• Closed • An Early Wedding Gift.

[Nir'wei]

12th of Vhalar.

The deep wounds in his left arm throbbed as he cut another strip of rope and used it to hogtie the last Oh-Deer carcass, stringing the seven of them together in a long train side-by-side. Traveller nudged him gently but he firmly pushed the Sohr Khal off, drawing another wince. "I'm fine." Left for a few trials, the wounds hadn't grown any better. Perhaps it was the fact that since receiving them in a rather ill-advised hunting venture, he'd only added to them instead of resting as he'd been advised. Dried over but still cracking with every movement, the long puckered wounds running down the entirety of his left forearm rubbed raw against the thin white shirt he'd thrown over that morning... and against his right forearm too for that matter, where a decently-sized hole was still wrapped in a loose bit of cloth, lest it start bleeding again the moment he pulled his right arm too close. A good deal of scrapes and cuts decorated his body under the loose clothes but those to his arms were the most concerning.

"You should have let someone in the Menagerie tend to those," Greyhide sighed, sitting at Nir'weis feet and shaking his head every time the raw wounds rubbed uncomfortably against his shirt and brought another sharp inhale. "They've been left undressed for far too long now. Who knows what can happen." Somewhere under his breath, barely audible but rather clear through their mental connection, he could hear the wolf muttering sourly, "You'd think with all we've been through, you'd put a little more effort into avoiding catching another illness." As if he could catch another incurable brain-rotting disease from a cut on his arm that a hamster could have inflicted!

Traveller was a large creature capable of carrying surprisingly large weights, despite his fragile-looking wings. Seven Oh-Deer corpses however was far too much to fly with, so the corpses had been strung together and pulled across his back, hanging down over the sides of his folded wings. In truth, he really needed a new cart to hook Malice up to. Short of harnessing the luck of Chrien and riding that monster, it was the only good he could put the horse to, and it at least gave him something better to do than sit in the stable kicking the door all day long. He wasn't even joking - the horse had taken a liking to venting his bottomless anger on the walls and doors of any stable he was put into, and being the sizeable steed he was, he could do a fair amount of damage when he really wanted to. For now, Traveller would have to do, though the Sohr Khal continued to nose at his side all the way into Scalvoris Town, a mixture of grumbling at the weight and concerned noises for the stinging pain still coursing through both arms.

He wasn't sure what reaction he expected as he weaved patiently between loaded wagons and colourful types roaming the Scalvoris Town streets on his way to the Academy Campus, but then again, he'd still not really come to terms with the odd looks earned from a Sohr Khal trailing at his side, long tail trailing behind it and whipping about just fast enough to earn a wide berth even after they'd passed through. "If I remember correctly... he's an astronomer? Astrologer? Err. One of the two." He scratched his head, trying to remember the difference. "The sciency one. If he's anywhere, he'll be here." He'd heard next to nothing about Faith's lover... the one that he was going to watch marry his friend at some point later that season. What interested him, from the very little he'd heard from Faith and whatever else he'd gathered from anyone who knew the name, was that he was a rather intelligent lad... and a damn good alchemist. "Uhhh. Greyhide, would you mind?" As they stopped short of the round building, the wolf nodded and trotted ahead, earning even more confused stares as he set about hunting down Faith's scent... and with any luck, finding this mystery man by proxy.

[Padraig]

It was just another ordinary trial for Padraig at the university. Or at least as ordinary as any trial ever was. With any number of events large or small that could disrupt even the best laid plans in an instance, it was all relative anyway. He was in his office alone with the door left open to the hallway. It was a large office with good light courtesy a high row of windows. He'd lucked out though. Offices with windows, with a good view, were usually reserved for those higher in station than him. Or at least for those who'd been there longer.

For Nir'wei and his unusual crew, the professor and scholar wouldn't be difficult to find, though there was asking that needed to be done along the way. The staff and students at the university were generally friendly and helpful. Though it had to be said, had Nir'wei chosen to bring them inside with him, some individuals would give him a wide berth as they shifted directions abruptly or at least wove a wide, cautious path around the strange trio. Other, bolder folk might look down their noses, past their spectacles with disapproval and tight lipped expressions, just short of demanding that the beasts be left outdoors.

Still, eventually he'd discover that professor Augustin's office was on the third floor, to the left, near the end of the curving hall. Nameplate was on the door. When he got there, the door was open and the office on the other side was large and well lit with polished wood floors and walls, a stone ceiling and hearth. Shelves monopolized two walls nearly completely, loaded with books and scrolls. There was a large mahogany desk in front of one window while a large telescope was positioned in front of another. Off to the side was a sitting area with a low table, and there were maps and scrolls scattered across its surface. Star maps mostly, but also maps of the known world.

Instead of appearing to be studying those maps and scrolls though, the man Nir'wei was looking for was busy rolling each of them up, binding them and placing them into leather tubes. Without looking up to see who was there, he frowned slightly at sensing it and uttered, "Little late don't you think? Over a break in fact and I've written off your tutoring lesson. Reschedule another one for a later date," he suggested. Apparently then it was up to Nir'wei to identify himself as not the struggling student who'd failed to show for his tutoring lesson.

[Nir'wei]

Bringing Traveller into the building itself would have been a horrible mistake, not just because the Sohr Khal's hulking form couldn't possibly fit through the double-doors. Even outside they were earning more than a few stares from those walking around the courtyard. "Traveller, stay." He turned to follow Greyhide inside and Traveller moved to follow. "Hey! I said stay! Come on, you know you're not going to fit." The beast grunted sourly and made several noises that could have been muffled grumbles of complaint. He still tried to follow Nir'wei wherever he went, trying to squeeze into every building through a door or a window. "Alright, now. Stay." He turned a second time, but this time he stopped for an entirely different reason. "Uhhh. You've got something... on your leg." Of course there were plenty that took interest in the arrival of a Sohr Khal, but one scholar had apparently taken leave of his senses as he boldly stepped forward and ran his hand over Traveller's right leg, exclaiming over its texture.

Without turning his head a fraction, that long whip-like tail coiled and lashed out, stopping just short of striking the young man on the back of his hand. He jumped back with a yelp of fright - and a look of indignation, of all things! - and Nir'wei coughed pointedly into his fist until he looked up from rubbing his undamaged hand. "He's not an exhibit."

Finally he headed inside, leaving Traveller standing to the side of the door, propped back on his haunches. Greyhide walked ahead at first, but when it became clear that he was starting to earn some odd looks and the odd disapproving stare, he took the nearest opportunity to slip around a corner and dematerialise into his spirit form. Nir'wei wasn't a scholar and certainly didn't look the part, but he at least found it easier to talk to staff when they didn't give him an immediate wide berth. "Padraig?" one of them muttered when he inquired. "Err. Hmm." The man, a teacher he could only assume, looked perplexed for some reason. "You wouldn't happen to mean Professor Augustin, would you?" He shrugged wordlessly. Faith had mentioned he was intelligent, a scholar at heart, but a professor? "I'm afraid he's quite busy, but if you really do need to see him, he should be in his office."

What an office it was, at that, he thought when he finally found the blasted thing and stepped cautiously through the open door. "Uhm. Sorry, I don't think we've met yet." He still wasn't entirely sure this was the man he was looking for, for that matter. It wasn't like Faith to discuss her beloved's facial features with him, nor did ever come up in casual conversation. "I'm looking for..." he trailed off, thinking on the best way to word this. "A woman called Faith told me that a man called Padraig worked here. I'm Nir'wei." He took another step into the room and without warning Greyhide materialised, though the wolf at least had the decency to quickly slunk off to sniff at some of the old books and scrolls in the corner, out of the way. "Don't worry about him, he's tame and clean. Sorry."

[Padraig]

He'd been buried in maps and star charts and lists of data to the extent that not even the voice broke through Padraig's current fixation. Or at least not the voice itself, as it was an unfamiliar one that didn't strike a chord of recognition. The words however, did break the focus. Haven't met yet implied that that perhaps they might or should have. It was enough and Padraig straightened and looked towards his visitor, just in time for an enormous wolf to stroll past him and make itself at home.

The scholar didn't flinch, only tracked the creature with a curious glance. He wasn't a stranger to extra large wolves, or familiars either. Long as the thing didn't hike a leg up on the corner of his desk or gobble up one of his important papers, it was no bother. The man looked a little out of place, he thought as he turned his attention back to Nir'wei. He smiled however. There were all sorts to be found in these halls of learning. And then he understood where that sense of knowing but not knowing had come from, when the man introduced himself.

Smiling again, he beckoned Nir'wei in. "You've found him," he said. "But please, call me Padraig. Only my fellow professors and students address me otherwise. I feel we should know each other already. At any rate it's long overdue. Faith's told me a great deal about you already. Well met," he said, and smiled again as he extended his hand. "I should apologize for the mess. My office is usually more tidy but I'm just gathering up some resources for an expedition at the end of season."

"And," he added as a way to explain his earlier remarks, "I have a student who's failed to show for his lessons, so have found myself with a clear schedule for the rest of the trial. Nothing else to do but sort through what I've sorted already. So what brings you here?" he asked, offering Nir'wei a seat if he was looking for one.

[Faith Augustin]

It was a strange series of coincidences which led Faith to be making her way down the corridor towards Padraig's office. A student had turned up at her office, looking rather disheveled and out of breath. Then, a most bizarre string of events had led to her making her way to Padraig's door. Once she got there, sheaf of papers in hand, Faith heard that he had someone in there with him. Should she wait, she wondered, but then it could be another academic and that could lead to her standing around out here for bits. She was reading the top of the papers and she tapped on the door.

"Professor Augstin? I'm sorry to interrupt you," she said, her voice the formal and quiet one which meant that she knew someone else was in here with him. Faith had a frown of concentration on her face as she read the paper in her hands whilst talking. She was in the middle of something, or had been, when the student had arrived and she needed to finish reading this before her next lecture. "You student, Charles? He turned up at my office looking for you but he..." She lifted her eyes then from the parchment and took in the scene in front of her. At which Faith's face burst into a wide grin and she moved in to the room.

"Nir'wei! Oh, it's good to see you!" She moved over to her friend and she hugged him. Her pregnancy was still fairly unnoticeable, although when she hugged him the bump was evident. "What are you doing here? Hello, Greyhide, how are you?" Each of the animals with him she greeted, one at a time and then she moved over to Padraig and grinned. "This is Nir'wei. You know that, though. It's messy in here, what are you doing?"

Come to that, she wondered, what was Nir'wei doing here? Faith glanced between the two of them and smiled. Two of her favourite people in the same room was a delight to the young woman, it had to be said. Then, she explained. "Charles, he was running a temperature. He has a fever of some kind. I treated him and got him packed off to the Order. But, that's why he's not here." Faith was a little concerned, but he was in good hands now. "So, what are you two up to?" She looked between the two of them and smiled, her hand slipping into Padraig's.

[Nir'wei]

So that was why everyone had sent him here. Faith had never mentioned his last name, or any kind of academic title... or the fact that he was a professor! For a short moment he'd worried they'd all misinterpreted his request. "Well met indeed... must admit, I'd hoped to meet much sooner than this, almost from the first time Faith told me about you." Even that had been little more than an offhand remark, if he remembered correctly. She'd never been one to kiss and tell, so it wasn't that surprising, but still! "Other things got in the way, though." He couldn't quite be sure if she'd told him about the... condition.

He took the offered hand in a firm grip, even sharing a chuckle as he shook it. "Ha! Don't know if you noticed, but I'm hardly one to judge on messiness." His plain clothes still bore rips and tears from his hunting ventures; the scraps of bandages wrapped around both forearms had red blotches marking them from where blood still seeped through, and dirt and grime still clung to his clothes around the legs and back where he'd fallen. He wished he had an office to mess up like this! Or a house for that matter. Living out of a tent was a blessing when it came to travelling around but it could be a royal pain when he just wanted to sit down at a table like a normal person when he ate, take a nap in a real bed with a mattress when he slept... and wash his clothes and take baths instead of washing up at streams and rivers.

"Ahh! Yes, yes. I got an invitation from Faith earlier in the arc - I had no idea you two were getting married! I had to come and offer my congratulations to you both, and I--" Mid-sentence, half-way into the seat he'd offered, he turned to the door as it opened and no less than Faith herself stumbled in! Immediately he rose once again to wrap her in a warm hug, Greyhide padding over during their embrace to butt his head against her leg until she gave him the attention he demanded. "Ha, I was just saying... yeah, I already pointed it out. Don't worry, we've already introduced ourselves." He untangled himself to let her take her rightful place next to her husband, while he attempted to take his seat for a second time. "Anyway, back to what I was saying. I got your invitation Faith, and I just had to come and offer congratulations to you both, and to celebrate I--"

Something thumped loudly outside, and the room seemed to shake just a little. Not enough to rattle the papers, thank the Immortals, but enough to give pause. He swore he could even hear noises coming from outside; a commotion starting amongst the academics, rising to exclamations and yells. Normally that wouldn't have ruffled him, but as of late, they'd come more and more often whenever he went anywhere, especially when he took... oh no. "Oh SHIT." Abandoning the comfort of a well-padded chair he rushed around Padraig's desk and headed straight for the window, trying to be as careful as he could with the telescopes and equipment set up there. It wouldn't matter anyway, as a second, louder rumble shook everything in the room a little more noticeably... and suddenly a giant Sohr Khal's head was staring at them all through the window.

"TRAVELLER GET OFF!" The Sohr Khal had grown bored sitting around outside, or frustrated at the people that stared at him, often venturing too close for comfort to stroke his wings or tail; possibly thinking him property of the university, a specimen or something similar. Therefore he'd decided he'd rather rear himself up and try to peek through the windows to see if he could find Nir'wei. The third floor was a little too high for him to reach from the ground of course, so he'd grabbed the wall and tried climbing... gods, he really hoped he'd not left claw-marks. "Get down! DOWN! No no no, don't... Immortals above!" He turned back to the couple blushing a beet-red. "I'm so sorry, if there's any damages I swear I'll handle them. For now... it might not be safe for this building if I'm in it, so would you mind following me outside so I can give you your wedding gift? It's a bit early I know, but I really didn't want it to spoil and... y'know what, just follow me. You'll understand when you see it."

Holding open the office door for them both and rushing down the stairs perhaps a little more hurriedly than necessary, Greyhide in tow with an annoying sense of amusement, he stepped back out of the university and was immediately assaulted by Traveller and his giant snout pushing into his side like a massive puppy demanding attention. "I was gone all of five bits! You can't climb after me every time I walk into a house, you certainly can't try and follow me inside, and you NEVER try and climb onto it again! I know you're worried but you're going to end up crushing me one of these days..." he grumbled to Traveller while climbing up his side and loosening the bundle of Oh-Deer corpses, letting them topple to the ground before the pair in a mound when they made it outside. "Ta-dah!"

[Padraig]

Having just offered Nir'wei a seat, after he'd managed to clear one off for his guest, Padraig realized that Faith was nearby before she arrived at his door. It was the nature of their connection, that he was somehow convinced would be there, marks and Immortals' favor or no. But aware that he wasn't alone, he also wasn't surprised when she first used his formal title to address him. Smiling, he turned her way, just as a spark of recognition lit her eyes. "You're not," he said with a grin before she'd even touched on the topic of his missing student.

First of course there was a reunion between friends as she recognized Nir'wei and greeted his large companion. "An organized mess," he argued, grinning again when she mentioned the chaos made of books, scrolls and star charts. "I know where everything is. Move a thing and I'll never find it again. Since I had the extra time on my hands, I thought I'd go through this all again, make sure I don't leave anything behind when the time comes."

But when she took his hand and explained what had become of Charles, the student in question, he nodded. "Well that explains it then. He's never failed to show for his previous lessons. In that case I'll be happy to reschedule him." As for what they were up to, perhaps it was better for Nir'wei to explain. They hadn't quite gotten that far. "Thank you," he said, smiling when the other man offered his congratulations. "We're very happy..." But then it was as far as he got before chaos seemed to erupt outside the window.

It was something he'd never expected to see at any rate. Some enormous, strange creature peering through his office window. "What on Idalos is that?" he said. But then his most pressing concern was for his telescope that had been placed there. It might look like a sturdy thing to those not familiar, but it and all its parts were actually a highly tuned and in some ways delicate instrument. Being sent crashing to the floor would at least destroy the mirror, if not the rest of it.

While Nir'wei contended with the creature, Padraig made haste to move the telescope out of harm's way. "No harm done," he replied, once he'd saved the thing. At least no harm done in his own office. He couldn't speak for what might have gone on outdoors. A gift though? Well maybe it would be better, were they to regroup outdoors. So happy to agree, he took Faith's friend and accompanied Nir'wei downstairs and out the doors.

What he didn't expect though, was what was dropped at their feet. Nir'wei's expression implied that this in fact was the gift in question, and Padraig wore a bit of a confounded frown, and quirked a brow in response. The man had brought them corpses as a wedding gift? "Oh," he exclaimed, belatedly..."I don't think I've seen anything like that before." Never hunted much, he meant, but otherwise he turned a smile on Faith, hoping she'd step in since he seemed to be at a temporarily loss for words.

[Faith Augustin]

For just a moment, a split trill, Faith looked at Padraig and her smile changed entirely from the formal, quiet and serious young woman to delight at the sight of him. She wasn't interrupting him, apparently and then when why that was so became apparent, Faith's smile turned to a grin as she moved over to hug her friend. She loved Nir'wei like a brother, there was no doubting it and Padraig had been more than aware of just how worried about him, and about failing him, she had been when he had been ill. She was more than happy to fuss all the animals, which she loved doing and was happy to spend some time with the very serious business of scratching behind Greyhide's ear. "You're so beautiful. Magnificent is the word, I think."

They moved over to sit together, though and Nir'wei offered his congratulations. Faith felt the pleasure and delight at the thought of being married to Padraig, of standing in front of their friends and making official was was already true. It bubbled inside her and she leaned against him, slightly, as he said that they were very happy. She was about to add her own enthusiastic addition to that when something very odd indeed happened outside.

Faith stepped backwards slightly, her hand moving to a protective gesture over her stomach. Padraig legged it over to his telescope and Nir'wei yelled. "This is Traveller? Wow. He's beautiful!" Faith glanced at Padraig and raised an eyebrow slightly. He knew her well enough to know that she had a love of animals which she'd not known about until she was free. Mistral, Tristan's evil cat, had most certainly not been what caused it.

She chuckled, then nodded at Nir'wei. "Alright, we'll meet you down there." Nir'wei sped out but Faith walked more slowly, holding on to Padraig's hand. She glanced at him and smiled as they walked together, then whispered, "you know, I think you'd look very handsome, majestic even, riding one of those." Her face was apparently serious when she muttered to herself. "And I do have to make sure that my next gift for you is even better than the telescope, don't I? Hmmm." She was teasing him, there was no doubt, but she enjoyed it.

And then, in true Nir'wei style, he dropped corpses on the floor. Faith looked at them and then realised what they were. "Oh, I've cooked these in the restaurant. They're Oh-Deer? Oh... oh, they are interesting creatures. They make a strange noise that invokes fear, apparently and they have glowing eyes. Armoured skin, too." Faith moved over and kissed Nir'wei on the cheek. He was a hunter and he had hunted these for them as a gift. "Thank you. You're such a thoughtful man, it's very appreciated." And actually, in fairness, now that she came to think about it. "I can cook wonderful things with the meat, and you can create wonderful things with the parts," she said to Padraig and grinned, delightedly.

[Nir'wei]

It was difficult holding in the smile around those two. He'd never seen them together in the same room before, but now he could only wonder why in Idalos they didn't get married sooner. They were adorable! "Oh, hah, right. Yes, that's Traveller... and yes, he's very beautiful." He was glad neither of them could see how he blushed from pride at that comment while he turned for the door, even though he really had no right to. "I'm surprised you haven't seen one before, Padraig. It's a Sohr Khal... err, heh, my Sohr Khal." It still felt so strange thinking about Traveller as 'his'. Owning a wolf and an otter never struck him as odd because those were normal things that people owned, even if Greyhide really had never been owned by him... he'd stuck around of his own free will, given the choice to return to the wilderness. The same for Malice; he'd never owned Malice and both he and the horse knew it. At the same time, he couldn't really be sure if he owned Traveller... the Sohr Khal had simply taken a liking to him, and he to it. "Don't worry, he's perfectly friendly and loves kids."

Greyhide padded behind the couple, bringing up the rear instead of sprinting off ahead with Nir'wei mostly to see if he could earn any more praise and ear-scratching from Faith on the way down. "Oh boy," he muttered through their mental connection, "have I got something to tell you later." Honestly, that wolf could be extremely nosy when he wanted to be... though granted, a good deal of the things he overheard tended to be really juicy, or important... or best of all, both.

Not that it mattered now. He had wedding gifts to hand out! Once again Padraig seemed rather dumbfounded... likely not helped by how Traveller immediately loomed over them both, sniffing Faith's hair and looking Padraig in the face with one gigantic yellow eye before Nir'wei ducked under his chin and shoved him away to give them both a little more personal space... and haul one of the Oh-Deer corpses closer, just enough to see the massive scratch marks left in its side from where a Sohr Khal had rather clearly plummeted onto it from above and snapped its spine on impact. "Yes! Oh-Deer. I was out roaming the Sweetvine Woods and came across a few... I must admit I'm not much of an academic myself so I wasn't sure what to offer you that you probably hadn't already seen before," he said to Padraig, "and Immortals above knows you've got everything you need already," he chuckled for Faith while he returned the kiss on the cheek, "so I gave what I could."

"The meat, I've been told, takes weeks to spoil and I'm sure is a rare treat for you to prepare and cook, Faith... and Padraig... she's right, armoured skin. Fought them myself and couldn't get a single arrow to stick, but as you can see," he said with a grunt as he hefted up the stout stag to show the tears in its body, "once it died, its hide became... well, ordinary, if thicker than normal. It's a complete mystery, how it can change its hide to become as strong as... well, with the way my arrows bounced off it like nothing, honestly it looked like it was strong as steel. I was thinking, if you make this stuff into a coat, or a shirt, or anything at all... and if you found a way to keep it permanently armoured, or even find a way to activate it manually, using a handy dose of science and some alchemy... well, think of the possibilities!"

"That said, I caught seven in total and kept the whole bodies, blood, internal organs, everything I could salvage. They're all yours... although, if it's not too much trouble, if you find out the way to make an armoured coat out of these things, mind making one for me as well? Heh, I'd be happy to pay, although I doubt I can bring down any more to bring back for you... those things really did a number on me the first two times." For the first time he raised his arms to show off the shoddy blood-stained bandages wrapped around both forearms. "Either way. I'm no tailor, but seven whole pelts... I think that should be more than enough for a good few outfits each, full suits if you really wanted to go that far. What do you think, huh? Come on, be honest!"

[Padraig]

Clearly Faith was much more familiar with the two visitors to his office than Padraig was. But while he might not have expected the over sized wolf, she'd spoken with him a number of times about Nir'wei and her concerns about what was plaguing her friend. And the sense of determination that came with it. Very like her, and Padraig was glad to see their reunion and could only assume that the man's situation was much improved. Not so much his office, or the outside of the university building, should that enormous creature outdoors have its way, and find a way indoors.

The wolf on the other hand was a magnificent creature, and he knew how fond of animals Faith was. He lived in a constant, if fond state of not knowing on any given trial if he might return home to discover another 'pet' had been added to their already sufficient collection. Right, better that they should reconvene downstairs and outdoors. "Walking, I think, suits me just fine," he whispered to Faith, wearing a grin, when she suggested that a new mount might be in order.

Lucky for him, Faith immediately recognized what the creatures were that Nir'wei deposited at their feet. It could be argued that Padraig spent more than a sufficient amount of time indoors, teaching, research, his head buried in books or in some cases looking up at the night sky but very little time hiking through the woods taking in the scenery and its inhabitants. Certainly not hunting. Oh-Deer? He couldn't help but grin wider when Faith identified the things. Silly name for what he'd heard was a pretty dangerous creature. Of course while somewhat amused, he had to admit to being a little unnerved by the large yellow eye, eyeball to eyeball, blinking, watching and curious as could be. Friendly though, apparently, just as promised.

But the possibilities? In response to Nir'wei's description, the possibilities he raised, Padraig became increasingly intrigued. "I think you may be on to something here." In regards to alchemy, that was. "I might study a sample of the hide, maybe identify any markers that distinguish it from other hides from ordinary deer. If I can isolate something, there may be a way to trigger it once again." Was it possible? Well he supposed that anything was. "Thank you Nir'wei. Truly. It's very generous, and brave too without a doubt." As for what he might be able to do with the hides? "If I can find a way to do it, you'll be the first recipient of a new set of clothing," he promised.