• Closed • Beginning of the Beginning (Modded)

[Rey'na]

32nd Ymiden, 718

Silence filled the room around her.

Rey'na had debated this decision since the season had begun, when the girl had decided that the elements was what she wanted to try and do. Yet despite warnings of how hard this task would be, the girl was adamant that there was no other way. Sure, she might sign up to the footsoldiers. Or perhaps she would ride a mount and use range to her advantage. But whichever she did, it didn't matter to Rey'na. This path was the primary one, the one that allowed her to finally protect people.
Rey'na worked for Pier and Pre, killing anyone they needed, meaning many bad men and women died. But that was only half the problem resolved. Killing the villains didn't matter if you couldn't stop the innocents from dying to begin with, and that was exactly what Abrogation would give her. A magic to counter other magic, to provide fields of protective energy around people and herself. It was perfect.

Now that she was part of the elements, however, it was time for the hardest part. She had been told that Abrogation, while powerful, came with a difficult task to obtain it. Magical energy used to kill you, with a spark resting in you to try and protect yourself. If you were successful, you lived. But if you weren't, you died. Death, however, didn't scare the girl. Failure did.
As she sat patiently in the room, waiting on the floor kneeling, the door opened behind her. Standing, she glanced over to the three that entered. One, she knew, was an Abrogant. He was the man that had promised to teach her in the practice, to train her to defend Scalvoris and all of its inhabitants. But she had seen nothing of the other two before, knew nothing of them. All she could assume was that they were elements.

Patiently, and with a nervous smile, the girl waited for her orders.

[Pegasus]

"Send her in," Archibald said to the woman who was working as a temporary receptionist and she did just that. Quietly, almost meekly, the woman went out and smiled to the young girl there. She seemed young - very much so and Ruth wondered if Archie was sure.

"Rey'na?" Ruth knew it was her, but she asked it like a question anyhow. "Element Harthoth will see you now."

Assuming Rey'na went where she was sent to, it was a small and neat office with the door already open. As she approached, he watched her and his eyebrows knitted together in a frown. In truth, although she did not know it, he had watched her before now. Something about this young woman struck him and he was sure that she would be what he was looking for. "Come in. Sit." His voice was a deep baritone and he did not smile at her. Yet, his eyes seemed at once both piercing and kind.

"I am Archibald Harthoth. If you're going to laugh, do so now and not again." Was he joking with her? It was hard to tell but he sat back and he gestured that she should be comfortable. "They've told you that you are getting initiated, that you will soon have magic, but it will be difficult and it might hurt, well let me tell you. That isn't true. None of that is true."

Looking at her, he raised an eyebrow. "If I asked you to marry me, here and now, would you?" He seemed to be entirely serious. "Would you commit to a lifelong commitment with me, to entwine our futures together for all our trials?" Leaning forward in his seat, he clasped his hands together and asked her, again. "Would you? Because that is what an initiation is. It is the joining of two souls in a relationship deeper than most mortals can comprehend. So you tell me, Rey'na," his eyes seemed to bore into her soul.

"Would you marry me?" There was nothing joking about him, no levity or brevity to his gaze. "Because marriage is easier to walk away from. So I will not be initiating you to-trial. Nor for some time. Because we, girl, are going to engage in some courting, so to speak. You have promise, potential. I can taste it," He could, it was true. "But lets see what happens when that infatuation dies down. From now, you work with me."

[Rey'na]

As the woman arrived, Rey stood herself up. Was this to be her teacher, she wondered? Once the receptionist spoke, however, she realized that this wasn't going to be the person Initiating her - but instead was a man called Harthoth. At least his surname was such, she could only assume. Everyone bar one man she had met in the Elements addressed themselves with their surname.
With a small nod, the girl followed after the woman before being sent in to a small office, spotting the man behind his desk and smiling politely. As she entered the room, she bowed her head, before following his order to sit. As his kind but sharp eyes watched her, Rey sat upright in the chair, keeping herself upright in posture. Her time spent with nobility in Rynmere had taught her a little, and how to sit politely and act politely in front of superiors was a big part of it. After all, she had to go to formal events and pretend to fit in. Being polite was all a part of the job.

"I...I do not understand what there is to laugh at?" she spoke, confused. Was he implying she should laugh at him, or perhaps his name? As a statement it seemed out of place, and not one she would normally comment on. Yet it seemed almost insulting to stay quiet, especially if the man was expecting a laugh aimed at him. With his gesture, the girl eased down her shoulders a little, but her back stayed upright. It was perhaps a habit now, but she felt wrong acting informal in the presence of new people. As if they would suddenly know of her status as a low-born of Rynmere.
Then he told her that none of what she was told being true, followed by a strange question. Would she marry him, tying their lives together for the rest of eternity. Of course, the girl had never thought of it. Usually, she thought, a few more dates would occur before that question came up. But he soon explained, that being initiated is similar to a commitment of that kind, and it suddenly made sense. With the sharing of their magic, they would be sharing their soul - quite literally she had been told.

"No, I would not marry you. Not yet" she admitted, looking to the man. Perhaps it was not the answer he wanted to hear, but it was the truth and that was exactly what she would tell him - just the truth. It would hurt her in the long run to lie to the man, after all, if they were going to have such a commitment together. "Not until I got to know you, and knew that my life was in the hands of someone worth putting it in the hands of - and that they could think the same of me."
Courting then came up, and was apparently what the two would be doing. All of this, Rey thought, was a little strange. But it didn't matter the steps. So long as Rey'na had the power and knowledge to take care of people, especially those she loved, then she would endure it - perhaps even try to enjoy it. Sitting up a little more, the girl looked in to Harthoth's eyes, meeting his gaze with a small smile, trying to hide the nerves.

"Alright, then what would you like me to do?"

[Pegasus]

"Well, as charming as I am, I'm glad to hear it," he said, when she told him that she wouldn't marry him. Not yet? One bushy eyebrow raised at that and he nodded. "So, it seems to me that you are as sensible and well considered as I thought." Whether that was because she wouldn't marry him, or because she wouldn't marry him yet he did not say.

What did he want her to do? It had to be said that a brief but very definite grin flashed across his face. "Should I send you home to darn my socks? Prepare my meal?" He chuckled at the serious young woman. "What you should do, Rey'na, is tell me about yourself. Those skills you have, what you desire to learn. What excites you, delights you and what makes you wake screaming at night." His eyes locked with her. "Tell me who you are, who you have been and who you will become." With or without him, that was.

Sitting back he gestured to where there was equipment for so doing and a low stove. "And if you want to make a cup of tea, it never goes amiss. Never."

He sat back and he watched her, avidly, like he was examining something very important. His gaze was stern and appraising. "And feel free to ask me any questions you wish. I'll feel free to answer them, or not." He was quiet then and, as she spoke, he listened.

Off Topic

Ok. So we're going to do something a little different here.
I am giving you "surface" control of the NPC here for 2 x solo threads.
In both threads, he and Rey'na are going to be on a patrol / on the job.
He will use only non-magic skills and he will take a background role, in order to see how she handles herself.
Please tag me to review them.
While you are doing that, we'll continue this thread!

[Rey'na]

At the mans compliment, Rey let a small smile spread across her face, relaxing a little. Nerves were taking some toll on the girl. After all, she'd come hear expecting her life to be risked in a dangerous and potentially lethal initiation, and first she had to work for what could be her last day. While she had no issue with doing so if it meant she could save Scalvoris from whatever attacked it, working with a stranger was nerve-wracking at the best of times, especially when they were as bold as this man.
As Rey thought of how bold he was, the man chuckled at his own joke, asking whether he should make her do common chores. Admittedly, the girl would do it should it be asked of her. But there was only so much she could take before it would drive her to a breaking point. She was here to become an Element of Scalvoris, a soldier that can fight and defend the island and all of its inhabitants. Fortunately, that isn't what he asked of her. Instead, he asked what seemed to be a simple question - and yet proved to be one that was hard to answer.

Getting up and walking to the stove, the girl started working on some tea for the man. "My primary skills are in poison, admittedly. Using it and curing it, as well as creating new ones. It's something I was taught a lot about in Rynmere. I can also dance pretty well, and make good use of a spear. But that's about it" she started, watching the water as it boiled. "As for what I want to learn - to protect people. To fight better. I get excited at the idea of protecting people and I wake screaming at night from the fear that I can't, though I count myself lucky to sleep at night."
Then she started to pour the tea, before bringing it over to the man and sitting back down and looking him in the eyes, to show him she was telling the truth. "I worked for Lisirra when I was younger, because she saved me, and when I realized she wasn't the kind of person that I wanted to associate myself with anymore I fled to Desnind. Moseke cured me of my so-called 'blessing', after keeping me in a dungeon for more trials than I could count, and then I came here. Now I work for Pier and Pre, trying to redeem myself of every mistake I ever made."

"As such, I plan on training with the Elements to act as a protector. Any way I can save people, I will" she confessed, finally glancing down at her hands. It wasn't often she told people of her past, not from shame but from fear. If they knew who she was and what she had done, she could be locked away for life. Innocents had died at her hand, been killed by her. Yet here she was intending on becoming a hero, trying to save lives. For most, the story seemed almost impossible. Yet it had happened.

"That's what drives me every morning...what drives you?"

[Pegasus]

She spoke of her skills, of what she did and what she had done and Archie looked at her intently. He didn't interrupt, didn't ask questions, he just let her talk. She told the truth of what she had experienced, she didn't paint herself in a particularly positive light, either. If he was the kind of man who would judge her for what she had been, then he would be doing it now and then this meeting would be over. But he was not that kind of person, not at all and he simply listened.

Accepting the tea from her with a nod, the quiet "thank you" were the only words he spoke while she unburdened her story. When she had finished, he put down the beverage she'd made for him and he looked at her. He was quiet for a moment and she might start to wonder whether he was going to answer her question.

"Guilt," he said finally. "Guilt is what drives me. Each night I fall asleep and know that I have not done enough to save my soul. That I never can." His eyes met hers and he was entirely serious, and his gaze on her was honest. "And every morning I determine that, if I can never put it right, I can try." He shrugged slightly and then pushed his cup back over to her. "Lisirra you say? Poisons? That explains the tea, girl, it's vile. If you want to kill me, do it more humanely than that."

Then, of all things, he asked her. "Do you cook, Rey'na? Better than you make tea, I hope." He might seem to be focused on domsticity, but he continued his question, explaining it. "I think basic survival skills are important for any of us. We'll do a patrol, go out on a hunt or go fishing, lady's choice, and then I'll cook our catch and teach you some theory." He didn't seem inclined to getting up yet, though, instead choosing to sit back and look at her, then ask her something which perhaps seemed odd - or, maybe, didn't. "You have family? Friends? People you love?" Or, he added, who loved her. Not grateful recipients of her tea making skill, he added, but who genuinely loved her. "Mind you," he considered dryly, "anyone who drinks that much voluntarily must really love you."

Off Topic

Thank you for the two threads! Speedy you got them done between posts!
Same drill - solo for you with him. This time, pick a domestic skill and same deal. You have "surface" control of him - he'll be trying to teach her some fieldcraft / hunting / survival skills. Might be anything from Navigation to Trap Making - that's up to you. But she'll discover that he's good at it. He's wanting to see how she responds in a different environment.

Thanks!

[Rey'na]

Rey'na kept her eyes on the man as he spoke to her, answering the question she had waited a long pause to hear the answer to. Guilt. It seemed a lot of people were driven by it, Rey thought to herself. Small glimmers of pain came over her eyes as she kept them focused on his as he spoke of his attempt at redemption. It was a feeling the girl knew all too well, one that she had felt many times in the past and present. Knowing you may never make up for what you have done but trying to anyway - that was exactly why she was here. This might be her chance.
"I'm sorry, I usually stick to coffee" she admitted, sighing as she took the tea away from the man. It was, she had to admit, why she didn't make herself any. Primarily because she didn't like tea too much, but also because of her inability to make it. She wasn't going to put herself through that, and had he not asked she wouldn't have put him through that either. But she wasn't one to turn down what her boss said, and prayed that this time it had been blessed by some Immortal. It hadn't.

"No, I don't cook. Not much. Not anymore" she sighed, remembering the days she had cooked with Fridgar in their cabin in the woods. She had once, she remembered fondly, cooked a rabbit and forgot to skin it first. Before then she had relied purely on other people cooking, going to taverns and bars to get her meals and eating there. After all, her specialty was poison, not cooking. Fortunately, she had yet to mix up the two unknowingly.
"Fishing could be fun, I've never done it before but I always wanted to" she confessed. When she was much younger she had known a fisherman in low town that had told her she could go fishing with him. Sadly, he died a fairly horrific death while Rey'na was a teenage girl, though it hadn't phased her much. Death in low town was a common occurrence, after all.

"I have my sister, Faith Nardovino. I have two Immortals that I adore, though I don't think love would be what they feel for me" she admitted, her eyes looking at him with a serious look. "But I love them. And Sephira, we're friends too. But that's about it."

[Pegasus]

Rey'na

Overview

I am really enjoying writing in this kind of thread - it seems to be working out really well for you and I both! I love how you're just running with the story. I'm going to start us a new thread after your solos, where they will continue the getting to know each other stuff and it will follow the same format. Well done and thank you for rolling with all the curve balls!

Points

XP: 15 (not for magic)

Renown: 5 Being seen with your new teacher

Loot

None

Knowledge

Cooking: Even something as simple as tea can be ruined.
Discipline: Patience is hard
Discipline: Sitting still when you want to be moving
Discipline: Nerves can keep you on edge
Etiquette: How to behave around your boss
Etiquette: Can be applied to both nobility and military
Persuasion: I wouldn't marry you - yet.
Persuasion: Calmly give in when someone has something you want.
Persuasion: I am good at this - not at that.
Tactics: Death is not to be fearful of. Failure is.

NPC: Archibald: Your new partner
NPC: Archibald: Proposed to you
NPC: Archibald: A mage