[Farson Home] Ward You From the World

[Hadrian]

75th Summer, 512 A.V. While Ethan rode the skies above, Hadrian could have pointed overhead without looking and tracked him. His was one of the auras most familiar to him anymore. They had spent so much time together, and worked a great deal of magic together. Ethan was not a powerhouse in that regard, but Hadrian hadn't intended to make an archmage out of him, but rather to give him tools to keep him safe out in the great wilds. It just so happened that Ethan seemed to prefer his company to the wilds... He raised his hand, letting res pulse and ripple in a pattern that would catch the lammergeier's attention and call him down. They had some means of communicating over distance; this was just one of them. Hadrian didn't have his leather glove with which to properly catch a stooping raptor, so he didn't offer. Ethan could land in a tree or, sometimes, he would dive, snap his wings open at the last minute to give him a swinging lift, and transform to land gracefully on human feet. It was a marvel to watch him fly. Hadrian smiled when he sensed Ethan's attention catch, and then he placed his hand over the masonry of the wall, letting his greenish res seep into the stone and mortar. The city required that he go somewhere, but he would not leave the children undefended.

[Ethan]

Ethan, of course, saw the signal and gently dipped his wings, arching slowly towards Hadrian. It was true that Ethan and Hadrian had developed a form of communication through signals of various kinds. Ethan would generally rely on his vocals in bird form, but within the city limits he had to keep silent. It often startled citizens and he didn't want to make people any more uneasy around Kelvic's than they already were. He landed gracefully as always, but without the flourish Hadrian had come to love. A dark golden flash of light and Ethan stood before his teacher. Nervously looking around as he donned his breeches. Constantly being in the company of humans had made him conscious of his nudity. Living in the city made it unbearable. "Yes, professor?"

[Hadrian]

In an effort to make the Farson Home comfortable for Ethan too, Hadrian had spoken to the adults and many of the children about Kelvics and the innocence of their nudity. Behind the walls of the Home, the children knew they weren't to go running around without clothes, as there were some conservative folk in the city who would protest and Hadrian didn't want Maria to hear anything bad about the place while it was under his supervision. But Ethan... "Cold, bird?" he asked with a smile. "The children won't be bothered if you stand around in the perfection with which you were born for a while. We don't have any stuffy company today. Anyway, they're sending me to Sahova on some business for the city. I'm hoping you will stay here to watch over them in my absence and, for today, help me imbue the walls with Shields to protect the place from magical assault. "I'm probably being paranoid, but better safe than sorry, no?" His res was seeping into the walls, carefully etching away a band of glyphs that moved in both directions, expanding to eventually meet on the other side. When his circle was complete, he could lay down the Shields with greater subtlety.

[Ethan]

Sahova was far by ship, but manageable by wing. It was a decent flight to Sunberth over land, then the Island of Sahova was within sight of the coast. Already the Avian part of his mind devised flight routes. He would miss Hadrian to be sure, but wouldn't allow himself to show it. His teacher didn't need the extra stress or guilt. "I've always gone on the side of prevention, myself. I think it's a wonderful idea, especially in light of the storm. A little shielding goes a long way." At first, his dedication to the orphans of Zelvita seemed out of place and foreign to Ethan. Hadrian had a healthy appetite for taking on stragglers on their journeys, but he never thought he'd take it this far. It took a few weeks to get used to but Ethan soon supported him in his endeavor. Already patrolling the grounds from above.

[Hadrian]

Part of the reason Hadrian had initially taken Ethan under his wing, so to speak, was likely the same drive that had made him agree to the Lord Maria's request. He liked to teach and to help, and he had a secret soft spot for those in need. Let them think he was the cold and aloof headmaster, but his secret compassion would shelter them and feed them and keep them warm in the winter. "Part of me wants you to come," he said quietly, his eyes turning back to the blank wall under his hand, though he was tracking the progress of his res runes auristically rather than with his eyes. "I'd feel safer that way, but you're a Wave Guard now, and the children love you. We're really building things together here, Ethan. A home for them and a home for us. We need to invest in that home, in Zeltiva, its future. "But when I'm done here, would you come up to my office with me? I'll make a little tea, then I'll have you look over my lammergeier form one last time, and I'll need a lesson in flying. In case the worst comes to pass and I have to fly myself back to you... You know?"

[Ethan]

Of late, Hadrian had been more and more comfortable with letting Ethan know just how he felt. In anyone else he might have seen it as a sign of vulnerability, a chance to strike. But not in Hadrian. His teacher was above all reserved, to be anything else was a feat of great strength and trust. One that Ethan greatly admired and respected. "It seems silly for me not to go with you. I'm not used to being so... grounded. But it has it's perks." As Hadrian continued, he walked closer to the glyphs, piecing together the symbols and their purpose. "Maybe, before you leave you can craft me something. So that I can always find you?" It was a thought he had been meaning to bring up. Hadrian was an excellent crafter of magical artifacts and once spoke of a compass with similar effects. "Can you do that for me? Maybe in exchange for those lessons." He would train Hadrian either way, but something in return would be pleasant.

[Hadrian]

"It suits you, you know," he said. "Seeing you with children, seeing you in uniform, seeing you flying free but always coming home. I think it makes you stronger. But what do I know, right?" He smiled. It took a deal of willpower to push the rune-shapes of res through the stone of the walls, but having Ethan there calmed him somewhat, making it easier to focus his will on the task at hand. Eventually they got about halfway around the entire property and then he changed tacks, transmuting the stone into a more crystalline structure that would better harmonize with the Shield energy he would eventually pour into it. When he was done with that part, he pulled his hands away, shook them and shook his feet, and then took Ethan's arm in his so they could walk to the other side of the property and complete that side too. This was better done piecemeal, but the Shield energy would travel along these lines he was drawing with greater ease and would need only one focal point. "I can do that for you," he said, "and I will, but unfortunately there isn't time to plan it, acquire the materials, and create it before I will be gone. You needn't worry, though. Apparently I will be traveling with a contingent of Syliran Knights as well, and I have allies on Sahova."

[Ethan]

"The Knights of Sylira?" He scoffed. "You have such wonderful people to watch your back. Between the Knights and Nuit's you should be well taken care of. " He cut his criticisms short, not wanting to overstep his boundaries. Ethan did everything he could to keep Hadrian out of trouble, but there was only so much that could be done. And insulting those that were tasked to keep him safe would accomplish nothing. Even if those people were as deplorable as the Syliran Knights. "Do you know when you will be back?" He walked closer to the walls and examined the finely written Glyphs. The focus was easy to spot, it being the largest and most elaborate. But he struggled to pick out the other sigils and their meaning, having only skimmed across a few texts on the subject. Nudging Hadrian's ribs with his elbow, he said. "I hope you don't plan to leave me with the children too long. I'm not mothering material."

[Hadrian]

"The Knights have skill-at-arms," he assured him, though he smiled at the mother henning. "And there are wizards among them, too. But I'll see to my own safety, of course. I'll worry about you, as well. The trip could be made and have me back before Winter, but somehow I gather this might be more momentous than it seems. If I can send word, I will, but expect me in Winter." He put his hands on the walls, pushing not with strength of arms, but strength of will. Res poured from his hands into the stone, energy moving through matter as if it wasn't there. It gathered itself into coherent glyphs and then began to spread out from his center, inching along to meet the other half. "I figure," he said, speaking slowly and with starts and stops as he concentrated on his work, "that if you can take care of me, you can take care of children. The other adults will help, of course, but I know you better than them, and can trust you more. Especially if you've promised me you will."

[Ethan]

"I will do my best to protect the children, from any and all threats." He promised, suddenly solemn. Ethan didn't doubt the faculties ability to keep the children safe or manage their living situations, but he was dubious about how pure their intentions were. No evidence of wrong doing had surfaced but from his childhood experiences he had become accustom to the hidden perversions of Human Beings. "How strong will the shield be?"