Explorations Pt I [Tazrae]

[Alric Lysane]

He looked upon Bree for a while, not saying anything and musing to himself upon her words. In a strange sort of way, she echoed thoughts he had that were his own, though he’d never have expected to hear them from a giant lizard. Then again, she was special from what he remembered of his conversations with Taz. He had believed her, but he hadn’t really been able to imagine her accurately. Now, having seen it first hand, heard her thoughts articulated, he had a new appreciation and understood why Taz loved her so. He had no reason to disagree upon her assessment of Ixam – she was one – but he found himself being thankful that she had found her way to Taz, who clearly cared for her deeply. “If only I knew one such as you years ago,” he said after a while of contemplation, scratching his chin, “I like you Bree. I understand well enough. Life is full of choices, all a risk, and difficult. I suppose, in a way, you sum up much of my life too. But I am glad you lucked out with Taz, no doubt she matches your sharing in return” That was all he could say, really, and he did think that such a well thought out speech deserved a response. Not to answer would be insulting, though he wasn’t sure she’d even understand it that way. Instead he transferred his gaze to Taz and nodded slightly. Not that she required him approving of Bree, but if she had had any concern that they wouldn’t get along well enough then such worries could fade away and be one less concern for her worried mind. As Taz began to read he settle in, leaning into the arm of the chair and resting his chin upon his knuckles. He remembered Flux as a word from when they had gone over the basics of what each magic was. He had thought it sounded interesting but as she continued to speak, mentioning his ancestors, he leaned forwards slightly further and sought to imprint her words upon his mind. He would write them down later, perhaps take notes before she and Bree left, whenever that was, but for now he listened intently. “Hmmm, I wonder if that was why things were never resolved?” he mused aloud, “I mean…8000 years you’d think there would be a victor. Alahea clearly had magical superiority – if a fraction were alive today, they’d no doubt rule over things easily enough in this day and age. Interesting...very interesting” he commented, musing as she picked up and continued reading. At the talk of Djed pathways he had to settle down upon the floor next to her to get a good look at them. He carefully did not lean upon Bree, not knowing if she’d tolerate that upon first meeting. Still, despite being closer he found the diagrams intricate and difficult to read regardless. Some he could recognise, not because he had seen them before, but rather felt them. Or at least, something like them. Every time he tried to use his Djed, to draw it around his body, it always took once familiar pathways. He had thought he was just imagining it but…perhaps they had been pathways that always existed. “I think I understand the concept,” he said with a small frown, tracing the diagrams gently with fingertips, “I knew Djed moved around the body, that it went down…paths…when sending it to eyes, and hands and so on. But I didn’t realise it was because of this, what was it again? Astral Body? Huh. Was that what we used when we did our journeys do you think? I was sort of too overwhelmed to think about it back then” he asked aloud. Listening further, gazing upon yet more pages and seeing the warnings first-hand, it was clear enough that is was highly dangerous. Not just because of what it did and the consequences, but because of what he always liked to talk about and was usually told to be incorrect. This would be seductive, very much so. Who wouldn’t want to impress would-be partners with feats of strength and speed? Who wouldn’t want the ability to decimate entire groups of enemies with a little bit of knowledge and experience? So many scenarios ran through his mind and he knew there would be one, somewhere, that would be the chink in his own armour – even if he never managed to think of it. Still, it was something he thought he could use against Arcadius and his ilk, which made it worth exploring – tentatively. “Well I don’t like the idea of you killing me, or you Bree,” he said after a while of thought, sighing slightly, “but yes this sounds dangerous in the extreme. Physically it doesn’t sound like going wrong would leave you in a happy state but….no the biggest danger lies in the heart. I don’t know, it sounds like one of those things that if you were weak, petty…evil….well you could be drawn into a deep spiral wit this” he finished, looking into the middle distance a little before blinking at her offered hand and the pair of them coming to their feet. He watched, confused at first, at both her words about being taught it before and also what she was doing. Things didn’t usually take a turn into the arm waving and bending. However after watching for a few moments and understanding the rhythm, listening to her explain further, he nodded and it started to make sense. It reminded him, somewhat, of the acrobatics stretching, perhaps combined with pre-fight warm ups. He began copying her as best he could, far less graceful but hopefully compensating with willing. His arms circled, breathing in as they went up and exhaling as they went down, and around to begin once more. He heard Taz signal for him to reach into his ‘well’ but he left if a few more times before he tried – seeking the rhythm and waiting until he could do it without pause or mistake – better safe than sorry, he reasoned. Pulling upon his Djed, letting it trickle in instead of flood, he felt it begin to fill him. As it did so he tried to do what Taz suggested and keep it moving. He pulled and pushed, or that was what it felt like, as he breathed and moved his arms. Each time he breathed in he could feel a little more Djed floor into him, there to crackle up into his fingertips and then down into his toes, before another breathing cycle would begin and it would repeat, only this time with more total Djed shifting around. He almost felt like he could feel the Djed pathways he had gazed upon, though not in any detailed way. It didn’t feel like an intricate web but more like he could sense the larger pathways, the rugged channels instead of the delicate tendrils. “I think I can feel the larger pathways, connecting all of the…big muscles?” he said as he began to mimic her with her stretching onto her toes and then bending down, “it feels like…crackling? I can’t describe it, it’s…weird. Like…lightning? I’m making no sense” he said, shaking his head and feeling the Djed move there, then flash away. It was a continuous circuit, he realised after a while, all he had to do was focus upon his Djed shifting, moving, and it almost seemed to do it of its own accord, following pathways it seemed to know already. He tried a few, slow, movement of his own as he kept it moving, bringing his knees up one after the other, feeling the Djed flow there, pause as his muscles moved, then flash away once more to another moving body part. A few more, gentle movements that he tried were squatting down, spinning around and finally trying for a few experimental jabs – not trying to focus Djed for power or speed at all, just feeling out how the Djed flowed into them, where it paused, polled and then crackled away from. “I feel…like I could fight in the cage at Tall Johnny’s all day and end up the Champion of Sunberth…and not even break a sweat. This is…gods I wish this was less enjoyable. I don’t know about you Taz but I’m starting to think that we could actually win…and that is why this magic is dangerous, I think” he met her gaze and wondered if she could see what he meant now, all those days ago. “What now? Shall we try something small, perhaps? What used big muscles? Jump maybe?” He kept the Djed circulating, feeling its siren song flow through him, but was no longer trying anything other than a foolish half-dance, half-stretch that he felt sure made him look ridiculous but if it kept him from imploding then he’d take ridiculous.

[Tazrae]

Bree stifled a yawn. “You two look ridiculous.” She commented dryly at what looked like Taz and Alric doing some sort of odd dance. “I see cranes on the sandbars of the Syka River doing motions much like that… mating rituals. Males do it to attract females. They look ridiculous too. I think flamingo’s do something similar. You haven’t seen them, I would guess Alric, but they are these ridiculously tall dark pink birds with big crooked beaks. Do you want people to think of you as a bird? They get so wrapped up in their dances that an Ixam like me… especially a hungry one… can tear through them and snack on all the fattest ones...” She said, yawning once more and dropping her snout onto her delicately crossed forelegs. She chewed thoughtfully a moment, displaying a good bit of fang as if fantasizing about a flock kill before she continued.

“And you are doing it all wrong anyhow, Tazrae. You need to let him dance for you and be impressed, not you both of you doing those silly motions.” Bree commented her words half mumbled by the fact she was falling asleep. The Ixam stifled another yawn and then that was it… she was fast asleep, her entire body relaxing as it lost the battle comforted by the pillows and the warmth of the fire.

“Leave it to a reptile to fall prey to a warm hearth.” Taz muttered, not stopping in her motions at all, too heady with the feel of djed circulating her body at her control. “There is a man who has agreed to train me in unarmed combat who stretches like this. He calls it Tai Chi. It’s a series of gentle physical exercises and stretches where each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant motion. He does it on the beach in the morning as a meditation, claiming it …. promotes serenity through connecting your mind and body. Buraga claims that many people consciously live in their heads and never send their consciousness out into their bodies, so they are locked in their heads and never experience the freedom of roaming their whole bodies with their awareness. This is how he has begun teaching me.” Tazrae said softly. “There are other forms, something called yoga, but in that form, you hold a pose or a posture and stretch using it. In this form, you move slowly from one to the other without stopping. He said we will work on both.” She added, not sure if Buraga had moving djed around the body in mind practicing this art.

“No, we can’t actually win. Not now, not with just this. We need more time.” She said softly, a hint of anger in her voice. Alric might be feeling like Sunberth’s up-and-coming Champion, but Tazrae knew better. “It’s just the seductive Djed talking. Rule it, Alric, or it will rule you.” Her words were soft, empowered, but she meant what she said even if her tone was gentle with a sharp edge to it. “It's why Djed is dangerous, Alric, especially for you. And you have more than most so you have to get a mastery over it faster than all the rest of us. You should have been trained from the cradle for this… just as someone trained you to use the toilet and get out of nappies, you should have been trained for this too. You have a long way to go and you need a lot of practice. Feeling like Sunberth’s Champion is just a deadly pathway. Clamp it down and own it and don’t let it let you feel like that. Not everyone in your bloodline was pure of heart and mind. That’s why. Your brain has been drenched in djed since day one without you controlling it, whether you knew it or not, and if you don’t control it with an iron fist, it will give you sweet whispers and drive you to do mad things. You are better off in a pool of your own blood than mad with djed’s sweet whisper and vulnerable to someone who does have iron control, like Arcadius.” Taz said, never breaking out of the patterns, never stopping her motion of djed through her body.

She turned and looked at him then, really looked at him, as she kept moving in the way that slide from one form to another. “Humility is going to be your saving grace, Alric. You have to be stronger of spirit than your djed is of body. You have to have an iron will, and that will have to be all of your own making, not fueled by the seductive whispers of power and made up of a false built-up image. The Founders warned me what you could become if you were weak inside. You can’t ever feel like you just described, like a Champion of Sunberth. It’s a lie. It’s always going to be a lie. You have to make yourself into what you want to be and be that and only that, in control and with all your sanity intact.” Tazrae warned, deadly serious about all of it. “There are no shortcuts and no easy pathways. You must start at the ground and do all the foundational work, every bit of it, before you move on, and take the next step.” She whispered, fear in her eyes – fear for him and for everyone around him – if he ever gave in to some of the feelings he could obviously so easily feel.

“Sure… jump, Alric. It’s a good idea.” She said as Taz moved around Bree to stand by the fire. She didn’t trust herself to use Flux in that way yet, not in concentrating the muscles, so instead, she gathered her djed into her hands, cupped as if she held a vessel in them, and tried to absorb it back into her well. It didn’t want to go, something she’d feared might be the case, because no one had ever said if one could put djed back into oneself – back to one’s well – or if it had to be used somehow. So, she used it, extruding res into her palms, finding she remembered how to make it as easily as she remembered how to breathe. Then, when the ball was as large as her head and consisted of all the djed she’d been circulating around her body, she tossed it, igniting it as she threw it, creating a fireball that exploded into the back of the hearth, splashing fire up against the back wall of the bricks and sending sparks straight up the chimney in a light show.

It was another question she’d have for Duncan, how to ground djed, if it could be put back or if there was a better use for it.

And once she was done, she turned to Alric to see if he could indeed jump using his, perhaps higher or stronger… she wasn’t sure.

Words: 1170

[Alric Lysane]

“Did she just call me a flamingo? Such tough mockery from one that lost a battle to some pillows, how will I survive?” he chuckled, eyeing Bree and for once thankful that the mad, constant moving likely hid the burning cheeks. “Hasn’t seen me dance either, god awful I wouldn’t stand a chance” he snorted, adding his own amusement at himself to the pile. He was used to such barbs, however sleepily given, by now. Routinely, almost every shift, he was teased for being the odd one out, not partaking despite the reputation of his employer. He cleared his throat, trying to push the Ixam’s pointed words to the back of his skull. It wouldn’t do to dwell upon things that were not meant to be, even if they seemed a delightful desire. No, he focused instead upon trying to keep his Djed flowing around in its patterns, trying not to appear too much like a courting flamingo – a task, it seemed, that was impossible according to Bree. “Tai Chi, huh? Sounds interesting, especially if it might help with this. Perhaps I need to try to ferret out some of those poses. Or…hmm…maybe I’ll think of some of my own. I always did like to exercise. Seems it might be another form of that” In an effort to keep the Djed flowing from place to place, he stopped the stretching dance, inspired slightly by her words about this other discipline, and put his words into practise. There was no force, or effort really, just the movements that he used in unarmed scraps. Gentle side kick followed by planting the foot down, twisting the hip into a fake cross punch and then jab. He started to move around like that, trying out various attacks, blocks, bobs and weaves. It felt more…natural…than the stretching. Perhaps, for whatever reason, his body remembered motions it had made so often it already had these ‘pathways’ down without him knowing? He didn’t know, but he made sure to keep his breathing in rhythm, his focus more upon the Djed moving and crackling down their pathways and never staying still, than on the movements themselves. Some were more useful than others, he soon found. Arm movements like jabs were not so energetic. However, kicks made his entire lower body, from hips to foot, feel like they were lit on fire internally, Djed crackling down to his toe tips before snapping back and whipping off elsewhere. He didn’t stop moving at her words, he couldn’t afford to and besides which it would have proved her correct. Still, he understood why she was being firm, almost the first sign of her every being…irritated…perhaps? His face flushed once more but he bit back his tongue as he moved around the room, until she was finished. “You don’t think that I haven’t already wondered if the world would be better off if someone had just slit my throat years past for a bag of coin?” he said between movements, seeking for serenity in the motions as she had said thus Buraga did but finding it difficult with everything else going on at once, “I’m fairly sure it would have been, but I’ve never been one for giving up” he continued smoothly as he transitioned into another cycle of movement that had already taken him halfway around the room’s perimeter. “Perhaps, that is the problem. I don’t know what I want to be. My ancestors were rulers and I grew up in a city that despises rulers. So I don’t think that’s on the cards. I could decide I want to help people, but if I did that then it would draw attention to myself’” he said, frowning as forced the Djed to keep moving, it was getting harder now the more he held and so he cut off the trickle from his ‘well’ and stuck with what he had gathered. “I will never be a hero like in the stories, I’m not cut out for it I think. I’m no longer a thief because it makes people’s lives harder. I’ve suddenly become mage and fighter when before I wanted to slink in the shadows….I just want to be …me. But even that, was apparently not going to be my ending. So, I don’t know, Djed whispers can go…well I won’t listen to them. But if you’re looking for iron will, I might be the wrong candidate” he finished. At her suggestion to jump he readied himself, portioning out all of the Djed he had gathered and readying it for one last movement into the pathways of his legs. As he did so, bending his knees and letting it crackling down, he heard the roar of flames and his concentration flickered momentarily so that he pushed just a little harder than he had meant to. His jump took him almost twice as high as he normally would jump accordingly and, by the time he realised that he’d have to turn and roll to be graceful about it, it was too late. His arms managed to absorb most of the impact as he slapped into the floor, and it wasn’t high enough that it caused him injury beyond his pride, but he did find himself rolling onto his back and resting for a few moments – feeling the last vestiges of Djed that were left bleed away after its use. “So,” he said after a small silence in which he fancied he could hear his dignity shatter neatly, “Tai Chi, was it?”

[Tazrae]

“Ignore her. The more she likes something, the more she threatens to eat them and compares them to food.” Taz said of the slumbering Ixam, love crossing her face as she watched her friend sleep. “Bree’s favorite thing is food. That’s why we get along so well. I can cook. And despite her claiming everything is better raw, it’s a lie. She doesn’t think I know where all the banana pudding goes, but I do.” The Innkeeper said thoughtfully. “I mean, honestly, does she think I leave things she likes out on the window ledge so bugs can get at them?” The laughter that bubbled up was infectious and lit up her whole face.

And then they got busy, practicing the new discipline, trying to work it all out. Tazrae knew this wasn’t a game, but it was a lot harder than she assumed it would be. Alric, as always, was a good sport, but he didn’t seem to find it as easy either. In fact, when he spoke like he did, she got really worried about him. He ran the patterns, instinctually, though Taz was certain he’d never had a lesson in Tai Chi his entire life. It was clear to her that Alric was having a major identity crisis and probably had been since the very beginning of their meeting. Taz wasn’t stupid enough to blame herself like a lot of people would be. It wasn’t her fault. They’d met, thrown together by fate and circumstance, and that had triggered a whole lot of events that kept happening that lead them to this place … a secret apartment … a secret study. It was all so surreal. Even that she’d brought Bree here where it was like east meeting west in some unprecedented mingling that she suspected her family would not approve of. Not that Tazrae cared; she didn’t. Those people weren’t her ‘family’. Her ‘family’ was dead as far as she was concerned. What she cared about was keeping Alric alive and out of Florentin Arcadius’ hands.

And here he was, professing never to be the hero of the stories. And professing not to have something she already knew was inside of him.

So, she practiced and when it came time she ended up releasing her djed the only way she knew how, and turned in time to see Alric attempt a magnificent jump and come down hard, tumbling to the ground and ultimately spilling out onto his back. Taz couldn’t help it. She laughed as she moved away from the hearth and dropped down on her knees beside where he sprawled.

“You are too late, you know….” She said softly, watching him, as she knelt beside his head on her knees with her hands upon her thighs. All her curls had come loose from the braid at her back and were crinkling around her face again, hopelessly feral. “You don’t get to say what you are, not really, because the people that live history don’t write about it. The ones that write about it aren’t the ones that live it. Do you think Kova wrote about her death? Do you think Ivak wrote about destroying the world? Everyone knows it happened. Everyone knows the story. And it matters not anyhow, because what will be will be regardless of how we try and change it. You already have an iron will, Alric. I’ve seen it. It’s about as frustrating as your stubborn side, which is there too and kind of obnoxious. And we all struggle with who we are verses who we want to be. Sometimes the two come together and unite. Sometimes they are hopelessly polar opposites. Do you think I want to be Florentin Arcadius’ granddaughter? Do you think I can hold my head up with pride knowing that? Or do you think I just want to be an Innkeeper of no repute from a small settlement in Falyndar that runs a decent place and is known for her cooking?” Taz said, looking intently down at Alric.

“Ultimately, regardless of what they say about us or how we are remembered, we get to CHOOSE.” She said vehemently. “We get a choice. You be who you want to be. But decide soon because there’s not a lot of time. I know what I’m going to be. I’m going to be the woman that stood up to Florentin Arcadius and said no. And I’m going to do everything I can do to ruin his plans.” Taz said gently.

Then she reached out and touched his forehead. “Decide. Then become that person.” The Innkeeper said, then rose smoothly and reached down, offering him a hand up if he wanted one.

Words: 784

[Alric Lysane]

He wasn’t surprised at her laughter, if he were being honest, he’d have probably been the first to laugh he it been someone else who’d just fallen literally head over arse and slapped into the floor so comically. Still, his cheeks predictably shaded red slightly, though he knew there was no malice to her bubbling music from within. He liked it, actually, she could be quite expressive as far as his experience of her went but it was a rare treasure to hear such loud, true laughter pour forth. Now it had happened twice in hardly any chimes at all. He grinned up at her, remaining where he was until he was sure he hadn’t damaged anything terribly. As always, her curled locks had broken free, moving this way and that as she spoke, dancing about almost – a halo around her features. She spoke as if it were annoying, as if they could be frustrating at times, he knew. He supposed that they were, she had to deal with them every day. But there, looking up at her as she told him what she thought, seeing them free and wild even as her face was lit up with softer things, it seemed quite beautiful to him. He could resist it and reached up to tap one away from her eyes, only to have it dance back and forth a bit, before returning – defiant. It made him grin, though he did listen and keep a focus upon her words. “Well, it’s nice to know you remember me for something,” he chuckled slightly, “I shall have to be even more stubborn and wilful then, so that you don’t forget me” He jested but then wished that he had not, not because he hadn’t meant it but because of what she said next. He spent most of his time worrying about himself, musing upon his hypocrisy and mocking himself for not being good enough for whatever fight was to come. It was natural, he supposed, given that he spent much of his time alone. He thought of her often, though always with a bright feeling, knowing how she was a balm to his fractious and raw sense of self, someone who wouldn’t judge him for being who he was, and who was honest with him enough to call him a stubborn mule to his face. He didn’t often think of whether she felt similar to himself, though he would now, as her tone made it obvious how it pained her. It was hidden underneath her words, but he had no doubt it was there. “Oh Taz,” he said, reaching up to brush her cheek gently, as best he could given she was somewhat upside down from his perspective, “you always look out for me, I forget at times who you are related to. You should be proud of yourself, I am. Whatever he is, he has ruined that line…or most of it. You…you are the bright light that will restore it to what it should be. The sunshine smile and decent heart that decided to waste some time playing cards with a street ruffian…that is who I will always know you as” With that she was rising, palling away from him and offering him her hand – which he took and came to his feet with her help. Looking down at her slightly he raking his finger back through his hair and tugged at his clothing to make himself a little more presentable in a slightly theatrical fashion, scratching his chin thoughtfully at her last words. He wasn’t sure that he knew what he wanted to be, he might never know. He supposed, when it came down to it, he’d be a fighter and defender. The defeater of mental mages, who should have been killed a long time ago. But was that a choice, truly? Or something he had to be in order to survive? “I know one thing, for certain,” he said, slipping his arm round her and gesturing widely with his hand as if to the ages, “somehow we will have you remembered for who you are. The heroine with the bright smile and bubbling laughter, lulling the enemy into a deep sleep of contentment with your banana pies. Snake whisperer and Ixam rider….and we’ll definitely have to wind Bree up by making her far more tactfully obedient of such a mighty woman, the one who saved the world from the darkest of mages. Restorer of fallen bloodlines” “And they will sing about you whilst the commoners, who are clearly only alive because of your heroics, will dance the night away,” he said, suiting his words by spinning them around and dancing together as he spoke, “and they will forget about that very unimportant, and decidedly muddy, helper who was there just as a tag along, no one special at all, and certainly not as memorable as she with the wildly golden mane, the locks that moved with their own magic at just the right moments with the wind, for paintings to be made more dramatic, no?” he finished, spinning her once more before stopping and laughing. It was a fine tale, and likely more accurate than she appreciated given she seemed to not give herself as much credit as Alric would. If he had his way it would be the one that would be remembered, or at least close to it. As for himself he would be quite content with living the rest of his days, after the end of the path, in forgotten irrelevance. Somehow, though, what she had said earlier seemed more likely to be the outcome – his story was already told, after a fashion. He supposed he would just have to make it as good a tale as he could. Either way his embarrassment at his fall had been neatly crushed by his embarrassment at his terrible dancing and theatrics…but at least that was in an attempt to bring some mirth to their difficulties. He stepped back a bit and cradles the back on his head with crossed fingers, looking at the ceiling almost for a few moments. "I would like to be the wise one. The Nymkarta that tidied up after the mess his family left...gods love all hundred odd generations of them. The warrior that, once done, puts aside their blade. The world has been quite messed up enough by my kind, it seems. It would be nice to put at least a bit of it back together again before the end. You say history is already written, though we choose the beginning...I would choose to let the world forget I existed. It would be enough to leave a legacy that can be put at the feet of the 'normal' people...let them be inspired to make the world better by the example" he finished, nodding slightly and looking at her again. "I will do my part...then retire to let the world decide what it wants to be...not decide for it. I don't have the right"

[Tazrae]

Today was a good day. Taz was wise enough to recognize that there would be really good days and really bad days and to appreciate all the ones in between, but especially the ones like today. Smiling down at him as he reached up to bat at one of her curls, Tazrae made a tsk tsk sound and laughed again. Alric reminded her of a cat and she half expected him to take another swing at the springy lock. She captured his wrist a moment, held it, and then released it though she didn’t know what to do with it after its capture. Instead, she simply smiled wider. She’d almost said something, then changed her mind, standing up and offering him her hand instead.

She laughed all the harder at Alric as he took her hand and lightly jumped to his feet. She was still laughing when he ran an arm around her and expanded his teasing from his own self to her. He might not have understood what a compliment it was he paid her when he said he forgot often who she was related to. That was the idea. If she could be free and clear of the entire family for life, she would be. His words, even his arm around her, brought comfort that was soul-deep and made her sigh. She relaxed into him and laughed again as he began to clown around between his outrageous gestures and his even more outrageous words.

“The only restoration I want to be known for is saving badly written recipes.” She said, mock punching him in the arm for his impish behavior. “And Bree would be altogether a lot less fun had she even an ounce less of willfulness in her.” Taz said, trying hard not to start laughing again. She failed horribly, namely because Alric spun her wildly and started her giggles up all over again. She tried punching him harder in the shoulder this time backed up with just a smidge of djed to harden her fist. Taz wouldn’t hit hard, to begin with, nor would a ‘hardened’ fist on her be doing much damage. As she did the move, utilizing the djed, and burning it up in the same instant, she half wished she’d had a brother or two growing up in order to teach her how to truly fight dirty magic or no magic.

Alric would have to make do as a stand-in-brother. Even though, as the days passed by, she saw him as less and less of a brother and more and more as something else entirely.

This was a new side of Alric, one she hadn’t seen before, but one she liked tremendously. This was one she could chase down the beach or frolic like seals in the waves with. This was someone she could climb trees with and toss fruit down to as they talked about life and destiny and what could or wouldn’t be. Taz desperately wanted him in her life, and for all that she wasn’t a fan of The Outpost, she was grateful for it. Even though they were far from such pleasures, stuck in this desert crossroads, each living on the far side of the other, they were making due. And for now, that was enough.

She stopped laughing as he made his speech. Taz took him seriously, her smile dying on her face as she listened. Then, she stepped up to him and brushed his long hair out of his eyes, cupping his cheeks in her palms. Her smile was more subdued, though her eyes still sparkled. “Stand by that then. Be the wise one. Be the one taking responsibility when others took entitlement. But you cannot put aside things like blades once you are done. You have to live the life you teach, and that becomes the legacy… all of it. That includes defending it unto your dying breath, and teaching the children you leave in the world what is right and wrong. And you forgot to add to enjoy the life you choose. You forgot to redefine normal, for the normal is not something you find appealing after what… a hundred-odd generations of the Nymkarta’s normal? Elevate others, empower them, and inspire them to do just that… make the world a better place. I believe in you. Even if you are insufferable.” She said with a grin, then brushed her thumbs across his jaw before she released it.

Turning, she scooped up the book and thrust it into his arms hard enough to make him go ‘oooofff’. “Let’s learn something. Enough speeches for tonight… and stop teasing me shamelessly. Or I won’t break out snacks later… and I brought some good ones.” She said thoughtfully, then grinned… “Along with good Riverfall wine.” She added and gestured at the book. “Your turn to pick a topic.” She said, marching over to take a seat.

Half her braid had come out and so while he was busy hopefully futzing with the book, she unplaited her hair and began to comb it out so she could braid it back up again. They should really work on flux more, but flux was making her nervous and she’d thought better of making it something she practiced regularly. “We are going to spend the night.” She added, gesturing to Bree. “We don’t have any guests and Oralie said she’d fend for herself tonight. The one other guest we have is long-term enough that she can fend for herself for a night or go get Stu to feed her at the Tidewater Bar.” Taz said, then proceeded to tell Alric about her newest batch of snakes.

“That reminds me. Do you mind terribly if I bring a snake or two over? I found rat droppings in the cupboard when I put away the last bit of supplies, I brought and I can’t stand them nibbling on our foodstuffs. They wouldn’t bother you, though if you let the place get cold at night, they will seek out the bed covers and whatever warm body is in it for warmth.” Taz added, not wanting Alric to get upset if he saw one of her snakes and kill it, especially if it decided he was snuggle worthy on a cold night.

They were beautiful creatures, very handy to have around, and she hoped he wouldn’t mind terribly if she released a young pair in the apartment to keep it clean of rodents. She might have to make some modifications to the shudders to keep them in, but otherwise, the apartment was sound enough she was not unhappy with the thought of setting some loose. “I promise to take them home when I stop seeing droppings.” She added, grinning up at him as she finished the tie on the end of her braid. Her hair was getting long again and she decided she’d see if Oralie would cut it one of these days.

She couldn’t get past Alric saying he’d do his part though. Those words kept echoing in her ears, even as she watched him fuss with the Encyclopedia of Arcanology. This mess wasn’t his fault. This battle wasn’t even his. Yet here he was, taking it on as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Taz couldn’t help but admire that. But she did have reservations about the world being left to its own devices and decisions. The world she knew… the one she’d experienced, was neither fair nor accommodating. And truth be told, she wanted a world that had a lot more morals and acceptance in it.

“Pick already… I’m aging over here.” She said with a laugh, and leaned back. She’d stolen his chair since Bree had stolen her pillows.

Words: 1291

[Alric Lysane]

Her words as she traced his jaw were kind, and wise enough that he wouldn’t have been surprised had it been Eyris playing another trick upon him. He said nothing in response, not even after pretending she had wounded him gravely with her punches. He wanted to believe her but, deep down, he didn’t really expect that he would be around after whatever climax might come. Didn’t that happen in most of the stories? Evil was slain, but at great cost. A lesson to those that remained not to let it rise again, though inevitably it did. An altogether eternally mortal cycle, he thought. He loved the idea of what she presented, even had a few ideas of his own who he would share it with, but he might have to settle for paving the way for others to enjoy it for him. “But I am from Sunberth,” he said with a grin after recovering from the assault by magic tome, “insufferable and shameless is what we do. Take that away and I’m just not that good an Alric, surely?” he asked innocently. She didn’t seem to rise to the bait, though, instead suiting herself to battling once more with her curled locks, forcing them to do her bidding – for another Bell or so at least. He smiled to himself, looking at the back of the chair she had commandeered from him, she was learning quite neatly how to manage him. He was still happy he managed to get another tumble of giggles out of her though, it was something he’d remember when trudging the cold, grimy streets of Sunberth. Besides, they couldn’t always be so serious and fate obsessed. He hadn’t expected to be setting a mood, perhaps, for later but the news that they were staying made him happy. If Bree were awake she’d have seen him smile all the wider. “Your permanent residents increase, that’s good, means more prosperity for you. Well deserved after building things from the ground up. And no, I don’t mind if you bring snakes, just so long as they don’t get confused and eat this street rat as well. I’d be quite disappointed in myself if that was the end of my story” he told her as he flipeed through the pages. He was looking for something he remembered her mentioning that she thought was useful and his humming stopped, replaced with an ah of discovery, when he found it. “Looks like it’s you and me Bree, hope you don’t mind but you’re the only pillow left that you haven’t conquered,” he told her, giving advance warning as he settled down to lean his back gently upon her side, “what do you think, should we stop her aging? I think she’ll actually get more delightful, like wine, if we let a few more chimes pass” “Alright, alright,” he said after she looked at him, chuckling and propping the already found pages upon his legs to begin reading, “Hypnotism…let’s actually learn about it seeing as I remembered you mentioning it” he cleared his throat and began to read from the book. “Hypnotism is centered on the control and manipulation of others. By focusing their Djed, through their personal charisma and force of will, they may use any means of expression - eyes, voice, presence and mannerism - to manifest various effects in those around them. Closer contact with the victim allows for more varied manipulations, ranging from simple subliminal suggestions to inducing emotional responses and even full-fledged mind control” “The discipline is about more than the use of Djed, however, and no matter how powerful if one does not truly understand people – their psychology and how their mind works – they will never be able to effectively use Hypnotism. You cannot force someone to do something absolutely contrary to their character, therefore time must be taken for convincing and leading them down the path if the true powers of Hypnotism are to be able to be used” “Hypnotists are artists of the mind, possessed of great ability to recognise and individual’s strengths and weaknesses. Acknowledging that most people protect their true selves through levels of psychological ‘armour’, the Hypnotist’s true skill is their ability to slip through the cracks in this protection, to touch and influence the core of the individual – learning how to manipulate them along the way. A weak-willed man can be enslaved with a simple overwhelming display of charisma, but greater people will not be so easily impressed – for example” “Interestingly it has been theorised that, despite the bed reputation of the Hypnotist and the somewhat arguably correct fear for their art, they were responsible for the creation of the first cities – using their abilities to goad, cajole and convince the masses of the time that it was in their best interest to invest in such impractical and long-term projects. Whether this is true, or not, cannot be said but the fact that it would be possible for the truly adept Hypnotist to do so is unquestioned” “From a practical perspective the degrees of conditioning that Hypnotists can use broadly fall into the following categories – Suggestion, Emotional Response, Sudden Though, Flashes, Emotional Surges, Hallucinations and Obsession – all of which are expanded upon below. The so-called Hypnotic Trance is considered the deepest, and most skilled use of its power, allowing someone to fall fully under the control of the Hypnotist, who can then plant very deep seeded suggestions and triggers. Also, for less intimidating purposes, this trance can be used to heal trauma, explore memories and a vast array of theoretically undiscovered exploits involving the mind” “Due to the nature of Hypnotism, as a discipline it has tended to have a higher share of casualties when it comes to Overgiving, including bleeding from the eyes and mouth, but also the highest incidence of insanity recorded in magical crafts. Still, when used responsibly and for strict purpose it is arguably amongst the most powerful of personal magics” He finished reading and passed the book to her, in case she wished to read through the passages herself, exploring them deeper and see the breakdown of conditionings that he had had the opportunity to scan through without being overly wordy for her. The idea of the magic sounded useful, perhaps noble even if you could get away from the controlling aspect, but he didn’t like the sound of the last parts – insanity and the like. Was that how place sin Alahea fell, perhaps? Even before the Valterrian there must have been terrible incidents involving magic, was this one way that they played out? “Well…I suppose some would argue I’m already insane so how much difference could it really make?” he said in a joking tone, watching her read as he leaned upon Bree, feeling her breathe and shift a little, enjoying the simple act of watching Taz concentrate upon such a simple thing, waiting for her thoughts.

[Tazrae]

Gods, but Alric brought her pleasure. It wasn’t so much of the physical kind, but he lightened her spirit, elevated her mood, and just made her happy when she was around him. Bree noticed it immediately, her wise reptilian eyes watching her rider with interest. Taz let down all her guard with Alric and was an open book of curiosity and learning.

When he called himself insufferable and shameless, Taz nodded enthusiastically. “Completely insufferable.” She agreed, then laughed as she lounged in his chair. “Completely useless without it.” She again agreed with a grin.

“Tazrae doesn’t have permanent residents. She has residents that move in with no plans to move on. I don’t like it though, because every resident she gains means more time she sleeps on the beach when the Inn gets full. Taz needs her own space. I’ve never heard of an Innkeeper that doesn’t even have her own room in her own Inn.” Bree said in all honesty, the subject was something Taz and Bree had argued about on numerous occasions. The truth was now that Taz had Bree, she didn’t want her own upstairs. A second story to the Inn wouldn’t be unwelcome, but Tazrae had long decided that living quarters would go beside the Inn on the ground floor with a floorplan that would welcome the Ixam to come in… not lofted above the Inn where Bree was excluded. That would make the build more expensive and delay it longer, which tended to upset the jungle Ixam but didn’t bother Tazrae. It was worth doing something right the first time if it meant waiting just a bit longer.

“I’m serious about bringing the snakes. Don’t hesitate to tell me if they bother you though. I’ll properly introduce you, for sure, and make sure they are well cared for outside their capacity to catch vermin.” She added, commenting on the snakes as Alric sat down and used Bree as a cushion. The Ixam had been used frequently for such a thing and enjoyed humans. Tazrae’s friend was intriguing to the jungle Ixam who arched her neck, swiveled her head around, and nibbled at his sleeve playfully. Alric, leaning against her, could get a first-hand idea of how big she was with her warm scales shifting behind him and her teeth playfully nipping at the fabric of his sleeve.

Then she settled in to listen. Alric had a nice reading voice and she was tempted to make a comment about where Street Rats had learned how to read so well. But instead, she refrained from the banter to listen to what he was saying since she was interested. She found that the history of hypnotism was fascinating. Had mages convinced people to rebuild civilizations after the Valterrian? Is that how society came back into more normal parameters after everyone escaped below ground? Taz was aware there were multiple generations that never saw Syna’s light because of the djedstorms that raged across the world. They were uncommon now, but not unheard of, and she could understand why people were so afraid. A djedstorm in Syka would do a great deal of damage.

Tazrae snapped her attention back to Alric in time to hear the true nature of hypnotism. She paid particular attention to the points he made about healing trauma and how it was more about the psychology of something rather than making someone do something that was against their nature. There was a growing awareness in Taz as well that her music could help this type of magic, and she took the book from Alric and looked for links in the pages.

There were related things… art, music, and indeed psychology. But she didn’t keep the book for long. Instead, she set it down and looked at Alric speculatively. The man still had huge gaps in his childhood memory. He knew who his parents were and that they wanted him, but the years between his infancy and him being dropped off at the Sunberth orphanage were a blur. Could hypnotism help with that? Taz was starting to have an incredibly well-rounded if just basic education in magic, and because she had such a vast understanding due to these sessions with Alric, she could see patterns and form ideas.

Something had been done to Alric to make him forget. Taz wondered how deeply his memories were buried and how easy it would be for him to actually remember with the assistance of magic if it was something he actually wanted to do. She was certain he wanted to remember his early childhood, at least as a normal man would with fragments of memory and bits and pieces of firsts in his life. She had always held a sorrow that Alric didn’t have a collection of firsts in his memory… his firsts all revolved around his experiences in the Orphanage.

“So… Hypnotism isn’t going to work if you tell the person that you are doing it. It has to be more subtle; I suspect.” Taz mused. Then she eyed him again. “You and Bree are the only two people here I can actually influence. And both of you are going to know I’m going to try it… so I don’t know if it will work or not. I don’t expect it will, actually, if you are waiting for it.” Taz said softly, speculatively.

She’d have to be more subtle. So she tried distraction instead. “Alric… “ She said, her voice lyrical and full of the dark chocolate alto tone she tended to use. “Your shoulder itches.” She said, trying to tap her djed and pour power into her words. It was an awkward attempt at best, and while she felt the djed burn off at her words, there was no true power behind it. No… that wasn’t right. “I am not going to be good at this…” She said openly, watching Bree’s tail twitch. She knew what that meant. The Ixam was silently laughing and holding that laughter in… her tail twitching was a dead giveaway. So she tried again, immediately, even knowing before she started that she was going to fail. “Bree, you aren’t amused.” Taz said, forcing djed into her voice with a strong yank from her well and a pull that infused her words.

Bree’s tail twitched further and this time the muffled laughter actually shook Alric lightly where he leaned against the Ixam.

“Wow… I suck at this.” Taz said, glancing between the Ixam and the street rat. Perfect. She thought. They wouldn’t be expecting the next move… the first thought she’d had. The Innkeeper began to hum softly, contemplatively, as if she were rethinking hypnotism and bored with the whole thing already. She focused inward, her eyes looking the luminous curious look she always had as she thought about what she was about to do.

Bree turned to Alric. “That was lackluster at best. Why don’t you give it a shot?” Bree suggested, nudging his shoulder again.

But before Alric could do that, Tazrae broke out into a quiet song.

“Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.”

It was a song in the bent of what she wanted to invoke in him. But she pulled djed and pooled it into her voice, projecting out the need for him to remember those times, those firsts, like he actually wanted too. But she didn’t want him to know she was focusing on his forgotten childhood, on the times before the Orphanage. Instead, she used her resolve to push the hypnotic spell and sung another line.

“Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann’d:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.”

The me was his parents… either his father or his mother… his parents as they were with him. He’d only viewed them through the eyes of someone witnessing a scene that they were not a part of. Instead, she wanted to tap is deep memories, past whatever blockage was holding them back and keeping them separated from him. Alric wouldn’t realize she was singing about him remembering his parents, not with the 'me' and 'I’s' in the song. It would lull him, she hoped, and maybe unlock a memory or two.

“Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.”

She pushed with her voice, trying to pop past the barrier in his mind and free one or more of the memories. She caught the notes, wove power through them, and used a bit more force. She wanted him to remember. She knew he wanted to remember, and she hoped with everything in her that she could pull a memory from him, release it to him, so he could reclaim at least one moment of his childhood for himself.

When she was done with the short song, Taz found that she was sweating. Her hands, where they clutched at the arm of Alric’s chair were trembling and white-knuckled. She studied her own hands a moment, as if there was a huge disassociation to them before she turned and looked at Alric, wondering if anything at all had worked.

Words: 1591

[Alric Lysane]

“I’m afraid that my insufferable nature might be partly to blame for that Bree, I did pay half for this place, but she likely wouldn’t have needed it if she hadn’t met me. Sunberth is…not very tolerant of mages. This is a safe place, or as safe as we can have. So I may have delayed plans somewhat,” he said, leaning back and eyeing Taz as he spoke, “but…that said, if I know Taz even a little bit I’d say you’ll get your wish soon enough. She is quite stubborn when she knows what she wants. Maybe she’ll put you to sleep with this Hypnotism and you’ll wake up with your own room and everything” he said with a partially amused tone, but most affectionate as he looked at the innkeeper as she read. He thought for a while about the sort of life they both had, how the pieces were slowly being put together with each new meeting, and now his meeting with Bree and the Ixam’s perspective. He could understand Bree’s reservations, he remembered saying much the same when the idea of the apartments they currently occupied had been first raised by Taz. Yet, he had known deep down he had already lost the argument before it had started – Taz knew what was right, what she wanted and he wouldn’t have been able to stop her even if he had truly tried. As sad as he was, however, at her delated building schedule, he was also quite content. Her life didn’t sound too bad, despite not having a permanent bed. He could count on a few fingers the number of people he interacted with on a daily basis, and of them almost none were what he would consider actual friends or comrades. Taz had a vast array of them, many of them under her own roof, and there was a…satisfied companionship with that, no doubt. “You know Bree…it doesn’t sound so bad. I agree, she should look after herself and have a proper bed, but for all the faults I can see why she does it. She is surrounded by companionship, friendship…love in various forms, perhaps. I’m not sure I wouldn’t do the same, if I had the chance. I’d have given much, over the years, to have such feelings and security. Most of my friends either died or have moved on…either way I haven’t seen them in a long time, which is never good. What I wouldn’t give to have a few of them under my own roof…at least for a time” he said softly, not knowing if the Ixam would understand but still feeling the need to share. “I have never been introduced to a snake before, is there a special ceremony? I don’t have to buy them gifts, do I?” he asked in a teasing voice as Bree started nibbling his sleeve and he patted her snout with his free hand, unable to free her nibbling and eventually just giving up and relaxing into the beast. She was warmer and more comfortable than he expected, though he wasn’t sure if she tolerated his leaning because of the affection her owner held him or whether she genuinely didn’t mind. He supposed, on balance, it didn’t matter. Either Bree would actually end up liking him, if not as deeply as she liked Taz, or she would put up with him for as long as Taz did to keep the peace. He was unsure whether he’d want to be a fly on the wall when the pair of them returned to Syka, where they would no doubt discuss him at least in part. It already seemed they had done so, though that was likely out of necessity he reasoned. “I wonder if you could breed one big enough for a certain mage disposal? We could put our feet up then, relax and enjoy the sun at our leisure, no?” he snorted at the idea, wishing things were that simple but finding solace in the fact he still had his sense of humour, for now. As he listened to Taz talk about trying Hypnotism he wasn’t sure that it was actually a good idea given the book’s description. Then again, he mused to himself, what about the magics there were trying to cram in so quickly was actually a fantastic idea? No doubt, over time, they’d rack up more than a few setbacks of various kinds because of them. So, instead, he played along and very theatrically he itched his shoulder – no doubt much to Taz’s eyerolling at his insufferable nature. He could feel Bree shaking beneath him a little, perhaps her version of laughter. Her tail swished and flicked as Taz tried it out on Bree, the Ixam shaking further. “Oh that’s definitely laughter,” he said, looking down at Bree and winking, “we are terrible to her, aren’t we? Well, she’ll forgive you at least. Me…I might have to earn it, no?” he chuckled, watching Taz thoughtfully and leaning back into Bree further, considering the Ixam’s suggestion. He actually hadn’t thought Taz would give up so easily, though he supposed also that her words were correct – there were only two of them there for Taz to use, and both were knowing she was trying to do so. She had made that quite obvious and so he was somewhat confused. His experience of her was that she was more headstrong, a fact that was proven correct when she started singing. That was her usual method of Djed weaving, though he had no idea what she was doing with it. He, instead, relaxed further and listened to the words of her song. “No…not yet Bree. I like her singing. Besides, I’m crazy enough without getting Hypnotism crazy too” he said, cradling the back of his head with his fingers and listening to the song. The words were sadly haunting, speaking to him of a love of some kind. It didn’t matter what kind of love as it was truly about separation, loss and the desire to recover. He was no bard, but he could understand emotion well enough. He wasn’t sure why she had chosen that particular song, but much like the river and bridge one from before there was likely a purpose to it. It was just one that she kept to herself and he was content enough with that, he trusted her not to harm him and so he just went along with the sudden change of pace. Strangely, after a while, he started to think of his mother. The words were oddly appropriate as he closed his eyes and found the rhythm, humming along to himself as images flooded his mind. At first, he wasn’t sure if they were real or imagined but he became lost in their spectral form, blurred outlines rather than detailed pictures. The something clicked within and the detail was suddenly fleshed out, not for all of them but a reasonable portion. His eyes flared open and he jerked up, and off of Bree momentarily, before falling back into her. She grunted in a lack of appreciation, but it was lost upon him, instead his vision middle distance as he scanned his memory. What before had been a desert of nothingness with but a few oases of colour and sound now had a few more pieces filled in – nowhere near all of it but, if he had to guess it was a decent chunk, he had no reference but if he were honest one full memory would ahve been enough. He’d have to spend time going through them, accepting them for now in their cascade but momentarily overwhelmed and so unable to process any of them properly. His hands were shaking slightly as he rubbed his eyes until his vision focused upon the real rather than the immaterial. Then he looked at Taz, saw the sweat upon her brow and her clenched fingers upon the chair’s arms and realisation set in – she had done it. She had tricked them both, the wily woman, and had instead tried to give him something truly precious. He surged forwards and all but rocked the chair backwards as his arms wrapped around her, squeezing her as he laughed and babbled about how she had done it, or at least some of it, not really coherent which wasn’t a surprise given the suddenness of it all. After a while he calmed and took her face in his hands, planting a kiss upon her brow. “You, Tazrae, are a treasure. Thank you…I….she liked to dance, around the fire with my father…I remember that and…I don’t know, more than I ever thought I’d get back. You are such a beautiful hearted person I….no…no, you need to eat, that can’t have been easy. We’ll stop for now, you’ve done more than enough” he smiled at her warmly, taking her hands and squeezing them. “What is going on?” Bree asked from behind him and he shared a look with Taz. “You explain, I’ll get the food out”

[Tazrae]

The mood was light, almost playful, and for that Tazrae was grateful. Syka had been tense lately, and for no reason she could put her finger on. Bree had felt it too, and that was one of the reasons she’d brought the Ixam. Well, that, and she’d wanted Alric to be able to reach out and physically touch her world for once… make something she’d spoken of tangible and real to him rather than just some far-off fantasy of a settlement on the edge of a deadly paradise.

While her life was good, it was far from perfect, and more and more she felt part of that perfect she sought was here, with him. It was something she’d never voice to him, not now anyhow because he was focused on the battle, he saw ahead of him between himself and her Grandfather. Taz knew Alric thought there was no life after that, and certainly not one with her. Taz could read it in his face, his demeanor, and even in his very nature. She knew he saw himself as some sort of martyr that would go down and take one for the world. But she wanted more than that for both of them. She wasn’t a fight about to happen which would thrust her into oblivion as if she’d never existed. Certainly, she wouldn’t let that happen to Alric. She wasn’t going to go down because of an evil man’s will and neither was he. Taz knew there was life beyond the battle, and she planned to seize it with both hands and not let it slip quietly away after having done the self-appointed task of ridding the world of acute danger.

She was a leader. Making the Inn successful had proven that. And she was a bard. She wore Rhaus’ mark to prove it. She was also a Wildling of Caihya’s choosing. And she was a Guardian of Syka. There was so much beyond Alric’s little world, and she wanted to show him as much. Bree and the introduction between them were an important part of that. Bree had a way of making a person feel alive, of questioning themselve and questioning their own motivations. She was something that shouldn’t be and thus reminded people of the power of possibility and that miraculous things could happen. The world didn’t always follow neat rules.

Taz wasn’t going to let Alric back his own world into a corner and not have a way out. That started with magic. He would become a mage, quickly she decided, because it was in his blood and of his nature. And once he looked at the world through djed fueled eyes, he’d never unsee what he’d seen and he’d never unlearn what he’d learned. And Taz hoped that would make all the difference in the world to getting him to see beyond tomorrow and into the decades that could follow.

Bree snorted at Alrics comments about snakes and breeding them larger. “You do realize there are reticulated pythons in Falyndar that are twenty or thirty feet long and could swallow a man and have that man be as a mouse would be to a great cat? I haven’t been in the deep jungle either where even bigger snakes are supposed to live.” She flicked her tongue out, tasted Alric’s hair, and took in its essence thoughtfully. “We’ve killed them in the settlement that have fed everyone for days.” She added, causing Tazrae to nod.

“She’s telling the truth. They do grow big. And I saw one in the river once, in a quiet pool… its head was as big as Bree’s whole body. I thought it might be an anaconda because of its patterning and markings. But it was mostly underwater besides its head, so it was actually hard for me to tell.” Taz said, her eyes aglow with a kind of fascination. “I wanted to get closer, but I didn’t dare. And I think about it any time anyone suggests swimming in the river. The ocean with its sharks is safer.” She said with chagrin, laughing lightly at her fear. It was real though. Tazrae liked snakes but she had a healthy regard for something that was pure predator that size.

Then, thankfully, they got off the topic and back on magic practice. It was the reason this apartment existed and the reason she actually got to spend time with him. Her first two fake attempts went marvelously disastrously, driving Bree to giggles. And the third more real attempt seemed to work. Taz was stunned by Alric’s reaction, having taken him completely by surprise. And he in turn surprising her. One moment he was leaning against her angsty sarcastic jungle Ixam and the next moment he had scooped her up into a hug, squeezing and laughing and talking all at once. Taz couldn’t catch her breath because he was crushing her in an affectionate hug then kissing her brow.

Her eyes widened at his words. “It worked?” She said, slowly starting to smile, to understand why Alric was reacting the way he was. “She liked to dance? You remember that?” She said, her eyes welling up with tears. She was so grateful for him, for his memories returning. She returned his hug, heartfelt, and grinned. Her confidence swelled. She remembered Rhaus’ words when she first met him and about how she needed to find her voice and that would lead her to good things. This, definitely, was a good thing.

Alric was gone then, getting food, and Taz felt his immediate absence acutely. But she rose anyhow and went to Bree, wrapping her arms around the Ixam who heaved herself up off the hearth and stretched to her full length and arched her neck to reach around and return the hug her rider was giving her. “He doesn’t remember his childhood. He had it stripped away somehow. Alric only remembers from somewhere around age eight onwards when he was dropped at an orphanage in Sunberth.” Taz explained.

Bree hissed. “Can mages do that? Take memories?” She asked, furrowing her eye ridges and bending down to nibble at a front claw.

Both of them turned to watch Alric as Tazrae answered. “I think they can. Mages definitely… and there are some God given abilities that can do the same. I know the Dreamwalker said he could alter memories and make people think things happened that didn’t and erase things that did happen. Who knows what touched him as a child. I bet even trauma could alter memories.” Tazrae said quietly.

“So, you brought a shoulder of lamb for Bree earlier. What did you bring for us?” Taz asked, winking at Bree. “I brought Riverfall wine, fresh fruit, and a pastry I’ve been experimenting with that you fold over and over again in a process called lamination… you make layers of pastry and butter and they come out flakey and with the oddest lightest texture. It sort of puffs. Mine are filled with a lobster mixture. I caught the crustations fresh this morning.” Taz raised her voice to carry across the apartment, then dropped it to address Bree. “There’s dried jerky for you if you get hungry too.” The Innkeeper grinned at Bree, though she knew she’d eaten a whole lamb shoulder earlier and probably wouldn’t be hungry.

Bree shuddered momentarily and glanced at the door. “Let me out a moment?” She asked, and Taz escorted the Ixam to the door, opened it, and the creature disappeared into the rapidly fading dusk. Taz leaned against the doorjam, enjoying the breeze through the open door. The Outpost was cooling off for the night and the lighting in the courtyard was beautiful. Bree disappeared out the courtyard gates but was back a few moments later in time for Taz to let her back in so the Ixam could resettle by the fire. The woman decided Alric deserved his chair and took a seat on the couch, stretching out and leaning against the arm closest to where Alric’s seat was.

“It’s peaceful here.” Bree said suddenly, glancing around. “So, is this what you do? Read that book Mathias gave you and practice things from it? Are you trying to become a full-fledged mage with a working knowledge of all magics?” Bree asked, curiously.

“Something like that. I told you about my Grandfather. It’s not like he’s not looking for us – both of us – and we want to be ready if he finds us. I can’t speak for Alric, but I feel personally like the more magical knowledge I know, the better armed I am against my Grandfather.” Taz said softly, leaning back suddenly glad her feet were bare and she was not cooking or cleaning tonight.

“What about your sire and dam?” Bree asked. “Are they just going to let you come up against this Grandfather?” Bree asked, eyeing Tazrae curiously.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know if they are still alive or if they have a side. It sounds like my grandfather is somehow the head of a clan of Benshira. I know nothing about them except what Estra’s letter said. I should show those to Alric one of these days. I saved them.” She said thoughtfully. “But not tonight… no… tonight its too heavy to think of. I’d like to keep the darkness away tonight. We should celebrate.” Taz said, then looked around, wondering what Alric was going to feed them with.

She was actually hungry for once… starving in fact. Plus she wanted Alric to try hypnosis. “Alric… are you going to give it a try as well?” She said softly. “Maybe after we eat?” She asked, curious.

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