Closed forming the ranks.

[Caelum]

things change fast but this too shall pass better carve it on your forehead or tattoo it on your ass 'cause who can tell when the clock strikes twelve if today’s become tomorrow or if it’s all just gone to hell - danny schmidt - Timestamp: 03 Summer 514 AV The water of Plunge Pool Bay flickered in the final lights of the sunset. It was a Drykas horselord attached to the boot that caught the hull of the casinor as it coasted into the far slip of the dock. Leth was a scythe in the sky, glowing with fresh brilliance even as the coalescing night dimmed beneath the banishment of Caelum's ethaefal form. There was a name, a different and very specific one, attached to the face that the ethaefal wore whenever the day was done; but there were not many people left who knew it anymore, and it had joined the silent ranks of secrets he kept trapped behind his teeth. Caelum was not alone on Alements dock when Tydus came in to port. There was a straw haired human with watery hazel eyes and a face that would have been handsome if he could stir himself to do something with it other than stare suspiciously at his surroundings. He lingered back, staying to the patio that was occupied by only a handful of patrons, to the last too involved in their personal conversations to give the arriving svefra more than a passing glance. Besides, they had already witnessed the show of Caelum's transformation. It was a rare thing to catch him in public at sun up or sun down, but from time to time he had better things to worry about than startling the natives. "Welcome home." Caelum straightened up from where he cross-tied the casinor's rope to the dock hooks. An absent tug was given the hem of his tunic. It was a little too big now, because the drkyas was a few inches shorter and less broad in the shoulders than his daytime counterpart. Additionally, Caelum never bothered to purchase or tailor clothes to fit his night form. He had them sized by day because then he could wear all of his clothing at any hour. In the beginning, this had been largely out of economy. He couldn't afford two whole separate sets of clothings. The situation was drastically changed since then and while he could more than afford two different wardrobes, he simply did not care enough to bother. Besides, he was hording his money for other things, and that was exactly what he wanted to talk to Tydus about tonight. He rolled back, thumbs hooked in the low sling of his belt, to give Tydus room to disembark. "It's about damn time." A grin flashed brilliant in the torch light from the patio. It was as disarming as ever. "We have a lot of things to talk about. Come inside. Did you get the rum? I'll feed you and you can start by telling me all the news." The straw haired stranger cast them a nervous glance and fell in behind them.

[Tydus Tempest]

A curious gaze cast itself about the surrounding are as Tydus Tempest found himself in the port of Riverfall once again. It was, upon inspection, absolutely different from the other port he had visited. In nearly every way. The 'port' that Kenash sported was small, built upon the mouth of the delta that admitted entrance into the city proper. In truth, rather than find himself dfocked there, the Tempest scion had docked away from the city proper, walking along the length of the shoreline of what looked to be one of the greater plantations (Gods kill me now if I ever decide to figure out the names of those places... Knowing fate, I'll have to.) in order to find himself at the mouth of the delta at where the locals called Glass Beach.

In Riverfall, the port was large, obviously trade was primarily directed from the ports and to the greater Suvan. The Tempest shrugged off the thought and instead found himself making way towards the Alements, only to find that he already had a welcoming committee waiting for him. Caelum, in the form of his Drykas counterpart, wearing a shirt which looked to be too large for him. Tydus, having spent time in Kenash, where fashion dictated that one must be fitted perfectly and wear the trends currently in style, was amused. He had utterly defied the trends in Kenash, primarily because he lacked the funds to buy such things, but mostly because of how gaudy and ridiculous it would have been to parade about wearing red and gold in the middle of Spring. It was rather stupid, in Tydus' opinion, but the wealthy did as the wealthy desired. Unfortunately, this oversight had excluded the Tempest from arriving at the Distillery in order to complete Caelum's task, and the Tempest decided that he would be honest with the man rather than tell a lie. Caelum deserved that much.

"Unfortunately, mate, no. I couldn' get teh rum. From what I heard, teh cost's at 10 mizas per gallon, but discounts 'appen with teh help of buyin' in bulk. I'd love teh buy yeh some on teh next trip, but comin back to Riverfall without the goods was the best I could do. Wouldn' even let me on teh plantation to make teh deal. Said I looked like a peasant or sometin."

Despite the apologetic nature of his words, Tydus was not the least bit sorry, for in the midst of his journey into Kenash, several discoveries were made. He'd reconnected with Nyxie, who was a member of the Draer Dynasty in Kenash, a potentially useful asset. He had also learned a bit, if only a bit, about how the city worked. A strange place, unwelcoming to those who were useless and unwilling to work in the city. It was, obviously, a haven for the Dynasties and their playground to make nice in. Everything else was useless until they pandered to them, it seemed.

"But, I do have a frien there I met a while back. Part of teh Draer Dynasty. Had half a mind to never come back, but it seems like yeh have bigger plans than a few bottles of rum, honestly."

The Tempest was by no means fully aware of what went on in the Ethaefal's mind, but he saw it in his stare that he was far more resourceful than he let on. There were plans whirling in that skull of his and the Tempest, more than anything, was curious as to how he could fit in. And more importantly, how Tydus could benefit from it.

[Caelum]

Caelum's expression fell as Tydus explained that he had arrived empty handed. Forlornly, he asked, "But where's the rum?"

[Tydus Tempest]

A frown pursed the Tempest's features as he looked to Caelum, quite disappointed in his reaction. He shrugged it off, instead looking to the proprietor before he replied,

"The rum's in Kenash, but ye sent me off wit no money to pay for it, lad. If ye give me a stipend, I'll get you yer rum the next time around. Sounds good?"

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Caelum]

A chuckle got caught in the back of Caelum's throat, dusty and warm, and melting away his expression of sorrow. He waved a hand at Tydus to show the man he had been kidding and carried on through the paneled glass doorway and into his tavern. Warm light and green shadows glowed everywhere, copper lanterns and glass shaded candleflames echoing along the walls and the mismatched collection of bottles and planter pots. The light here loved Caelum despite his Drykas hide, and it glinted in his eyes as he cast Tydus a sideways glance and gestured him to follow right through the swinging door into the kitchen. There were patrons scattered about, all comfortably being seen to at present by Elise. Until a special concoction or health consultation was ordered, Caelum was free to conduct his business in the back. "Did they really call you a peasant?" He wanted to know, incredulous. "That's bloody amazing, Tydus. What would they say of me, eh? Listen, don't worry about the rum. I'll certainly set you up with a stipend and spending money. It was an oversight last we spoke, what with all the shennanigans." He grimaced a little, remembering their first attempt at a business meeting. It had been interrupted by murder and the Kuvay'nas (though not necessarily in that order). Sliding up along the far counter, he reached over with a metal spatula and flipped a wrapped loaf of bread out of the oven coals and onto the counter. Next a knife was balanced in his hand and he began to cut off thick, hearty slices and lay them on an oval platter. The kitchen surrounding them was orderly and fully stocked, copper bottomed pans hanging from easy-to-reach racks from the stone ceiling and a separate door leading out to the far side of the Third Tier wall where a narrow balcony divided them from the waters of Plunge Pool Bay. At the moment, the door was propped open for a breeze and all behind was indigo night and black water. When Caelum asked if Tydus was hungry, the straw haired man who had followed them into the kitchen edged closer to where Caelum stood with a hopeful air. Without looking up, Caelum pulled out a crock of butter and slathered a piece of bread with it before handing it to the man. "This is Owen, by the way. He's doing some odd jobs for me. Owen, meet Tydus. He's a good friend of mine." Good friend, Caelum said, placing that title on the svefra mostly for Owen's sake. He was the sort of man who needed to know where others stood in accordance with the man who was, quite literally, feeding him. "What's this about a Draer?" Caelum was curious to learn. "I admit, I'm glad you did come back."

[Tydus Tempest]

The memory was by no means a pleasant one. Tydus was by no means a person who kept up with fashions and an understanding of trends that apparently, the city of Kenash was prone to. Tydus had a working understanding of what it was to think. He could, with the aid and abutment of the magical discipline of Hypnotism, even begin to shape thoughts. Influencing emotions, swaying the workings of the mind and the pull of the heart was a working habit that Tydus Tempest encouraged with continued use. But, the people of Kenash seemed... different to him.

They did not stake their necessity on 'trivial' matters such as survival. They instead staked their reputation and their resources on something else. The people of Kenash, and particularly the members of the Dynasties... they were foreign to him. He did not understand them. Not in the slightest. And it wounded him. It festered in him and brought a need to return to the city and emerge from it victorious. But, now was not the time. The Tempest disguised his resentment towards the place with a laugh, smirking at Caelum as he replied,

"They did. They're a rather strange sort of people. You'd think that, being so close to Riverfall, that the cultures would mingle even slightly, but they're... a different breed of people."

Ever since the Tempest found himself in Kenash, he found himself working on the deep-set accent that was instilled into him by time. He had learned to enunciate his words better, though there was a lull in his speech when he struggled to find a word. He was very much working on his fluency in the Common tongue, for he had paraded about with the language for years with what some considered an 'alluring' accent, and others a travesty upon the language. Tydus knew that it, in reality, sat somewhere in the middle, but he sought to change it all the same.

The better his master of the tongue was, the easier his life would become. Tydus shook himself out of his own mind, looking upon Caelum with an appraising gaze, noting the loose state of his clothing, his ocean-set, deep blue eyes casting themselves along the form of the 'Drykas' in front of him before he did his utmost to impersonate what he understood to be the 'posh' tone of the Dynasty members,

"Well, my good man, if you were in Kenash, you would be ridiculed, I believe. Loose fitting clothing! Ha! How crass."

The Tempest winked at Caelum, a gesture to portray his facetious intent before he returned to his normal, slowed and carefully articulated tone. The Tempest was doing his utmost to keep with the flow of conversation, but his words were slower than normal. It would pass in time as he became more accustomed to speaking with a less obvious accent. For now, the Tempest scion smiled at the Ethaefal,

"That would be tremendously helpful, Caelum. Especially if you intend for me to return to Kenash. I think I'll need to buy some new clothes to go to that place again. And... I might need to do something else. I don't know for sure, though."

The Tempest remembered seeing brand somewhere, but his memory was hazy. He had no idea whether it was important or not.

"I take it, however, seeing as you were waiting for me, that you have another assignment for me? I'm curious, truth be told. I didn't expect a..."

The Tempest struggled to find the phrase, but when he did, he chuckled out the words,

"Welcoming committee."

The Ethaefal then asked if the Tempest was hungry, an instant yes escaping his lips as he hungered for something beyond fish. For the past few weeks he'd eaten a few oranges to keep his nutrition somewhat balanced, then an assortment of fish that the seas offered him. It was a lifestyle that the Tempest was accustomed to, but if Caelum had a different taste of life to offer, he'd more than happily take it.

Bread and butter. The Tempest was almost unfamiliar with the foods after so long, and the Tempest took it happily, making quick work of the bread, eating it as decently as possible, though it was clear that the Tempest hungered for a taste of a different lifestyle.

Gods... The thing I miss most out of the previous life with the Pod, I swear... t'was the resources we had. We lived rather well. At least, the purchases I made for the Pod allowed us to eat with some damn variety.

Tydus quickly decided that being poor was not befitting to his preferences. The Tempest paused in thought for a moment as Caelum mentioned the Draer Dynasty.

"I met one of the Draers, as I mentioned before. I met her before this trip, when the... Pod..."

The Tempest clenched his fist for just a tick at the thought of his old life, but pressed on. He'd become much better at controlling himself, and he found that his expression remained unchanged despite the pang in his chest.

"Her name is Nyxie. I don't know a lot about her, but I do know that she is a daughter of one of the Dynasties in Kenash. And the Dynasties are the power there. I can use her as a stepping stone for bigger and better things if the need arises."

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Caelum]

Tydus received a sharpening of his host's attention when he so deftly altered his accent and persona. Caelum tilted his head and watched that comfortable smirk curl the svefra's mouth as he settled temporarily into the skin of another life, that of the spoiled slave owners in Kenash. Unaccountably, Caelum smiled. A second slice of bread was slid onto Tydus' plate and he added cheeses, fruits, and generous dollop of the chicken salad Cadra had sent into town with him from the Sanctuary. A second such sandwich was created after Tydus had been served and he placed it on a square of clean linen to wrap it up. The meal package was tucked into a small wooden crate, nestling down among sweet straw and a few cork stoppered bottles. He listened to Tydus all the while, considering his words and weighing them alongside his own observations of man. The svefra was both ambitious and haunted. He needed a place, and he seemed unafraid of hard work. His desires of family and peace, stability and happiness smoothed over any potentially worrisome flaws. Tydus was a good man. He just didn't quite believe it yet. When Tydus finished speaking, Caelum nodded and completed packaging his delivery. He dug into his pocket for a fat purse that he fumbled on purpose just to hear it jingle and sing. Owen hastily gulped the last bite of his meal on cue and stepped forward to snatch the purse when Caelum offered it. "These are for the Lady Nevkivan on Rower's Lane," Caelum explained to Owen in that easy way of his, voice all made up of sultry summers and far flung shores. "Third residence on the left. Go to the kitchen door. If you ask politely, they'll feed you again before sending you along. This bottle here --" Caelum tapped the top of a thick green carafe, tightly sealed. "Is for your father. Two thimble fulls in a mug of the tea I gave you when he wakes up in the morning and again before he goes to bed at night. One week. He'll be fine. Alright?" "Yessir," Owen said, and something that was damned near a smile twitched along his mouth. Pallid eyes shot a curious look to Tydus before he hefted the crate and made his way out of the kitchen. "Thanks. Seriously. I'll tell the others." "You do that." Caelum waited until the door swung shut behind Owen before his smile slid off of his face. The countenance he turned on the svefra was sober. "I do have a job for you, one that you'll be paid more than handsomely for. Half up front, half upon conclusion, and plenty more heaped on top of that if you decide you want to stay in. But it's not the sort of work you can talk to people about -- any people -- and it's plenty dangerous." He slumped languidly back against the kitchen counter, thumbs sagging into his empty weapons belt. It creaked low about his hips. "But first, how do you feel about slavery?" Ledger- 25 gm for payment/bribe to Owen, employee of Haev Provedan.

[Tydus Tempest]

The scion of the Tempest Pod looked upon Caelum with a calculating gaze, not quite lacking in warmth but seeped into an assessment of personality as he witnessed his interactions with others. The Ethaefal was very much a busy man, though Tydus noted the coinpurse that he passed to a stranger, the bulging container clearly filled with a number of mizas nearly too large to be contained within. Firstly, he noted that Caelum seemed to pass his money almost callously, with no real sense of urgency or stress regarding where the money was going. This was the mark of two things, each distinct in their meaning.

The first was, obviously, a fool. A fool spent his mizas wastefully, almost restlessly and rather fervently upon pleasures with little regard for the quickly diminishing pile of mizas on the table in front of him. His coffers would quickly and inevitably fade into nothingness. This was the man that the Tempest scion would take advantage of quickly, in order to break his own segment of that rapidly siphoning wealth. That was, of course, a situation where one invoked Hypnotism immediately. The Fool was the sort that was easily swayed, but easily distracted, layering suggestions was a necessary component and encouraging emotional responses made both casual conversation and Hypnotic suggestion the rhythm of the encounter.

The second was less obvious, but far more lucrative. The shrewd dealer. The shrewd spent their mizas generously, but did so in order to consolidate their power base. They did so in order to forge relations and make connections with others. It was, in Tydus' experience, what he would have preferred to do if the Tempest pod had a miza or two to scrounge about. Wealth and luxury were theirs at the expense of the normals that riddled the seas, but just as easily, that wealth was spent upon the very same vices that consistently and predictably claimed the fool.

Tydus had no intention of making a long-term and legitimate deal with the first, but by every expression and word that Caelum spoke, Tydus was becoming more and more convinced that Caelum was shrewd. He had made the connection before, he had made an assumption that had turned out to be correct, the Tempest relieved that his understanding of the Ethaefal, though lacking, was not mistaken. He smiled at the Drykas as he listened to his proposal.

The promise of mizas, and an immediate prize, already had his attention, backing the Drykas-Ethaefal's earlier statement that he was to supply Tydus with an immediate income. He had not yet negotiated or even alluded to exactly how much Tydus would profit from this endeavor, but looking back at the sack of coin that Caelum had so carelessly sent over to the stranger, Tydus was by no means led to the assumption that the proprietor of the Alements was a stingy man.

Rather, he seemed concerned for Tydus' safety, instead. He referred to a present danger in the assignment given, which immediately brought Tydus to the conclusion that he would likely need to call upon Callipsia and Adney to act with him. Perhaps Kel, as well, but the Tempest had lost faith in his pod brother's usefulness ever since he had learned that he had committed senseless murder in the very streets of the city that Tydus considered his home port. Though Tydus bore no love for Riverfall, its utility and centered status in the Suvan Sea made it perfect for that sort of role. The Flotilla was too far north, and Kenash lacked what the Tempest needed. However, it was Caelum's question that took him aback.

Slavery? How do I feel about it? What an incredibly odd question to ask... Is Caelum asking me to be a slaver? He certainly doesn't seem the type. Is this why he asked me to go to Kenash? Under the pretense of buying rum? It wouldn't affect my decision, but it's best to leave the unveiling of an answer to the man who has it. Making assumptions isn't going to help in this situation. I'm inclined to trust Caelum. He's shown nothing but kindness as of yet.

Tydus again made sure to carefully articulate his words, watching the intonation of his words and the inflection of his voice as he spoke onward, taking care of his word choice,

"Slavery is a... difficult thing to discuss. As a Svefra, I'm driven to a life of freedom, which means that at the core of my being, I'm against being enslaved and subjecting others to that life. However, from the perspective of someone in need of an income, it is a very lucrative business, and though I would do my utmost to attempt to 'convince' the buyer not to mistreat their slave, I wouldn't be against selling a person if it meant my survival.

Depending on the situation, I'd have to gauge what benefits those that I care about most and obviously what benefits me. But, for the most part, I don't like the idea of binding others to a life of slavery. If it's what you're going to ask of me, I'll do it, but... I think better than that of you for some reason. Why do you ask?"

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani

[Caelum]

Caelum held the svefra's eyes. "Because I want you to buy a slave for me." He remained slumped against the counter, elegant and at ease in the bright kitchen. For a horselord wearing clothes that were a little too big for him out of the Sea of Grass he looked very much at home. Tydus couldn't know that this was a somewhat astonishing development with Caelum. By and large, Caelum tended to feel out of place and alien in this world, forever trying to fit his mouth around the shapes of unfamiliar tongues and walking ageless and undying through diseased masses of the mortal. After a moment, he continued, but he never looked away from Tydus. Dark eyes were intent. "There is a place called Rattling Chains half a bell down the Kabrin into the Sea of Grass. You turn at the fork where the tree is strung with manacles and you'll come shortly across the exhausted Forivec Mines. A human man called Haev Provedan is the head slaver. He's cold, ruthless, and unfortunately for my purposes, very discreet. His third in command is a dark skinned man called Decath. You'll know him for his svefra eyes, but he's no kin to you." Caelum shifted languidly and rolled out of his slump to pace to the kitchen table. He reached down and pulled a small ashwood case from where it sat on top a short stack of ledger papers he had brought in earlier to work on while waiting for Owen. "I want you to tell them that you work for me. They'll recognize my name, and it will startle Decath but he'll try to hide it. My hope is that he will attempt to help you then, if he can, but he won't want his boss to catch on. Pay attention to that and don't give him away. What I want is a slave with some intellect and preferably competence in some combat skill. Barring that, something useful like cooking or bartending. It doesn't matter if they're sick or wounded. Better, really, if they are. It'll bring down the price and I will take care of them. Provedan is used to that." He looked up from the wooden case, thumb catching the brass latch to trip it up. "I took Elise from him when she was near death, after all, when I could have claimed a fully healthy and skilled slave for compensation. But more than the slave, I want you to bring me back information. I want to know who is working, what sort of people are working, who seems skilled at what, who appears interested when you drop my name, the color of the rags the slaves wear. I don't care. Anything. Everything. File it away in your head. If you trip up and reveal yourself as being too curious, blame it on your interest in venturing into slaving yourself. Times are hard, after all, and it's close enough to the truth." The smile that wrote itself across his face was dark but not in the least bit cold. Perhaps that in and of itself was disturbing. "You'll find, Tydus, that the closer you can keep to the truth in this business the better off you'll be." He lifted a stack of coins from the case, counting them off with his thumb before setting them on the table between them. "That's markers for five hundred gold mizas to buy the slave. I'm leaving you bargaining room in case you come across someone extraordinary or can't waste the time to haggle and have to get out fast. And this --" He set a slightly smaller stack alongside the other. "Is markers for two hundred and fifty gold as payment up front. You'll receive the other half upon delivery and satisfaction, at which time I may well be willing to go into greater detail about my endeavors as well as offer you a permanent position." His smile skewed charmingly sideways. "What do you say?"

[Tydus Tempest]

Ocean's blue eyes cast over the proprietor of the Alements as Tydus Tempest listened to him. First, the Ethaefal spoke in regards to buying a slave, something that the Tempest had never done, but in his eyes, to buy a person was no different than buying property or any sort of item. This was not because of as lowered opinion of people or a belief in the legitimization of slavery, but simply due to the opinion that the laws of barter and monetary exchange remained constant throughout the media that encompassed purchase.

Tydus listened to the Drykas, his ears catching upon the change in tone that went on with the presented information. But most of all, Tydus Tempest caught upon the fact that Caelum was absolutely serious about what he was saying. To lie twisted the voice, however slightly. It created an effect in the body and mind that Tydus, as a Hypnotist and a practitioner in the art of persuading others to do his bidding, intended to halt. Difficulty spurred within each use of a lie for him, but Tydus had begun to tap into the understanding. His words were spoken in an even tone because of it, a cadence thrown into his voice with the intent of submerging his absolute intent and replacing it with another.

It was how Tydus operated, though part of him, in the deepest reaches of who he was, contested it. Tydus longed for the day when he could reach into his own heart and find genuine, nurturing emotion to draw from. He wished to find his own place in the ocean and live freely as the Tempest pod once had. To do so would allow him to find a peace of mind and a true, meaningful existence that he, for the moment, lacked.

An existence he filled with pleasures that never fully satisfied. A life full of regrets that were not addressed. But, the moment to address this was not now. His current, meager existence was his half-hearted absolution for the guilt of remaining alive when all else was gone.

Listen to Caelum, Tydus. The past won't keep you alive for long enough to forget about it...

And so, he did.

Tydus listened as Caelum explained the existence of the Rattling Chains, his mind wrapping around the fact that Riverfall had its own hub for slavery. Caelum referred to the fact that it was a half bell out of Riverfall and down a road. The Kabrin road. It was not a place he recognized, and in fact, the concept of delving so deeply into the realm of land frightened him, but he felt a growing edge, a powerful presence building within him. He felt... ready for something like this.

Tydus felt grounded and without fear, for what could be perceived as the first time.

This is not impossible. I live every day in the midst of the impossible. Forgiveness. Absolution. These are impossibilities. Conversing with others and convincing them of my benevolent intentions. Making purchases. This is what is possible for me. This is what I've been raised to do.

Intelligence gathering, however, would make the task more difficult. Tydus was not accustomed to having to process information for anything besides what was necessary to barter and exchange. It was a strange thing to digest that it was what he would have to do, but the Hypnotist had his advantages at his back. He was prepared.

And he liked the terms that were being offered.

"I'm in."

Fratava | Hypnotic Fratava | Common | Hypnotic Common | Vani