• Memory • Creative Misadventures (Mae)

Sometimes eavesdropping gets you invited to interesting places.

Stronghold of education and learning, this fortress is in one of the coldest areas of Idalos and home to many knowledge seekers in a variety of disciplines. However, unknown to most, below the city are those who suffer for the sake of science. While all are welcome, not everyone will be treated as they expect.

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Caius Gawyne
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Creative Misadventures (Mae)

Saun 25, 716


Was this even Saun? Caius had been in Viden for two seasons now and yet the landscape of snow and ice and dark rock hardly shifted, hardly changed. The temperatures hardly fluctuated outside of the comfortable zone of freezing, even when the light of the suns lasted longer and longer, there seemed to be nothing in all of Idalos that could bring warmth to the far North. Even the Gawyne had to admit, the chill got sarding old, no matter how cold his homeland could be, nothing had prepared him for feeling this half-frozen for an entire arc.

Strangely enough, however, the Videnese felt the subtle hints of the hot cycle in ways beyond Caius' Rynmere born-human biology, and when his Life Drawing professor had decided the weather was somehow fair enough to go outside and draw, the entire class went outside to draw without questions asked.

Bogs, it was almost tolerable, the temperatures reminiscent of a Gawyne mid-winter, and the northern noble found himself miraculously able to stand in the hard-packed layer of snow of the courtyard next to The Azure Wing with his classmates without gloves and coat, though he was still dressed in two layers of wool and cotton shirts and a scarf for good measure, his toes cold despite his wool socks worn under his knee-high boots and thick leather breeches. Each student had carried their own easel and canvas, assigned oil pastels and charcoal for sketching, and told to set up on the frozen landscape to find something worth capturing with their own particular, individual creative vision.

Thank the Seven the Videnese appreciated the arts, cultivating a rich culture of allowing an artist to discover their own voice. Perhaps with the landscape so bleak, encouraging a rich inner life was really the best practice anyway, Caius blossoming in his two seasons as a student to feel comfortable with his own creative expression. While he didn't consider himself at all very strong at drawing, he'd set a goal to work at realism, to improve his technique.

This class in particular had been an uncomfortable challenge, but he also didn't feel as though the professor appreciated the northern noble's crass sense of humor one bit.

Standing in the sparkling, bright Saun cold near two of his other classmates, the young Gawyne sketched with questionable confidence with the dark charcoal, sharp blue eyes studying the icy spires of Viden proper as they reflected the hot cycle suns back into the sky. His perspective felt off, and while he worked carefully with light, gentle lines, he chewed his bottom lip in displeasure. Stepping back with a sigh, he watched the cloud of his breath dissipate while he rubbed his coal-darkened hands together and squinted critically at the sketch, comparing the actual spires with his renditions.

Better, perhaps.

He'd just begun to add shadows with his oil pastels, filling in the darkest areas before he planned to build in color and light, when his professor cleared her throat, the older Eídisi raising her hand to get her class' attention,

"Well, students, that's all we have time for today. You're free to remain as you are for as long as you like so long as you're not missing another class and you return your easels to their proper places." Internally, Caius groaned. He didn't quite feel ready to wrap up what he was doing at all, no matter how sarding cold it was. Maybe another half a break or so would leave him satisfied, and so he hovered even as most of the class, a mix of humans and Eídisi and a lone Sev'ryn packed up their things and began to file back to the Azure Wing, following after their professor.

Four of them remained, scattered over the frozen landscape of the courtyard, Caius included.

"Are you staying?" Came a quiet question over his shoulder, Rylan's delicate voice interrupting the young Gawyne without apology. The Eídisi male was a decade his elder and a full head taller than himself, and while he was very opinionated on whether or not the Rynmere human could actually exceed his own artistic talents, the two had become friends over the past two seasons, sharing most of their classes.

"For a little while longer, yes. Yourself?"

"While the sun is as it is, I am." Rylan confirmed, stepping back to his easel. His tone was always hushed and matter-of-fact, the blue-skinned young male and his dark almost sea-blue hair a much more thoughtful, abstract artist than the young Gawyne, "And after?"

"I don't know. I can wait for you. though. I've got reading to do, but when don't I have something to sarding read?" Caius smirked, not looking at the Eídisi as he selected another blue to begin adding more color to the spires, overlapping the lighter color with some of his shadows to blend them in where he saw a gradient and yet leaving the harsh icy lines that the spires were built from.

"Mateo and Esine are going out drinking tonight—"

"No."

"—Come on, I don't want to be the third wheel again, Caius. We're friends and all, but I could use a wingman, too, sometimes."

The northern noble laughed, coarse and loud, "You can't use my pretty, well-bred face to get you attention all the time, Rylan. There's other humans to play your idiot for talking up other blue-skinned ladies."

"I can. And I will. You're my favorite human idiot, Lord Gawyne. Or else I'll stop sharing my notes from Professor Unolar's Art History. I know you nap in there half the time."

"Sod off."

"Come on, say you'll go."

Caius scowled, pausing again in his drawing, in the pastel work that was finally pleasing his sensibilities. It wasn't half bad, but Rylan was persistent and the northern noble shrugged,

"You're buying—"
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Maebella
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The weather was pleasant by Videnese standards. It was pleasant by Maebella's standards as well as she'd never experienced anything different but she'd heard that their 'warm' weather still classed as horribly cold for those who visited the city. She'd encountered Caius Gawyne on more than one occasion over the last two seasons, the young nobleman acting as if Viden had the coldest weather he'd ever encountered. His discomfort had amused her more than she was willing to admit although it left her wondering how she'd fare with the weather further south given how acclimatised she was to cold. She'd probably have a similar response to him but on the other end of things, suffering because of what she viewed as extreme heat. Not that she'd told him such a thing.

Considering the crisp, icy beauty of the city, she couldn't imagine any other place being able to match it aesthetically. Oh, they'd have sources of knowledge that would be of interest, strange languages and cultures, but there was nowhere that could be like her birthplace. Furthermore, no institute of learning could be superior to Viden Academy, considering the knowledge they possessed and the patronage of Yvithia herself. Perhaps there was a little bias but there was a logical basis to her beliefs as well; it wasn't solely an affair of her heart.

WIth the change in the weather and time off work, she couldn't resist the opportunity to walk outside in spite of the slight nip in the air. It wasn't cold but refreshing, a sign of renewal and regeneration. Specifically, walking around the Academy provided a reminder of her goal to begin her studies again, starting on a whole new path of learning. It was a chance to see what she wanted so close and yet not quite within reach for now. Soon though, she'd be able to be in there for a reason other than work. Just the sight of the Azure Wing was enough to set her heart soaring, her mind yearning to be in there. Walking around the outside of that one-storey building conjured up all manner of fantasies in the Eídisi's mind.

She came to the courtyard beside the Institute of Arts, pausing as she noted the individuals dotted around the place. It was a small group, quite possibly an art class - or the remains of one - although there was no teacher present. There didn't seem to be anything to disturb except the personal peace of the artists. The girl had had no intention of disturbing anyone until she caught sight of a familiar figure: Caius. A slight smile appeared on her lips at the sight of him, his presence bringing a brief thrill of joy to her as she moved quietly in his direction. He was speaking with another of her race, a male, and there seemed to be a true camaraderie between the pair, completely unlike the rather cool acquaintance that she shared with the Rynmere noble.

As she approached, she caught snatches of their conversation, some manner of plans between them it seemed but she paid little attention as snow crunched lightly underfoot and she came to stand beside the outsider, peering at his work.

"Hello, Caius," she murmured, eyes drawn more readily to his representation of the cityscape rather than his face. "You seem to have a grasp of representational accuracy. It's fascinating really. Theoretically, it should be so simple but in practice..." she trailed off with a shake of her head, turning her focus to the two men. Her white gaze lingered briefly on the other Eídisi, a tiny nod her only sign of acknowledgement before she looked to Caius instead.

"Honestly, I'm amazed to find you standing here. I was under the impression that Viden was too cold for you to endure willingly and yet here you are, seemingly outside of your own volition," she teased lightly, her lips twitching upwards in a faint smile.
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"Fine, one round, though. Don't act like you don't have any money of your own." Rylan conceded with a cloudy exhale of a sigh. The sun sparkled off the spires of Viden proper and the two seemed content to finish their drawings.

"Well, I don't. Not here, anyway." The young Gawyne shot his friend a red-cheeked sneer, rolling his eyes before returning to his work, "I'm just another poor, cerebrally limited human."

The two laughed, Rylan choosing not to agree or disagree, attempting to refocus his attention on his work even while a smile still clung to his thin, blue-tinted lips.

Caius found himself immediately annoyed by his perspective once he let his warm, near-green eyes wander back over the entire composition, still not quite satisfied with his ability to capture the scene as he saw it in his mind's eye. Too much of a perfectionist to let things be, he began reworking some of the shadows and linework he'd yet to blend into the various blue hues of the city's ice-covered structures. His fingers tingled in the cold and he tucked his face into his warm scarf while he hid a scowl of criticism at his own work,

"Bogs. I'm about done, I think. It's not working—"

A familiar voice greeted him, and while he didn't turn and look right away, willing his now sarding cold, gloveless hand to continue the careful line of his intended drawn path, he smiled from behind the warmth of his scarf,

"Good afternoon, Maebella. My representational accuracy could use some work, but I appreciate the attempt at a compliment." He chuckled, aware of Rylan's pupil less eyes now boring into the back of his head after the other Eídisi had nodded a greeting to the newcomer,

"I've tried to explain that Gawyne is also cold, right? It's only geographically logical that Viden is far colder than anywhere in Rynmere, considering it's location in the northernmost reaches of our known existence, but that doesn't mean that other places aren't at least similarly cold for parts of the arc. Gawyne's the northernmost Barony of Rynmere, and Warren's Peak is covered in snow all arc round. I grew up somewhere cold, but Saun in Viden is pretty sarding close to early winter in Gawyne. I'm freezing my arse off for the sake of my artistic vision right now. I'd make a decent martyr." He was laughing then, turning to flash a grin at Maebella before he began to tuck away his art supplies, self-deprecating humor hiding just how chilly he actually was.

"I'm also quite done. My representational accuracy isn't getting any more accurate to-trial." He glanced to Rylan, who appeared in agreement,

"Rylan, this is Maebella. Mae, this is Rylan." If anyone had asked, the young Gawyne would have admitted he just assumed all Eídisi knew each other, considering how they acted like they sarding well knew everything else under the frozen sun. But, he wouldn't have actually said that out loud unless pressed or in desperate need of a good insult on the spur of the moment. Once he'd packed away his art supplies into his satchel, he finally dug his gloves out of the same bag and tugged them on, rubbing his hands together and pretending that made all the difference,

"I think warming up with a drink or two is officially in order." Caius added without a hint of his usual pretense, "Are you the drinking sort, Mae? Rylan likes to take me out so he can insult my inferior human intelligence while he flirts. If you're into that sort of sarding mess, you can come with us. Well, if you've not got anything better to do that is. Do you?"

The northern noble's grin was wicked, glancing at the now thoroughly embarrassed other Eídisi as the darker-skinned male was packing away his things. Rylan coughed and didn't look up right away,

"Don't listen to him. He gets into more—"

"Shush." Caius cut off the budding comment with a sharp riposte, but his normally blue eyes were a warm, amused green, "I'm never any trouble. I've got a reputation to uphold."

This elicited another round of laughter from both men, and the young Gawyne looked to Maebella with a mockery of innocence on his cold-burnished face,

"Kindly tell this man how stupid I am so that we can agree on something. Would you like to keep us out of trouble?"
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Caius didn't look at her straight away, something that she was glad of considering how he managed to make her feel foolish almost immediately. Her cheeks were likely darkened already by the cold but she felt the beginning of a blush and she hoped that it wasn't visible. Aside from the impending blush, she was fairly sure that she managed to keep her expression schooled; it wasn't difficult for her to regard him with some degree of exasperation.

"It wasn't an attempt. In theory, it should be easy to do, but in practice, I certainly couldn't come close to your level. I doubt that I have a flair for the visual arts anyway; my domain is words, as I'm sure you've realised," she commented, crossing her arms. She listened to his argument, rolling her eyes when he flashed a grin her way. Maebella couldn't fault his reasoning, perfectly logical in fact so it was difficult for her to find an opening for a good retort. It was something that she had quite a bit of admiration for, the way he wielded words with such proficiency and seeming ease. His mind was incredibly sharp - something that she wasn't willing to admit to him outright - and she revelled in the opportunity to engage in this manner of verbal jousting with him. In fact, she was beginning to become a little enamoured with him, something that made her a little uneasy.

"Yes, you've certainly tried but you've also done a fair bit of complaining about our weather. I've known you for two seasons and every time I see you, you come out with some iteration of 'I'm freezing my arse off' if I'm not mistaken," the Eídisi pointed out triumphantly, a smile gracing her lips. She might have laughed if the other man hadn't been present but she found herself feeling a little self-conscious before him. Not only was he a total stranger to her but he might pick up on the onset of her infatuation with his friend, something that he might well report to Caius later on. If such a thing was to happen, the young woman felt that she'd never be able to meet the noble's eye ever again.

At least some of the strangeness was alleviated through the blond's introduction, making it easier for her to make proper eye contact with the male Eídisi and twitch her lips into some semblance of a smile of greeting. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Rylan," she murmured, feeling smug for her understanding of etiquette for a change but also oddly pleased to hear Caius call her Mae. The familiarity of it was pleasant, something that would be used between friends. She didn't know if she'd go so far as to call them friends just yet but it certainly seemed to be heading in that direction; she'd never had a friend before.

The little bubble of contentment she'd been enjoying was burst abruptly at the young man's question, especially as he continued speaking so that it was harder for her to process the invitation. Her eyes fixed on him in astonishment, certain this time that her blush would be visible; she was sure that her entire face had gone shades darker. Of course, she wanted to spend more time with Caius! The notion of doing it in the presence of others and alcohol made it considerably less appealing though.

She brushed hair out of her face, hoping her cool fingers would do something to reduce the heat of her blush in the fleeting gesture. Maebella didn't know if the nobleman understood just how much he'd flustered her but if he hadn't taken a cue from her face, she was confident that he'd discover it soon enough.

"Well, I've never had alcohol before but I... well, I... um..." she stuttered out, blinking rapidly as she tried to deal with the shock to her system. "I suppose it would be nice! I suppose that I could try drinking with you... with you two," she added, inwardly cursing herself for her sarding inability to operate her tongue properly. The Eídisi wished that she could shake herself, perhaps slap herself across the face to bring about a return of reason. It didn't help that both the men were laughing, making her feel as if she was the source of her humour. She was too confused to be waspish about it though.

"I don't know if you're stupid!" she blurted, the urge to smack herself increasing tenfold. "By that I mean that, I don't know if I'd say something so extreme. You aren't completely lacking in intelligence," she finished, smiling weakly. She had no idea how she'd gotten herself into this mess. How had a simple greeting turned into such a display of her own social awkwardness? It wasn't typical awkwardness though, she knew, which made it considerably worse.

"I'll come with you but I don't know if I can keep you out of trouble. In fact, it might work out as quite the opposite. After all, I have no idea if I'm going to react well to alcohol. I might be the one who ends up in unfortunate circumstances," the girl admitted, finding her gaze drifting back to Caius. Even when she tried to divide her attention equally, she came back to him.

It's only because he's familiar, she told herself, trying to cling to some semblance of denial.
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"I'm going to take that all as a really wordy compliment." Caius decided, still grinning at the blue-skinned woman who shared his height, teasing her as if she were another Immortal, walking the Academy grounds here in the city made of ice, "Since that's your domain and all: Words."

"Viden is cold, but so far, I've survived and managed to keep all of my important parts—including my fingers. Maybe in a season or two, I'll even stop complaining. No, wait—does it just get colder after Saun again? Sard it all." He watched her face for the hint of a smile before introducing her to his friend. Rylan was just as curt as Maebella, but his curiosity about how the two knew each other was written plainly on his blue-skinned face before he turned and finished packing up his things. Once he'd gathered up his art supplies, the other Eídisi turned to his human friend,

"Since you have a guest, I'm happy to take your things back to the Azure Wing for you, ser Gawyne, but if you go and stand us up again to-trial—"

"I won't." Caius did his level best not to snap at Rylan, a hint of displeasure washing over his aquiline features when he cut him short before he elaborated on just how many times the young Gawyne had agreed to come drinking and then never showed up. As much as he could smile and play along, the sarding truth was taverns weren't his favorite place to spend his free time. With a sidelong glance toward Maebella, he shrugged his narrow shoulders. He'd stood up his own friends more than once in favor of the library or the art room, preferring quiet study to social convention. He made it out sometimes, though, and this was going to be one of those times, "We'll both be there."

While it was easy for the other Eídisi to banter with Caius after so many seasons, he wasn't quite sure of the pair's relationship outside of their current conversation together. Rylan decided it was better to observe than to question, so he gathered up both of their things and nodded at Maebella and Caius, indicating he'd take his leave. One last warning look at his human friend and then Rylan was trudging off through the snow of the courtyard and back toward their classroom.

The young Gawyne was far less subtle, smugly enjoying the curiously tinted blush he was able to produce with a simple invitation, not entirely unaware of the way the blue-skinned woman could look at him. That tidbit of knowledge didn't bother him at all, and though he found himself somewhat curious about the people of Viden and their private lives, he'd yet to ever make a point to explore such questions personally, moreso out of lack of time invested than interest. It was sarding difficult to impress a race of people who already thought themselves superior, let alone get one in bed. Perhaps he just did not possess a scientific enough vocabulary in order to win them over with promises of experimentation,

"You've never—what? Bogs. We'll remedy that to-trial for sure. Alcohol. I'd think all you Videnese would drink more given the cold, but that's Yvithia's influence, is it? She'd outlaw all that here if she could, I bet." He chuckled, knowing that the Immortal of Intelligence wasn't a huge fan of alcohol's effect on the mind, let alone the tongue. The northern noble had no such qualms, however, given Gawyne's climate and the general hardiness of his people.

Caius rubbed his hands together again even though he'd at least put his gloves back on, missing his coat, and stood there in the balmy Saun chill, watching Maebella work out the possible avenues of mischievousness that could play out during an evening of drinking with strangers now that it was just the two of them alone. He couldn't help but laugh at her thoughts about his intelligence when she blurted loudly that she wasn't entirely sure of how he compared in terms of mental capacity. When she spoke of her worries about trouble and tolerance, the northern noble's expression softened and his tone was blunt,

"Well, it won't just be three of us. A few other classmates will be there most likely. The only one you'll have to look out for is Mateo." Caius grinned in a way that somehow walked the line between innocence and deviance, teasing the Eídisi as well as giving her a warning, "He's a sarding friendly drunk. Chances are, no, you won't be keeping me out of trouble, but I doubt you'll be bored, either."

Since Rylan had gone, the young Gawyne swept one hand in the direction of the closest path back indoors, eager to retrieve his coat, inviting her to walk with him as he crossed the open, snowy ground in the opposite direction of his taller Eídisi art student friend, "You don't have to drink at all, you know. It's fine. You can just watch the rest of us, especially since I usually don't go when asked, either."

His smile offered common ground, admitting to his general dislike of forced social situations. It wasn't apparent—he faked it well, given his noble heritage—but it was still true. Caius didn't entirely struggle to be friendly, but his friendships were almost always on his terms. Or at least, that was his preference. He sarding well enjoyed getting his way, but that was a far rarer occurrence than he'd like to admit, especially this far from the familiar comforts of home,

"I can walk with you, if you like, to The Devil's Advocate. You can hold me accountable for Rylan's sake and you've probably never been there, have you?"
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It seemed impossible that he could make things worse for her and yet Caius certainly seemed to be managing it. She couldn't help being amused by his teasing, even if she was also inclined to roll her eyes. There was nothing to stop the corners of her mouth from twitching upwards at his comments, her mirth evident even if she'd wanted to hide it. Remaining impassive was next to impossible in his presence so the Eídisi gave up in spite of Rylan's presence.

"Yes, it does get colder after Saun. That's usually how that works when you head towards the Cold Cycle and I'm sure that holds true for Rynmere as well," she teased, enjoying herself a little too much. Still, it was better when the other man left, the atmosphere between them seeming to relax further. The other Eídisi had been eyeing her a little too curiously for her liking and it had been obvious enough that Caius had probably noticed. Sard it all!

"Of course I haven't had alcohol, why would I have? I'm certain you've noticed but I'm not the most personable. I haven't been out on these sort of excursions, Caius. Those sorts of things are done with friends and... I've never... I haven't had a friend before. No one wanted to..." she trailed off, eyes downcast. She didn't want to meet his eye, didn't want to see potential shock or pity in his colour-shifting gaze. Perhaps he'd laugh, say that he'd have expected nothing different and the young woman didn't think that she could deal with it. She couldn't deal with any sort of response from him if she was perfectly honest; she didn't want to dwell on the fact of how lonely she was. She'd always been close to her brothers, despite the age gap between them, and she missed them immensely. She even missed her father although they'd never been as close as they could have been, not when she was a constant reminder of how her mother had died.

She cleared her throat, almost business-like as her more typically cool, practical demeanour reasserted itself. "I'm still a child by Eídisi standards, which is a mental thing rather than a physical thing. Physically, I'm perfectly mature, but mentally, I have some developing to do. Alcohol might interfere with that, you see. I don't think it would necessarily be damaging so I'm willing to try it. Also I'm not representative of every Videnese. I'm sure your friend is from Viden originally and he evidently has no qualms with drinking," Maebella explained matter-of-factly, tucking hair behind her ear and regretting it almost instantly as the chill air nipped at it.

The youth walked in silence for a moment as they moved to head indoors, hands buried in the fur lined pockets of her coat. "Well, I'm glad that I won't be the only one feeling out of sorts but I hope that it won't be too torturous for either of us. Chances are that I won't be able to entertain you but I doubt that you'll be bored," Maebella laughed, consciously mirroring his speech. "Although you never know, if you decided to throttle me in exasperation, you might take some enjoyment from the action."

Her teasing mood abruptly fled at the mention of The Devil's Advocate, the Eídisi stopping briefly in place before she set off walking again. She certainly hadn't been in the seedy tavern before but she'd heard things about it. It didn't sound like a particularly wholesome place to visit but considering what they were going to do, it made sense. The notion of drinking and creating a possible mess seemed fitting for the place from what she'd heard but truth be told, she knew little about it. Perhaps she'd change her mind once she got there, trusting her own powers of observation and assessment but she couldn't ignore the knot of dread that had suddenly begun to tighten in her stomach.

"I haven't been there before, no. It didn't seem like an appropriate place for me to visit alone so I'd appreciate an escort. If you wouldn't mind that is. I know where it is but I don't think I'd do well there without company. I don't want to be a source of inconvenience though," Maebella explained, chewing on her lip. She forced a hesitant smile, gesturing indoors.

"I assume that you have a coat or something to collect. Unless you've become so accustomed to our weather that you've embraced the idea of walking around like that. I imagine that you're far colder than you've tried to lead me to believe. I am aware that it's cold, you know, you don't have to pretend that it isn't. The only difference is that it's almost a comfortable sort of cold, not like earlier or later in the arc."
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"Why would you?" Caius riposted to the Eídisi's remark about alcohol, attempting sarcasm and deflection first when Maebella admitted to not having friends, "Drink, that is. You don't keep a single sarding friend around? Bogs, even I can manage that and I'm a sarding arsehole of a noble."

He laughed then, not mocking her so much as attempting to show that he empathized more than he cared to admit in a less coarse, open manner. He shook his head, sidelong glance at the equally tall, blue-skinned woman warm, honeyed amber in his amusement instead of their usual sharp blue. The shifting colors of his irises always giving his truer, unspoken self away,

"I feel like this is some kind of issue with your people, with Yvithia's Eídisi. Your minds are so busy achieving greatness that you forget the simple truth that everyone has a need for companionship, even if they suck at it. And yet, some of you clearly propagate, so you at least know how that works!" The young Gawyne's grin was wicked, unashamed, and he ran a hand through his ever-disheveled hair before holding the door open for Maebella once they reached it, another strange convention that he'd once complained about.

It was the gentlemanly thing to do, he explained.

"I'm sorry, Mae, I can't resist. You Eídisi are a curious lot, but not in a bad way." His smile softened and his voice quieted, listening as she broke down her status as well as her worries about the so-called interference of alcohol in her well-controlled life,

"That's the sarding point, you know—the interference. You don't drink because you want a better handle on things, you drink to let go of the reins and see what happens for a few breaks. For Fates' sake, it's alright to just be whoever you want—"

The northern noble rolled his narrow shoulders in a shrug, not really one to drink regularly, to drink with the goal of drunkenness. He hardly slept, mind and hands too busy too often and haunted by dreams he didn't want to see over again in his sleep. Drinking made him relax. Relaxing made him tired. But then other times, necessity called for a rare night of getting sarding wasted. To-trial wasn't that sort of night as far as Caius could tell, but he couldn't guarantee some friend wouldn't dare him into being stupid,

"Rylan? I'm pretty convinced he drinks to forget how disappointed his parents are he's pursuing his degree in Painting instead of Medicine, Mae. I'm not sure it's a social function he's capable of—drinking for the fun of it." The young Gawyne smirked, aware of similar pressures from the Baron of his House, from his father. In order to please both himself and his family obligations, he simply studied both, though it wasn't at all true to say he didn't enjoy Religion or History or anything else of the sort, no, in fact, he devoured it. He simply required the hands-on creative activities he'd come to enjoy in order to actually process all the information he consumed on a regular basis. He was a strange creature, he knew, but he kept most of his peculiarities to himself.

Once inside, he retrieved his coat in order to give the blue-skinned woman the answer she was looking for, huddling thankfully in its warmth for a bit or two before speaking,

"Saun in Viden's not so bad. I could get used to it. Ziell, the Immortal of Winter, is part of my family, after all." Caius chuckled, aware that his own connection to the Immortal through birth was diluted enough to barely matter, sure that his warm-blooded nature was more related to his Aukari mixed heritage than to any mortalborn of Ziell's. Truth be told, in a few more seasons, he was quite confident he could begin to tolerate the northernmost city's temperatures,

"But honestly, a hot cycle in Nashaki for you would feel like being trapped against Faldrun's fiery balls and a volcano for two seasons too many." The young Gawyne let his scandalous metaphor escape his lips with another laugh, shaking his head and beginning to lead them through the familiar halls of the Academy in order to get out and head toward the Devil's Advocate. Clearing his throat, Caius' next spoken words were far more serious and level than expected from the calloused northern noble,

"So, Mae, do you really not have any friends or is that just an Eídisi way of being self-deprecating in conversation?"
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Maebella
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The Eídisi managed a weak smile when he claimed that he managed to keep a friend or two around despite his personality. However, she said nothing about the matter, not wanting to draw further attention to her own friendless state. Furthermore, she felt confident that Caius had only said it in an effort to make her feel better; she doubted he had issue making or keeping friends. It was a theory that was given some credence when she caught sight of his irises, the colour seeming warmly sympathetic to her mind, making her sigh and turn away. The last thing she wanted was the man's pity.

She scoffed when he commented on the Eídisi knowing how to propagate. "Of course, we know how to propagate. Our physical maturation may take place several arcs after humans but I'm confident that we have the theory of the matter before you do," she retorted, not deeming it necessary to point out that it was purely theoretical for her. "Anyway, Eídisi are perfectly all right at finding companionship. All Eídisi aren't me, you know. I just have something wrong with me." Her cheeks darkened in hue, eyes widening as she realised what she'd so calmly blurted out.

Her blush only deepened when he held the door for her although for once, it wasn't his actions that prompted it. Instead, she was just beginning to feel the full effects of what she'd allowed into the air between them, a fact that made her slightly tetchier than was her wont. "It isn't a matter of letting myself be whoever I want! I don't have much of a filter as it is so I don't need-" she broke off abruptly, huffing out an angry breath and trying to regain some of her former composure. "Drinking to forget is all well and good but it's temporary. Afterwards, not only will you remember but you'll also feel horrendous that you'll want to die. At least, that's how my elder brother felt after he first went out drinking. I remember he asked why my father didn't warn him beforehand and saved him the hangover. Apparently, he thought that Fraeon needed to learn from his own mistakes, not his own. It didn't stop him drinking again but it did stop him from drinking to excess. I don't understand why he bothered but he did say that I wouldn't get it."

The young woman couldn't hide her grin when she watched the noble huddle gratefully in his coat, proving all of her suspicions about how cold he was. She could have teased him further about the matter but she decided to let it drop for the time being. She'd certainly had her fun where the matter was concerned and at this point, the joke was probably a bit stale. However, Caius had every right to resort to such humour, a fitting response to her frequent mockery of his aversion to cold. The fact that it was crude wasn't at all surprising, certainly in line with what she'd come to expect from the nobleman. Even so, she found herself flushing in response, rolling her eyes and laughing a little uncomfortably.

As they set off down the building's halls, Maebella tried to gird herself in anticipation of further crudeness, certain that the young Gawyne would continue in the same vein of conversation. Perhaps, this would be how he'd be when he went out, throwing out bawdy jokes and trying to inject a spirit of fun into her sensible head. Instead, he shocked her with his sudden seriousness, his question drawing a startled and horrified glance from the young woman before she looked away again.

The young woman moved her hair, using her hand to shift some of it in an effort to hide her expression. She could understand why women sometimes did that as it created a curtain between her and her companion, preventing him from scanning her features, even in profile. However, it also meant that she couldn't see him, which was certainly a disadvantage. For the time being, she'd simply have to be blind to his responses. She prepared herself for pity, trying not to cringe in anticipation.

"No, it's not a way of being self-deprecating. I just don't have any because I'm terrible at interacting with others," she murmured. "I'm sure it's something that I don't need to explain to you; after all, you've interacted with me. Basically, Eídisi don't tend to have children once they're over 100 arcs of age because things tend to go wrong. Sometimes it's a physical thing, sometimes it's a mental thing. Usually, you can spot them at birth or soon afterwards but sometimes, it's more subtle and it's years before you notice it. My mother wasn't anywhere near as advanced in age but... I have something similar to those subtle problems. I've never been able to name it precisely but it's something that became apparent by the time I started my education," she told him rapidly, the words coming out in a quiet rush but her voice remained level and matter-of-fact.

"I've two brothers older than me - one six arcs older and one four arcs older - and I studied some of the things that they studied. I read a lot of books, worked on languages, typical Eídisi things but when I started my schooling... I was ahead and I knew it but there were also things... missing. You keep talking about Eídisi in general and lumping me in with them but I'm not like them, Caius, and even they know it. However, we're a minority in Viden, a sizeable minority I grant you, but a minority all the same. Humans really didn't like me so I just... avoided interaction when I could. It was less messy if I didn't so I simply didn't."

Maebella shrugged as if it didn't particularly matter, tucking her hair behind her ear as she snuck a glance at the noble, glad that her eyes didn't give away as much as his own. She doubted that he'd be able to see the sadness in her expression, or at least, so she hoped.
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Caius Gawyne
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"Theory of the matter? Oh, for Fate's sake."

Caius laughed crudely, grinning at the blue-skinned woman who seemed easily flustered in his presence. He enjoyed that a little too much, it was true, if only because so many of her people seemed hard to reach, if only because it seemed like such a sarding challenge to get under their blue skin. It was refreshing, honestly, even after a few seasons in Viden, and it wasn't like Maebella was all that difficult to look at, blushing or not, "Propagation isn't—please, I can't even finish this sarding sentence with a straight face—sex can hardly be confined to a singular theory. Besides, the best part of proving a theory is the experimentation phase anyway. At least that's what my science friends tell me."

That was probably far too revealing about his less than proper opinions on the subject, and yet the young Gawyne was nothing if not unashamed while being crass about intimacy. Though he had his limits on the matter—he had enough etiquette to keep any details to himself. Rolling his eyes as he held the door, Caius chose to brush off the Eídisi's comment about something being wrong with her personally, inherently. It wasn't an uncommon feeling among intellectuals and creatives especially, a sort of personal paranoia about their own abilities to function, to measure up. He knew it well, even if he did his best to hide it beneath a calloused exterior. Everyone was flawed in some way or another, whether it was genetic or by choice,

"You summed up a night of drinking pretty sarding well for someone who's never been, Mae. And, sometimes, it's not enough to hear the truth from others, you know? I mean, bogs, we spend a lot of time reading and listening to lectures about that skitch, sure, but sometimes, you just have to experience it for yourself." Caius shrugged, watching her smug expression as he thoroughly soaked in the warmth from his coat through all his layers of clothing, the unspoken admission that he was, indeed, sometimes cold still not being said out loud. He'd come to understand that for all of his passion for intellectual pursuits, one of the reasons why he needed the creative arts in his life had to do with experience. He not only needed his artistic outlets to process the information he absorbed as if it was nutritious food, but he also found that creativity allowed him the hands-on experiences he tended to crave as an impulsive young man.

His serious, weighted question had struck a nerve, however, and he caught but a glimpse of shock before she looked away from him, attempting to hide behind her blue-tinted hair. The northern noble shoved his hands in the pockets of his thick wool coat, the halls warm as they walked through them, Caius navigating them toward their exit that would put them back outside and into the frozen city proper. He leaned a little, however, for Maebella's words began quietly, his normally blue eyes warmer, greener.

"100 arcs!" The young Gawyne's voice rang out against stone, incredulous. He almost didn't hear the rest of her much more emotional and important statements because he was terribly hung up on thoughts and imaginations best left unspoken when he considered any human at such an advanced age doing any such a—

No, just no. Not even going to go there.

He cleared his throat as a mental segue, expression still so amused in all the wrong ways, and attempted to give the Eídisi beside him his full attention, "When it comes to a relationship—friendship or otherwise—people either make an effort or they don't." Caius almost grumbled, mostly because he wasn't really as socially adept as his birthright required. Either he got along with people or he didn't, but he was the one who didn't make the effort once someone fell out of his social interest. You were either in or you weren't and the northern noble had no time or desire to make the effort to maintain something that wasn't stimulating or useful,

"I'll admit I don't know much about Eídisi other than my own experiences since I've been here, so my opinions are my own. You're few in number and don't show up much outside of Viden. But the humans here are sarding similar enough in some ways, that I tell myself I can make educated guesses. As for not being like everyone else? Who sarding cares? Sometimes, what makes you different isn't as bad as you think."

He'd hold the next door open, too, ushering them back into the cold Saun late afternoon, ready to lead them into town, even if the sudden rush of chilled air made him gasp for breath and blink for a moment. Caius offered another smile once recovered, however, warm like his still-green eyes, aware that he didn't have any tidbit of wisdom for her situation. He hardly had any sarcasm, either. He sarding didn't, and it was a strange feeling. He struggled with what to say for a few bits, annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. He'd let his mouth get ahead of him, as usual, and was now forced to deal with the results,

"Humans just lump you with the rest of your people, who are usually sarding rude, because no one likes the work it takes to see beyond the surface. Clearly, you're not that unlikable. I'm still talking to you, am I not?"

The young Gawyne laughed again, though it was his turn to look away, admitting that he had no issues with her company without the hint of a snide remark to follow it with something of an uncomfortable rarity. He mostly knew the way they were going, and so would lead them that way,

"You won't know who you get along with if you keep to yourself—Bogs! Don't even listen to me. I don't sarding practice what I proselytize."
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Maebella
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Although her face was darkened from the amount she was blushing and despite the fact that Caius' presence flustered her, Maebella managed to fix him with a cool look. "I didn't say anything about a singular theory. You take far too much pleasure in picking and choosing my words to mock. I wish you wouldn't do that," she commented petulantly, her gaze sharp and oddly triumphant as she looked to him again, a slight smirk curving her lips. "Of course experimentation is important. Were you under the impression that we were in favour of only ever having one sexual partner? Or is it more that no such thing had occurred to you personally? After all, if you have to be told that experimentation is the best part..." she left her sentence hanging with a shrug of her shoulder.

As the nobleman held the door for her, she nodded in polite recognition of the action. Despite what she'd said during their initial meeting, she could understand the appeal of having a door held for you. Of course she could hold the door herself, she wasn't incapable of doing so but it was nice for someone to take notice of her and apparently care enough to do it.

Sard him for rubbing off on me, she cursed him silently. Damn him for everything that he's doing to me.

Considering how her brother had treated drinking, the Eídisi couldn't deny that she was curious as to what all the fuss was about. If she reasoned it out then she knew that it was foolish to do it. There were plenty of potential cons of such an action but she also knew that her brother was no fool. The first time he'd gone drinking, he'd drank to excess and had paid for the recklessness of his action. After that one incident though, he had never been ill that way again. In fact, as far as she knew, he'd never gotten drunk again, instead getting tipsy at most. Provided that she was careful, it couldn't possibly turn out too badly... could it?

After she'd explained herself, she'd expected him to be sickeningly sympathetic or pitying of her. Instead, he managed to fixate on one little detail that he could delight in, finding humour in the oddest of things. She made a sound of disgust, head shaken from side to side as she rolled her eyes. "Eídisi live twice as long as humans. 100 arcs isn't the same for us as it is for you. I worry about your mind, I really do. That fixation... you should get that checked out, it seems unhealthy," she murmured with a sigh, eyeing him uncertainly. She had no idea what to make of the nobleman sometimes. If people thought that she was strange... well, he was a nicer kind of strange, that was for sure. Smart, attractive, humorous...

Focus, Maebella!

Her own self-reprimand and the way he cleared his throat drew her attention back to him. When he began talking though, there wasn't much chance of her getting distracted, his words leaving her rapt. The young woman gulped, wondering if he was going to blame her for everything that went wrong with her relationships. Did she make enough of an effort? No, probably not so she was as much to blame as anybody else, probably far more so. However, that didn't seem to be the line that he was following. In fact, he appeared to be trying to inject some positivity into the situation. She appreciated the sentiment but honestly, she cared a great deal what other people thought about her. Well, not everyone, true but that was a bit difficult to explain.

"I care, Caius," Maebella whispered, tucking hair behind her ear, a sad smile on her face. "I want to be recognised for my mind and what I can do with it, not..." she trailed off, allowing him to speak further; she wasn't yet ready to reveal what she'd unintentionally done. It was enough to make her heart ache at the thought of it, not quite able to forget how her father had acted towards her, her brothers sometimes and that time in school...

When he pointed out that she wasn't unlikable, she couldn't help but perk up a little in spite of her forlorn mood. The blush that she thought had been tamed made a reappearance, something it seemed oh so willing to do in his presence. If someone else had said that she wasn't unlikable - no, it wasn't precisely the same as being called likeable - then she probably would have scoffed at them. However, given that she had quite a bit of respect for the young man and considering his usually playful nature, she was ready to believe him now when he seemed to express the sentiment so seriously.

"Oh well, I don't know if that says much of anything. After all, you're a little peculiar yourself, Lord Gawyne," she teased, purposely bumping her arm against him as they walked, a more pronounced grin on her face this time. "I don't think that you're too bad yourself. After all, I haven't stopped talking to you yet, have I?" the Eídisi threw back with the slightest hint of a giggle. No, clearly only a slightly high laugh because she didn't giggle, no siree, not her. Mae certainly wasn't the giggling sort. The young woman gave an awkward little cough.

"So are you going to continue to pry into my life, Caius? I'm sure I can permit it seeing as my sort of curiosity is apparently rude whereas yours isn't it seems. Tell me, is that a matter of perspective, or is it a difference in tone? I suppose you took it ill when I suggested that you might be something... less than what you said you were and I can see the issue, I guess. I don't mind if you try to make some sort of scandalous judgement on me. You certainly can't come up with anything worse than I've had to listen to before," she remarked lightly

Her white eyes flicked to his face, a slightly tense and guarded look about her despite her tone.
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