57th of Ymiden, 718
"So you'll never guess what I just found out!" Mia's squeal made Rovy look up, frowning at the drenched state of the girl. Her hair was glued to her face, bits of dirt and mud soiling her clothes and her skin. She was dropping water and mud everywhere, and Rovy tried not to wince at the thought that he was probably the one who would end up cleaning everything. Whalen's face wasn't much better, locked into a scowl that made him look ready to blow.
"Remember that merchant? The jeweler, I think. The one who got killed." the girl kept babbling, stomping mud all over the floor as she made her way to the table and slumped down on the chair. Rovy moved his own seat away, wrinkling his nose at the mess the other was making. He then almost shoved himself to the ground as he tried to get away from Mia's hand, which only resulted in him having to grab the table so he wouldn't fall, and she still managed to give him a long line of mud in the middle of his face. Her laugh didn't make his annoyance any better.
"Mia, at least wash your hands before you eat. Stop behaving like a child." Whalen huffed, shaking his head. "Rovy, go wash your face."
"Anyway, the merchant." Mia continued, as she bumped into Rovy to get to the water basin first. This time, he shoved her away, washing his face and hand with a frown of disgust. Mia only chuckled, before washing her own hands. "Apparently, he was murdered by an Aukari group. The same one that raided the Mistral. At least that's what they are saying. Not that I doubt it, these Aukari are just rotten."
Rovy faltered, almost falling down again as he returned to his seat. Whalen looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but the mixed blood ignored it. It was the first time he was hearing such venom from Mia's words. She had said many stupid and sometimes aggressive things, but never with that tone of voice.
"I don't... What's wrong with them?" he asked, voice breaking slightly. Whalen's gaze intensified, but Mia seemed to be unaware of it as she slumped once again in her chair.
"What's wrong with murder? You can't possible be..."
"No, no. I'm not stupid, Mia. What's wrong with the Aukari."
"I thought you weren't stupid." the way she said it made it look like the answer was an obvious one, and Rovy felt the grip in his chest tighten with anxiety. Perhaps the answer was an obvious one, but it wasn't like he had ever stayed on land long enough to find out. That, and he only knew he himself was part Aukari due to an incident that happened in Andaris, too long ago. So perhaps it was obvious, but he still didn't know.
"I'm not. I was also raised on a ship by Biqaj my entire life, so we didn't exactly have much contact with Aukari." close enough to the truth.
"Lucky you." Mia grumbled, and it made his heart tighten again. "Faldrun is what is wrong with them, that's what." even Whalen's face darkened at that, but it didn't say anything at all to him.
"I still don't get it."
"Come on, Vy! You gotta be kidding me!"
"Faldrun is the Immortal of Fire, Ilaren's enemy." Whalen took over, sending a stern glare at Mia, who simply pouted and crossed her arms. "The Aukari are his children, and some say they were created to serve Faldrun in his quest to destroy the mortals. They would be, then, agents of evil and destruction."
"Cursed blood, that's what they are." Mia grumbled.
"Aren't Avriel hated as well, though?" Rovy asked, eyeing the slice of duck on his plate, suddenly not hungry anymore. The burn scars on his arms seemed to throb and scream, and once again he was happy for his decision to hide them.
"It's different."
"How so?"
"It just is!" Mia almost screamed, then lowered her voice once Whalen sent her another look. "Look, Avriel are mistrusted because they're basically animals, right? Slaves to their instincts, and all that. They can snap out of it. You did, didn't you? So you obviously aren't a full Avriel, but still. You don't go around destroying things and eating people. But the Aukari, they can't snap out of it, right? They were created by Faldrun, slaves of his will, and his will is to destroy. So they burn things up, kill and hurt people, destroy homes. That's what they do and they can't simply snap out of it. I don't even know why Rharne even allows them to enter the city."
The flinch, this time, was much more noticeable. Luckily, Mia was still too focused on glaring at her plate to notice, although this didn't make Rovy feel any better. He couldn't say whether this was true or not. He didn't feel like an agent of Faldrun, didn't even feel like a slave, but then, he really had no knowledge about this. Whether it was or it wasn't, what was clear was that Mia hated the Aukari, probably a sentiment fueled by the recent events that had been happening in Rharne. If she found out what he was, she would probably just hate him as well. And still, the truth was the truth, and it wasn't right to keep it from the people who had housed him and accepted him as family.
"That's enough talk for now. Mia, go take a shower, you stink." Whalen said, shooing the girl away. She stuck her tongue out with a smile, before obeying and leaving the kitchen. Whalen waited for a few ticks before he finally broke the silence. "Anything you'd like to tell me?"
"Remember that merchant? The jeweler, I think. The one who got killed." the girl kept babbling, stomping mud all over the floor as she made her way to the table and slumped down on the chair. Rovy moved his own seat away, wrinkling his nose at the mess the other was making. He then almost shoved himself to the ground as he tried to get away from Mia's hand, which only resulted in him having to grab the table so he wouldn't fall, and she still managed to give him a long line of mud in the middle of his face. Her laugh didn't make his annoyance any better.
"Mia, at least wash your hands before you eat. Stop behaving like a child." Whalen huffed, shaking his head. "Rovy, go wash your face."
"Anyway, the merchant." Mia continued, as she bumped into Rovy to get to the water basin first. This time, he shoved her away, washing his face and hand with a frown of disgust. Mia only chuckled, before washing her own hands. "Apparently, he was murdered by an Aukari group. The same one that raided the Mistral. At least that's what they are saying. Not that I doubt it, these Aukari are just rotten."
Rovy faltered, almost falling down again as he returned to his seat. Whalen looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but the mixed blood ignored it. It was the first time he was hearing such venom from Mia's words. She had said many stupid and sometimes aggressive things, but never with that tone of voice.
"I don't... What's wrong with them?" he asked, voice breaking slightly. Whalen's gaze intensified, but Mia seemed to be unaware of it as she slumped once again in her chair.
"What's wrong with murder? You can't possible be..."
"No, no. I'm not stupid, Mia. What's wrong with the Aukari."
"I thought you weren't stupid." the way she said it made it look like the answer was an obvious one, and Rovy felt the grip in his chest tighten with anxiety. Perhaps the answer was an obvious one, but it wasn't like he had ever stayed on land long enough to find out. That, and he only knew he himself was part Aukari due to an incident that happened in Andaris, too long ago. So perhaps it was obvious, but he still didn't know.
"I'm not. I was also raised on a ship by Biqaj my entire life, so we didn't exactly have much contact with Aukari." close enough to the truth.
"Lucky you." Mia grumbled, and it made his heart tighten again. "Faldrun is what is wrong with them, that's what." even Whalen's face darkened at that, but it didn't say anything at all to him.
"I still don't get it."
"Come on, Vy! You gotta be kidding me!"
"Faldrun is the Immortal of Fire, Ilaren's enemy." Whalen took over, sending a stern glare at Mia, who simply pouted and crossed her arms. "The Aukari are his children, and some say they were created to serve Faldrun in his quest to destroy the mortals. They would be, then, agents of evil and destruction."
"Cursed blood, that's what they are." Mia grumbled.
"Aren't Avriel hated as well, though?" Rovy asked, eyeing the slice of duck on his plate, suddenly not hungry anymore. The burn scars on his arms seemed to throb and scream, and once again he was happy for his decision to hide them.
"It's different."
"How so?"
"It just is!" Mia almost screamed, then lowered her voice once Whalen sent her another look. "Look, Avriel are mistrusted because they're basically animals, right? Slaves to their instincts, and all that. They can snap out of it. You did, didn't you? So you obviously aren't a full Avriel, but still. You don't go around destroying things and eating people. But the Aukari, they can't snap out of it, right? They were created by Faldrun, slaves of his will, and his will is to destroy. So they burn things up, kill and hurt people, destroy homes. That's what they do and they can't simply snap out of it. I don't even know why Rharne even allows them to enter the city."
The flinch, this time, was much more noticeable. Luckily, Mia was still too focused on glaring at her plate to notice, although this didn't make Rovy feel any better. He couldn't say whether this was true or not. He didn't feel like an agent of Faldrun, didn't even feel like a slave, but then, he really had no knowledge about this. Whether it was or it wasn't, what was clear was that Mia hated the Aukari, probably a sentiment fueled by the recent events that had been happening in Rharne. If she found out what he was, she would probably just hate him as well. And still, the truth was the truth, and it wasn't right to keep it from the people who had housed him and accepted him as family.
"That's enough talk for now. Mia, go take a shower, you stink." Whalen said, shooing the girl away. She stuck her tongue out with a smile, before obeying and leaving the kitchen. Whalen waited for a few ticks before he finally broke the silence. "Anything you'd like to tell me?"
common | rakahi