Kilvin Calls for Aid [Aurin]

[Torin Kilvin]

3rd Ash 124

The events of two days hence were, according to the healer that attended Tavárinoikos, had passed from Torin's system. Torin was not so sure. The healer had let him know that there might be after-effects but they would be brief and mild, the substances he had accidentally imbibed had not been intended to do any harm or last beyond the day. The human's biology was different from and elves, of course, so there might be little differences in reaction. This had been reassuring, but the little flashes of euphoria that made all his senses perk up into a heightened state of awareness were not as fun as they probably sounded when he described them. Or, well, they were fun, but he worried very much that he would act the fool while experiencing one and undermine the goodwill and opinions that he had managed to build over a season in the illustrious house of crafting that he had been so reluctantly allowed into.

Thankfully, the school had been emptied by the festival except for those whose current projects required urgent attention. Torin had taken the next day off, thinking he might need it, and the 3rd day of the new season as well. He would certainly need the last of his days off, for it was the day that he was to meet his true master and escort him to his rented home. His request for aid had gone to the redhead as soon as he had realized it was needed, but that had been more than a month before. Three months since he had said goodbye to Aurin and Timon at the docks in Kalzasi. Though his work and studies had taken up his time, a part of him had begun to pine for his man, an ache growing under his skin and settling deep in his core. The idea that his excitement and anticipation were due to the beginning of the Runeforging section of his project never even entered his mind.

The morning that heralded Aurin's arrival, Torin dressed carefully, which is not to say he wore anything particularly grand. The clothing was well made, but more specifically, well tailored to his form. The vast quantity of new foods to try that Sol'Valen offered had combined with his teacher-mandated return to proving that he understood the basics of his trades meant that he had actually put on a little weight, most of it muscle, but the places between were sturdier as well. This meant that most of his clothing fit more snugly, which he sometimes felt embarrassed about, but today he was glad of it.

Arriving at the place they had arranged to meet a few minutes early the burly smith stood, fidgeting and resisting the urge to use his pendant to call for updates. Getting through the customs and such was a hassle that his pestering would not make easier.

[Aurin]

When Kilvin called for aid, Kavafis answered—it was as simple as that. In many ways, Aurin was unreliable, but where he was reliable, it was ironclad.

Knowing a thing or two about customs in the Bounded Empire, he had come the day before. There had been a bit of espionage; Arry's visit had made him feel impotent in so many ways, and so he had made himself feel better by trailing Torin for a while. If he could track a master sembler without said sembler knowing, than his tricks weren't sharp tools gone blunt. His aura was inverted quite a bit, so he managed to sneak up on Torin with a coffee in each hand.

Torin sensed no familiar auras, and then there was a familiar warmth against his back, ginger bristle along his throat, and murmured words that smelled of some smoky drink that had come before coffee.

"There's my boy," Aurin murmured into Torin's ear. "I gave you the season, and now I've come to reclaim you."

He had come to help with some runeforging project or another, of course, and he had business in Silfanore, but it had been Torin's request that expedited his visit.

"I think they still have the no public banging rule here, so turn around slowly and give daddy a kiss."

His arms were slightly akimbo, not quite embracing, hands full of coffee.

[Torin Kilvin]

The boy waited, for boy he was while waiting for his man. The first he knew of Aurin's arrival was the warmth of his chest against Torin's back. The closeness was enough for him to locate and slide past the masterfully inverted aura's defenses and pull in the full gamut of information his first rune could tell him. The smith could do that now, but he still had to know that an inverted aura existed before he could circumvent the obfuscation.

"Aurin." He said the name like the redhead was the only fire that existed, the warmth that kept his blood hot in his veins.

Obediently he turned, loathe to lose contact, but aware enough of the drinks in hand to mind that they weren't slipped. When he could see his first lover properly he reached through his Elementalism to create two weaves of air, lifting the coffees out of Aurin's hands momentarily so the two men could embrace properly. The bear hug was fierce but not crushing, the kiss that followed was shy both because they were in public (and not even their home public) but also because it had been a whole season since they had seen each other. Torin hadn't gone so long without seeing Aurin since the day they had met, years ago now. Sometimes it still felt like he should be earning the man's affection, but it was a pleasant feeling now, an ardent desire to please rather than a terror that he would be abandoned.

When they broke apart again, once Aurin had had of him what he wanted to take there in public, (or, at least, what he was willing to take) the smith plucked one of the drinks from the Air and floated the other back over to the only other human in sight.

"Is this for me?" It probably was, but he wouldn't assume before taking a drink. "I'm so glad you're here."

This was plain in every line of his face, in how his body oriented towards Aurin as though he were a tiny red star that Torin orbited. "I do need your help, and you arrived just in time to start, but..."

There were other needs, more primal ones, that needed filling as well. They would wait, but not a too terribly long time more. Perhaps the day, so they could get through the work, but not beyond.

"I got permission for you to enter the school, the Tavárinoikos." He pronounced the name carefully, almost reverently. "As a mage to assist in the work."

Aurin knew all about the commission and even most of its progress from their nightly conversations. They didn't happen every night, sometimes one or the other of them was busy, such as last night when the fox had not answered his call, but that was alright. They had a special signal for emergencies.

The smith began to weave his way through the morning traffic, he knew the streets of the areas he was allowed to wander well by then and how to avoid getting delayed by the crowds.

[Aurin]

Shameless, Aurin remained close while Torin turned around, his own excitement to see the smith apparent against his body. Even without the use of his hands, he managed to claim kisses owed. When Torin said Aurin, he knew it meant Master. So, of course, he smirked eventually into Torin's lips. When his hands were freed up, they roamed. It wasn't enough to get them kicked out, but it was certainly enough to draw glances, most appreciative underneath whatever showed on their faces. When he had his wunderkind flushed and trying to remember other things, he allowed him to step back.

"Don't I take care of my boy?" he asked when Torin asked if the coffee was for him; the timbre of his voice was darker than the roast. And, "All right," when Torin told him there was work to be done, work he needed Aurin's help to do. While he knew Silfanore abounded with mages as good or better than him, he did take some pride in being allowed to create things he certainly couldn't create on his own. It felt like a sort of spiritual procreation, twining their auras, their magic, into the creation of something new, something that hadn't existed until they made it so.

Of course, he couldn't take advantage of Torin against his aether forge here, but they could make up for lost time.

He slung his arm around Torin's broad shoulders, somehow projecting a bigger, stronger presence than the muscled youth he claimed.

"Let's go, then," he said. He wouldn't be so free with the public displays of affection in Torin's workplace, of course. Just as he pushed Torin through a portal to his home and cleaned up a bit before answering the door in his office when he felt like mixing business and pleasure. He didn't do anything to endanger their positions.

"Timon is thriving," he said, knowing it would ease certain nerves to hear it from Aurin himself. They stepped out into the autumnal sunlight, warmer here than midsummer in Kalzasi. Of course, Torin had enchanted their cloaks to keep them comfortable no matter where they were. "Stardew Valley as well." There was quite a bit for both of them to share, of course, but some of it was exchanged without words, their auras entwining via their shared Rune, the same Rune that entangled them thaumaturgically.

"Tavárinoikos, eh?" he asked, eyebrow soaring. His own pronunciation was solid. He was no linguist, but he had picked up enough by imitation that he wouldn't offend the locals when he did business here, any more so than he offended them by not having pointed ears and a golden sheen to his person. "Are you certain Siv isn't some long-lost prince? That's possibly the most prestigious magical workshop in Sol'Valen, even with all the Makers of Inakova."

[Torin Kilvin]

A part of Torin tugged at him to turn left instead of right, to take Aurin back to his apartment and do all the things that he had been missing for months. But he was due at work, and absence would have to be explained and being Sembled would be a part of that explanation. While he was exceptionally good at inverting auras as part of his work, obfuscating himself in real time was another matter. Aurin had taught him how, but there was a difference between not letting strangers see into your private life and a master Sembler examining you personally. He should practice more. Sivan could help him, but his motivation to succeed would be stronger if it was Aurin. His motivation to succeed in all things was stronger if he knew Aurin was watching.

Torin's flush had just about dissipated as they walked through streets busy with morning traffic sipping coffee and speaking of the matters of home. It came back at the commentary on his other lover and the school the elf's name had gotten them both into.

"I have called him that, sometimes." Based on the color of Torin's face and aura they both knew what sort of 'sometimes' he meant. "But I think that the elves here would know, they are very careful about keeping track of their lineages. Siv knows who both his parents are."

He didn't know the hierarchy of schools in Sol'Valen but he had gotten an inkling of the prestige of Tavárinoikos by the reactions he got when people asked where he was studying and he told them. He had no wish to tarnish the sterling reputation of his House, so, while he might imagine Aurin pushing him down an alleyway to give them both what they wanted, even let that slip into the places where his aura overlapped into that of the red fox, he kept them to the main thoroughfares until they arrived.

He greeted those who were around, bowing to the one master who briefly appeared, and introduced Aurin to the three apprentices who had been aiding him specifically. Their response was cordial and if they were impressed by his assortment or strength of runic magic, they did not express it. They had been very inexpressive with Torin's ability at first as well, but they had thawed over time working together.

Once the greetings were done and both humans were decked in what protective gear they would need Torin led Aurin to his little working area. He fell into familiar patterns with thoughtless ease, showing Aurin the work that had already been done. Letting him examine the small, bright physical device, explaining the magic that was already within. Flushing again, this time in pride as he showed off the impossibly intricate Scrivening that literally made up the structure. Each step already accomplished was explained, because Aurin had an understanding of Runeforging after listening to and assisting Torin for so long, even if he could not do it himself. Then each step yet to come, most of which involved the other human's mastery of Masquerade, even if master-level casting wasn't actually required, it was near to it.

When they began the work, it went as it always did, at first they remained separate each performing their parts. But as time passed, the slight overlap in their auras expanded and the way they worked together required less conversation. Their movements around the forge began to sync up so it was as if they were aligned, two parts of a single whole working in concert. This was why Torin had wanted Aurin even if there were plenty of experts of the rune required available for hire in Sol'Valen. None of them would have known him as well, how he worked, how he thought and he would not have known them. He understood Aurin's individual way of moving aether, how he pulled aether through his runes and how he laid it into the forge. Years of working together could lend familiarity of purpose to craftsman, and it was thus for the two humans, but it went deeper. The elves who watched would see that, and if they began to suspect what else lay between the pair, both personally and in aetheric entanglement, none of them were foolish enough to interrupt to ask questions.

While the blond youth directed the forging he did so by releasing control, opening himself to use of their magic. Aurin gave and Torin received, taking all that he was given and placing it, gently, to purpose. There was nothing forceful about this smith's forging, either in working with Aurin or working with any other part of the craft. He allowed the nature of his materials to express themselves and then guided that expression into the shapes he needed. It was a complex dance with many partners, human, aetheric and material, weaving together to create something beautiful. To anyone with Semblance or auraglass to see, it looked like a dance or dozens, even hundreds of ribbons swirling together in a dizzying maze that couldn't possibly come together into something other than a tangles mess, except, it did.

It took many days to complete even this final step, but, on the final day, the entire school, or so it seemed, gathered to watch the device finally come together, or fall apart. There had been some wagering on the outcome, which Aurin had been happy to engage in, but as the end neared it felt wrong to continue. Something sacred was happening, even though the device being created was not intended for religious purposes, seeing Torin's work, when he was fully in it, was almost mystical.

It was late in the afternoon and Torin was aware of nothing but the glow of his work and Aurin, there close beside him, lending the last bits of illusion to bind the enchantments into the piece forever. When the last tiny filament of bright aether settled, curling into the last bare swirl of Scrivened filigree, Torin stood perfectly still, not blinking or breathing, only watching. His stillness was not caused by fear or worry, but awe and an absolute concentration. There was a burst of something, like a flash as the magic circled through all its lines and returned again, a closed circuit that flowed from itself into itself infinitely. Then, it settled and the forge began, slowly, to dim.

Then Torin breathed, it was not a gasp, just a slow, deep inhalation. Turning slightly, pulling his eyes away from the forge to settle them on Aurin, he smiled even if he looked a little as though he might cry. Then they were kissing, slow and solemn, as though the kiss were part of the forging, the seal that would complete all. It was gratitude and adoration; Aurin made his work whole, Aurin made Torin whole.

[Aurin]

Aurin was on his best behavior leading up to and during his time at the esteemed workshop. He managed to walk a fine knife's edge where he was perfectly deferential without being obsequious. While the elves there didn't deign to outwardly approve of him, they were markedly warmer than Torin was used to.

Perhaps it was just that he had spent a fair amount of time in Hytori lands, though he hadn't spoken much of it to Torin, only offering some choice advice leading up to his own journey there.

In the workshop, at least, they were able to be themselves. Occasionally, there was oversight, but often it was just the two of them. If Torin wasn't as comfortable after a season at this aether forge as he was with his own, he was still quite deft. Aurin's aura twined into his, and so he was better able to offer him exactly what he needed and when he needed it. Since sex was off the table until afterward, he only occasionally deposited errant, deviant thoughts into Torin's mind from time to time, when he knew it wouldn't upset the work.

"Huh," a raven-haired Hytori said as she watched Aurin do a clever bit of glamourie, handing it off to Torin and allowing Torin to almost tweak it with his own will, so close were their minds just then. She wandered off eventually, unnoticed by Torin, but marked by Aurin, who observed her backside moving under her robes as she left.

Aurin had only really received instruction from one person: Valencia Grey. As such, perhaps he was most skilled with Traversion. He would have to speak to her and to Eshar to see whether he ought to invest time and energy into pushing himself beyond his so-called mastery of any particular discipline, but only if it would bring him closer to whatever sort of crown a witch-king wore. Perhaps Eshar hadn't instructed him in anything other than creative sexual congress, but he had paid quite a bit of attention to their glamours as well as the illusions of the other Myshalarai, and so his skills there had grown more sophisticated as well.

When it was done, though, Torin didn't seem to mind propriety, worming his way into Aurin's arms. He did love how emotional the work made Torin. Aurin wished he could feel the same. Mostly, he felt pride at what Torin accomplished, and perhaps doubly so when he could help. He felt tenderness, too, and chose not to tease him right then and there.

"Come along, then," he said, rubbing Torin's belly.

"You don't realize it yet, but you're starving. I'm going to feed you."

Whether it was food or something else first, Torin would find out.

fin.

[Hekatos]

Review

To both parties, I hereby grant 10 xp. Rune, when you have the artefact's write-up, let me know and I will review. I know this is but a part of it.