24th of Ash, 120 Steel
Talon stood in the rear of his shop with a book in one hand and a pen in the other. He was in the process of counting and recounting the ore that had been brought into his shop with that morning’s shipment. He had no doubt that the silver and iron ore that had been brought in was of the finest quality because he had paid good money for it. Still, he was inspecting the shipment with the same level of diligence that he conducted every aspect of his work in his shop. He picked up a piece of the silver ore, inspecting it carefully. Stirring his aether into motion he felt it move slowly but it did not have the same sluggish feel as it had for the past few weeks. He was getting better and his wounds were healed. It was merely the echo of the attack that lingered with him. There were still no answers about where it came from or who was behind it. He doubted that there would be anything found out any time soon.
Talon inspected the silver ore in his hand. His senses opened up to perceive not just the mineral in front of him but the very essence of the object in his grasp. It had a distinct earthy and metallic smell to it but that was to be expected. The comparatively light weight when contrasted with iron was noticeable but that would not be an issue with what he had in mind. Rolling the ore in his fingers he pushed deeper into the ore, sifting through the bits of rock and dirt that would have to be purified out of the ore before it was usable. Releasing his hold on his aether, Talon returned the lump of silver to the crate. Talon felt a stirring in his chest that was soon followed by the sound of heavy booted footsteps. It was that stirring in his chest that announced the arrival of his companion more so than the sound of his movement.
“You have been performing inventory all morning. When was the last time you ate something, my prince?” Talon sighed inwardly. So they were still on the formal terms. Things had not been quite the same between him and Aoren since the attack. There was a distance there that the Novalys heir could feel. It was made only more noticeable because of the bond the two of them shared. Aoren was holding himself back. He was stiffer. He was more formal. He was certainly more vigilant in his duties as bodyguard but there was a rigidness to his actions that Talon did not need in his life at that moment. His father was roaming the Free Cities, working on improving diplomatic ties to their neighbors. His mother was on high alert. Exactly what she was doing, she would not say and Talon had asked her. Everywhere he went he could catch a glimpse of one of her personal guard not far off. Every hiss he made, every falter in his step, every moment of weariness had the people around him tensing and watching him like a hawk. It was nerve wracking and only served to remind him just how badly he had been injured...as well as the agonizing days that followed.
“I am alright.” He could feel Aoren’s consternation at his words.
“My Prince, I would not seek to gainsay you but you barely ate any breakfast.” Aoren held up two steaming boxes of food. Talon could smell the rice, the dumplings and the fish inside of them. He was hungry. He could do with a bit of relaxing but not like this. He did not want to sit and eat in silence while his companion distanced himself even more.
“I said that I am fine.” Again, he could feel Aoren’s concern. He could also feel that Aoren knew he was lying.
“You are still recov--”
Talon whipped around, dropping his book and crushing the quill in his grip as his frustration boiled to the surface.
“Wèile tei đae nói daijo!” Talon’s wings flared. The feathers standing up slightly as his agitation rose past his normally careful and calm restraint. Aoren blinked at him, his eyes slightly wide. Talon rarely lost his temper and he immediately regretted lashing out. He certainly almost never swore and not at the people he cared about. As if fate were laughing at him, Talon felt a wave of dizziness spin through his head. He grit his teeth and shook his head but that only seemed to make things worse. Bringing his hands to his forehead he rubbed his temples as the anger in him still roiled. He was feeling too hot and cold all at the same time. He’d been fighting each day to try and push himself, to get back to his normal strength, to get back to something resembling normal. So much had happened in the past year, so much that he had just been burying and telling himself to move forward on, that Talon had not really had a moment to think all of it through.
Then the attack in High Hopes happened. It had not been random. It had been a targeted, pointed, intentional thing. It was one thing to fly into the face of dangers that crept out of the Warrens, mindless or twisted beasts spawned from that chasm would always be a danger. But to be faced with the reality that his own people, his homeland, was in such turmoil that people would subject themselves to such a twisted fate to try and kill him, it was a hard look at just how bad things in his homeland had become. The aftermath had left him feeling powerless, stripped of everything that he had come to rely on, unable to do more than take up space and think on just how little he was doing to fix the problems in Kalzasi.
Talon’s vision was spinning a little. That was when he felt Aoren’s hands take his own. A strong arm wrapped around his waist and Talon let himself be guided to one of the nearby crates where he took a seat. Aoren knelt before him, the warrior’s hands still grasping his own, thumbs rubbing circles into the backs of them gently. Talon stared down at the floor.
“My family is on the verge of losing everything, Aoren. I can see it. I can feel it.” His voice was a whisper. “My father is struggling to keep things peaceful with Zaichaer. The other Daizoku want us to vie for dominance in the North. New monsters, unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, are creeping up from the Warrens, and now our own people have become so desperate they tried to kill me.”
Talon lifted weary eyes to his companion.
“I have lost one companion already…” Aoren’s face fell as the memory of that pain shuddered through them both. “...please do not leave me to fight this darkness alone.”
The Kathar reached up and took Talon’s face into his hands. He moved closer until their foreheads were touching lightly. The wall that had been between them fell away in that moment. Talon felt it and he drew in a shuddering breath as he experienced all that Aoren had been hiding from him.
Anger, for failing in his duty.
Shame, for letting himself grow complacent.
Rage, at those who would try to take Talon away from him.
Fear, so much fear, that next time he would not be swift enough.
Aoren’s arms flowed around him. Talon wrapped his own around his companion’s torso. He squeezed the warrior to him. Aoren did the same. The two embraced each other tightly.
“Never.” Aoren whispered, his voice was raw with restrained emotion. But Talon could feel it.
The two of them remained that way for several moments, clinging to one another before releasing each other with shaking hands. Aoren grabbed the meals he’d brought. Talon accepted the one he was offered and opened it, smiling softly at what was inside. All of his favorites. He began to eat quietly beside his companion but this time, though the room was silent, the wall between them had fallen away and for the first time in weeks, Talon felt a relief he knew he’d needed. They both did.
Off Topic
-300 gp for 100 lbs. of silver ore.
-50 gp for 100 lbs. of iron ore.
-50 gp for 100 lbs. of iron ore.
