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Arms and Wings [Raithen]
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 6:49 pm
by Finn
A courtyard of the Palatium Umbrarum
50th of Searing, Year 122
The Kalzasern couple were staying at a lovely domus in the Luxium, but it didn't have enough room for Finn to properly practice the fighting style he was developing for himself that relied as much upon his growing skill with his Rune of Traversion as with his longsword. Thankfully, their host was gracious and generous. Phocion had invited him to make use of the courtyards of the underground palace at his leisure. In many ways, the handsome elf was as magnanimous as Talon Shinsei, though he didn't suppose the august Sentinel would appreciate the comparison. As good as his word, the guards seemed appraised of his coming, and he was led to a quiet and otherwise unoccupied space that would more than suffice for his needs.
He hoped there was an opportunity for him to perform for the Sentinel and his guests at some point in order to reciprocate all the favors done for him. But that was a worry for another day.
For now, he warmed up his body—as if it were ever actually cold in the desert city—by going through the motions of several unarmed forms he had picked up over the years. He was much less skilled in a fight without a blade, but he was determined to change that as he had been most vulnerable when he was without a blade and he didn't want to repeat that incident in an alley far, far away. In fact, the undercity was much cooler than the Luxium, which he appreciated as his blood began to heat up and his muscles loosen.
Then he unsheathed his blade, setting the scabbard out of the way, and began to dance with unseen partners. Perhaps it was a function of his musical training that set his movements to some inaudible music, or the fact that he had to shut out the symphonies of those around him sometimes, so keen had his runic "ear" become. In any case, he was as precise as he could be, blending from one form to the next, imagining Zaichaeri faces, perhaps, or creatures he had known in the dangers of the Warrens.
At some point, he went from blending to blurring, almost like a trick of Masquerade. But then he was blinking from place to place, and he imagined a battlefield that had once been a royal wedding reception, and he killed everyone who might have harmed Arry, who had assassinated their Shokaze, who had captured their Shinsei and his consort.
Finn was not a violent man by nature, but his violent dance did allow him a recourse for feelings he didn't know how to process. The silent song continued.
Re: Arms and Wings [Raithen]
Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 4:00 pm
by Raithen
Raithen had been out of the guard for a month before his body began to complain that he wasn't using it enough. Leisure was all well and good, he had made the most of it, certainly, but there came a time when one just had to move. So, when he got up that morning he had retrieved his pole arm and considered heading up into the sunlit lands above to train in the barracks grounds, where he was still allowed, but, considering the heat the day was promising, decided to just stay. There were several courtyards large enough for him to get a good workout in, and cool enough that he wouldn't be dehydrated too much by the end.
He stopped to eat, of course, and then to let that settle, but once it had he felt as though he were bursting with energy. Making his way to the courtyard he most favored he came to realize that it was occupied. If it was one of the guards of the Umbrarum, Rai could join them and get his exercise that way. When he stepped out, however, he did not recognize the man, for human it was, and not in any uniform that Rai recognized. It was an oddity, made more so when he began to disappear and reappear across the sands. Traversion. Rai knew what it looked like and was, he could admit to himself, mildly jealous of the human's control with it.
Neither surprise nor envy kept him from waving to alert the man to his presence, calling,
"Hello." In Vastian, "Would you like a partner? I'm in need of a run-about myself and you look like you could take me."
Here he laughed, bold and clear, hefting his pole arm to show what he was suggesting.
Re: Arms and Wings [Raithen]
Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2022 5:49 pm
by Finn
Startled, Finn blinked behind a pillar.
The music stopped, and his mind was processing the Vastian as he came around to meet the maker of the voice with a sheepish grin.
"Apologies," he said in uncertain Vastian. "I not hear you was approaching." He frowned for a moment, searching for the word. "Surprised. You wish... fight not real fighting with me?" His vocabulary was growing, but he hadn't quite picked up the cadences, the conjugations, or the declensions of the local tongue. Soon enough, he was certain he could. They were immersed in it here, and he and Arry had different interests leading them in different directions, which didn't give them each other as a crutch when speaking to people.
In any case, with a keen "ear" for symphonies, he could add a layer of context to the words he heard, which gave him much better comprehension, at least. He supposed that could be considered a crutch as well, but he found it helpful even when speaking in his native tongue. People didn't always mean exactly what they said.
A part of him was delighted to see an Avialae here; they were the noble guardians of Kalzasi. There was a note of sadness, however. He wondered whether Talon was still alive somewhere or his light had been snuffed until the next time Arcas needed reborn. Of course there would be Avialae in different places, not only free in Kalzasern skies and bonded in the Imperium.
Re: Arms and Wings [Raithen]
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2022 12:36 am
by Raithen
Raithen's brow furrowed as he had as much trouble understanding the man's Vastian as the man seemed to have understanding his. The accent sounded Kalzasern so he repeated himself in Common.
"I just said that you look like you could teach me a thing or two." He waited till he saw greater recognition on the sweat damp face before he continued, "If you care to spar, I would be honored, Sir...?"
Adding the honorific was only a guess. If the man was a higher rank it would only be a small insult and if he had no rank it would not be taken poorly, he hoped.
"I'm Raithen," He told Finn his mother's name and, if it was not recognized, his sister's and then his brother's. This man could be a guest of any of them. Possibly even a guest of someone else who lived in the palace and he wasn't about to start guessing.
"I'm better with my rune than I am with my polearm, I'm sorry to say." He ran a hand through his hair in a self deprecation gesture that somehow managed to be charming. "But you seem to have tricks of your own to counter mine, if you want to practice with those as well?"
He would let his potential opponent decide if aether was to be used along with their steel. The use of his rune would certainly render him less likely to get his backside beat around the yard, but he needed the practice with the weapon more than he needed it with Kinetics.
Stepping slowly onto the sand, not wanting to startle any more than he had, Rai began to stretch, limbering himself for the coming contest, whatever it entailed.
Re: Arms and Wings [Raithen]
Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 3:44 pm
by Finn
"Oh."
Finn was pleased the man spoke Common, and wondered if he knew his race's Synskrit at all this far from Kalzasi. If he colored at all that his Vastian was deemed unworthy, it was invisible under the signs of his exertion. Vastian was a new music; he would learn it in time.
"Oh!" His smile was, perhaps, charming in its guilelessness. "I am Finn... a peregrinus and a guest of your brother, Sentinel Phocion. People have been treating me as a magnatus but that is only due to my proximity to the Sentinel. I have no true rank." Someday, perhaps, he would be Court Bard of Kalzasi, but not today.
"I've never taught, but I would not mind sparring. I might need some time to recover before I start plying my trick, but that doesn't mean you can't ply yours. It will be one more thing for me to learn to counter." It was curious this golden Avialae used trick the way Torin's lover did. Arry hated it, thinking it implied some sort of negative judgment on the magic. Finn took it more in stride; he too considered himself other than a mage, so even though he had grown quite skilled with the magic, it was more a trick than some intrinsic part of him, at least in his mind. Sometimes he had to remind himself not to listen too closely to a person's symphony.
Raithen's seemed to be rather straightforward, a bright sort of marching tune at the moment. That was refreshing.
While the Avialae stretched, Finn moved, not wanting to give his muscles time to cool or cramp. He sucked up a mouthful of water from a nearby fountain.
"I got my trick because I was more prone to fly than fight," he explained to fill up the space. He offered a lop-sided grin. "I used to say I was a lover, not a fighter. But now I have people I want to protect, so I started practicing it in conjunction with my blade. I still try to avoid a fight when talking can so often defuse a tense situation, but now instead of running away, I just make sure I'm not where the weapon is heading."
Re: Arms and Wings [Raithen]
Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2022 5:20 pm
by Raithen
The blond shrugged easily at Finn's lack of rank, he spent time among every echelon of society, from street beggars to the Sovereign herself.
"What you are when you are here is determined by us. What are you when you're at home?"
His use of the term 'trick' was left over from his time with the royal guard. His instructor and captains had called the use of runic magics in combat 'tricks' not as an insult but as a way to designate them apart from the rest of the training. No one spoke negatively of magic or its use in Solunarium, or if they did, they did so very quietly.
"I've never seen someone using Traversion in combat. An instructor once told me it was dangerous, but then, " Here his bright grin flashed again, "In combat, it probably should be."
When he was finished stretching his arms and legs he opened his wings and gave them a quick going over too. They were as instinctive for him to use in a fight as any other part and neglecting them had cost him in the past. Retrieving his polearm he took a defensive stance, squaring his feet in the sand.
His eyes darted over Finn in a new way at the suggestion that his skills in lovemaking were better practiced than on the battlefield. That might be worth exploring, if there was interest in his exploration. He waited till the human signaled he was ready and then came in high, switching low before trying a blunt strike at Finn's side. Rai was good with misdirection and he was fast but he often neglected his footwork. His instincts had him taking flight as soon as there was danger so he fought much more naturally in the air than on the ground. He needed the practice though, so he would stay down today.
Re: Arms and Wings [Raithen]
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2022 6:21 pm
by Finn
"Just a minstrel, really," he admitted. "But I've played for royalty and... foreign dignitaries. That's how I even ended up here."
This, he realized, was Arvælyn's brother, though he didn't know if Raithen knew it yet. Only Cithæra, her lover, and her legitimate son had been present for the revelations, and now Arvælyn was pretending to be the bastard of another house. Finn knew politics could be complicated, and family politics even more so, but he didn't want to be the one who ruined things—mostly for his lover, but he liked Phocion and he didn't want to get on Cithæra's bad side; he was already convinced that eventually, she would deem him an impediment to her son's life and seek to break them apart.
For now, then, he would keep things to himself until such time as Arvælyn or one of his relatives chose to share. He tried not to look for subtle hints of kinship in their faces, their forms, or their symphonies. He knew Arvælyn intimately.
"I have the skill, I think, to be a court bard, but I've yet to build up my reputation." He smiled, generally cheerful, and took up a neutral stance, ready to go on the offensive or defensive as necessary.
The polearm allowed Raithen to change the direction of his attack quickly; thankfully, for months, Finn had been alternating between practicing music, practicing swordplay, and practicing new ways to make his lover's toes curl. The journey had been long, and now he was getting to put all that drilling to good use. None of his parries moved his sword so far to one direction that he wasn't able to recover when the avenue of attack changed.
He managed to repel the attack to his side, then feinted toward Raithen's pretty face to get him to back up. Finn needed to see more, to hear more, in order to learn to anticipate him better. Perhaps it was better to stay close when the polearm had the advantage of range, but Finn hadn't actually sparred with someone in a while and he wasn't quite ready to go all in.
Re: Arms and Wings [Raithen]
Posted: Tue Sep 20, 2022 6:49 pm
by Raithen
Raithen raised a brow,
"You're here as a musician?" He sounded surprised but intrigued. A battle-bard was something stories told of but he'd never met someone who was as good with a weapon as they were with an instrument. There had been a particular set of tales that had been his favorites as a child that had a battle-bard in them. The idea of traveling with such a one was as exciting as any of the other reasons he intended to travel, but the chance that this encounter might lead to them working together was slim. Not non-existent, considering his connections. If Phocion had plans for the man that might lead him into danger, Raithen would be more than happy to tag along as guide and protector.
Though, he realized as they began to move against each other, back and forth, he might be better protected by Finn than Finn by him. His attacks were neatly rebuffed and then returned, causing him to leap back, wings flaring a little for his balance. His instructors told him he relied too much on them, that if he got caught in close quarters he would have put himself at a disadvantage. Rai didn't argue with them but to him it felt like telling another man he relied too much on his arms or his legs.
It took concentration enough not to leap into the air and attack from unexpected angles. He knew that he was spoiled in that and it made him seem better in a fight than he actually was. He hated the idea that he was spoiled and promised himself to work harder from then on.
The mock battle went back and forth, though it was obvious, even without using his Rune, Finn was better than Rai and, after a half hour of barely keeping away, and sometimes not keeping away, from blows, he held up a hand to halt.
"Enough, battle-bard, I admit defeat." He said it with a grin, albeit a sweat soaked one. Stepping over to where he'd left his shirt he used it to sponge his face dry.
"My brother always has known how to choose his men." It wasn't meant for a sexual comment, Raithen didn't think he'd ever heard of Phocion taking a lover. "We should do this again, if you're planning on staying in the city for a while. I'll be here till the end of the season at least, then it'll be in and out as I find work."
Re: Arms and Wings [Raithen]
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2022 5:53 pm
by Finn
Finn backed off immediately. While he was aware that he needed to go hard in his training or he wouldn't be able to do anything in a real fight, he had no desire to actually harm his sparring partner, who had proven to be quite engaging as such. The minstrel had never faced off against an Avialae, and while he thought he might have been a bit better, between the polearm and the wings, he was kept on his toes. If Raithen had thrown magic into the mix, he might have been outclassed.
As such, he was flushed with the praise as well as the exertion.
"Oh," he laughed, rubbing the back of his head, his hair all sweaty despite the relative cool of the Umbrium. "I don't know about that. Just trying to ensure the pointy end goes in the other person and not me."
Raithen couldn't know, but Finn had spent too much time repeating to himself the narrative that he was not a fighter, that he lost fights, that he was better off running. He was trying not to be a victim, but sabotaging his own efforts.
"I do think I'll be here through the end of the season. Likely even a few seasons. Phocion mentioned making me a cadet, but I think he might have been joking. He does joke, doesn't he? Anyway, I would definitely like to train more with you. Would you, ah... like to get a drink?" He meant it in a friendly way; the family kept Arvælyn rather busy, so Finn was actively trying to make friends of his own. Raithen was Arvælyn's family, whether he realized or not, so it seemed like it would be doubly a good idea to befriend him. He wasn't sure Phocion actually liked him now that he was the lover of his surprise bastard brother.
Re: Arms and Wings [Raithen]
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2022 6:22 pm
by Raithen
When his opponent lowered his weapon and his guard without hesitation Rai nodded in gratitude. Some men found leaving a challenge without a clear winner difficult, and it was nice to have worked out with someone who did not seem to have that hang up. The self-deprecating humor did feel bad either, not like it often did, so Rai let himself laugh while nodding.
"Indeed, same. I'm not as good with my polearm as I should be. The wings and rune make me lazy." It was all perfectly true, and his voice was still laughing at his own follies now. "It's just so much easier to fly out of the way of an attack and fling sharp metal down from above."
The last sentence turned his tone from amused to self-reproachful. "I absolutely need to learn better, or I'll get myself killed eventually. If you're here in the yard around this time most evenings I'm often here when I'm in the city. I'd appreciate a little overwhelming might to keep me humble, when you're in the mood."
At the question about his brother he made a considering face and said,
"I don't think he does, really. I've not heard him do so myself." It was a little bit of a joke, but mostly it was not. Technically Phocion did have a sense of humor but Rai suspected the majority of it went over his head and what did not was very dry.
"A drink would be fantastic. I know where they serve them cold as mountain ice." He grinned gamely and threw his arm around Finn's shoulder before adding,
"Cold mountains, like where you're from, not the volcano..."