Burdened

[Laszlo]

Laszlo watched a bitter revulsion bloom in Elhaym at the mention of magic, but didn't put much weight into it. The Shinya Acolyte had already proven herself to be hostile and furious at the drop of a hat. It was difficult to tell whether she was justifiably bitter, or simply melodramatic. Her beaten body implied the former. However, Laszlo had already been cautioned about the use of his magic, through instruction and experience. He knew the way it pulled at him, drawing out darker sides of him that were better kept under lock and key. Unfortunately, Elhaym wasn't the only one the world kept trying to kill. Hypnotism was Laszlo's first and only real defense against the perils of this life. It also provided him with a subtle utility, making it easier to persuade merchants and mercenaries to give him an affordable discount. Especially when chartering travel. "My own death doesn't frighten me as much as it used to," Laszlo admitted, thinking strongly of Abalia. The fear of death had been the first thing the Ethaefal had felt when he fell from divinity, and for a long while, that fear was what kept him from too seriously contemplating suicide. When he learned that his human friend's death may be imminent, Laszlo's own life felt almost felt forfeit. "You're a survivor, Elhaym. That's what your scars tell me. I'd hate to see whatever happened to those who've attempted to kill you." Elhaym began to lead on to the Koten Temple, so Laszlo kicked off the wall to follow her. She walked briskly for her size, almost making it difficult for the Ethaefal and his long legs to keep up. He allowed her to stay ahead of him at a comfortable distance, keeping back to grant her whatever level of authority she so enjoyed asserting over the horned civilian. Despite his patience with her, she was grating on his nerves with her hair temper and sanctimonious attitude, not to mention her flagrant racism. Were she not clearly a guard figure, a part of the Shinya, Laszlo may not have been so tolerant. There was a method to the way Laszlo kept using her name. Without truly knowing her, it crossed certain unspoken boundaries to address her as if she were his personal friend. A ma'am or miss may have been more considerate and sufficient, but her aggression had intimidated, and deeply annoyed him. Handling someone's name like a familiar toy had a different effect on everyone; it could charm some and offend others. Laszlo however had the advantage of a handsome face and an easy, baritone voice. Used delicately, a name might unbalance someone's defenses enough that he or she may even start to like him. It had worked often enough in Alvadas, he fondly remembered. When she stopped, suddenly, Laszlo glanced around the city structures, looking for one ceremonious enough in appearance to be called a temple. While Lhavit continued to soothe him with its luminescent splendors and attractive architecture, he quickly realized that they had arrived nowhere. Elhaym was concentrating on something. An unexplained anger was renewed in her features. Now what? "Elhaym, is something wrong?" No response. She ignored him when he asked again, until he finally gave up and let her work through whatever deep seated issues were taking place in her brain. He was reminded suddenly of the insane Ulric. Were all the Shinya like this, or just the horribly scarred ones? Laszlo kept his face carefully blank, still holding his stack of parchment at his side. She eventually did seem to come out of her trance, though offered no explanations. When Elhyam's question came, Laszlo's expression did shift. He glanced down; his reluctance was as clear as the sunlight on his shining skin. "Perhaps you spoke too soon about misjudging me." Laszlo thought of the teacup, smashed outside the Mhakula. It was the first victim of Elhaym's wrath, simply because he was friends with a Symenestra. If she learned he was a hypnotist, it seemed like there was a fair chance that he would also end up shattered and spilling his contents over the road. "Not so long ago I may have been among those who tried to hide their magic. There's actually a specific creed among wizards like me that cautions against careless disclosure. Its power lies in the ignorance of others." He slowly looked up, his tongue hesitant in forming the three words he was warned never to utter. "I'm a hypnotist." Fearful of her reaction, Laszlo's golden eyes glanced off again. "I'm in a new city, with new customs. Alvadas did not regulate its magic users, but I learned there the dangers of keeping things a secret. If I lied here, I have no doubt history would repeat itself, and I'd lose what little I still have. My magic is based on people, and for them to know what I am renders me powerless. But I… I don't have any interest in power. Not anymore." Something echoed strangely in his mind, as if to correct him. Not right now, he thought involuntarily. His conscience flared suddenly, from his heart to his throat, forcing out a confession. "It has its uses. I'm not a fighter, so it's my only weapon and shield if someone, say, pins my shoulder unprovoked to a wall by the heel of her boot." There was a certain sharpness in the way he looked at her then, but his voice was still gentle and passive. "I try not to overdo it. Every man and woman has the right to their own free will. I hope that doesn't warrant my arrest." Hopefully Elhaym could appreciate the honesty she was so insistent about.

[Elhaym]

The sounds of muffled laughter and gossiping women flooded her ears in the streets as they resumed their pace. She kept him on a shorter leash now, the former distance between guide and follower reduced to a foot or so at most. He was reluctant to speak of it, though she did not find fault in that. Her own struggles were unnatural, and if the very uniform she wore didn't confirm her secret identity to the entire city she would have kept it a secret as well. His own admission only made her slight addendum in her initial vouching for his character all the more important. I may have misjudged you. May have. And so apparently, she had.

She turned her face to him at the mention of his manipulative calling, melting into the same downcast frown she had worn when they first met eyes. He averted his, and continued to babble. His admission contained an interesting tidbit that he may not have intended her to catch, but apparently his craft had already caused him trouble in Alvadas. She tucked that little bit of information away, and simply shook her head in dismissal of his denial. All wizards lusted for power, from the meekest novice to the grand master. It was simply what it was; power incarnate and bliss, a drug that was like sex and love and hate. Every fiery euphoric feeling pooled into one source you could draw on anytime you wished... all wizards craved power, because it was right there. They already had it. They simply only needed to use it. That was her perspective, and thus she found his petty claim to be in a word, bullshit.

Yet he did not stop there. People moved around them in neat and orderly columns as if they were meant to stand in the way and the people themselves were an inconvenience. She nodded as he spoke, but her frown deepened considerably when he hinted at having already manipulated her in their brief time speaking. In her head, she thought of that day. Men and women driven absolutely mad from the shear presence of a hypnotist, butchering each other and themselves helplessly and feverishly… or just falling down to the ground in a screaming pile, frothing at the mouth and dying. Of course, magic had not been normal that day, if it could be considered normal at all. Everything had been amplified to the point of insanity, but still... those thoughts permeated her mind. She felt a rush inside her, clenching her jaw so tightly she would later wonder how she didn't crack one of her own teeth.

Oddly, it was not anger that rushed through her. It was fear.

She only stood there for a moment after he finished speaking, the silence lingering as his body seemed to plead a response from her involuntarily. Quickly she shifted, shaking her head back and forth softly. Her robe was transferred from her bandaged arm to her other meticulously as she spoke, folded over her forearm and draping down on both sides.

"No... it is not enough to be arrested. You are honest to an extent, and the Shinya appreciate honesty. I appreciate honesty."

She leaned forward, her legs extending her a little higher onto the tip of her toes. It was a movement most men were familiar with, the subtle hints that a woman would whisper something into his ear.

"I also agree that everyone has a right to free will. That said, I'm sure you will forgive me."

The robe had been placed over her other arm, and perhaps Laszlo would now have become aware of just how bulky it was. Draped over her arm, a passerby could not even see her hand... unfortunate, considering it had been balled tightly into a fist. As she leaned forward, she laid into him with the brunt of the accumulated power of her arm; a quick jab that struck so quickly it was hard to even detect. Harder yet with the cumbersome robe disguising her movements, yet she intended to place as solid a blow as she could manage right into his stomach without drawing attention to herself. If she surmised right, he would likely double over… only furthering the image that he was leaning down to allow her to speak a private word.

"Never touch my mind again, Laszlo. You have no idea what you might unearth." She whispered sweetly.

[Laszlo]

What was it about Laszlo that just made people want to hurt him? Gods divine. The Ethaefal lurched forward onto Elhaym's shoulder, spitting out a wheezing cough, as the impact of the Acolyte's practiced fist sent an explosion of agony ripping through his upper body. Every drop of air was forced from his lungs, leaving him gasping hoarsely and desperately gulping as he remained leaning against her. His knees wanted to give out from underneath him, but with Elhaym's gracious support, he remained on his feet. Both armed hugged at his stomach, clawing at his thin, silk shirt with his stubby, ineffective, humanlike fingernails. As he finally began to pull scraps of air into his lungs again, the scent of her filled his senses: the musk of a woman drenched in sweat, tinged with the spicy scent of poultice. Laszlo hissed in pain, needing several moments to recover before he could step away from her, gifting back her personal space. The Ethaefal was still leaned forward, desperately embracing himself. "Guess I—" He coughed, then wheezed. After a few more practiced breathes, he tried again. There was still a ghostly rasp in his voice as he spoke. "Guess I deserved that…" It was at least preferable to being arrested and carted off to a dungeon somewhere. Pain could fade, but he wasn't entirely sure Duvalyon wouldn't leave Laszlo to rot if he got himself in trouble. What did Lhavitians do to unregistered magic users, anyway? He coughed again, then staggered to the side so he could lean himself against a lamp post. "Sorry. Nrh. Think I need a moment." While Laszlo focused on recovering, he was sure she was smugly basking in her pure control of the situation. Gods, what was her problem? She had ties to Syliras, evidently. He wondered if she had her beginnings as a Syliran Squire. The screaming ache of his stomach could guess that she had taken a page from their training manuals. "As an Ethaefal, there's a certain… erfh, compulsion," Laszlo started, his voice still hoarse, "to follow the remnants of your old life. Find out who you were before, what you did. Ghss." A minute or two passed, and Laszlo's posture began to correct. His baritone came easier to him now. "I was a hypnotist, in my previous life. There are records that still exist, personally written by the man I used to be. I read everything I could find." Placing one hand on the lamp post, Laszlo nodded at Elhaym, signaling that he was ready to continue on through Lhavit. "Hypnotism can be used to exploit, but it can also help people, if they trust me. I just had to find out for myself, and… well, I learned a little too late that whoever I was in a previous life is not important. No more than your previous lives are to you. It's just… shadows… no real substance." One arm dropped to his side. He only needed one limb now to cradle his poor, bruised torso. "Did you say you were forced into magic?"

[Elhaym]

Once Laszlo had seen fit to drag himself off her shoulder, Elhaym set to untying her sash and sliding back into her robe. It took a moment to adjust it correctly, but once she was done she looked as an Acolyte in public very well should. For good measure, she adjusted her sash and smoothed the robe's fabric that ran down to her knees as he finally managed to formulate some words. To his credit, he hadn't made a fuss or really done anything to draw attention to himself. Her arms folded across her chest as she paced a few feet away. She had him locked down; he could not run, else he would be seen publicly retreating from an Acolyte, who in that situation may as well be a Shinya.

It took her a few seconds to remember what she was even doing there in that moment with the adrenaline of having pulled off a stunt like that in public clouding her thoughts. Her single eye narrowed as he began to speak again, ever reminding her of the treachery he had displayed. Though again, she had paid him back in full for that bit. Her gaze softened a bit.

He spoke of the urges of the Ethaefal, and Elhaym took that little tidbit and stored it away as well. His kind were revered and treated with respect in Lhavit… the source of the adrenaline that now slowly fluttered away. Even Shinya would not be looked well upon for brutalizing a child of Syna while she looked upon Lhavit. The concept of past lives was absorbed, but the true meaning of it was lost. She could ascertain what he meant to an extent, but she'd never been exposed to the truth of the Ethaefal. Interesting... yet another topic to browse through the next time she visited the Bharani Library. Born and raised in Syliras she was, just as he had noted, and thus only the most mundane of information about the Ethaefal had ever been known to her. Never before had she really bothered to speak with one, much less venture so far as to learn about them.

“Well, I don't really know how it is for you... but whatever you're talking about, past lives you call it. If that's true, then I don't remember any of it.”

Was there a touch of sadness in his voice? Maybe it was resignation. It was said that Ethaefal feel things more deeply than humans, so maybe that was the reason for his sullen talk. Regardless, it was all noise in her ears. If they were shadows to him, then to her they were nothing. His stray comment about Hypnotism being used to help people would have had her hackles raised if she were an animal, but she let it pass over her without a word. He'd suffered enough of her vigilante justice this afternoon.

“Every Shinya is a practitioner of certain arts, Laszlo. Every one of us, to the man.”

She let that sink in as they began their short journey anew, her plodding impatiently ahead and stopping every so often to let him catch up. His pitiful hunched over walk while gripping his torso was almost enough to make her feel bad, until she remembered what he had done. The entire time they had spoken, he'd had this way about him. He was well spoken and gentle, and the way he addressed her was charming in a way that old friends spoke. Yet the thought lingered... were those even her own thoughts? Or had he been slowly manipulating her the entire time... after all, she had felt no indication of it before. Well, he had her off balance. It was time to see if she could do the same.

“The children who become Shinya are essentially indoctrinated into the Order with magic as a catalyst to their success. We must all practice it, master it, and grow to a certain level of proficiency if we are to advance. Those that cannot, or will not, sacrifice their freedom and become servants to the order for life. Or they die.”

She turned to him, cocking her head to the side and showing her lopsided grin. It had been charming once she thought, but now it simply twisted up her face with the addition of the thick scar tissue covering the left side.

“So when you see us, know what we are. You have come to a city crafted of godly magic, and protected by the magic of men. Does that make you feel safe, Lazslo?”

[Laszlo]

Elhaym's smile was more menacing than anything else. "Not really. Is it supposed to?" Uncertain as to whether Elhaym was telling a secret joke or trying to insult Laszlo's intelligence (it had to be one or the other, right?), his question was genuine. From what she was describing, the Shinya sounded terrible and fascist. Still, Laszlo spent much of his short life in Alvadas, a city of what was essentially chaos and lies. If Lhavit stood for order and honesty, it could be a refreshing change. As long as today's beating was an isolated incident, that is. "I haven't felt safe since I fell from Syna's realm. It makes no difference where I am. Someone, somewhere, is going to want to hit me for some reason." Still holding his stomach, Laszlo continued onward with the Acolyte. There was a large, grand structure up ahead, slowly rising to dwarf the other buildings nearby. The elegance of its design and its enormous size held him captive, mesmerized by the brilliantly shining skyglass that so loved the morning sun. Eventually he pried his eyes away, so he could pay attention to the road. It would serve Laszlo well to learn the city's layout and landmarks. He had forgotten that such knowledge could actually serve a purpose outside Alvadas, though still found it difficult to believe that everything would still be in the same place tomorrow. While watching the various shops and homes that passed them by, Laszlo caught the eyes of a young, dark haired girl who had been staring at his horns. When he offered her a gentle smile, she blushed and turned away with a giggle. "Although, different locales have their advantages," Laszlo remarked suddenly, unable to mask his grin. It faded away, quickly enough. Every smile he wore these days could never last very long. Abalia was still alive and well, but dread was a terrible horror. "So the Shinya are enlisted as children? Is it voluntary?" The scars made it hard to tell Elhaym's age, but she looked either in, or past her physical prime. If she was still an Acolyte, then full membership into the Shinya must have been a very long and arduous process. "How old were you?"

[Elhaym]

So naive. Elhaym couldn't help herself but to laugh. She threw her head back and cackled after he responded, a smoky and rich laugh filling the air around them. We're all twisted, she thought. Why is that only those who don't possess this power see it for what it is? It's as if we cannot comprehend the danger we pose, and even if we do... we don't stop. We don't care. Even me... even me. Her seemingly rueful laughter tapered off, further dampened by his string of comments that all but demanded her pity. Yet she said nothing, and her laughter alone would be his answer.

Their journey neared an end as the grand Koten Temple loomed, and the city had grown thicker as they threatened to touch it's heart. People clustered the arteries of the city and moved with the same pulsing rhythm that she felt thudding inside her chest. She loved them dearly, all of them. If not for them, she would not have given a damn about Duvalyons and Laszlos, or any trouble they may have caused. She wanted them to love her back, and she supposed most did. Still, it hurt that the same little girl who gave Laszlo a moment of brief glee had widened her eyes at her disfigurement and placed a hand over her mouth in surprise. The look in her eyes did not spark anger; only sadness. So it was probably for the best when her eyes fell next on the divinity that stalked behind her. Even hunched over and bedraggled by her beatings and his own clumsiness he still sparked wonder in that youth's eyes. Good that she would remember his face for the rest of the day, and not her own.

"The Ethaefal are revered here. They will always love you, Laszlo, simply for being what you are. That is the nature of Lhavit's people."

When his glee seemed to pass, Laszlo seemed content to drag more information about the Order out of her. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, feeling pangs of guilt creep through her about her earlier suckerpunch. She wasn't quite sure if she was getting soft, or if this was yet another hypnotist's trick… Elhaym found her mistrust exhausting, and in that moment simply gave in to her feelings.

"It is often a family affair, but it is never required of anyone to serve. That is what we do; we serve. Most Shinya have little in the way of worldly things, and I know some who give their modest earnings to the less fortunate of the city. It is a small price to pay, much smaller than the one any of us would gladly give. Our lives."

Questions about her brothers and sisters were easy to answer; they filled her with pride with their selflessness and devotion. It was her desire to match the worst of them one day. Despite the kindness the Shinya were all capable of showing the people they protected as if they were their own children, it was paramount to remember what it is that they were. Order, justice, and stability. One could not become too invested in the people themselves, only the idea of them as a whole. To do their duty and accomplish what they must, each Shinya must learn to walk in shades of grey when confronted with the black and white realities of the world.

She did not answer his question; he had no need of her history or her reasoning behind the blue she wore. Instead, she halted beside the door to the temple, and turned to face him.

"Go inside, and speak to the curator of the registry, Hanei. You will see a sign above a small door to the side when you enter; he awaits you there. It is a simple process; no harm will come to you. My word on that, if it means anything to you yet."

Something dug at her, beneath her skin and the astral body that laid dormant inside. It clawed its way through, skirting around the pathways that the Flux could rush through and fill her with bliss, tunneling deeper and deeper until it struck something it could not penetrate. She felt it, and her voice reacted to her guilt.

"I was wrong to accost you today, Laszlo. My witch hunt is at an end; I've found nothing to prove that your friend Duvalyon is a threat to these people, much less you. You wronged me, but I wronged you first and again in return. Forgive me… I am not made for this. The Shinya lost many of its best only a short time ago, and they will always be missed. I am not the protector this city deserves, but I am what they have. I must be diligent…"

There was a hint of pain in her voice, a throaty tinge of sadness for her fallen brethren as she neared the end of her oration. If not for their sacrifice, she would not even be standing here. Acolytes were students; it was their duty to learn. Yet the Shinya were stretched thin, and Elhaym answered the call should they ever require assistance. She took a deep breath, the air hissing through her lungs and expelling in a massive sigh.

"… but I must also be fair. Be well, Laszlo. Enjoy the Diamond of Kalea. Goodbye."

Her body moved fluidly back towards the massive skybridge that led to the Shinyama Peak. Her thoughts rushed over her, and her belief in them grew ever stronger once she was no longer in the presence of a man who could manipulate them at will. Her very nature worked against her, always grating and sending her stumbling down her chosen path. Still, a decision had been made. She truly had found nothing to suggest either of them posed a threat, but that did not mean she was done with them. Her weapons had always been her fists, but even those were in short supply these days. She needed something else, something more powerful if she truly intended to fulfill her duty here in Lhavit. Duvalyon and Laszlo could not provide her the threat she so desperately wanted to squash, but they had something else she could take. Information. Duvalyon was a Symenestra, and his very nature was something she intended to decipher. Laszlo was a Hypnotist, and an Ethaefal; a combination she had never encountered, even separately.

Whether they liked it or not, neither man had seen the last of Elhaym Vormav. With their help, she would begin forging a new blade that was sharper than steel and more powerful than her own body. Knowledge… she would take from them what she needed. If the world was just and luck was with her, they would be willing. If not… she would persuade them. She would.

[Laszlo]

"I know. I did some research before coming here. Two Ethaefal leaders right? Very old ones too, I think, if they're still alive. My record was almost a decade old. But reverence isn't love," Laszlo mumbled in response. Many things came to mind with Elhaym's speculation. In Syliras, any divine credibility he had was lost when that girl was poisoned and her father blinded. Little attention was paid to him Alvadas, where virtually nothing was true anyway. The Symenestra in Kalinor perhaps tolerated him more than most, simply because he was an Ethaefal, but that wasn't saying much. It was possible, though, that Duvalyon wouldn't have bothered to pay him any attention if he were a human. Mostly, though, Laszlo thought of a speech he once gave the medic about the Symenestra being 'precious' to him. He wasn't sure if it was really true, but he wanted it to be. "Love is unconditional. I doubt I'd receive the same treatment at night, even if they knew what I really was." Quickly, Laszlo realized that sounded haughty. He also wanted to keep her from asking about his earthbound race, so he continued before it might occur to her to inquire, "It is nice, though, to be accepted somewhere. Something like that is difficult to find, when you don't truly belong to any earthly cultures." Though Acolyte explained Shinya traditions, answering some of Laszlo's questions, he noticed that she avoided the personal one. Best not press it. Elhaym was clearly not interested in sharing, and in all honesty Laszlo was not all that interested in knowing. Curiosity about the woman walking next to him, whose fist his aching abdominal muscles still remembered, was mostly out of courtesy and politeness. Despite her scars, Laszlo mostly dismissed her as an anonymous city guard who he might forget after today. Aside from that, however, she clearly has some emotional issues that he wanted no part of. He had enough of his own. Laszlo was still aching when they reached the Koten Temple, shown by the one arm still gently holding his abdomen. Lingering outside, he listened to Elhaym give her parting thoughts, though he bitterly judged her as disingenuous. If skepticism showed in his features, it was through a lack of expression on his perfect face. His golden eyes regarded her steadily, even bored almost, if not the tiniest bit annoyed. She appeared to express remorse, though he noted that she did not actually apologize. "It's good to believe in something," he returned evenly. "May the gods grant us with the conviction to uphold our faiths. We are lost without the power to maintain our principles." A little passive aggressive perhaps. Laszlo turned away, curiously regarding the star-shaped handles adorning the temple's large, crystalline doors. Without any more hesitation, he pushed one of them open and began to step inside. Laszlo didn't look back as he called softly, "Goodbye, Elhaym." He wasn't sure if she heard him. Inside the temple, the skyglass was staggeringly gorgeous. Just a few steps inside, Laszlo had to slow to a stop and appreciate the dazzling lobby, filled with so many shining, glittering things. The prismatic rays of filtered sunlight illuminated the temple like an orderly kaleidoscope, glowing not only with Syna's light but with a portion of its own. The Ethaefal knew he must have been easy to spot as a newcomer, stumbling in a sloppy circle as he drank everything in. What had taken him so long to get to Lhavit? Garish, Duvalyon remarked in Laszlo's head. He smirked. Finally, Laszlo noticed the sign by the door on the right: Wizard Registry. He dutifully tore his eyes away from the temple and stepped inside. This "office" was no less glorious, appointed with ferns and more statues. One of the gilded designs on the walls almost looked familiar, igniting the familiar ache of nostalgia. He wandered toward it, conscious of the only other man in the room. "You're Hanei?" asked softly with a brief glance before turning back to the crystal array before him.

[Elhaym]

Guest Moderation NoticeI received approval from Hermit to go ahead and RP this event out for Laszlo as our thread ended here anyhow. Hanei yawned absently as the Ethaefal questioned his identity, waving one hand for him to come closer while he halfheartedly tried to contain his yawn with the other. Once his composure was regained, he met Laszlo with a charming smile. "At last, someone who's face doesn't resemble a meat pie. Why is it that less attractive folk are always trying to overcompensate?" He rose and gave Laszlo a quick bow before settling back down into his chair. "So… wizard, or reporting a wizard?" Two massive tomes sat on the aged desk in front of him, and as Laszlo spoke he pushed one aside and brought the other to the center of the table. Ancient leather groaned as the tome split open, revealing documentation and lists in an elegant and compact hand. "Hmm... yes, yes. Sign here. Please notate your disciplines there." He tapped his quill on the blank areas he wished Laszlo to fill before spinning the book to allow the Ethaefal to write. He seemed to have brought in a few supplies himself, but Hanei still offered his quill and ink. He nodded silently as Laszlo scribbled his field of practice. "I see. Well my friend, that as they say, is that. As I am sure you see, what you are signing is a declaration of your craft as well as what equates to the warrant for your arrest if you are seen overgiving or are known to frequently in private." He watched Laszlo with a grin, pushing himself up from his seat and beginning to pace back and forth between the large statues that dominated the room. His arms were folded behind his back as he paced, and spoke. "Now, don't worry my friend. It is not as bad as it seems. Manipulation of djed is tolerated here in ways you will not find elsewhere in the world, and considering the consequences we are quite lenient. If found to be in abuse of your magic, you will be detained and warned. Repeat offenders will be dealt with accordingly, as I am sure you can imagine." He stopped, and turned to face his newest wizard once more. "Be wary. You are new here, so you likely do not know, but there was an... incident, during the coming of spring. The people are more distrustful of magic than ever, I'm afraid to say. This extends to many of the Shinya; there were many deaths that day. What I mean is, consider how much a couple of kinas are really worth the next time you decide to make the merchants swoon, yes?" He said the last bit playfully, but it was sound advice. "If you have any questions or sisters, please feel free to come back and see me. I can help you with either." And with that, he returned to his seat and began notating Laszlo's arrival and physical features for their records. Ethaefal were tricky, as he would have to come back at some point and notate his other bodily form... so much work, so so so much work.

[Laszlo]

When Hanei beckoned for Laszlo to come closer, the Ethaefal politely obeyed, ripping his attention away from the wall's designs and dropping his arm from his abdomen. It still hurt, but for at least five or ten minutes, he could pretend that it didn't. Flattered by Hanei's bow, Laszlo cracked a hesitant and awkward smile. He sent a nod in return, then sat down in front of the curator's desk. "I think you answered your own question. And uh… wizard, I guess? I wouldn't really use that word. It's a little coarse." Gold rimmed eyes scanned Hanei's script, following some of it half-heartedly with the point of his quill. Laszlo didn't read much of it in depth, a little put off by how official it all sounded, but he assumed got the gist. After shooting a quick glance back up to Hanei, he gave up on reading the rest of it and slid his hand down to the bottom of the page. Laszlo signed his adopted name in graceful, swooping lettering. Beneath it, he wrote Hypnotism in clearer script. After discarding the quill, he leaned back as Hanei read over his submission. Overgiving, he said. The word made him cast his eyes downward as he suppressed a shiver. It had happened, once or twice, but the most prominent memory was with the tattooed woman in his tavern. He was tasting blood for days afterward. Still, even without restrictions, it didn't happen frequently. He could feel Hypnotism's pull on his desires, the temptation to use it to bend others to his will, but there were few opportunities to do so without consequences. And there was no reason to manipulate either Duvalyon or Abalia. He listened as Hanei gave him a short lecture on the use of magic within Lhavit. Honestly, Laszlo hadn't planned on using his magic much within the city, but then he never planned to use it in general. Opportunities were quick and unexpected. Resorting to magic was sometimes more instinct than deliberate effort. Though the curator offered his advice, Laszlo remained skeptical. How could anyone be offended by hypnotism if they didn't know they were being subjected to it? Would Hanei knock on doors and warn everyone about the local hypnotists? Well, shyke, perhaps he would. "What I mean is, consider how much a couple of kinas are really worth the next time you decide to make the merchants swoon, yes?" Laszlo's soft-edged smile returned to his face. His eyes warmed. "I don't need hypnotism for that." Although, he did know what Hanei actually meant. Though it was unnerving to speak of his magic so openly, there was a certain reassurance in knowing that he had no lies to be consistent with. Or potentially pay for. The Ethaefal rose from his seat, nodding gratefully one more time. "Thank you for your time and advice, Hanei. I have no questions for now. If I meet any of my sisters, I will be sure to send them your way. Good afternoon." If they were anything like Siofra, Laszlo didn't want anything to do with them anyway. Bringing an end to Laszlo's full morning, he turned and left the way he came. He already exhausted from today and wanted to be back in his new home, where no one knew he was a hypnotist, and no one wanted to punch him.

[Hermit]

Thread Award

Quite a meeting.

Elhaym

Acrobatics 2
Intimidation 3
Interrogation 3
Meditation 2

All Hypnotists are not Threats
Acolytes are not Shinya
Ethaefal (basics)


Laszlo

Hypnotism 3
Writing 2
Diplomacy 2
Rhetoric 2

Welcome to Lhavit
Lhavit Marks its Wizards
Elhaym (acquaintance)
Unspoken Suspicion of Harvests

Elhaym, we'll set up your thread soon. Lasz, I hope you and your companions enjoy your time here and we thank you for joining us. My cave is always open should you have concerns or questions.