Legend of Ransera

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۞ Aurelio groaned from the bed as he looked and realised that he had slept with the auburn haired figure he met last night; his head was pounding as he took a moment to get use to his surroundings "Wha... What happened; why is there a stranger in my bed; why is there a pounding in my head... What did I do to my collection of paintings." He wondered himself; perhaps he enjoyed last night too much as it took a toll from his body.

He winced as he placed a hand on his head; shaking his head "For fuck sake... I got drunk again didn't I" He said as he headed over to his washroom and began washing his face "Shit!" He walked downstairs to his room to find his front door had still been opened. Was he that drunk and tired that he forgot such a thing? Everything seemed to be intact; there was no sign of a break in. Eventually, he headed back upstairs and looked embarrassed at Aurin "So... Err...What happened"

He asked awkwardly standing there for a moment as he blushed heavily "Please, dont tell me we fucked... Well obviously not because..." He blushed at the fact as he sighed "Unless..." He sighed as his face was completely red for a moment "Oh, by the Mistlords..." He immediately went into his bathroom to try and soak up the embarrassment he felt about last night's drunken disaster. The fun had to last so long, before Aurelio would question himself and his own sanity.

"What did I do last night..." ۞

Eventually, Aurin had managed to fall asleep. When Aurelio finally awoke, his clothes were sodden with sweat. Groggily, he staggered to his feet, too bewildered to truly enjoy his freedom.

"Nope," he said, feeling the room swim. He sat back down on the bed. Aurelio returned, asking questions and then not even staying long enough to hear his answers. After a moment, Aurin went and secured the door, then poured two cups of water. Avialae, he noted, had large cups. It only made sense. He downed one as he found his way to the bathroom, setting both the full and the empty cup down. He could recognize the pinched, haggard cast of the features that meant even one so hale and hearty as Aurelio could suffer for his drinking.

There was no time to be polite, so he immediately unfastened his trousers, pulled his cock out, and started to piss in the privy.

"Ah, yeah. Drink the water. It helps."

He paused to remember Aurelio's questions, trying to differentiate between the ones asked and the ones Aurin had been asking himself as he came slowly awake.

"You got drunk," he explained slowly. "That weird hooded man kept staring at us. Maybe you. I'm not sure. So I walked you home to make sure you weren't attacked en route. Stranger things have happened even in the nicer parts of town. Anyway, you were having trouble with the door so I helped you in and then before I could do anything, even close the door, he picked me up and took me to your bedroom, and then pinned me down to use as a second mattress. I couldn't seem to wake you up or get you off me, so I just sort of... spent the night. You snore a bit—probably the alcohol. You drool a lot. You talk in your sleep... Ah, that's about all I have to report."

He looked thoughtful for a few moments as he finished up his morning piss, flushed, and washed his hands.

With a hand on Aurelio's back, he smiled. "You should really drink the water and lie back down. Your body just has to work it out. Anyway, see you around, Lio."

Without the urgency of impending piss, it was a little more awkward maneuvering around the large man with the large wings, but he managed.

---

۞ It was at that moment Aurelio had realised he had behaved in an embarrassing way last night; why did he get himself in such a state in the first place? He should have known he was a lightweight. It was the problem for a Avialae that didn’t have much experience in life. However the thing which made the Avialae guilty was the fact that the other male had slept under him the whole night. He could smell the sweat and musk come from the other man as he sighed so deep.

He watched Aurin enter the privy for a moment as he sighed before he took a moment to drink from the cup as he sighed “What weird man? What you talking about, did something bad happen last night?” He said, clearly not remembering what had happened. That was until he remembered the events down at Hahseu, the strange cult and the meeting of the Fox Rathari. He placed the puzzles pieces together in his mind as he eyed. The fox rathari spoke his name “Wait; you’re the one that fox rathari was talking about the other day… Oh god, what’s her name.” He said as he tried to remember the events clearly before he clicked his fingers a couple of times as he growled “It’s too early in the morning to think; plus I have a massive headache, I’m grouchy and at the same time I’m also head over heels, wondering what the fuck is going on, and if only my day couldn’t get worse…”

He sighed; taking a glance at him before he tilted his head yet again as the other man was about to leave “I’ll see ya around…” He said. An hour later; one of the handlers would come around as Aurelio was recovering from his hangover.

“Aurelio!” She shouted as she frantically knocked on the door “Aurelio! Theres something you must see.” He rolled his eyes as he took a moment to get out of bed once again and slipped on a set of clean attire. It was then he left his house as he noticed Erica was outside.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why not see for yourself.” She said as she guided him towards the Plaza of the Jeweled Arches; there was a large crime scene at a house. He looked concerned for a second as he wondered if Aurin was alright. He gasped as he noticed the house had a red roof. He remembered something about that, but his mind was still foggy from the events last night.

Aurelio went over to the Sky Guard that was guarding the crime scene inside the small house as he looked for a second. The Sky Guardsman stopped him for a moment as he shook his head “No one is to see the crime scene; we’re protecting the townspeople from further shock.” Aurelio furrowed his eyebrows as he crossed his arms “What exactly went wrong here?” He asked.

“A man had been found, beheaded… His pants…”

“I don’t think I need to know what happened anymore…” Aurelio interrupted with disgust. What creature could possibly do this? Still; Aurelio hadn’t been sure who the man was; he looked around the plaza frantically. He didn’t know Aurin’s address nor where he lived at the time, but it appeared that this was a state of emergency.

Aurelio had to investigate, but not without further help. It appeared going alone in this situations was suicide; he needed backup. A helping hand and a friend who he could trust. He knew he just met Aurin, but he was the only option; that’s if his worst fear didn’t come true. He remembered something about the Velvet Cabaret. He decided to pay a visit to Madame Lunaria as he looked around; noticing the bar had been empty at these times; with only one bartender cleaning the place.

“Sorry, where closed…” The bartender said as they were cleaning up the place for the next night.

“Oh, erm… Actually I was wondering if you could help me… I’m looking for a man named Aurin.”

“Aurin, ginger haired? He’s next door to the Cabaret, the red roofed building on the right…”

Aurelio nodded “Thanks.”

He was lucky, his worries were relieved as the murder went on in the house on the left of the Velvet Cabaret; however he was unsure how Aurin would respond to him visiting him. He knocked on the door as he took a sigh of relief Come on, open up he thought with worry settled upon his eyes. He wasn’t sure why he was worried for a stranger he just met last night. Perhaps he was always worried about the murderers on the run. ۞

Aurin's eyes narrowed at the mention of a fox Rathari, but further elaboration made it clear Aurelio wasn't speaking of his fox Rathari, and so the tension dissipated. In any case, the Avialae seemed to be in no shape to answer further questions, so when he bade Aurin farewell, he just nodded and let himself out. He couldn't lock the door from without, but it was, at least, closed. He knew where the man lived now, so he could track him down at a later date in order to ask more questions if his own investigations didn't turn up anything. But he would certainly be returning to the High Hopes to see if he could get a bead on that hooded man. But for now, he was just enjoying the brisk air that didn't smell of feathers and sweaty man. His eyes darted hither and thither, putting Aurelio's home firmly in his mental map of the city. He wasn't much of a cartographer, but he learned how to find places to go to ground when he needed to.


There had been no luck investigating the High Hopes. At least, nobody present who had been present the night previous remembered the hooded man or, if they did, had only vague recollections and no information to offer. One asked if there was a problem and Aurin shook his head, claiming he didn't know for certain, but the man had been suspiciously stalking a friend of his. He doled out a few coins here and there with promises of more should anyone provide him with better intelligence the next time he came. It would, at least, keep some eyes open and perhaps the hooded man would feel more exposed in the tavern than he had before.

It was a sound tactic to make your enemy fearful; they would make more mistakes that way.

He had a drink or two, chatted up the workers there. He could play his charm anywhere and usually at least a few people would remember him fondly. It greased the wheels for more important things if people already had a good opinion of a person. But he protested he couldn't do body shots two nights in a row, stretched, and quit the place after tipping generously.

There was a bit of a fracas in his neighborhood when he returned and so, of course, he stopped to ask a few questions, first of bystanders—it was no difficult feat to find the nearest gossip keen on sharing the most up-to-date information—and eventually a couple of the Sky Guard. He heard about the beheading, and didn't cut them off when they mentioned the pants, so he had a fuller idea of what had gone down as a concerned member of the neighborhood and an upstanding businessman.

When he turned the corner into the alley that led to his little cottage, he saw a familiar pair of golden wings. Aurelio was knocking rather frantically.

"Well, I suppose you weren't too drunk to remember important details," he joked, smirking as he ambled up.

---

۞ He remembered the name of the Rathari he met down there, the one who sent him into a death trap full of thieves and crooked men of ill intent. Rezferia. That was her name. As he was waiting outside the door, he turned around and saw Aurin. He gasped as if he had seen a ghost for a moment "Oh, by the mistlords... You're alright" He said. He placed a hand on his chest as a sense relief blew through him, although it wasn't long before he stared over at him. The worry appeared on his face for a moment as he smiled "Just as I was worrying that you were the murder victim." He said.

However, in the corner of his eye; he could see a hooded figure in the distance; his eye widen as he shakes his head "Get back!" He said as he noticed a throwing knife, arcing towards Aurin. Eventually he pulls him behind him as he immediately casts an small anchor, before quickly manipulating it into a quadrilateral of golden energy. The throwing knife bounced away as he noticed the hooded man run off. He looks around, wondering what the other man wanted. However, it was clear he had a priority. Protecting Aurin from the throwing knife, he wondered if he had upset anyone within the community.

"Every day just keeps getting better; I have a hangover and some psychopaths decide to take a peace out of you already... I hardly call that popular" He teased, lightening the mood. He looked around vigilantly as he noticed that the alleyway had been blocked off, meaning that Aurin could've been easily assassinated. It was lucky that Aurelio got there in time as he took a moment to check the perimeter around the house as he notices that there was noone around.

"I don't know who you've upset, but they are clearly not happy with you, lets get inside"

Already it was at that moment Aurelio looked around vigilantly, glaring at each nook and cranny, it was clear that the cult knew what had happened. However, he started to wonder if he had put the other man in danger through not telling him about his visit to Hahseu. It made him feel guilty for concealing information; but he had been drunk most of the time, there no other way he could've divulged information. The fact he kept it hidden made him worry for Aurin's life, he knew it was time to tell him the truth and nothing but the truth. ۞

"Oh, honey—" he began, though his cloying, sarcastic response to Aurelio's seemingly sincere worry was cut off when the Avialae yanked him back, providing a meat shield and then a magical shield to ward off an assassin's blade. Later, he would curse himself for being lax, but between the amount of police force the next street over and this being his home, he hadn't been on proper guard. Now, he was narrowing in on the retreating form of the hooded man. But Aurelio was between him and the escaping man, and Aurin nearly cursed with frustration, wanting to give chase.

He schooled himself, though, as Aurelio seemed to be in a talkative mood. For now, he might be the better lead on what seemed to be an Aurelio problem, though it was now seeking him out. So much for the seductive ruse the night before. Sighing because he had certainly encouraged Aurelio to drink too much, he nodded and went to retrieve the attempted murder weapon.

"After I left you," he admitted, "I went back to the High Hopes to ask questions. I guess he's the sort of person who doesn't like questions being asked." He unlocked the door with an ash iron key and waved Aurelio into his home. It was rather spartan inside, even after several years living there. Various tools that were also weapons were hung from the wall, but that was about as far as things went as far as décor. He locked the door behind Aurelio, which he would have done anyway, but seemed entirely appropriate today given the circumstances.

"So you're a warder," he noted, even as he surreptitiously opened his consciousness to the aether to see what information he could pull off the hooded man's knife.

"I don't suppose you want to tell me what's going on?"

---

۞ Aurelio took his time to compose himself, calm down from the adrenaline of battle. He had just saved Aurin's life, although it was not intentional for him to get involved in his problems, but now he had no choice; he had to tell him, for the sake of his own life. Aurelio did not want a guilty conscience upon his soul; he knew it would tear him apart, deep inside of him. He sighed and sat down for a moment; he was trembling slightly as he took a deep breath and let out a shuddery breath. He had to start somewhere in the conversation

"Ok so, A week ago I received a letter from a suspicious client, which was handed to the Slayer's Keep. It was a contract of some sort" He paused; before he looked sincerely in Aurin's eyes; the worry on his face was still there as he took a deep breath and continued onwards with the conversation. "Afterwards, I was asked to meet in Hahseu, a rather strange place but I was brought to a makeshift tavern, where I met a fox rathari named... God, what's her name..." He thought for a moment as he was trying his hardest to think, that was until he clicked his fingers and remembered that piece of information "Rezferia" He said.

He immediately looked over at the other male before tilting his head and rubbing the back of his neck "Afterwards, we tried to exchange information but, it appears that a Mortallen interrupted us. Soon, the bandits found out I was an Avialae and eventually, I fled... I didn't want them selling my wings on the black market" He said, making eye contact before he frowns, knowing that there was an inch of concern for his own life "I'm scared of what I've got myself into; how do I get myself out?" He asked curiously "More importantly, I've dragged you into this and now... I'm sorry, I didn't mean for any of this to happen" For a moment he slammed his fist on his desk as he shook his head "Shouldn't have been greedy and knew it was a scam contract, if only I knew; at least that's what it feels like" ۞

Aurin listened intently, eyes wide and staring, and making no bones about the fact that he was watching for tells and any other information he might gather from the manner in which Aurelio reported things. Either Aurelio was a pathological liar, a brilliant dissembler, or he was being honest. If forced to wager, Aurin would have wagered on honesty. Though his semblance trick was mostly focused on what psychometric information he could gather from the knife, he could also see the man's aura glowing with sincerity. He wouldn't put it past a master liar to persuade their aura to look convincing, but everything seemed on the up and up.

He sighed and set the knife down on the table, walked around, and in between Aurelio's wings to start working at the knotted muscles of his shoulders and his neck. It would help Aurelio and if he managed to work out a knot or two, he would have accomplished something as well, which he found helpful in frustrating situations like this.

"Relax," he commanded. "Getting worked up won't solve anything." He blew air thoughtfully out between his lips, watching how it made the Avialae's hair dance.

"All right. You should report wing hunters to the Sky Guard, but if you're determined to dig yourself deeper... I can investigate a fox Rathari in Hahseu. Rezferia." He didn't recognize the name, but then they were likely only after him for his association with Aurelio and because he had gone back asking questions. "Do you remember any other details about the Mortallen or anyone else who was there? Do you recall the name of the tavern? The more details you remember, the better chance I can find something helpful to do with this.

"In the meantime, I would stay above ground. Bird boys weren't meant to go down below, except certain parts of the Warrens, I guess. Stick with people you know and places you know. Don't get intoxicated to the point where you aren't able to control your magic and your weapons. If you want my help with this, you're going to have to defer to my age if not my competence. I can get involved—I mean, apparently, I'm already involved—but I need you to be a good soldier and follow directions. Can you do that?"

---

۞ The worry would pulse through his veins for a moment; causing him to shake unnecessarily as if he was lying. He was telling the truth the whole time. It appeared that Aurin had learnt from his last encounter with Aurelio that he often needed his tension to be relieved. He purred slightly as he could feel the other man massaging his back, from where his wings were attacked to him. His thick plumage was soft to the touch, like they had been cleaned on a regular basis. Aurelio was the type who would keep himself clean regularly.

As he made his hair dance, he felt a lot calmer around him; as if at ease, but it was tempting to play the role of detective whilst on a case like this. Although, this time it was probably better for the experts to handle. He did become curious though; what was a newly found cult doing in Kalzasi at this time? Were they waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike? If only he had psychic vision, then he would be able to read the minds of those cultists and figure out their intentions. The fact is, some things like that don't exist.

He continued to give information "Well, no not at all... There was no sign down there and it absolutely wreaked of sewage, I don't understand how people can live down there, honestly" He said, remembering the smell. It was as if the whole of Kalzasi had been affected by dysentery. "The wing hunters; I doubt they'll come up surface, but I know Hahseu have a reputation for deals in black market trade, although that Mortallen... The last thing I remember was he had a scar on his eye, followed by a tattoo of a ship on his left arm." The details were vague, but that was all he could remember from him." He said for a moment as he remembered the three hooded men who sat there.

"Cenethira, thats the deity they worship, but theres no recollection of any deity like that in any source of theology." He said. The other man would continue to address his concerns and give instructions to the young Avialae. He nodded in agreement as he sighed "So, what will you do in the meantime... Do you think we should warn the Sky Guard about this aswell or?" He asked curiously, frowning with worry in his eyes.۞

The ginger kept working through the knots under Aurelio's skin, careful not to touch his plumage as he knew the Avialae were affronted by such except from their closest kin and bonded friends. In order for them to work together given Aurelio's lack of experience, he needed Aurelio to be pliant enough to take and follow orders from the one who was older and wiser—and certainly more savvy. He was responding well to the simple massage, and so it continued.

"People live in Hahseu because they have no better choice," he said. It was a harsh truth, but he wasn't unkind in how he pointed it out. Aurelio wasn't some lordly Avialae, but his wings gave him a certain amount of privilege in this city, whether deserved or not.

"I will investigate Hahseu, and you can report to the Sky Guard. They are more likely to listen to you, and those down below are less likely to attack me on sight." He had several faces he could wear down there, relying on his masquerade trick to keep anonymous, or at least direct any clues about him toward a constructed persona. "And I would appreciate it if you gave them only the barest information about me. The last thing I want is the Sky Guard getting in my way."

He was investigating people close to the Shinsei, and he didn't need the Avialae closing ranks on him. Sometimes it was best to go unnoticed, fly the airship under cloud cover, as it were.

"I'm an upstanding businessman now," he averred. "I don't need them wondering why I still look into things that oughtn't to trouble me any longer." They obviously found a way to trouble him now, even if this most recent case was only due to his proximity to Aurelio the other day.

"Can you do that for me, Lio?"