TIMESTAMP: 25 Calid March, 122
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► Show Spoiler
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As another of their many classes ended, Hector, Vergil and their classmates filed out of the room. Though this had become rather routine, the elf was still not a fan of how claustrophobic those rooms felt. As everyone made their way to the front of the Cathedral proper, Vergil mentioned that his presence was required at the hospital wherein he worked. While it wasn’t very far away, he truly hated being late, so he said he ought to leave right away. At this, Hector sighed; he’d wanted to spend at least some time with his companion before he had to leave, but alas, there wasn’t quite enough time to facilitate such a thing.
Overhearing this conversation was a fellow Acolyte, a woman who neither of them knew more than tertiary information about. She and a friend of hers had moved to sit at the same table as the two vampyres, largely, they gleaned, because they found many of their more zealous classroomates to be…tiring. Although this actually wasn’t their only reason, there was no way to guess and they didn’t actually talk to one another.
When Hector and Vergil split in the Cathedral’s main foyer, the young woman moved to cut Hector off before he left. This was purposeful– she thought that she wouldn’t be able to get the information she wanted if the other man was still present. To her credit, this was more than likely the case.
“Hey–! …you’re Hector, yes?”
Hector stopped and turned toward the near stranger, a slight cant to his head, confused by her rather sudden approach. She’d never bothered before, but she did come across as friendly enough. The woman appeared to be young, human, probably around his age. She had long, dark hair and blunt bangs with charming, doll-like features. Despite that, the predatory slant to her eyes and the prominence of her bone structure prevented her from looking child-like at the same time.
“...yes. You are, ah…Carmine? Have you need of me?” He sounded puzzled more than anything else.
“Carmina, but close enough. Anyways, what I want from you is information. Lest you wonder, I do have something for you if you answer my questions to my satisfaction, too.” She wore a fox-like expression now, though the amiable tone to her voice did not change.
“Information, huh…? Why would I know anything you can’t find anywhere else? Although, if what you have to offer is worth it, I’ll be happy to hear you out, at least.” The elf sounded yet more confused, speaking with some notes of trepidation.
“If I could find it somewhere else, I would’ve tried that already. Asking a complete stranger is always a coin toss,” she shrugged, sighed, and crossed her arms beneath her bust, “Far as I’m aware, you and Vergil would be the easiest people to ask and even that’s not…easy, per se. Plus, I only have something that you’d want, not Vergil– hence why I’ve come to you alone.”
“What do you have that you think I would want?”
“A rune– Animus. I overheard the two of you talking about it once. You said you wanted it, no? Or am I mixing your voice with his?” Quite nosy, she was.
At the mention of the rune, eyes of lavender immediately brightened. “No…you’re right. That’s a generous gift, though. What exactly do you wish to know so very badly?”
“I’d like you to help clear up some rumors, that’s all, really. People have said so many things about you and your friend and I’d just love to know what’s actually true versus what’s made up.” She laughed, fully aware that trading gossip for a rune was a very interesting idea. “You needn’t share anything here if you’d wish to avoid others potentially overhearing.”
Hector’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to know, though?”
Carmina laughed again, this time a bit louder. “Oh, the reason sounds silly…but honestly? I’m just really curious– and, well, nosy. People really have been saying some ridiculous things; I think it’s because the two of you are so very quiet about yourselves that they just make things up for the fun of it.”
Provided she is telling the truth, the elf can relate to the sentiment, really. He, too, was a nosy little goblin by nature. Not that anyone would know, really. His curiosity was dimmed quite a bit since he’d arrived in the Imperium; he and Vergil mostly kept to themselves.
“Oh, that so? Believable enough considering what you’re offering…but why should I trust you? I’m not that bothered about sharing, personally, but Vergil is a very private man so I’d rather not upset him if I can avoid it.” He sounded both intrigued and unsure all at once. He really wanted the rune, but this woman was, realistically, a near perfect stranger.
“Listen, I don’t plan on sharing this information with anyone outside of maybe Qiana– the Siltori I sit with– if she asks, which she probably won't. She's usually more concerned with her own business than anything else. So, Vergil needn't even know you've told anyone anything at all." She punctuated that sentence with a bright smile, appearing quite genuine.
"True enough…if you tell nobody else, nothing can get back to him, at least. I suppose I'll trust you– I can understand seeking information purely for the sake of it, too."
Well, he hoped she was telling the truth. On top of how much he wanted the offered rune, it would also be nice to have another of the Acolytes as a friend.
"Fine, then. You have a deal." There was still some amount of doubt in his voice, but really, he felt he had nothing to lose, anyways.
"Wonderful! Do you have anywhere that would be more conducive to a conversation of that nature?"
…….
Realistically, the only place Hector would feel comfortable speaking about himself would be at home. Therefore, that is where they went. Which, to be fair, it did take some modicum of trust to just follow a near stranger to their home without worrying about them harming you. While Carmina was a powerful mage in her own right, she knew nothing about Hector or what runes he possessed and wasn't so arrogant that she'd assume she outmatched him.
Once they'd arrived, Hector offered her one of his favorite teas, to which she accepted. He felt somewhat lucky he was able to even find that specific one here. Carmina walked over to sit on the sectional in the left hand corner of the room nearest to the apartment's entrance while her host left for the kitchen. There was no door separating the two rooms, and so she occupied herself by asking him about what kind of tea it was he was making and so forth. Looking around, it was actually quite nice for what she assumed, correctly, was provided for them by the Inquisition itself. It's not as if two refugees would necessarily have much on them when escaping a destroyed city, after all.
Returning from the kitchen, he placed a tray containing a teapot and two cups in the center of the coffee table and sat to face his new acquaintance on the other side of the sectional.
"So what is it you're so curious to know?" At this point, Hector himself was interested in hearing a bit of what people had been saying at the very least. He didn't think many others even cared about his and Vergil's presence, but apparently, he was quite wrong.
"Well…several things, really." Carmina tilted her head a bit, eyes drifting off in thought. "I suppose an easy question to start with would be, ah…how old are you? Elves stay young for so long; it's very difficult to guess," the woman giggled after she spoke.
"I'm actually as young as I look– I turned twenty this year. Sorry to disappoint you if you were hoping for somebody a bit more ancient," he joked, voice finally breaking away from seriousness.
"It's always a mystery," she shrugged. "Qiana is in her sixties but she looks no older than me. How lucky you all are," though one could construe her words as envious, her tone remained light hearted.
There were ways for humans to preserve youth, though expensive or…tedious and of questionable safety. Perhaps she had plans in that regard?
"Oh-...! Next then, what's your relationship with your friend? Most suspect you're lovers as opposed to family since the two of you are different races, but I figure it could be anything, really."
Carmina assumed this question would be just as easy to answer as the first. Unfortunately, it really wasn't; the two men had still yet to have a proper conversation about what they were. The correct answer, however, was that yes, they were lovers. But since Vergil had never explicitly said that to Hector yet, the elf lacked the confidence to say so.
Overhearing this conversation was a fellow Acolyte, a woman who neither of them knew more than tertiary information about. She and a friend of hers had moved to sit at the same table as the two vampyres, largely, they gleaned, because they found many of their more zealous classroomates to be…tiring. Although this actually wasn’t their only reason, there was no way to guess and they didn’t actually talk to one another.
When Hector and Vergil split in the Cathedral’s main foyer, the young woman moved to cut Hector off before he left. This was purposeful– she thought that she wouldn’t be able to get the information she wanted if the other man was still present. To her credit, this was more than likely the case.
“Hey–! …you’re Hector, yes?”
Hector stopped and turned toward the near stranger, a slight cant to his head, confused by her rather sudden approach. She’d never bothered before, but she did come across as friendly enough. The woman appeared to be young, human, probably around his age. She had long, dark hair and blunt bangs with charming, doll-like features. Despite that, the predatory slant to her eyes and the prominence of her bone structure prevented her from looking child-like at the same time.
“...yes. You are, ah…Carmine? Have you need of me?” He sounded puzzled more than anything else.
“Carmina, but close enough. Anyways, what I want from you is information. Lest you wonder, I do have something for you if you answer my questions to my satisfaction, too.” She wore a fox-like expression now, though the amiable tone to her voice did not change.
“Information, huh…? Why would I know anything you can’t find anywhere else? Although, if what you have to offer is worth it, I’ll be happy to hear you out, at least.” The elf sounded yet more confused, speaking with some notes of trepidation.
“If I could find it somewhere else, I would’ve tried that already. Asking a complete stranger is always a coin toss,” she shrugged, sighed, and crossed her arms beneath her bust, “Far as I’m aware, you and Vergil would be the easiest people to ask and even that’s not…easy, per se. Plus, I only have something that you’d want, not Vergil– hence why I’ve come to you alone.”
“What do you have that you think I would want?”
“A rune– Animus. I overheard the two of you talking about it once. You said you wanted it, no? Or am I mixing your voice with his?” Quite nosy, she was.
At the mention of the rune, eyes of lavender immediately brightened. “No…you’re right. That’s a generous gift, though. What exactly do you wish to know so very badly?”
“I’d like you to help clear up some rumors, that’s all, really. People have said so many things about you and your friend and I’d just love to know what’s actually true versus what’s made up.” She laughed, fully aware that trading gossip for a rune was a very interesting idea. “You needn’t share anything here if you’d wish to avoid others potentially overhearing.”
Hector’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to know, though?”
Carmina laughed again, this time a bit louder. “Oh, the reason sounds silly…but honestly? I’m just really curious– and, well, nosy. People really have been saying some ridiculous things; I think it’s because the two of you are so very quiet about yourselves that they just make things up for the fun of it.”
Provided she is telling the truth, the elf can relate to the sentiment, really. He, too, was a nosy little goblin by nature. Not that anyone would know, really. His curiosity was dimmed quite a bit since he’d arrived in the Imperium; he and Vergil mostly kept to themselves.
“Oh, that so? Believable enough considering what you’re offering…but why should I trust you? I’m not that bothered about sharing, personally, but Vergil is a very private man so I’d rather not upset him if I can avoid it.” He sounded both intrigued and unsure all at once. He really wanted the rune, but this woman was, realistically, a near perfect stranger.
“Listen, I don’t plan on sharing this information with anyone outside of maybe Qiana– the Siltori I sit with– if she asks, which she probably won't. She's usually more concerned with her own business than anything else. So, Vergil needn't even know you've told anyone anything at all." She punctuated that sentence with a bright smile, appearing quite genuine.
"True enough…if you tell nobody else, nothing can get back to him, at least. I suppose I'll trust you– I can understand seeking information purely for the sake of it, too."
Well, he hoped she was telling the truth. On top of how much he wanted the offered rune, it would also be nice to have another of the Acolytes as a friend.
"Fine, then. You have a deal." There was still some amount of doubt in his voice, but really, he felt he had nothing to lose, anyways.
"Wonderful! Do you have anywhere that would be more conducive to a conversation of that nature?"
…….
Realistically, the only place Hector would feel comfortable speaking about himself would be at home. Therefore, that is where they went. Which, to be fair, it did take some modicum of trust to just follow a near stranger to their home without worrying about them harming you. While Carmina was a powerful mage in her own right, she knew nothing about Hector or what runes he possessed and wasn't so arrogant that she'd assume she outmatched him.
Once they'd arrived, Hector offered her one of his favorite teas, to which she accepted. He felt somewhat lucky he was able to even find that specific one here. Carmina walked over to sit on the sectional in the left hand corner of the room nearest to the apartment's entrance while her host left for the kitchen. There was no door separating the two rooms, and so she occupied herself by asking him about what kind of tea it was he was making and so forth. Looking around, it was actually quite nice for what she assumed, correctly, was provided for them by the Inquisition itself. It's not as if two refugees would necessarily have much on them when escaping a destroyed city, after all.
Returning from the kitchen, he placed a tray containing a teapot and two cups in the center of the coffee table and sat to face his new acquaintance on the other side of the sectional.
"So what is it you're so curious to know?" At this point, Hector himself was interested in hearing a bit of what people had been saying at the very least. He didn't think many others even cared about his and Vergil's presence, but apparently, he was quite wrong.
"Well…several things, really." Carmina tilted her head a bit, eyes drifting off in thought. "I suppose an easy question to start with would be, ah…how old are you? Elves stay young for so long; it's very difficult to guess," the woman giggled after she spoke.
"I'm actually as young as I look– I turned twenty this year. Sorry to disappoint you if you were hoping for somebody a bit more ancient," he joked, voice finally breaking away from seriousness.
"It's always a mystery," she shrugged. "Qiana is in her sixties but she looks no older than me. How lucky you all are," though one could construe her words as envious, her tone remained light hearted.
There were ways for humans to preserve youth, though expensive or…tedious and of questionable safety. Perhaps she had plans in that regard?
"Oh-...! Next then, what's your relationship with your friend? Most suspect you're lovers as opposed to family since the two of you are different races, but I figure it could be anything, really."
Carmina assumed this question would be just as easy to answer as the first. Unfortunately, it really wasn't; the two men had still yet to have a proper conversation about what they were. The correct answer, however, was that yes, they were lovers. But since Vergil had never explicitly said that to Hector yet, the elf lacked the confidence to say so.
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Aidolon Speech
'Thoughts'
"Kathalan Tongue/Speech"
"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Mythrasi Tongue/Speech"
