[The Dandy Guild] Entering the Ranks (Tabarnac)

[Sitkanis]

10th of Summer, 511 AV Perras had told Sitkanis to stop by the Guild Hall to meet the rest of the guild. He was a bit nervous to meet the rest of the guild. They were all native Denvali, or at least the majority of them. Sitkanis wanted to be one of them. He wanted Denval to be home. He did not know if others wanted him to call the city his home though. Sitkanis nodded to a few men as he walked through the doors in the guild hall. He had wanted to get there before nightfall. He did not want the other men to see him in his night form. At least when he was visiting the guild hall to try and join their ranks. The meeting would go well, or Sitkanis hoped it would. He had left a good amount of time before Leth showed his face. As long as the meeting didn't stretch too long the Ethaefal would not have to worry about his sparkly transformation. "Hello Jarl. Perras told me to come. Have you seen him?" Sitkanis nodded politely to the man as he looked around the hall. He want not sure what to do. He found it hard to fit himself in with the Denvali at times.

[Tabarnac]

"Hello, Master Sitkanis," said the doughty leader of the Guild. Most visitors to Denval considered them some archaic fraternity, a parody of the Syliran Knights or the Ebonstryfe, but those who were native or stayed long enough to soak up the subtleties of Denvali culture learned of its roots and its flower. Jarl wore an aster pinned to his lapel, and Zagary, dicing beyond him with some other fellow, had a red corn poppy pinned to his own shirtfront. Whether they all had a totem flower or there was some language beyond that was anyone's guess. "Master Perras was feeling a bit frisky and frisked over to the Temple to pay his obeisance to the Goddess of Slaves, but he should be around soon. After all, we have better drink." He smiled, eyes sparkling with wit and humor. Zagary looked up and smiled at Sitkanis too. Though Perras had spilled the beans about his adoration for Adalia, he had made no moves on her out of respect for her relationship with Sitkanis and now she was gone in any event, so he hoped there would be no bad blood between them. After all, how not to love a beautiful Konti healer who saved one's life? "But you are welcome to drink and game with us in the meantime. But be aware, you must drink and game well and with style if you wish to join our ranks." He winked and turned around to survey the mild debauchery that was already underway. "Ah, Sitkanis," came an alluring alto, slightly roughened by drink. Captain Astrid appeared, and in a dress, though it was slit down the sides to reveal pant legs. The lavender silk seemed to work in the candle and firelight, her hair gleaming like burnished copper and her pale skin warmed by the light. There was a faint flush to her cheeks as well, but she leaned in to kiss his cheeks, one after the other, a much more relaxed Astrid than he had ever witnessed. She wore an angrec pinned to her dress.

[Sitkanis]

Sitkanis nodded to Jarl when he spoke of Perras. He was a bit nervous without him there since he did not know any of the others except Zagary. He put on a pleasant face, or at least his version of one and attempted a smile back at Jarl. He kept his eye on Zagary, even if there was no reason for his distaste for the man anymore. Adalia was long gone. He still did not like that the man had adored what he saw was his. He would attempt to be civil, especially since he wanted to be part of this guild that Perras spoke so fondly of. "I'd like to join you. Thank you." Sitkanis kept his voice level as he spoke to the man. He told himself he would try to put the topic of Adalia behind him but it did not make it any easier. It was not the fact that she was gone. He was slowly getting over her departure. There was no reason to mourn over someone who was never going to return. He just did not like someone eyeing what was his. "Good to see you Zagary. I'm glad to see you are doing better since the last time we saw each other." He made no mention of Adalia, or her skill at helping to heal the man. He wanted to make her nothing but a memory now. When Astrid strolled over to Sitkanis a real smile found it's way to his lips for the first time since he walked into the guild hall. He could not help but admire Astrid, especially in the way she was dressed. Even when Adalia had been with him he had admired her. Not in the way that he would have left the Konti, but he had always found her beautiful just the same. He liked a woman who was in charge and Astrid was just that. "Hello Astrid. You look very beautiful." His smile grew a bit as he reached out to touch the flower pinned on her chest. "So, what do the different flowers mean?" He looked her in the eyes as he took in her aura. It was strong, although a bit more relaxed than it had been the last time he saw her. "You seem much more calm than the last time we were together. Of course, there were rocks falling on us then."

[Tabarnac]

As she glanced down at the bloom on her dress, Jarl receded into the background, mingling with the other members of the guild and their guests. When she looked up, her pale eyes were dancing with mirth. "Generally," she said, voice thrumming with good humor, "when a girl wears a pretty flower and a pretty dress, it means she wants to be pretty. Perhaps the menfolk wish to be pretty as well. You'll have to ask them." She took his arm and slipped her hand into its crook for all the world as if she were not capable of taking him in a fight. It was day yet and he was the tattooed Drykas warrior, but inside the light was all artificial, the windows closed to invoke a false night. In this night, though, Sitkanis was no child of Leth's. In here, she was no captain for all that she took what she wanted -- at least, if his arm was any clue. To his Auristic eye, she burned like a white flame, her hands always wreathed in perfect light, a sign for those in the know that she had held the hand of Priskil on more than one occasion. But she was relaxed. Everyone was here, though, and there was a faint undercurrent of sexual excitement running through the ambient djed. There was a connection between bloodlust and plain lust, anyway, and they were interrupted by the clash of steel on steel, Jarl laughing as he fought off another man with a flickering dance of rapier and swirl of cape. Others were laughing, some betting. Astrid led Sitkanis over to watch. Jarl was a master, and his opponent was no slouch, but their deadly dance was a dance indeed, intoxicating and exciting. Someone handed Astrid and Sitkanis glasses of blue liquid, a degtine brewed with certain berries, potent but sweet without being cloying. "Drink," she urged him. These revels bonded them together in good times and camaraderie, and, truth be told, she had taken a shine to him and looked at him with an admiring eye now that he was available and in her presence.

[Sitkanis]

A smirk came to Sitkanis' lips when Astrid took his arm and spoke of the flowers the guild all wore. "Fair enough." While he wanted to say more. To tell her she was pretty like she had just claimed she was trying to be. He held back though, not wanting to give her too much praise in fear he might sound like he was trying to hard. Sitkanis welcomed Astrid's arm to come around his own. He was proud to walk through the guildhall with her. More so, he liked that people saw him with her. Clearly the city respected Astrid and he hoped by being seen walking beside her the Denvali would see him with respect instead of the town's glittering child of Leth. The child of Leth part did not bother him too much. He was proud of his connection to the lunar God. He did not like people identifying him by the fact that he glittered under his father's light. All social aspects aside, he was happy to be walking with Astrid for the sole fact that he found her appealing. Everything else was details. When Astrid led Sitkanis to watch the other men fence he watched first with the sole intent of appeasing Astrid, to look like he knew what he was watching. As the dance between the two men went on the Ethaefal could not help but feel interested. Although the men were not slashing each other in war or hunting down animals there was still a hint of ferocity in their art. While Sitkanis was now sure if he would be skilled enough to take part in the fight between the two he could respect the art all the same. A forced smile found it's way to Sitkanis' lips when he was handed the degtine. While there was no reason not to consume alcoholic beverages, Sitkanis preferred not to. When urged by Astrid he felt that he could not resist though. Besides, it seemed important to the guild and if he wanted to join he would have had to drink at least a little. "So Astrid, how would I join the guild?" It was less of a question and more of an excuse to talk to the beautiful Astrid. "If I could of course."

[Tabarnac]

"The Guild," she said, clinking her glass to his and downing it in one, long swallow, her neck as graceful as a swan's, "has already chosen you." She set the empty glass aside and smiled at him, her eyes a touch watery for the fire of the drink. "We want you to stay in Denval, so we will help you become Denvali. It is the Dandy Guild of Swordsmen, though, so we will be training you with weapons. You won't find a Denvali citizen who isn't somewhat trained to fight. We are all of us the scions of soldiers. If you look at Jarl, you probably think... well, a dandy. Useless dilettante, womanizer, gadabout. But look at him move." There was a touch of awe in her voice. "His cape is more effective than a shield in the hands of a competent soldier, and while his rapier can't cut through armor, he is so good that he can find the weak points and pierce them." She turned an appreciative, but critical eye on Sitkanis. "The world is dangerous, and you will have a doubled challenge, learning to fight in this form with its strength and your other form, which is no doubt quicker. Whether you learn different weapons or just different styles, I think the dual-training will make you better in each one individually. You'll know your weapons twice as well." This time when she looked him up and down, her bold gaze was more pointed. "The Guild is for our amusement and entertainment, but not a person here is not a master with their chosen weapon. It's also a study in subterfuge. If your enemy judges you as ineffectual, they won't see your sword until their head is spinning to the floor." Her smile was ruthless for a moment, but she was not bloodthirsty, merely focused on protecting her people. The mother of Denval was sharp as a blade. She led him away from the fight then, the deadly dance of steel and silk. Grabbing an unopened bottle of degtine, she led him up the stairs. "There was so little to enjoy for so many years in Denval after the Valterrian, Sitkanis. Surviving is not the same as living, and the Guildsmen live. Survival is a last resort. To live is the goal. And that is why we're going to find a room and I am going to be Astrid and you are going to be Sitkanis, and we are going to get to know each other. Would you like that?"

[Sitkanis]

The mention of the guild wanting to make Sitkanis Denvali caused an excited smile to form on his lips. He could barely hide his excitement and in a way, he didn't want to. If he was to become Denvali like Astrid said he shouldn't hide from the other people of the city, at least in an emotional way. It would take some getting used to and clearly it was not a happening that could be taken care of in one meeting with the guild. There would be progress though, somewhere down the line at least. "I'm willing to learn. I miss fighting, although I barely remember how." This comment bothered Sitkanis a bit, pushing him back away from the friendly face he was attempting to put on. There had been a life of training and fighting before this one and none of it seemed to matter. Every chime and bell he had put into honing his skills all those years ago meant nothing now. The Ethaefal watched Jarl as he moved, trying to see him as Astrid did. He tried to remember the movements of his Drykas brethren but nothing came to him. After a year of trying to figure out who he was has a Drykas there were still so little answers. Sitkanis nodded along as Astrid spoke, taking in the dance before him. He had to admit one thing about the dandy. Like Astrid said, he really could move. Sitkanis did not want to think about having to train in his nightly form. It was so weak and beautiful. He knew it was important to train as both forms of himself though. He did not want to be caught in a situation where he would be killed again just because his father hung in the sky. Or did he? It would get him out of this sickening cycle of trying to remember his past life and being caught in a body that he deemed weak. He loved the way Astrid was speaking though. So blunt and honest about the ways of fighting. "I look forward to training. We would train together, right?" He grinned at her, trying to think about how she would be in combat. He thought about her body in the moves of working with her weapon. "I'd love to have a honor of training with you." When Astrid urged Sitkanis to the stairs he followed obediently. While the degtine did not call to him as a drink of choice he would gladly drink it if he was being beckoned by Astrid. At her words, Sitkanis smiled slyly. "I would like that a lot." He liked it much more than he let on. He had wanted a opportunity like this even when Adalia was at his side. While he might not have been as eager to get close to Astrid when Adalia was around now that the Konti was no where to be found he could get as close with Astrid as he liked. "Lead the way Astrid."

[Tabarnac]

She just smiled mysteriously as he spoke, until he gave his consent to spend the night with her. What they might do was yet uncertain, but she felt a certain bond broken, a certain freedom. They had the night to be two simple people, to speak, to drink, to laugh, to fuck... whatever they chose to do. As they ascended the stairs, she began to answer his questions, some of them with questions of her own. "Do you have any memory of your weapons of choice when you were a man? I suppose I'll be one of your trainers; you'll need many of us to train you back to the level of skill that is required for guild membership. And you'll be double the work for both of your bodies, I imagine. But I don't mind. Something quick and light for you at night, and something that plays to your strength during the day." She smiled, obviously admiring his sunny form. She led the way up into an attic bedroom, dark and warm until she opened the window that let in the cool, salty sea breezes and light gleaming up from the rocky harbor. Taking a candle stub out into the hall, she lit its wick from a candelabra and took it in to light a couple of lamps, this light safe behind glass. "Make yourself at home," she pressed him, shutting and locking the door behind her, keeping the world out for the time being. It was yet day, but the light gleaming up from below was growing more and more ruddy as the sun sank toward the horizon. Soon she would get to see him at his most vulnerable, transforming into a creature of moonlight and fable. She stepped out of her shoes and left them by the door, pouring degtine, and taking her own advice. First she sat at a chair. "How do you want to do this?" she asked, for she had left the Captain in the hall and would not be making orders. "Question for question, story for story?"

[Sitkanis]

Sitkanis watched Astrid as the pair walked and talked. He had the feeling he would not be able to wait until they were alone to get to know her but this was not Endrykas anymore and she was not Sasha, not that Sitkanis could remember his past wife. Perhaps there was a remnant of who he used to be when he looked at the fiery red head. Thoughts of bringing her back to his tent crossed his mind before he remembered he no longer had one. "I don't really remember. Something used for hunting I'm sure. Maybe a spear." He wished he remembered. A weapon was one of the most important parts of being a hunter. The thoughts of weapons quickly died off as Astrid kept talking. She was speaking of training bodies, his in particular. "Oh yeah, I'd let you train my body…" The mutter was low and if Astird was really listening she might have heard it. He almost grabbed her arm to physically drag her to the stairs but he stopped, his hand already in the motions of taking hold of her. What was he doing? This was the captain of Denval! Besides, he respected her… at least he thought he did. When the pair had reached the room Sitkanis could barely keep himself from Astrid. There were flickers, not more than a few seconds at most, of moments of pleasure from a different life. They were all sparked by the captain. He wanted her, oh did he want her, but he would have to be patient. Something in him demanded he take her to bed with or without her permission but he suppressed it. Luukas wanted her and he was a much different person than Sitkanis. He still had to wait. The Ethaefal was still in charge, still forcing the Drykas down. Sitkanis liked to think he was still the noble Drykas hunter than he once was but he was completely Ethaefal. He despised being an Ethaefal but he was not Drykas, at least the one he had been. The Drykas was darker, more aggressive, and he would have never allowed himself to go so long without knowing how to fight. He would have never allowed Adalia to leave and most of all, he would have already had Astrid in bed. "Sounds good to me. Shall I start the questions… or did I just use up my turn?"

[Tabarnac]

Perhaps she sensed the fumbling attempts of his old self to reemerge, or saw through his silences, read between the lines when he spoke. Men were frequently baffled by the intuition of women, and Sitkanis would likely be no different. If Adalia had her Lady Avalis to blame, Astrid had only her experience of human nature from which to work. There was a will o' the wisp flicker of a smile when he tried to remember his weapon of choice, a response in her eyes if not spoken, but then it was gone, or redirected. It was said the god of the moon was cruel, or at least violent, when not calmed by Syna's influence. His children were likely of a similar vein. Priskil was similar in some ways to Syna. "Well," she said, chuckling darkly around her degtine, "I can be generous. Ask away."