[Flashback] Stories Shared and Things Learned [Nasilia]

[Velarian Zantedeschia]

"It is not a commitment to be made lightly," Velarian admitted. "But yes, I would call it fascinating to say the least." He sensed a certain interest in the girl's voice, not fulsome, but quiet as it seemed to be her nature. The man preferred it over the exalted interest some men and women feigned when they learned about his profession and it was yet better than anxious glances he knew almost as well. Magic still caused some people to grow tense and he could not blame them. It could be a terrible weapon in careless hands.

"Near impossible to learn however?," he rose a shoulder in a tentative shrug. "There are too many sorcerers for that assertion to hold true I would believe." He could have named quiet a few, some even to be found within the city proper. Magic users were rare, only not as rare as some believed. Many pf those pursuing his profession hid their skills, the powers of others were too subtle for the mundane onlooker to pick up. Hard to detect even for a mage unschooled in the ways of Auristics.

Again he studied the young woman, her reserved expression hard to judge. "In my experience most students search themselves a school or scholar to help them train in the field they are interested in." Like the majority of cities Kalinor did not boast no university, neither for mundane nor arcane studies, yet for some subjects one could find teachers still. "The hard part is finding them. And to convince them on is worth their time," he admit after second of consideration.

He had never need win over a mentor himself. His father had been his only long term teacher and there had been no need to persuade the older Symenestra, who had looked for someone helping him out with the more minuscule routines of his work. From others however he had heard it could be a taxing experience, whose reward only came with time and hard study. The thought let him push to his feet. He had lingered by the basins longer than he had intended to. Work as waiting at home, projects unfinished, studies which needed attending to.

Velarian made a step out into the cave which would lead towards the grotto's entrance, but turned before doing so. He nodded in the direction of the cavern opening. "If you like I will take you around my atelier. Show you some of my works."

It was an offer he usually tend to make to potential customers, to present them with other works he had done in the hope for them to purchase a piece or two. While he doubt the young woman to have either money nor need for one of his automatons, she seemed interested enough for him to make an exception. A second, two, he did not move, then a smirk lit up his features. "I am sure you could need a harmless distraction right now, yes?"

[Nasilia]

Nasilia listened to the male half-hearted, surprised she had given him as much of her time as she did. Normally she would be a little irritated in the presence of another male though it wasn't for a superficial reason as feminism. At least he was being nice. She let him prattle on thinking it would distract her from her thoughts concerning her mother though it would end up tiring her after a while she thought. Nasilia was an introvert; she lost energy when in the company of others and regained it when by herself.

At the mention of going to his shop, it was a bit of a double edged sword for her; a little more distraction and a chance to see something interesting versus her desire to seclude herself to find herself again, something she tried to do previously but could not so far. Perhaps after she had entertained him further she would be able to fulfill that psychological need and perhaps come across something of genuine interest other than her present condition.

She considered protesting to going not simply to be modest but because she felt like it might be boring. Still anything 'might' be something negative but that shouldn't be a deterrent to doing it unless it was obviously too dangerous. The lanky pale woman slowly advanced toward Velarian and gives her a small smile to be polite replying quietly, "Yes that would be nice thank you."

[Velarian Zantedeschia]

"Well then. I will lead the way," the man replied, turning. In silence Velarian led the young woman past lucid basins and gray mottled stalagmites shimmering wet in the half light of the grotto. The gazes of a few men and woman followed them as they headed for the entrance, others paid not heed to them at all, engaged in conversations. In pale faces the animator believed to read the thoughts occupying prying minds. What had they been talking about? Where would they go now? Thoughts which when dwelt on would doubtlessly breed new rumors. The Symenestra shrugged off the impression of being watched and indeed people soon lost interest.

Without a further word he climbed up and through the cavern mouth, stopping only to offer Nasilia a hand to help her up. In some distance he could make out the shapes of the city, faint glowing shapes against black. Movements ruled by casual prudence he lowered his fragile frame down the rope stretching between grotto and city.

"My son is living with me," Velarian informed the young woman as he balanced along the narrow pathway towards Kalinor. "He might still be at his aunts place however, so I doubt you will come to make his acquaintance." For the briefest of moments he smirked. "He can be quite the handful at times, just as a warning in case he indeed has come home already."

In many ways Davariel differed from his father who had been described as a quiet and indulgent child in his youth. Where Velarian had done whatever he was told, especially when presented with good reasons – his son on the other hand had his own, willful, head. It would have made dealing with him hard, had not his father an unfailing talent to overlook the child's mistakes.

Velarian and Nasilia passed the first of Kalinor's buildings, light weigh constructs made of stone and wood, fabric. Often mostly the later. Here and there the light of fire or opal gloams shone though thin silken walls, causing the cocoons to appear even more delicate. The man knew they were anything but. He inclined his head towards a building at their left. "We are almost there."

The animator branched off to an even more narrow pathway, guiding the young woman towards his web's home. It was not a vast residence, merely large enough to hold rooms for the family patriarch and his closest relatives. Velarian and his son lived in an area accessible through a separate door, the area large enough to live and work in comfortably. Stepping onto the ledge protruding from the side of the building, he opened the door. No sound was to be heard. It seemed his son was still in his aunts company, her rooms too far away for the man to tell for sure however.

"After you," he offered to the young woman, gesturing inside. "It is just down the corridor."

[Nasilia]

To an outsider, this place would have probably been considered absolutely amazing. Such a person would note the delicate appearance of the cocoon, the glowing stones, the dimly lit city, and the intricacies involved in organizing the cocoon itself. To Nasilia, it was the everyday, the norm, and it made her wonder if the outside world was on par with her home or worse. It would be a shame if this was all there was to the world, or at least the best that it could offer; there was a definite longing for something more...a lot more.

She finally snapped out of her musings, not even noticing the people looking at her as they traveled. It was Velarian's voice that brought her back to the present reality, reminding her that she was visiting the animator's home. She paused briefly to inspect it, noting any unusual features. She decided to not wait too long though and proceeded into the corridor, feeling slightly uncomfortable with a man she just met right behind her while she walked ahead. She looked over her shoulder briefly though she immediately thought of simply looking forward so as not to alert him of her present alertness, whether the reason be being polite or knowing too much about her situation.

As cautious as she was, she didn't believe the man to be truly malicious. Crimes in Kalinor, especially against women, were not taken lightly. The lanky and lithe woman proceeded on, not bothering to ask the obvious: why do they fear you? She expected only a generic answer in that case. She just simply moved in silence, observing her surroundings carefully.

[Velarian Zantedeschia]

Velarian followed the young woman in some distance, the sound of his feet muted by the thick fabric which covered the floor in countless layers. A long moment he walked in silence, the hallway leading deeper into the building, growing more steep with every step, before ending almost abruptly. Ahead and quite some yards below lay a single, medium sized room, separated into smaller section by a flood of white silk. No one had bothered to waste space with a staircase. Symenestra could climb enough to not miss such ancillary constructs and indeed, the descent seemed to invite visitors to climb down the chamber's wall, to make use of not only the floor, but also walls, ceilings for navigation.

In the corridor, the man waited until Nasilia had reached the ground, before descending himself, his movements hinting the same cautiousness which seemed to rule all his pursuits. With his feet touching the ground he turned towards the young woman. "It seems my son is actually doing his lessons for a change, eventually he will come back later. Or not, then he stays with his out. With Davariel one can never be sure. In any case – welcome."

Curtains parted with soft rustling as Velarian headed for table and chairs located in the middle of the room, gesturing the young woman to follow along behind him. Around them the moon colored drapery swayed gently seemingly touched by a drift of air only they were aware of. As soon as one only stepped close enough they would hurry to open the view on another part of the room, only closing again once the onlooker had gained his distance to them.

"I can stop that if you prefer," the animator offered, pulling out two chairs from under the table. "Usually I keep them tied to the wall when my son is around, he can't stop playing around with them." And he had to admit the sound could turn rather annoying once you had to listen to a child chase curtains around the room for hours on end. Sometimes the child displayed a surprising amount of endurance, usually when he had the chance to wreak some mayhem or go adventuring. In that regard the man could be glad the boy not left too much of a chaos behind before going to his aunt.

He gestured Nasilia to have a seat. "Can I get you something? Tea or water?" There was some liquor left yet he could not imagine the woman would take him up on the offer had he suggested it. "I did not expected guests today I am afraid," he admit with a smirk.

His family had the tendency to over look the havoc his son created with the same quiet indulgence so many only lone children came to enjoy, spoiled by from over protective relatives. Friends and customers on the other hand rarely paid a visit without further notice. As a result his home was ill equipped when it came to unexpected guests. However, Velarian knew it could have been much worse.

[Nasilia]

Nasilia observed the household inquisitively, finding it a little homely and cramped with all the emphasis on using every wall in the rooms. She swore she would get vertigo in less than a minute just staring at everything. It was as though she were in someone's optical illusion painting. It wasn't as bad as the shifting city of Avaldas though. At least when she looked around, she would note that everything remained as it was. True the interiors of the Avaldas architecture didn't change by magic, but the buildings' street positions did.

She decided to take her mind off such irritating thoughts and move herself to the present where her host was offering her a drink. She had let the talk of his son sink in slowly in her mind as the information wasn't really necessary to know other than the emphasis this man had about his child. Like most Symenestran fathers, he was proud of him, or at least he put on such a face. If she recalled correctly, he had told her he had reared three children, so he was probably a very prideful man. That would remain to be seen.

At his offer she replied with a soft smile as reassurance that her head wasn't in the clouds, "Tea is fine thank you." She didn't note much else though, remaining quiet and letting him talk. She had nothing interesting to say, and Velarian seemed more than anxious to speak even if he did so at a moderated pace. She knew better than to think he was just speaking to her to make her feel better, which wasn't a bad thing, but she wouldn't be so self-centered as to say this meeting was all about her...in fact, it seemed to be more about Velarian at the moment though she could see the conversation shifting in the near future.

[Velarian Zantedeschia]

"The water will need a few minutes to warm up." Velarian stepped to the side and curtains opened the view into a small kitchen space, holding little more than a single hearth. Other than most furniture in the room, the fire place was the only object which seemed to possess a certain weight, made entirely of stone. Not unsurprising it stood free to make sure no high licking flame would set the home ablaze.

A simple iron pot was placed over the fire and and two larger pieces of hazel wood joined the ash piles underneath. For a while the man rummaged around the hearth. When he stood again yellow flames liked hungrily over wood and the Symenestra turned towards his guest. Again he studied her, only to find her as hard to read as during their earlier conversation. After a moment he shook his head. From a nearby niche he retrieved two earthenware cups and a small wooden box. The later gave of a faint smell of dried herbs and fruit, but nothing exotic. The tea was created from plants around Kalinor in the mountains and in the swamp. It was one of those common mixtures you could frequently buy on the market. Velarian had always some at home.

"Take as much as much as you want," the he offered, filling his own cup until the bottom was entirely covered by dried green leaves and yellow and red chunks which could well be pieces of dried apples. "Would you care to see some of my works, apart from the curtains?" The man folded himself into an empty chair on the opposite side of the table. "Or we can do it later, if you prefer," he smirked. "I don't have guests interested in the arcane often."

And when he had them, they were all to excited about the topic. They wanted to know how it was done and the animator could already see how little they cared about the danger, about consequences. Nasilia's interest was hard to judge in that regard. In one moment he was inclined to say she did not care about what he might show her, in others she seemed willing to learn more. It was an odd combination, confusing Velarian even more than it made him curious.

"Would you mind a question? Is it... recent interest? Because of what happened?"

The question came slowly, as if the man had to decide if he actually wanted to inquire on the matter. Velarian did not want to remind the girl about the loss she had suffered – in the same turn it was hard to avoid the topic all together. He did not know enough about her to talk about other things. And he had the feeling the young woman did not share his sisters ability and zeal to talk about whatever came to her mind at a given moment.

Getting to his feet, the animator held his hand over the pot on the fire.

[Nasilia]

Nasilia simply sipped her tea in silence as the man spoke, closing her eyes to fully draw herself into the experience of the taste. She set the cup down and opened her eyes again, staring into the contents, seeing her own reflection looking back at her. Velarian's words sunk in her mind like one would sink through molasses, and she began to wonder if he felt she was wasting his time. He kept inquiring though so at least she knew his patience wasn't spent for now.

She'd lean back in her seat and look up at him, saying, "I can't say I thought about animation that much. I'm not very privy to magic practice in general. I don't even know what you animate in particular, and I don't really have much direction to begin with." Nasilia might have gone for animation if it struck her as a good idea, but she really didn't know what went into the art itself and whether or not she could do it herself. As always, she considered herself talentless and ordinary save her perception which she felt at times was overblown so that she wouldn't fall into self esteem issues and depression.

Her eyes jumped to the flaming hearth with passive interest, noting that Velarian took great care of his home if he was so intent on making sure none of the house touched the fire. Perhaps everyone did that if they had a hearth, but there were other clues to personal pride in his home. It wasn't like he was the only one, it seemed to be expected for one to have a respectable home. She glanced back at him and said, "As for my mother...I'm afraid I'm simply going to have to just get past it. I have no other choice."