[Flashback] A Different Kind of Vacation (Coren)

[Eridanus]

Now that was an interesting idea. The prospect of finding a statue made by a big shot Vantha depicting his ice goddess pricked Eri's curiosity, and he began to lose interest in his previous suspicions about the stale air earlier. It could be that he was still having adjustment problems, what with the coming winter season which would make the perpetual winter in Avanthal even harsher. The man was still weird, for not many people wear leather masks and his eccentricities may make him more dangerous than a normal person. Still, Eri trusted himself to be able to handle problems and that Morwen would look after both him and Her people who resided in her realm. He nodded to the Vantha, gesturing towards the door. "Lead the way, Coren. I must inspect this famous statue." He would have one more thing to brag about to his course mates when he returned to Zeltiva in the spring. Perhaps they spent their winter back with their family, or maybe travelling elsewhere, but he was sure none of them would have seen a statue of the Ice Queen made by the original founder of a 'guild' of creative types.

[Coren]

Coren smiled as the man in front of him accepted his offer and stood up, the few leftovers of his meal forgotten on the plate in front of him. “Well then, lets get on our way shall we? Winter is coming and you never know when there is heavy snowfall coming in this time of the year. “ He stood up from his chair and walked over towards the door, hoping that the man was following him, and ignored the glares aimed at him from a few women in the tavern, who probably where pissed at him for taking away their eyecandy. “Well if you are inspecting that statue, don't accidentally scratch it or something.” Coren warned the strange man in a joking tone “They probably are going to want your head if that happens. Now hurry up a bit, Its getting dark outside and believe me, looking at a statue when its pitch dark is an exercise in futility.” Coren said, hoping that the guy would hurry up a bit. “Anyway I already paid for my stuff, if you still gotta do that. I'll be waiting outside.” Coren walked out of the door and waited outside, his thick cloak and his gnosis mark protecting him from the bitter cold.

[Eridanus]

Ahh petch it. In his excitement, he had forgotten about the Night's Special that he had ordered, and it wouldn't be very nice to walk out just like that. He watch the local walk out of the door, and he headed straight to the counter. It seemed that his timing was perfect, for at the moment a tavern maid walked out of the area closed to the public - probably the kitchen or some sort of culinary preparation area - with a steaming hot meal, guaranteed to warm the bones. "Put it in a box will you? There are matters requiring my attention", he winked at the maid. She blushed and went back to the kitchen, and after a few chimes she emerged with a portable container - seemingly made out of some sort of ice, yet was not as cold or melty as normal ice. What a peculiar object. "Meal's inside. The payment, please", she began, and Eridanus handed her 5 gold-rimmed mizas with a handful of spare change that was the copper-rimmed coins that were jingling around in his money pouch as tips and she curtseyed, bidding him farewell and to come visit again if he could. Turning around, he ignored the various disappointed looks of people hoping to have a chance to speak with him or maybe just to stare a little longer, and he followed Coren out into the snow.

[Coren]

Coren patiently waited outside till eri came outside, he didn't have to wait for long though, since after only a chime or two the man who's species was still a mystery for him stepped out of the tavern, holding a box with probably ordered food inside. “Ah, your here, lets go, the sculpture yard is this way.” He motioned Eri to follow him as he slowly began walking down the streets. Keeping an eye on the amount of people that where in the vicinity, he didn't want to spring the word on that weird guy when there were people around. That could only end up badly for both of them. “So what do you already know of our culture and city? You can't have come to this place without know at least a bit about it, not to mention you already speak our language fairly well.” He suddenly brought up, trying to get some conversation going as they where walking through the city.

[Eridanus]

He followed Coren, opening up the icy box to reveal the steaming food inside. It was interesting how despite the freezing cold weather in the open, his food remained hot as long as it was kept inside the box. His multi-layered clothing and the cloaked that he wrapped around him made him look almost like a reclusive mage or priest, the hood covering his ears and preventing the appendages on his face from dropping off due to the cold. The people around began to lose interest in him, for his features were now generally covered by his anti-cold gear, and he munched on the food. It was a very nice feeling, for though he was covered he still felt the chill from the environment, and contrasted with the warm food that slid down his gullet into his stomach he felt cold on the outside and warm on the inside, causing him to shiver with delight. He noticed that Coren was addressing him, probably trying to make conversation, and he replied while chewing on the Night's Special, "An Ethaefal is a being who was chosen by Leth or Syna to join them in their realm. That meant that we were mortal once. Our race undergoes a transformation every time our patron god reigns, and when Syna returns to grace the sky I will be transformed back to the mortal I had when Leth picked me as one of his chosen. And that mortal form was a Vantha. That is how I retain some of the memories of what I did in my past life and incorporated that knowledge into my current being." As they neared the sculpture yard, the crowd thinned noticeably, for it was night and tourists generally spend the night huddled in their cabins or making merry in social gatherings or parties around. The area was gently lit by some sort of light source which might be magical, and it gave the surrounding area a ethereal effect. It made a visitor feel like one had to whisper in reverence, and no doubt the legendary statue inside doubled the mysterious aura. "I can't really remember much about this city, for I was not sure if my mortal form existed before or after the Valterrian, and so am unsure if this city was built after the world was destroyed, or does it already exist before that event?" He paused, then continued after they both stepped into the gateway of the yard, "What can you tell me about Avanthal? Was it built before or after the Valterrian?"

[Coren]

Coren rolled his eyes as the man once again began telling another story about how the ethaefal and the fact he was supposedly fallen from the realm of the gods, the name of it escaped him for the moment, when the valterrian happened, the very idea that a god wouldn't have pulled his chosen back to where they belonged after nearly five centuries was a bit hard to believe and the guy was still holding on to his silly story. “You know, I do enjoy a good story on its time, but I'm not a snowsong I don't have a lot of tolerance for people who claim they are something outragious since I can't spin a good story from it myself.” Coren said in a calm blunt tone. “I haven't ever heard of a god letting his chosen run around on mizahar after they fell from their realms and I'm quite sure I haven't even heard, read or otherwise found out about even a rumor or a story about something what you said happened to you. And thats saying something since I'm a vantha and we both know how vantha like stories. So I doubt that something like this would have stayed unnoticed or would have been forgotten. Well unless the entire snowsong hold got drunk on something very strong all at the same time, but that hasn't happened in ages.” Coren said , chuckling a bit at the bad joke tacked on to the end. Coren slowed down a bit so he was walking next to Eri's. “But lets ignore the over the top story of what you claim you are and the just as bizarre story of how you know our language.” Coren said in a patient and friendly tone. “With a bit of bad luck on my part you probably believe whatever you are saying yourself, since every mage usually doesn't have everything there anymore.” He pointed towards his own head and stopped walking, giving the man a stern stare. “So why don't you just throw it in the open that you are a mage, there isn't anybody else around at the moment.” He finally threw the question out in the open, still keeping his tone level, even though he was ready to rip his astral body out of his right arm and squeeze the man's throat shut if he reacted with violence.

[Eridanus]

Eridanus was baffled as the local continued to express his disbelief, going as far to as to accuse him of lying about himself. He supposed that everyone was entitled to their own views, and if Coren did not believe him he did not see the need to prove it to him. After all, he was confident in himself and his existence and he did not need other people to verify his very being. He shrugged, and slowed down to match the man's deceleration. Suddenly, Coren mentioned the 'm'-word, and Eridanus instantly became wary. The Vantha finally confronted him, identifying himself as one but demanding for a confession. Immediately, Eri began to raise his alertness, part of his mind already diving down deep within him and seek and gather the djed streams should he need to manipulate them. His hands twitched to reach his blades, but he stayed them, reminding himself that not every mage out there was out for his blood. Still, a solo encounter with another magic practitioner usually would not end well due to the basic tents of wizard psychology, which was "trust no one". To Coren, all he saw was a subtle shift in Eri's demeanour, his relaxed frame slightly more alert, slightly more guarded. His expression remained neutral as he did not want to reveal his thoughts, with his slight change in body language the only thing that would betray his thoughts, if Coren was observant enough. The first thought Eri had was that the man was an aura-reader. Usually wizards could identify other wizards somewhat instinctively due to their unnatural djed, but he had not been working any magic in the tavern, and so that man must have read the details of his aura to deduce such an observation. Still, he had revealed himself and would probably not reveal Eri to the rest of the population to get burnt at a stake, and so his eyes constantly shifted to get a grasp of his environment should the need for violence arose. "So it seems that I am. What is your business with me then, Aura-Reader?" He replied warily.

[Coren]

While coren wasn't observant enough to catch the subtile clues in the man's body language before him, he did feel the same crawling feeling underneath his skin, letting him instinctively take a step backwards to get a bit of distance in between them, he didn't know what magic the other man had at his disposal but he guessed some kind of magic that could alter his own body and he really didn't like the idea of having a few claws cutting his body into ribbons. He rather liked having that in one piece. “I do have to warn you to keep your djed silent, for both of our safety, the icewatch doesn't like mages fighting each other in the middle of the street. And while I don't know about you I'm not very fond of the idea I would need to spend some time in total darkness.” Coren said with a smirk hidden beneath his face, that went even into a full blown grin when the man called him an aura reader. He didn't have the foggiest idea on how to read aura's, but Eri didn't need to know that. And he was going to try and milk that mistake on the man's part for all he could. “As for my business its mostly simple curiosity Eri, I don't meet many other mages, nor do I hear a lot of them. Which isn't very good for my future plans if I am honest.” He tried to keep the same calm tone, but a bit of nervousness and excitement did bleed into it. “So why don't you put your djed to rest and keep your hands away from any weapons you might have and I'll do the same."

[Eridanus]

Eri felt a tingle even as the man stepped back, and he wondered if it was the same magic that he might have wielded in the tavern. He listened to what the local had to say, and disengaged his focus on the streams of djed, his bout of irrational panic giving way to cold reason as what Coren said sunk in. It was true, and like Syliras where the Knights ruled with iron-fisted authority, the Icewatch did the same, though not as dictatorial like the Knights and the Council but still with a stern regard for peace and the Ethaefal relaxed - though not completely - for he was sure that this local would most definitely know how seriously the Icewatch viewed the peace of the realm and their vow to uphold it. "What would your future plans be then, Coren of Skyglow Hold?" Now that he more or less was assured of his own safety by pure, cold logic, his tensed posture gave way to a more inquisitive one, and he wondered if this mage would reveal anything, for when he thought back he had been quite the silent one, always trying to provoke information but hiding as much as he could. Sigh, wizards.

[Coren]

When coren felt the crawling feeling subside he let go of his own djed letting the man in front of him know that he held up his side of the bargain. “Nice to know your not fallen to the wispers so far you have lost your ability to reason.” Coren said in a slightly exited tone. A full blown smile on his face as the man asked for his future plan's, it seemed Eri took his bait. “My future plan's are to found a school of the arcane that would rival the one in zeltiva. So you can see where the problem with not meeting a lot of other wizards is don't you?” He said, his excitement slowly dropping towards annoyance. “Not to mention that buildings and all the other stuff I would need to teach prospective students would probably cost me an arm and a leg.” Coren trailed off. “And that aren't the only problems I'm facing, but your probably getting a gist of how hard its going to be.” He shrugged his shoulders a sly smile once again coming on his face. “But anyway, since you already know I'm an aura reader and what I'm going to do with my life in the future. I don't think its to much to ask that you just tell me what kind of magic you use. Just to level the field a little.” He said in a cheerful tone, hoping that Eri still had a sense of fairness somewhere in that confused brain of him.