Legend of Ransera

Outside Aurelio's Apartment
46 Frost 121

Aurin hadn't seen Aurelio for at least a season. At first, he hadn't been bothered when the Avialae slunk off in the night, embarrassed by what had befallen him at the High Hopes with Torin. No medic, he had still made sure the man's wounds were tended and when he related the observed effects of the poison to Elwes, she had offered a sinuous shrug and said it wasn't enough to cause lasting damage to an Avialae or to Torin, who was a strapping human.

From time to time, he had dropped by the apartment, but to no avail. He had stuck his head into the High Hopes but never found him there either—or any suspicious hooded people, which might have been good or might have been bad. When he asked around the neighborhood, people noticed that a young Avialae still lived there. His illusory wings had been enough to assure them that he was merely looking after one of his own kind. But Torin hadn't seen him either and while he had considered leaving Yshvold to watch the door and inform him as soon as Aurelio showed up, he was leery of the kid catching wind of wing-stealing cultists and going to investigate on his own.

So it fell to Aurin.

He knocked, but there was no answer—of course. Looking around, he saw nobody watching him, and so he engaged his trick to hide him from view, then his other trick to hide his aura from view, pushing his semblance beyond the door to sense what was within. There were traces of Aurelio in there—hints at his particular pattern of aether, which Aurin had memorized while pinned underneath his passed out form. He definitely still lived there, but he wasn't there now.

So Aurin decided to wait. He had better things to do, but this needed to get done. Aurelio needed someone to watch out for him and apparently didn't have the sense to stick with Aurin, though Aurin didn't have the sense to cut bait, either.

---

۞ It had been a while, Aurelio had taken the season outside of Kalzasi, there were mysteries on where he went. He decided to get back into the swing of things and return to face his demons. He had spent some time thinking, running from the mistakes he had made. He felt bad for dragging Torin and Aurin into his mess. The negative thoughts playing on his mind were probably something that needed to be established. It was clear Aurelio was upset and needed time away to think. The burden of Aurin and Torin was too much for him. He came through the door of his house for a moment as he frowned for a moment.

He didn't notice Aurin due to the shadows of his trick hiding him. Eventually, Aurelio makes his way through into the house for a moment, before sitting down on the bed. He had been taking refuge in the Astralar mountains for some time, taking in their sights and views. However, upon his return he realised he had some inner demons he needed to face. The guilt of what happened to Torin and Aurin and how he suddenly vanished, away from them. He wondered if Aurin had thought of him as a burden.

Negative thoughts plagued the young Avialae as he laid upon his bed, beginning to cry and sob loudly. They were feelings he internalised so often, feelings that he had bottled up from the past that he needed to let them out. It was only healthy for his development. He heard footsteps as he grabbed his polearm aggressively and growled out "What the fuck you want!" He said, heaving as he thought that the nemesis had returned. Those cultists who had started all this trouble.

۞

In reality, Aurin had managed to slip in unnoticed behind Aurelio before the door closed. Frowning in illusory shadow, he waited until Aurelio had gone along into the other room to lock the door quietly behind him. He was going to have to drill some basic security protocols into the Avialae. Just because he was huge and had wings didn't mean he was invincible. He crept along after Aurelio only to find him sobbing in his bed. He paused, feeling for the big dope, but then his shift in weight made a floorboard creak slightly and the Avialae reacted.

The man let his illusions fall away, hands raised to calm him down.

"It's just me," he said. "I've been looking for you, kid. Thought something had happened... Where the fuck have you been?"

He reached into his coat and pulled out a clean handkerchief, tossing it to him. Aurin wasn't the sort to tell someone not to cry if they needed to cry, but he wasn't the best at offering comfort either. So he offered a linen stand-in.

"Sorry for the skulking and skulduggery, but I didn't know what had happened so I was staking the place out." His nostrils flared. "How long has it been since you bathed, anyway?" Avialae tended to get a lot of scents blown off of them by the high powered winds, but Aurelio smelled much like Aurin had after returning from camping. He had bathed in the lake, but it wasn't quite the same.

---

۞ Aurelio looked at the other man for a moment, as if he was gonna become a danger to Aurin, however little did he know that the activity had disappated; for a moment there was a deep thingy of guilt from what had happened seasons prior. He chose to run away from it all, unlike most things. How on earth did he succeed in his Warren March if he wasn't as brave as the other Avialae? He had it within him, but yet there was something about him that "Reflecting, thats what. I went away, flew away from everything, knowing how much of a danger I would be to others. The question is, what did they want?" He asked before shrugging "I shouldn't have gone down in Hahseu that time."

The giant golden gilded warrior looked over at Aurin for a moment "Has there been any sign of them since I left?" He asked curiously. There were so many questions for the young Avialae, but there weren't any answers. He hoped that with his disappearance, he would have set them on track for another path. Atleast he hoped. He wiped his tears as he shook his head in embarrassment. The young avialae must've smelt like a pig sty, knowing that he remained in hiding without a decent bath. He knew it wasn't good for a Avialae's pride to smell like a cesspit "Oh, I don't know. I've lost count. Maybe a whole season?" He said bluntly "Those fuckers... They could've hurt you or Torin, but then I thought. What if they hurt..." His mind was between the chaos of his choices. He didn't make the right ones.

"You must hate me right now..." He said in a self-depreciating way. ۞

Aurin wanted to roll his eyes, but he knew Aurelio was a big man of big feelings. He took a breath.

"I'm not mad at you. I don't hate you. I just need you to tell me before you fly off on a whim... I kept stopping by, wondering what might have happened. I don't like not knowing things." Since he was asking a good question or two, Aurin answered. "There's been no sign of the hooded men... at least not your hooded men, though there have been dangers coming out of the Midden and below, so you're still not allowed down there."

He spoke like he was his father or his commanding officer. Aurelio clearly needed some guidance.

"Get off your bed. You're gross right now. Is there a bird bath in here somewhere so you can wash up and not dirty your nest?" He looked around. "Anyway, Torin and Timon are fine. They're learning to fight. They're laying down some magical security measures. They might be friends to you if you would stick around and talk to people instead of..." He stopped, took another breath.

"C'mon, Lio. I'll scrub your back for you."

He couldn't imagine it was easy to reach some places when one had enormous wings. From what he understood, touching an Avialae's wings was rude so he wouldn't groom them without permission. He wasn't even sure how to groom them, though he would help with that if Aurelio asked and showed him how. Aurin was the sort who was fine on his own; Aurelio clearly wasn't, and needed people to be around.

But he couldn't really fault him for flying the coop. It was the sort of thing he would have done at his age, certainly.

---

۞ Aurelio was somewhat relieved that the ginger haired male wasn't mad at him; perhaps he shouldn't have ran off like that in the first place. Disappearing into unknown territory must have costed him dearly. There was also a sense of relief that the hooded men were gone. Perhaps they went to some other city to do their dealings? Who knows. All he knew is he was somewhat safe and also needed a bath. He smelt like shit compared to what he would usually smell like. He was an Avialae who always valued his appearance, but why did it go all wrong? What could've been the thing for Aurelio to let himself go? Stress and anxiety, that's what.

Aurelio looked over at Aurin as he smiled, knowing he perhaps needed to get clean, although he was still conscious about someone touching his wings, knowing he had gone through childhood trauma and anxiety, he felt that Aurin would truely take care of his needs if he let him. He decided to do the ultimate brave thing "Will you... help with the wings?" He asked as he sighed. He knew how exhausted he was from all of the flying all those days. It probably left his wings somewhat tired and stiff after the sudden motions "Theres a bathtub in there too" He said as he went over to the bathroom and started running water into the tub.

At that point, he knew he had given Aurin permission to touch his wings. Perhaps it was for the best for all the pressure he had put himself through all those miles of flying.۞

Aurin's eyes widened a bit, hazel gone calculating. Perhaps being all alone, weary and afraid, had galvanized Aurelio to realize that he needed other people. He nodded.

"Sure, I'll help with your wings," he said casually, "if you tell me what to do. I suppose it'll be like learning a bit of falconry."

His smile twisted into a smirk, but that was just his face. If he teased, there was no malice in it. The man followed the Avialae into the bathroom, eyes darting hither and thither to take everything in. It was old hats for him to check out every new location and situation, learning where the exits are, where people might be hiding, and what might be used as an impromptu weapon. That was how one survived. Paranoia was just due caution in his book.

While Aurelio's back was turned, Aurin began to pull off his boots and set them by the door. He wasn't going to get his clothes soaking wet, but he figured it would be easier to help out from within the tub, which was big enough for an Avialae so could surely fit a lean little human in besides. Next, he pulled his coat off and set it aside, and then his shirt, revealing a myriad of scars, most minor, silvery things. Even with all his caution, he had been hurt time and time again, but he had survived. He was a survivor. He could teach Aurelio to be one as well without having to play mad hermit in the forest somewhere, abjuring the presence of others.

---

۞Aurelio shuddered at the thought of letting someone touch his wings. He had never let them touch, thats because he lacked trust in other people. Maybe that's why he was alone most of the time; the thing that held him back was the feeling to need to prove something. To go it alone. The fact is, Aurelio needed some guidance in life, to show him the true path of survival. He unfurled his wings as he yelped slightly. He winced as he pulled a muscle for a moment.

"I... I also met someone whilst I was away, although he was strange; he was Avialae, like me, only he appeared to be more confused about the outside world." He paused for a moment, as he mentioned Emrik from before, the Avialae that he had kissed whilst delving into the Warrens alone with a fellow Slayer who had gotten himself killed due to a bigger ego he had. There was no surprise, yet the wraiths that lurked inside that hole were something off the past "We were suppose to meet up at the spring like he said, but... He never came." He said with a frown, knowing how naïve he was about the subject of love "I suppose it wasn't meant to be..."

Aurelio looked back at Aurin as he tried to unfurl his wings but it appeared they were stiffened, probably due to the excessive use of the muscles within them "My wings fucking hurt, probably from all that excessive flying place to place." He winced as he looked at the other male "My membranes are also quite sensitive too... Just watch them when you go inbetween the feathers" He instructed the male as he wanted to give him clear instructions on how to clean an Avialae's wings "Just, be gentle" ۞

"Confused, eh?" He considered this. "Was he wearing a collar...? He might have been a Kathar. They would be confused by life outside the Gelerian Imperium, anyway."

Aurin smirked. Poor Aurelio clearly had a bit of a crush on the Avialae who had left him in the lurch. Perhaps having Aurin to fall back on would help him see who he could depend on. When he looked back at Aurin and didn't seem bothered to see him stripping for the bath as well, it seemed like this might work out after all.

"Get in the water, then," he said. "Heat will help you relax them. I'll be gentle this time because you asked so sweetly, but in the future..." Aurin winked and guided the giant, golden bastard into the tub. He sat back in the hot water and sighed himself; while he hadn't been expecting a bath just then, it would certainly relax some of the knots in his muscles as well. "But seriously, I will be gentle. Just tell me what feels good and what doesn't. Best way to learn. Also the best way to learn how to fuck if your friend ever comes back to town."

But before he got to the wings, he was going to work on the musculature he understood, though the presence of wings made the Avialae's back a bit more complicated than a human or an elf's back. The heat would relax the wings and then he wouldn't be quite so likely to cause discomfort.

"All right, I'll keep rubbing as long as you keep talking. Tell me what you saw out there in the world. What you heard."

If he was going to keep an eye on Aurelio, it would behoove him to train Aurelio to pay attention. Then, perhaps, he could become another informant for Portions for Foxes, as well as a bit of muscle if they got into a scrap. Aurin had friends, but there was a bit of a you scratch my back, I'll scratch your back philosophy to it. It just wasn't always naked in the bath scratching.

"Tell me everything."

Lore:

Aurin:
10

Aurelio:
8

Points: 10 each, Aurin may use for Masquerade

Injuries/Ailments: None

Loot: None

Notes: