He met the big man's angry gaze for a defiant moment, cold and tense as the distrust between them bubbled to the forefront of their conflict. "Of course, cousin, of course." The mage said, acquiescing to the daughter with a shrew grin as the tea dripped from between Jaiden's whitening knuckles. In that time his hand had conveniently found its way to haphazardly dressed wound on his stomach in an instinctual but all too blatant effort to make his accuser's feel pity for their harsh stares, as if to say, 'hey, be nicer to me, i'm injured here.'
"But eventually we are going to need to deal with her, and I'd much prefer to do it on our terms lest our aunt or her people discover my prying first." The Caldera took a moment to ponder just exactly what that would mean, 'deal with her.' Kill her? Imprison her? That sounded both impossibly cruel and absurdly hypocritical considering all he had been through to reach this point in life. Then again, was it even Elias's choice? It wasn't as if it had been his parents who had suffered so at this woman's whim, so perhaps his lack of rage towards her, this faceless, nameless stranger was understandable. What would he do though, if there came a point where Jaiden or even Alija's fury drove her to destroy this veritable monster who had taken her mother away. It was still her -their- aunt after all.
I did say no more of us would suffer, didn't I...
Elias couldn't decipher what his cousin would do when given the chance by just looking at her, but he could clearly see the fresh sparks of a fire now burning behind her hazel eyes. If the Ravokian didn't know better, he could have sworn that looked like hope being rekindled. Good, he mused. Everyone needed purpose, especially when aimless anger and sorrow clung so heavily to the heart. The Caldera was certain Alija cared greatly about keeping her father safe and all that, but he had learned the hard way that it was hate that kept you alive when love fails. For now he'd keep such thoughts to himself for his own good, but to say he wasn't the least bit excited to see what his kin could do when driven to the extreme would be a terrible lie.
"In the mean time, I can do my part to fortify this place against those who would see you harm. Outfit you with weapons and abilities the likes of which no mere thug could overcome," as he said that, Elias reached down into his boot with an uncomfortable twist of his hip that actually elicited something akin to discomfort for the first time, and withdrew the blackened steel dagger that had been hidden there. He twirled it between his fingers even as Jaiden's sudden spike of discomfort at the sight of the sharpened steel served to distract Elias with the laughter it elicited, or would have had the younger man not skillfully stifled it. "And even show you a thing or two about how to use some of the more mundane. Unless you prefer your chances with the spades." He flicked the knife unto its blade and slyly handed it to Jaiden. The smith looked less than amused, and Elias, considering the trouble he had gone through to sneak his weapons into the city, struggled to disguise his ever growing dislike for the man.
"Sounds like magic." Jaiden scoffed tellingly, probably in reference to tho whole 'fortify' and super weapons bit and not so much the fancy parlor trick with the dagger. Elias realized his uncle had yet to take said weapon from him, and he instead waved it over to Alija. "It is indeed magic, uncle. I can hide arcane booby traps around this forge for you or your daughter's use should ever trouble come walking through that door." Even as he said it, the mage knew he has just set himself up for it, and almost expectantly, he looked to Jaiden to strike back with the obvious; 'trouble already walked in and now its bleeding all over my floor.' To his credit, the Zeltivan restrained himself and managed to hold his tongue, a quick glance at his calming daughter serving as enough to sooth his reflexive nerves on the matter. The mage took the opportunity for what it was and continued. "If you're serious about this," this meaning bringing back the wife that you lost, "then as I see it you're going to need all the help you can take. Well, here it is. Everything I have is at your disposal until I see Fiona back in your arms and your family made whole again. That I swear. Hell, if you wanted we can leave this wretched city right now. Just say the word and I'll walk you all through those gates and right back to Zeltiva, and no man, monster or monk could stop me."
Admittedly, that had been a bit too openly arrogant for Elias's taste, but it seemed like arrogant was just what these two needed. Those whole blasted forge had felt as if it were drowning in a trembling cloud of despair and uncertainty from the moment he had walked in. A little of the opposite could prove more than welcome to those who lacked it so thoroughly.
"But eventually we are going to need to deal with her, and I'd much prefer to do it on our terms lest our aunt or her people discover my prying first." The Caldera took a moment to ponder just exactly what that would mean, 'deal with her.' Kill her? Imprison her? That sounded both impossibly cruel and absurdly hypocritical considering all he had been through to reach this point in life. Then again, was it even Elias's choice? It wasn't as if it had been his parents who had suffered so at this woman's whim, so perhaps his lack of rage towards her, this faceless, nameless stranger was understandable. What would he do though, if there came a point where Jaiden or even Alija's fury drove her to destroy this veritable monster who had taken her mother away. It was still her -their- aunt after all.
I did say no more of us would suffer, didn't I...
Elias couldn't decipher what his cousin would do when given the chance by just looking at her, but he could clearly see the fresh sparks of a fire now burning behind her hazel eyes. If the Ravokian didn't know better, he could have sworn that looked like hope being rekindled. Good, he mused. Everyone needed purpose, especially when aimless anger and sorrow clung so heavily to the heart. The Caldera was certain Alija cared greatly about keeping her father safe and all that, but he had learned the hard way that it was hate that kept you alive when love fails. For now he'd keep such thoughts to himself for his own good, but to say he wasn't the least bit excited to see what his kin could do when driven to the extreme would be a terrible lie.
"In the mean time, I can do my part to fortify this place against those who would see you harm. Outfit you with weapons and abilities the likes of which no mere thug could overcome," as he said that, Elias reached down into his boot with an uncomfortable twist of his hip that actually elicited something akin to discomfort for the first time, and withdrew the blackened steel dagger that had been hidden there. He twirled it between his fingers even as Jaiden's sudden spike of discomfort at the sight of the sharpened steel served to distract Elias with the laughter it elicited, or would have had the younger man not skillfully stifled it. "And even show you a thing or two about how to use some of the more mundane. Unless you prefer your chances with the spades." He flicked the knife unto its blade and slyly handed it to Jaiden. The smith looked less than amused, and Elias, considering the trouble he had gone through to sneak his weapons into the city, struggled to disguise his ever growing dislike for the man.
"Sounds like magic." Jaiden scoffed tellingly, probably in reference to tho whole 'fortify' and super weapons bit and not so much the fancy parlor trick with the dagger. Elias realized his uncle had yet to take said weapon from him, and he instead waved it over to Alija. "It is indeed magic, uncle. I can hide arcane booby traps around this forge for you or your daughter's use should ever trouble come walking through that door." Even as he said it, the mage knew he has just set himself up for it, and almost expectantly, he looked to Jaiden to strike back with the obvious; 'trouble already walked in and now its bleeding all over my floor.' To his credit, the Zeltivan restrained himself and managed to hold his tongue, a quick glance at his calming daughter serving as enough to sooth his reflexive nerves on the matter. The mage took the opportunity for what it was and continued. "If you're serious about this," this meaning bringing back the wife that you lost, "then as I see it you're going to need all the help you can take. Well, here it is. Everything I have is at your disposal until I see Fiona back in your arms and your family made whole again. That I swear. Hell, if you wanted we can leave this wretched city right now. Just say the word and I'll walk you all through those gates and right back to Zeltiva, and no man, monster or monk could stop me."
Admittedly, that had been a bit too openly arrogant for Elias's taste, but it seemed like arrogant was just what these two needed. Those whole blasted forge had felt as if it were drowning in a trembling cloud of despair and uncertainty from the moment he had walked in. A little of the opposite could prove more than welcome to those who lacked it so thoroughly.
