Uncognito Reintroductions (Hadrian)

[Venidus Larkspur]

2nd of Fall – 511 AV Venidus sulked through Ravok’s pathways as usual. The Symenestra went over bridges and other such passages with no destination or place in mind. It was just like every other monotonous and awful day in the dark city, but he had no complaints. His mind was blank and his heart empty, but he clung to hope that the new season had offered. Though it had been only two days since summer’s end and things were much the same, there was a magic that the changing on the seasons offered. So even though filled with much the same despair, a slight optimism could be observed in his demeanor. Things will be better. I will accomplish things this season... I will be somebody. I will bring change! Vice will weep as justice rejoices because of me... Every step was more confident and every moment loosened the scowl etched into his face. Perhaps this transformation should have taken place on the first, but he had slept most of the first and, when he awoke, stayed in his room. He had apparently missed the magic of the new season while lazily sitting in the darkness. Venidus’s crossbow hung heavily on his back and the bolts in his quiver rattled with every step. The crossbow was drawn, which was probably bad for the string but it mattered not. A quick first shot could easily be the difference between life and death... or freedom and slavery. Venidus had never had the chance to fill a slaver with bolts yet though. Being a Symenestra, such actions would be harshly punished in Ravok, but the weapon still acted as a powerful deterrent. He hadn’t been mugged or beaten or even threatened in weeks. His golden eyes scanned the stony paths ahead. If someone approached, he would make sure that they were many feet apart when they passed. This was for his safety and everyone else’s comfort. People tended to be a bit skittish around his type and women tended to be outright terrified. It would seem rumors of harvests reached far and wide. Perhaps it was a story mothers told their daughters to make them obedient... Venidus sighed loudly, which earned him a frightened stare from a nearby child. He was deeply troubled by the conflicting feelings running through his head. He imagined few had felt such hope and despair simultaneously. What he really needed was a sign. He needed some sort of sign that would tell him that things would be different this season. The preacher fixed his dark silvery hair as he walked, wondering how long he would survive or if another season would bring his eventual demise.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian too was wandering and agitated, though for different reasons. But when his tracking mind sensed a familiar aura, he changed courses to intercept. He knew he was leaving town soon, knew he only had a few loose ends to tie up before he chased down his companions into the growing cold of Taldera, but there was work still to do, a mission from the Knights of Syliras. "Venidus," he hissed from the shadows of an alley when he saw the vespertine Symenestra passing. He might have shot out a hand to grab him, but there was that crossbow and everyone was jumpy in Ravok except for those in power.

[Venidus Larkspur]

Venidus heard a voice from a nearby alley say his name. He couldn’t believe it at first because there were only a handful of people who knew his name in Ravok, but the voice is what made him turn. It was quite normal to one’s ears but it brought a certain excitement and safety to the preacher’s heart. He spun around and looked at the voice’s source. The shadows made the features hard to discern, but Venidus already knew exactly whom it was. His first inclination was to shout Andry’s name and ask how he was doing, but the secretive nature of the greeting made him catch his own tongue. He glanced down both ways to make sure that there was no one watching him and then subtly slipped into the shadowy alleyway. Venidus was so excited. He took Andry for the sign he had been daydreaming of just moments ago. The joy he got from seeing Andry and the prospect of a better season was evident as he spoke, “Andry, my friend, you can hardly believe what a elation your sight has given my weary soul!” His last words were a bit louder than he had intended. The excitement momentarily made him loose sense of the moment’s secrecy. He cleared his throat and continued more quietly but still happily, “I was just brooding about seasons and what not when I hear you, the voice of a friend! What an unexpected treat!” Venidus examined Andry closely from head to toe. It was indeed the morpher he had met before, but he had to keep checking every couple of moments to make sure. Venidus bit his lip with his broken fang, as he did often out of habit. After a few more moments of checking if Andry was indeed real and keeping his emotions in check, Venidus gaped, “Look at me, Andry! I am unscathed unlike our last encounter. Most likely thanks to this....” He patted the crossbow on his back with gentleness fit for a baby. “I ought to name it. When you depart Ravok, it will be my only friend.” He laughed quietly. Venidus really hoped he could pay his debt to Andry someway today. It wasn’t that he didn’t want further interactions with the human. He just wanted to settle his dues with Andry so he wouldn’t fret about it when he left Ravok. Perhaps that is why Andry sought him out, assuming that Andry had in fact looked for Venidus and this wasn’t merely a chance encounter. Venidus shifted his weight excitedly from one foot to the other. He felt as if he were on some sort of high. OOCOh and by the way... your idea is awesome! Gawd I wish I could think of something that nifty!!!

[Hadrian]

Hadrian pulled Venidus back into the shadows as soon as he drew near, not wanting to call down the wrath of the powers that be for either of them. He looked rough. His ten day ordeal had left him shaken and it showed, but he smiled with just the slightest hint of relief. Venidus was trustworthy. He had spent time examining his soul, and the flare of pleasure and welcome he had seen when the man saw him was not feigned. "I'm glad you are well," he said, and he meant it. "Is there somewhere safe we can go to talk?" He wasn't trying to be mysterious, but he had dealt with the Ebonstryfe now and knew how imperative it was to watch one's back and the backs of those one relied upon, else their dying breaths might implicate a person and call down the corrupted wrath of the dark ones. He didn't resort to hypnotism this time, wanting to be able to trust the man before him without it. After all, the ideas that had been fomenting in his mind were dangerous for all of them, but Hadrian meant to leave. He was not sure about Venidus.

[Venidus Larkspur]

The gravity and seriousness in Andry’s voice took the symenestra by surprise. He was probably more surprised by his friend’s tone than he was by the encounter. If memory served him right, the magician had been quite witty and lighthearted on their last meeting. He had been talkative at least. Venidus glanced around. No one was really around, but his friend seemed to want somewhere even more discreet. He was uncomfortable and excited all at the same time. Venidus spoke as quietly as he could in attempt to match Andry’s will for secrecy, “There is no place truly safe in Ravok. Deception is the element of my... our enemies. I feel my room in Tarsin’s is quite private, but it probably is not safe, knowing the people I am assuming we are dealing with. I have found the rooftops to be quite a nice place, but I doubt I can carry you up there...” It was then that Venidus realized that he didn’t really feel safe anywhere in Ravok. This entire ordeal with Andry had the preacher intrigued more than he should be. All the signs were pointing towards danger but Venidus was sprinting towards the peril. Perhaps the prospect of danger was why he was so interested. It was either that or Andry’s change in character that had the preacher hooked. “You are the wiser of us two, Andry. We could find an abandoned house perhaps or take our chat somewhere loud where whispers are lost to all but the closest ear. You should decide. I have a bad tendency to think with my heart rather than my mind.” The symenestra had nothing but respect for his friend and ally. Whatever he had come to Venidus with must be serious or important. Venidus’s golden eyes were completely focused on Andry’s. He was independent, but that didn’t keep him from serving the few he considered friends. To learn, one must serve. I am a servant to justice. Andry must be bringing some sort of justice. Why else would he be so secret?

[Hadrian]

Hadrian looked around and made an executive decision. Passing over his dagger, he tried to indicate to the Symenestra that he, with his crossbow and now Hadrian's dagger, should play the part of bodyguard again as he had the time when Hadrian had been more of the guard, shielding him with that convenient lie to get him home safely. Lead the way he did, taking Venidus to a semi-abandoned little shack he had used previously to contact rebel elements within Ravok. It was there he had met the strange fox Kelvic; he wondered what had become of her. Once inside, he shut the doors and pulled chalk out of his satchel and began to scrawl upon the flattest part of the wall. What grew out of that seed over the course of several minutes was a focus glyph, from which he drew out precise lines that encircled the room, even marked the floor and ceiling with his long-limbed reach. After half an hour of work, the room held the skeleton framework of a spell, but it required one more thing. He put the chalk away, dusted his hands off on each other, and splayed his fingers out, pressing his palms into two little circles within that first glyph. He closed his eyes, concentrated on that specific taste of magic that would turn the djed Fluxing down his arms into Shield energy rather than res or some other form. The focus glyph flared suddenly to life, his Shield energy refined by the clever coordination of sigils and pulled out along those lines of runes that read silence over and over again, like arteries. Like veins. There was a hum and then there was nothing. All the ambient noise of Ravok without suddenly damped out, and all one could hear was their breathing, suddenly raucous and loud, and the shift of cloth against skin, and other such trivia. Turning slowly, his face a bit chalky from the amount of energy that had taken, he offered the preacher a fatalistic smile. "I need your help."

[Venidus Larkspur]

Venidus took Andry’s dagger again without question. He had questions, but he figured that his friend would answer them eventually. Renewing the bodyguard act felt odd because now he actually sort of felt like he was. The first time he was protecting himself, but the preacher had a feeling that now he was protecting Andry. The charade lasted long enough for him to get comfortable, but soon they entered a desolate building. The shack was quite beautiful in a way. It was just a hovel but its emptiness made it seem devoid of Ravok’s innate corruption. Venidus ran his fingers over the old wood. It felt as kind as a building could. Andry began drawing on the wall almost as soon as the door separated them from the rest of the city. Venidus minded his manners and watched in a mixture of silence and awe. The chalk markings soon became more and more intricate and expansive until the whole room seemed to bare some sort of circle or mark. Venidus had little idea of what was actually happening, but he figured it would all come together. The Symenestra also didn’t want to ask question for fear of being seen as a dunce by his intellectual ally. A hum followed some sort of action that Andry did. He was getting more confused as the process became more complicated and involved. It took him a moment to notice how loud everything seemed. It was only after a few moments that he realized that the room’s sounds weren’t loud... everything else was just strangely quiet. Venidus tried to listen hard, but he could hear nothing of the outside world. He had thought that the door had separated him from the outside world, but this seemed to be on a whole other level. Venidus tried to hide his surprise and amazement with a smile and said through pointed teeth, “You know that I am always willing to help, Andry! I’ve been waiting for this day for a while now, but by the looks of it, you have things pretty figured out. It should be easy helping you when you have done so much already... although I am not quite sure exactly what you’ve done.” The curious Symenestra was tempted to touch the precise chalk lines, but his fear of spoiling them was too great. He caught his hand before it could touch the line and brought it back to the dagger he had been given a bit ago. Upon feeling it, he brandished it playfully and handed it back to Andry. He figured the bodyguard disguise wouldn’t be needed in the space, but he realized that the knife might be. Either way, offering the knife would be a good way to learn what sort of business they would be up to. OOCSorry that I didn’t give you much to work with, but you next post is unveiling the big plan and such so I figured you would have enough to type about.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian put the dagger away, then nodded to Venidus. It was time for a more thorough discussion of things. This Symenestra was far too trusting, and Hadrian half-hoped he would come away with him to Avanthal, but he knew the man felt he had work to do here. "I'm leaving soon. You know that. Before I go, I want to leave a little chaos in my wake. Fight fire with fire, as it were. I want to ask for your help, but I need to tell you what I intend to do first before asking you to promise to aid me. It might go against what you are trying to do here. What I think you are trying to do here." He waited for a nod from Venidus, then sighed, gathering his thoughts. Everything was still a mess from the strange Summoning that took him so far away. "I'm going to Summon as many glassbeaks as I can safely magic to sleep and then I'm going to leave Ravok. When they wake up, they will wreak some havoc, shake things up, which might help you with your work. What I need from you is help securing an empty location to do this, and the nearer the Black Sun and Ebonstryfe, the better. I don't want to injure the innocent, if they exist here. I want to attack the ones who work evil. To defend the weak from the strong, I suppose. Will you help me?"

[Venidus Larkspur]

Venidus was quite pleased with Andry’s plan. Admittedly, he still didn’t know too much about what was happening and the mechanics of it were outside the reach of his understanding, but the idea of glassbeaks, which he assumed were some kind dangerous bird given the name, roughing up some Black Sun and Ebonstryfe was something he could approve of. The preacher was a little shocked by the wizard’s fierceness. The last time that they had met, Andry had been quite a kind and reserved stranger. Such a grandly devious plan seemed odd for the man he thought he knew but still well within his mental capacity. Venidus only nodded and mused the idea through his head. Perhaps this is an Ebonstryfe trickster sent to have me agree to an incriminating plan... The thought was fleeting. Why would they need to test a Symenestra? Venidus was pretty sure he would have been taken out already if Andry were not Andry. “Of course I will help you. The plan sounds like sound one from what I can gather,” Venidus said whilst staring at the ceiling. It could be dangerous, but danger wasn’t something he quite feared. Dying for a cause righteous cause was a suitable way to die. It would be disappointing but not horrible. He ran his tongue over his teeth and the resulting sound was uncomfortably loud. He shifted his weight a little while trying to contribute something to the plan. “There are obvious places where Black Sun and Ebonstryfe would be present in the greatest numbers. The Temple of the Black Sun, The Vitrax, and Fort Chrysone come to mind. Of course, just releasing them anywhere is bound to prompt a response. Do you have any particular preference? You are the brains and I am merely the bow. Sometimes letting the weapon think isn’t exactly the greatest way to proceed,” Venidus said lightheartedly but not lightheartedly enough to undermine the importance of the mission. The preacher pulled a bold from the quiver on his hip and held it in a way that indicated he was ready for battle... even if it didn’t really come to battle. The day was getting better and better for the Symenestra. The thought of Ebonstryfe agents being pecked to pieces had him smiling.

[Hadrian]

If Hadrian was surprised at how easily Venidus bent to his will, he didn't show it. There had been no need for hypnotism, even. He was quiet for a moment as he thought how best to proceed. "I may be the brains, but you have more experience here than I do. Can you think of a place like this near the Temple, the Vitrax, or Fort Chrysone? We need an hour or so undisturbed, and then time to get the hell out of here. Or somewhere safe if you're staying. How about we plan for before dawn on the 6th? That way I can get on the road and you can barricade yourself somewhere safe when the hypnotic suggestion wears off and the beasts wake up hungry?" That should give him time to tie up any loose ends, make sure that Sondra was safe enough if she was going to stay. "Or perhaps you will want to be out and about during the chaos, using the distraction to your advantage somehow? There are certain gifts I can leave with you... tools. Magic."