• Closed • [Library] Quiet, not Silent

[Devin]

Both Carver and Laures seemed to be interested in his cigars, judging by the way that they eyed them. When they declined his generous offer nevertheless though, the Mortalborn quirked an eyebrow for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders, lit a cigar for himself, closed the case and let it disappear in his coat pocket again. “Alright”, he remarked and grinned before he took a drag and let out a pleased sigh as he quite enjoyed the taste.

He didn’t look at Carver strangely when he wanted to know who Delroth was. Not every nation in Idalos worshipped the Immortals, after all. They hadn’t been particularly popular in his native Rynmere either (people back there had worshipped the Seven and such), which made him a bit of a heretic, he supposed. Not that he minded being a heretic, of course; on the contrary he loved it, and he thought that his blessing was one of the best things that had ever happened to him. Being a heretic was great!

So, when Carver posed that particular question he assumed that he came from a place like the one where he had grown up, and replied without hesitation, “Delroth is the Immortal of Birds, Vanity and Greed – oh, and Wind”, he added because that was his least favourite domain and the one that he struggled to embody the most (unless you counted going swimming in somewhat windy weather?). “He’s a deity”, remarked and raised an eyebrow as he wondered what they thought of that, took another drag from his cigar and set it down in the ash tray that Kara had so graciously provided to him for a moment (she was familiar with his habits as he frequented her café pretty much on a regular basis).

Laures had asked him what it meant to have Delroth’s blessing, but the Mortalborn thought that it would be easier if he just showed him, so without further ado, he rolled up one of his sleeves and gestured for his new companions to lean closer once more. Carver and Laures could see that the back of Devin’s arms was covered with intricate, feather-like markings, almost like tattoos – except that they seemed to move in an invisible breeze.

“This is what it means to have his blessing”, he remarked, smiled all over his face because he was just so proud of his blessing and looked at them. “Delroth gave it to me when I met him. In return, I became his priest and agreed to take care of his shrine. I have the same mark on my other arm. I already told you that I can make things weightless and talk through mirrors. I’m still willing to demonstrate either ability”, he reminded him before he broke off abruptly and grinned somewhat mischievously.

A moment later, something that was a little strange happened. The sweater that Devin was wearing and that had looked like a normal sweater, albeit of very fine quality, seemed to be made of the most expensive fabric in existence now, and it almost seemed to shimmer, as if some sort of precious metal had been weaved into it. “I can enhance the look of my clothes and make them appear to be of higher quality than they are. The ability kind of stops working when people know what I’m doing though, so I tend to keep it to myself most of the time”, he explained.

“I can also mark an object so that I always know where it is and which condition it is in”, he continued as he quite enjoyed talking about all the fantastic gifts that his patron Immortal had afforded him. That particularly ability was one that made it quite easy to steal something save an item from someone that didn’t deserve to own it, anyway; Devin decided to not explain that though. He was a councilor now. He still engaged in all kinds of questionable activities because engaging in questionable activities was just so much fun; he just didn’t talk about the aforementioned activities as much anymore lest Kura got wind of it and decided to fire him or arrange an extended vacation in Slag’s Deep for him.

His first stay there had been pleasant (he’d slept with one of the prison wardens after they had beaten up a prisoner together which had been a great bonding experience, everything considered); he definitely didn’t want to experience Slag’s Deep from the other side though. They’d probably make him wear ugly, scratchy clothes, and his precious reputation would be ruined. He quite enjoyed being famous and being admired though!

“Ummm”, he said, removed his cigar from the ashtray again and took another drag (it was a special blend from Rharne and quite delicious, so he just couldn’t keep his fingers off it for more than a bit or two at a time). “Do you have any questions about what I said so far? Laures? Carver?” He looked at the two men questioningly, realizing that they might be a tiny bit confused as they had become a little more quiet. “If not, I can just keep on talking! Did you know that we have rabbits and panthers with wings here, for example, and that this island used to be full of pirates?”

“That was before my time though”, he admitted.

[Carver]

The aroma of the cigar traveled quickly and gathered on the coppery taste of blood on Carver’s lip. Carver enjoyed smoking, but he hadn’t since he arrived into his new body and he wanted to try and keep to that additional resolve. This was a new life for him, or so he wished to believe, and a chance to live better than he had before. So, he tried to focus on the answer about Delroth rather than how richly the cigar smelled and how his bloody thumb pressed into the bitten cut on his lip, and how he wanted to steal that damn jewelry right off the Doctor-Professor’s wrist and take that case, and land an axe into the chest for good measure so he could acquire whatever else Laures might want. Did he want those shoes? The belt? Anything, he would take to give to Laures… but he wanted the cigars for himself.

Immortal of… Birds? Vanity? Greed? …and wind. A deity. So, he’d been correct in assuming that the Immortals were the gods of this world. What sort of man would openly admit to strangers about being a priest of greed and vanity though? A foolish man, he would assume. Yet, Devin had. And Devin did not seem entirely foolish. After all, he’d lived in this world far longer than Carver who’d barely been there for fifteen trials yet. To allow his assumptions to stand as if truth, would be dangerous and foolish of himself. Maybe there was something to admitting such things openly. Maybe Delroth’s name carried a certain weight, but Devin hadn’t seemed surprised by the fact that he didn’t know who the god was… so… that didn’t line up.

Confused, trying his best to ignore an impulse to smoke, he looked away as if to watch the bartender. At least until he felt a nudge and realized he was supposed to be looking over at whatever Devin had rolled up his sleeves to show. Feathers? Tattoos? The lines swayed as if in a breeze. He leaned slightly, to look at the markings. Magic? A magic tattoo? Gods, that cigar still smelled so good. Carver rested a hand, again, on Laures’ lower back. Though it seemed as if to comfort the other man, his fingers curled to grasp the fabric. The connecting touch was as much for him, as it was for his husband.

“So, Delroth is a mage too? A deity mage?” asked Carver, confusion obvious in his voice while he examined the shimmered change to the sweater. “And those markings are… your initiation? Or is that a mutation?”

While the abilities all sounded interesting, and if he weren’t so distracted between the cigar and his confusion, Carver might’ve asked more about them or even to see them demonstrated… he didn’t understand the way in which it was discussed. It grated against how he’d understood in the place where he and Laures came from, but he couldn’t remember why. To try and recall gave him a slight headache, and he felt his confusion turn over into frustration.

Whether his questions had been addressed or not, Carver’s patience hit its limit – just about the same time that Devin took another drag on the cigar. He looked away, while he considered various thoughts that he would never share with anyone except Laures, and he held his tongue. He didn’t care about rabbits, or panthers with wings (although, what?), or the history of the island. Carver needed to know more about magic, more about why he could heal like he could and what everything they’d learn so far meant for Laures. If anyone could be initiated… though he didn’t want to broach the subject yet, he knew that fact likely had stuck on his lover’s mind. They needed to find out more though, and he suspected that the library would supply more than the talkative Doctor-Professor-Priest-whatever-else had to share. Besides, he didn’t want to start into areas of ignorance that would start to bring suspicion onto him. He’d already given his actual name rather than Antoni’s, and he didn’t plan to study in the medicine or whatever departments, but better to keep things shallow if he could.

“No, no more questions,” he lied while he left the stool. “I forgot, I have- I mean, we have something to do. A meeting. Somewhere else. That we’re gonna be late for, if we don’t go right now. Laures, c’mon.”

Carver gathered any of their outerwear, fastened his coat, and took Laures’ hand. Without pause (unless Laures resisted), he led on their path out of the café, leaving Devin behind at the counter. He said, “Nice meeting you, Doctor-Professor Devin. Let’s do this again, sometime. Maybe one trial, I can help you with any Grafting needs you might require.”

[Lars]

Delroth was an Immortal - which was a deity - and he gave blessings and had priests and shrines, which meant that the Immortals he’d heard mention of were… gods? Something like gods? Laures’ head tilted a little to the side in clear, confused curiosity. And Delroth was the Immortal of (birds and vanity and greed and wind), which meant that the other Immortals were each of something as well. That part made enough sense. While he could not quite remember the specifics of things in the world they had come from, he knew that the gods had each had their own little… aspects, or something. Laures had never paid all that much attention to any of it; none of it had been of any importance to him, and he had not been raised to believe in those things. But here, it seemed devotion was a tangible thing. It made him wonder at the possibility of such beings actually existing.

Laures was leaning forward again before Devin had even finished rolling up his sleeve. So curious was he, that he almost reached out and touched the other man’s arm - he caught himself before he could, though, and instead offered an almost apologetic look as his hand was returned to his lap. The other rested still on Carver’s thigh, but the tapping of his fingers had paused in his momentary distraction.

“Met him?” he did his best not to sound disbelieving, but the older blond’s reluctance was still clear enough. It was not that he didn’t want to believe in deities and everything that came with them… he had simply never seen evidence of anything before. Devin claimed that the strange, moving markings along the back of his arm were from Delroth though, and that he had met him, and Laures knew himself to be naïve, but he did not see a reason for him to make it all up. It was quite clearly something he was passionate about, if he was willing to care for Delroth’s shrine and become his priest. It made him feel so very unsure, but such seemed a common thing for Laures. The touch to his back nearly spooked him at first, for how distracted he had gotten, but he leaned back in his seat a little bit to encourage the hand to stay.

It was a good thing he had refrained from touching the violet-eyed man’s arm, because when the sweater was suddenly changed before his eyes, he knew he would not have managed to keep his hand from wandering there too. What was that? Wide-eyed with wonder, Laures glanced back up to Devin’s face, nodding along almost enthusiastically. Certainly, he would prefer to own pretty clothes and know that their appearances would always remain, but when in need of stylish resources… he could see that particular ability coming in handy. What was it, though? Magic? It had to be. Even with the limitations Devin described, it had to be magic. The kind that Laures wanted. Was there more? Could he learn how to make things nice, and pretty, too?

The matter of marking an object did not interest him as much, beyond his understanding of the practical value. What would he have done, if he had been able to mark that golden earring Carver stole? Would he have tracked him down and changed the way things went? Would Carver have wanted him to find him? He could not imagine that the younger blond would have been all that receptive, and he likely would have darted away again, without an injury to keep him in place. Laures was grateful for the way things had gone, though, if only because of the way they had ended up. The memory filled his heart with a warm, familiar fondness, and his hand smoothed over Carver’s thigh. The talkative scholar’s explanations came to an end, and as he reached to pick up his cigar, Laures glanced to the other side, towards his husband. Carver was looking away again… and still did not seem enthused. At least, not to the extent that the older did. He supposed he could understand; Carver had never seemed to care about pretty things like he did, beyond the collection of them for Laures. Steel-blue eyes flicked back to Devin, and he had only just opened his mouth to speak when Carver did so instead.

“I - oh,” it took him a moment to register that his lover was leaving his seat, and he watched as Carver fastened his coat. “Right, of course. Sorry, love, I’d forgotten.”

Disappointed though he might have been to leave, Laures would never stay behind when Carver wanted to go. He stood as well, looking almost flustered for a quick, pink-faced moment as he pulled on his coat. Whatever questions he had, they could wait. There would be more people to learn from, he was sure, even if they might not be… as friendly and willing to speak. Laures pulled on one of his gloves, and started on the other as he tried, “what about, uh - could I - um.”

No, they had to go. He should not ask any more. Instead, he dipped his head respectfully, as he had done when they first met Devin in the library. Laures gave a short nod as his hand was taken, and immediately intertwined their fingers. As Carver began to lead them away, though, he attempted once again to speak.

“Maybe I could -” write you a letter? But no, surely Devin did not need to deal with even more of his little inquiries, no matter the medium. He had already wasted too much of their time divulging his own curiosities, rather than allowing for Carver and the dark-haired man to speak, and he did not need to take more. So he did not finish the sentence, and instead waited for Carver to speak before calling to add to it himself.

“Thanks, Doctor-Professor Thorn. I quite enjoyed speaking with you.”

Laures lifted his free hand, offering a smile and a little wave as he turned to exit the cafe with his lover.

[Devin]

“Hmm”, Devin made when Carver asked him if Delroth was a mage too, furrowed his brow and took another, longer drag from his cigar because smoking helped him think, and besides, the cigar was just too delicious to let it go to waste. “I’ve never really thought about it before”, he admitted - which was weird, since he normally thought about everything, even the strangest things, such as whether you could season the disgusting stuff that you had to swallow during the Graft initiation in order to improve its taste or maybe fry it a little.

“I’ve never asked him. I think he might be a mage though, but not the kind of mage that the two of us are, and I suppose my markings could be considered an initiation of sorts. They were the first thing I got from Delroth, after all, before I acquired any of my abilities”, he remarked before he addressed Laures once more, smiling brightly. “Yes, met him”, he confirmed. “When I first visited the shrine, he just kind of appeared out of thin air and started to talk to me. He was really fascinating”, he continued, grinning somewhat stupidly for a moment as he remembered that particular trial.

He had just never met someone like him before!

“Oh”, Devin made when Carver told him that he didn’t have any more questions. He was, he had to admit, a little disappointed. Furthermore, he was of course completely unaware of the extent of the two men’s confusion and what kind of effect that single little cigar had had on Carver (and that Carver had thought about using an axe and stealing his stuff - which was something that he might have approved of if the hypothetical victim had been someone else as he wasn’t particularly keen on dying), so when Carver told him that they had to attend a meeting, he simply looked at him and nodded.

“Sure! I won’t keep you two from your meeting”, he told them, grinning, before he looked at Laures for a moment as it seemed as if he wanted to know something. “Maybe you could what …?” he asked and raised an eyebrow. The other man didn’t finish the sentence though, but simply allowed his lover (Or his husband? Were those rings wedding rings?) to take his hand and lead him away from the bar, so Devin decided not to pry even though he was kind of curious about what Laures could possibly have wanted from him. Instead, he remarked,

“I enjoyed speaking with the two of you as well, and I would love to meet you again sometime. You know where you can find me. I’m at the university most of the time, and if I’m not at the university for some reason, just ask someone about Doctor-Professor Thorn”, he told them. He had really done that. Enjoyed speaking with them, that is. They hadn’t minded his talking so much, and what more, they seemed to share his interest in Graft and shiny things. That was pretty great in his opinion. Not every did, after all.

When Laures waved to him, he smiled and waved as well, and then he watched the two men leave the café before he turned around in order to finish his cigar. Maybe, he decided, he would return to the library once he was done in order to see if the book that had started it all was still there. He still wanted to read it because it had sounded so fascinating.

Magic was great!

[Pig Boy]

Devin

Experience: 15 No magic xp

Knowledge:

Knowledge:
Cosmetology x2
Etiquette x2
Research x2
Teaching x5
Writing x1

Tarouz Ability: Clothed in Finery: Stops working once discovered

Carver: Grafter
Carver: Gave me a new title
Carver: New to town
Laures: New to town
Laures: Likes shiny things

Renown: 5

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level

Loot/Losses: none

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: none

Comments: I couldn't help smiling when Devin took the book that Carver brought down from the shelf, presuming perhaps that it was for him. I wonder if he'll take the opportunity to learn a bit more about graft in particular?

Devin is such a fast talker, which is an asset to a conman. He seems so open and honest with Laures and Carver here, though. But perhaps Devin has a personal weakness for sharing information with mages? Maybe he's just an excitable boy.

Then again, he is always quick to share things that he's proud of, such as his blessings, his mutations, magic and so on. He is a vain man, and you play him so well to that point.

If you have any concerns about this review, please PM me about them.

Laures

Experience: 15 no magic xp

Knowledge:

Etiquette x5
Investigation x5
Resistance x3

Renown: 5 for being seen meeting a council member and professor.

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level

Loot/Losses: none

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: none

Comments: Laures was very quiet during these scenes, allowing his husband to do most of the questioning, talking, and interaction with Devin. Still, what we did see of Laures and his narrative illuminated his character, being a somewhat withdrawn/shy man. The precious few lines of dialogue with Laures highlight the narrative in showing just how out of his depth he probably feels.

If you have any concerns about this review, please PM me about them.

Carver

Experience: 15 no magic xp

Knowledge:

Deception x5
Etiquette x2
Discipline x2
Investigation x2
Research x1
Climbing x1

Renown: 5 for being seen meeting a council member and professor.

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level. You pushed a bit with the climbing, but described well enough his struggles with that activity.

Loot/Losses: none

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: none

Comments: Overall, this was a fun thread, and Carver worked good as the glue holding the trio's meeting together. I'm still very much enjoying the fish out of water dynamic of Laures and Carver, which you two play so well. I look forward to seeing more collaborations between you two and more pcs.

You played Carver well, keeping his thoughts where they ought to be at the appropriate times. I feel like Carver and Laures came out of this exchange far more informed than before, and without sharing much with Devin to the point it might jeopardize their well existence.

Carver lies well for someone who's only beginning to get used to it (again). I like how he sort of glazed over the Graft initiation, for instance!

If you have any concerns about this review, please PM me about them.