Legend of Ransera

The mention of transitioning from common to noble was enough to prick Arvælyn's humour toward an uninhibited guffaw, before he noted the eyes the volume drew and stifled it toward more genteel peels of laughter. Perhaps that moment of indelicacy was, in itself, a reflection of his own less than aristocratic past.

"I need not imagine, sirrah..." The prince chuckled, sensing a similar train of thought (albeit perhaps not as great amusement) in his amatus. He didn't make a habit of sharing much about his squalid past, but he would at least allude to it in mixed company by saying: "My path was not bereft of brazen twists and transitions."

At the revelation of his name, Arvælyn too noted the prefix applied to his family nomen, which implied bastardy in this culture. He'd once grudgingly taken the nomen of Len'Sorokys himself, before being adopted into the House of Sol'Zalkyrion. Base birth stood to reason, as he bore half rather than full-elven features. There were marks of the Vastii upon his face, but that didn't preclude nobility. His mother might have been a Patrician in her own right, or his father may have taken the unusual but not unheard-of measure of petitioning the Crown to adopt Læbirius into higher esteem. Solunarium bore byzantine laws, to his consistent frustration, but he was learning them as best he could and it was helpful to meet people who represented the summaries and statistics about which he read. It was easier to process people than pages, he found.

"I practise Masquerade and Kinetics, but Mesmer is my principal Craft. I am given to understand Elementalism will be expected of me, as well. Family tradition, you understand..." The vertical slit pupils of his fiery eyes darted briefly to the attending servus and he exchanged his empty crystal for a fresh one.

"And what of you?"

Arvælyn would have likely let that one pass unremarked upon, if Finn hadn't exploded in such profuse laughter. Instead, he chuckled as well.

"Amatus." He corrected, "It sort of has 'mate' in the middle there, if that helps you remember. A lot of Common words seem to have Vastian roots, I've found. Perhaps due to sprawling imperial period..." That was certainly how it was framed by Solunarian texts and teachers, though he supposed it was possible that Vastian was more influenced by Common than the other way around. Whatever the case, there were plenty of cognates (or almost cognates) to help accelerate the expansion of one's Vastian vocabulary.

"I'm afraid that's true of me, as well." Arvælyn tacked on to Finn's begging off of the role of pædagogus to their new acquaintance. "My father may have claimed half the kingdom, but he is largely relying upon me to be the face of the draconic Crown." He wondered whether this was one of the many tests and trials he'd unwittingly been put through for his entire life, or whether it was actually a means of easing the transition. The dragons wore elven faces in public settings when they deigned to make appearances, and Arvælyn was the only person alive who shared the blood of Aværys and Zalkyrion... At least the only person alive of whom he was aware. Solunarium did have a proven track record of hidden offspring being used as secret weapons in political machinations. He supposed he and Prince Arkænyn might not be the end to that trend.

"Have you considered enrolling in the Academia Arcanum?" Judging by his fine dress and the fact that he rated an invitation to this gathering at all seemed to suggest Læbirius was not without resources and connections. Beyond that, as he understood it, the Academia took on students of promising arcane talent regardless of caste... Though he expected the conditions faced once enrolled were quite disparate between students of lower and higher castes.

"Well..." Arvælyn's grin broadened impishly, "One of the boons of being a Grandmaster of our common Craft is that I very rarely need to question people's intentions wonder after their ulterior motives. It's useful, but daunting once you realise how many people see you as a means to an end... I often recognise it before they do." He wrinkled his nose, though his visage relaxed when Finn complimented it.

"Caw!" The utterance felt like an odd anachronism as soon as it crossed Arvælyn's tongue. He half halted the word, monosyllabic though it was, and then chuckled at that little echo of a far humbler past that had slipped into the current conversation. Finn's silly flattery was enough to make it feel forgivable, and he chuckled thereafter.

"Not at all." He waved a dismissive hand at the notion of brooking any offence at Læbirius' line of conversation.

"I can't say I know much about the Circle of Spells. I didn't rate as highly in the realm of the Avialæ, and there were a great many resources to which I lacked access abroad. And obviously I didn't attend the Academia Arcanum, but I'm told it is very popular amongst mages of more prominent families as well as those who bear inherent natural talent, irrespective of caste." That Læbirius was here seemed to indicate that he at least fell into the former camp. Perhaps their new acquaintance's family were not quite as aggressively ambitious as his own (that was hardly a surprise, given all he'd learned of late), and hadn't been as focused on his assimilation. He did seem rather out-to-sea, which was all too familiar.

"I know there are campuses in both the Umbrium and the Luxium, so there's that..." Less for Arvælyn to worry about, at least, as he spent the bulk of his days focusing on the nuances of the impending transition of power.

☠ Both men gave their opinions on the Academia Arcanum, and it did remind him of the Circle of Spells in Kalzasi, but it seemed to be a school of the rich and privileged, and he wasn't sure if his humble beginnings would allow him to fit in there among the other students. That and the fact he didn't have the time to do so, at least not yet anyway. He would be leaving in the coming future for Drathera and Varinios and Taidryn.

"I thank you for your input, I'll definitely have to look into it, once I return from my archeological endeavor outside of the city." he noted, just now realizing that the entirety of the guests had their eyes on them. No, they weren't looking at all three of them, no their eyes were all trained on him specifically. He could see many different emotions across the faces of those close enough. Between whispers and discerning looks Lae felt like he now had a target on his back.

He couldn't allow them to know they had unnerved him, and he remained calm and tried to continue on with the conversation with the prince and his consort. "It seems I have incurred the ire of the entire room." he chuckled nervously in his elven tongue. He was terrified of what could come of this, some part of him, deep beneath the surface of his current demeanor, was delighted, reveling in the fact that the one person they all came to see was enthralled in conversation with him. He wondered what they would do now.

It seemed to him that no one wanted to make a move or interrupt, and if they remained idle when would simply continue to hog the prince and his mate for himself, as right now, they were the only familiar comfort Lae had at the present moment. But even he knew that moments like this would be best left wanting more, and he decided that it may be best to free the prince so they can continue their duties as the guest of honor. He knelt down in front of both of them, head bowed low and respectfully. "Though I may not be of use now, In time, if you ever need me, I will be here for you."

As he declared this he could hear the whispers and murmurs increase, a faint but genuine smile on his face as he stood in front of the royal couple. "I do hope we can come to be the greatest of friends." he added as he bowed to them once more. ☠

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"Common Speech"
"Vastian Speech"
"Vallenor Speech"
"Self-Thoughts"