily depending on the particular species with which one came into contact with. A freshly shed snake was exceptionally smooth and cool to the touch and a lot softer than one might come to expect.

Retracting his hand, “...he is so very precious, isn’t he?”

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Arvælyn]

"You're being kind, Hilana." Arry offered with a chuckle. He wasn't so sure he'd been doing fine, but he was glad to be speaking Common, now. He'd spoken to Phocion, though, and would be starting with a Vastian tutor who was also a Mesmer. Apparently Solunarium had language learning techniques that were accelerated by magic, because of course they did.

Arvælyn, despite of his city upbringing, had no particular aversion to serpents. He knew them as creatures that ate rats, and that was an heroic endeavour to his mind. He knew some people found them unsettling for one reason or another, but he never had. Tiaz was cute enough, but living the way he had, Arry had never really been a pet person. He'd barely been able to keep himself alive for so long, that another mouth to feed, even if it were that of a cherished companion, was a daunting notion. He would let Finn play the role of snake charmer, unless he was urged to action by another in their group.

"We'll be going to the Umbrium pretty shortly for a training session at the Prætorium, but yes- We do have plans to make offerings tonight as well." His own sacrifice was actually tied into the way he'd met Hilana and that self-same merchant, but he didn't think that was notable enough to mention. Besides, sacrifices felt like such a personal thing. He wasn't keen to share his. He hadn't even asked Finn what he was planning to do, if anything. Part of him feared the human might feign a flu to escape another scenario of which he disapproved. At least he seemed more settled now.

Finally, all the doting from the others caused Arry to feel peer pressured into petting the snake.

"Yeah," He conceded to Æros, "He is, rather." When his finger met the underside of the serpent's... well he supposed at least part of it was a neck, but it was hard to say. Whatever the case, when his finger met it, he locked eyes with Tiaz and tilted his head curiously, not unlike the snake itself did.

[Finn]

The minstrel decided he would make closer acquaintance with Tiaz the next time he saw Hilana; the freshly molted serpent might enjoy touch, but he might not enjoy several strangers pawing at him. And anyway, Arvælyn had surprised him by braving the cool skin of the reptile. It made him smile, though he supposed Finn was his pet human and Arvælyn didn't need any others.

"They keep us rather busy in the Prætorium," he agreed, "but we will be attending the solemnities."

He smiled at Arvælyn, perhaps sensing the flicker of doubt in him. Finn hadn't come all this way to not support his amatus.

For a moment, he wondered if Hilana planned to sacrifice her pet, but the way she had spoken about him growing quite a bit longer, he supposed that wasn't the case. But surely she had some animal or precious plant from the desert to offer Domina Varvara. What Æros might intend, however, he had no idea. This was only his second time meeting the fae elf and he didn't suppose the man was planning a fast from intoxicants for his Goddess.

Finn shuffled along with the line, though he kept close to Arvælyn.

Gazing across the glut of people, he wondered if he would ever meet the locals with only lukewarm zeal for their holy Twins. Finn had actually met a demigod, and yet hadn't joined the Dawnmartyrs about it or anything. He wondered if that had been a spiritual mistake, but he didn't have any intention to be a martyr of any sort. Surely the entire population couldn't be made up of hardline zealots, but even the reasonable Hilana had surprised him with her fervor.

[Hilana Chenzira]

The mention of sourcing Tiaz’ prey from Ecith made the girl chuckle despite that tiredness and the pain, but the laugh was worth it. “Dominus Æros and I met at Sweet Remedies,” she explained to Arvaelyn and Finn as Tiaz basked and luxuriated in the attention. His tongue was flickering in and out, scenting everyone and not at all minding. Hilana was at ease, and so was her pet. The muscle was relaxed and therefore soft, though it wasn’t a large leap of imagination to consider that he might get very hard and heavy indeed if something provoked him. “One of the topics of discussion was flora from Ecith, and I showed him what we had, and mentioned one of my early mistakes,” Hilana grinned. “You see, Ecithian soil has a tendency to make things grow at an extreme rate compared to what you might find here, so a little snake plant with leaves about so big,” she indicated with her fingers, “grew to be about as tall as I was in a very short time. My mentor told me not to plant it in the way that I did, but I didn’t listen,” she admitted. “Suffice it to say that it took me quite a while to replant it in soil that it wasn’t native to, and now it has a new home in one of the greenhouses.”

She looked down at the snake, thoughtful. “Normally, a snake can only eat prey that is up to twice as wide as its body is. If it’s any bigger than that they’ll probably regurgitate it because it takes too long to digest and it would rot and cause them to go septic, so feeding him super-sized rabbits from Ecith is out... but I wonder if small ones that are fed on Ecithian plants would help him grow bigger. That is an interesting thought.” The wheels were definitely turning in that pretty head of hers. She was going to have to ask Vasilei, and maybe she would try it with another creature, because she didn’t want anything to happen to Tiaz in case the hypothesis was wrong, but it was definitely worth investigating. Still, her python was perfect as he was, no matter how big he got. But if he ever got to be the size and length of one of the reticulated leviathans, she wasn’t sure she would be disappointed. “He really is. He’s very comforting, and normally he comes to work with me every day... I just didn’t have him when we had all that smoke coming out of Mount Sorokyn because I didn’t want him to get sick from it,” she added to explain why the half-Fae had not met him the first day.

She nodded as Arvaelyn and Finn confirmed that they would be there after they completed their business in the Praetorium. Training waited for no one, she knew that well from experience. “I hope it goes well today,” she told them. She would likely have a lesson of her own today beyond the lecture that she knew was forthcoming, but hopefully Vasilei could fold the lesson into said lecture... she wasn’t going to be happy with her. Tiaz rested his head on Arvaelyn’s hand, his tongue flickering, and oddly enough, actually touched his skin. It was a strange sensation, and despite Hilana’s reassurance that snakes couldn’t eat anything so much larger than he was, it was questionable if he was tasting him. But the creature’s Symphony did not have hunger anywhere in its notes; he was just making Arvaelyn’s acquaintance, and it was entirely possible he remembered him from a few weeks ago in the market.

She noted that Æros hadn’t mentioned whether or not he would go below, even though she knew he made his home there; but perhaps he was just busy. Perhaps he didn’t follow that Path, perhaps a thousand things. And it was not her place to inquire further. Religion was often a private affair, even here, and if the question on such personal topics went unanswered, then she had sense enough to let it rest.

[Aeros]

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Pain was a funny thing, for even if it were physical over emotional, it would ring dissonant through somebody’s symphony. This was, in large part, because such a thing would alter one’s perception and emotions as a whole. He knew what to listen for in that regard, at the very least. Æros found himself wondering why exactly it was that she was feeling poorly…maybe she’d gone a bit overboard with sourcing a living sacrifice for one of the Twins? He could not quite tell.

His attention drifted back to the conversation when Hilana spoke again, talking about the gigantic flower she had grown in Ecithian soil. “It’s not as if giant flora has no purpose, hm? I imagine some folks would find them novel enough to pay for such things. People do love their gardens and all that, no? And for many, going directly to Ecith to source such a thing is…not very appealing.” Going to Ecith for him, at least, certainly wasn’t.

The thought about taking so long to digest something that it would then rot inside you was really rather repulsive. At least such a thing would never plague him given he did not have any desire to eat any other creature whole, nor was he entirely sure he could even properly twist his biology to accommodate such a nonsensical idea in the first place. Terrible.

Regarding whether or not he would make it to Varvara’s ceremony, Æros was not sure, but he very much doubted it. “I…don’t think I’ll show, to be honest. I’ve something to do with a start time and no end time. The players involved are also prone to allowing things to take as long as they need to draw the curtain closed, too, so…strong chance I’ll have my hands tied ‘til after.” And though this vexed him, there was not a thing he could do about it.

There was nothing else he could say on the subject because naming anyone involved would be incredibly questionable given the public nature of their location and the parties involved, but he did feel as if he ought to answer the question posed to some degree, at least. Stressed and on edge as he was, he really did not look forward to whatever it was that was about to transpire, good or ill as it could be. Fate was an odd thing to throw so much at a man so naive and unprepared.

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'Thoughts'

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"