Closed Dinner at The Herald's Arm

[Crypt]

OOC NoteEr... Guys, could we set up a posting order or something? So everyone gets a chance to respond to the posts before we continue the thread. Maybe Kayle could post first, followed by Xarl and then Crypt? Thanks. "Simple desires, eh? Well, you've come to the right place for satisfying them," Crypt turned to Kayle as the man introduced himself and his furry companion, "Don't worry, a mug of ale shouldn't get you drunk. Do try the food there - it's certainly less expensive than at this establishment anyway." Crypt's eyes glinted with amusement at the ferret's antics as he gave a slight chuckle in response. "I came here to see if what my acquaintances have told me about this place was true. Personally, I feel the decor is outstanding and rather... interesting too, but the sheer absurdity of a man and a ferret in such a place is most intriguing." Crypt leaned back in his chair, using the fork he had taken from his table to spear a piece of beef from his plate and placed it into his mouth, closing his eyes for a few moments to relish the flavour.

[Kayle]

OOC noteI agree to that order. Isn't order fun?

Kayle felt slightly embarrassed as the two men chuckled at the unrehearsed sketched that has happen, but he soon left the feeling and laughed along with them. The laughter soon left, but the mood friendly mood stayed. Kayle listened to Xarl and Crypt while he ate his food. Xarl explained that he was at Kayle’s table for company, and crypt explained that he was here to check out the place and noticed Kayle and his ferret.

Kayle turned to Crypt, who was lent back with his eye’s close and looked as if he was savouring his food. He wonders if he was some critic when it came to food, and then wonders if the food he ate was good. He then turns to Xarl to ask a question.

“So Crypt works as a storytelling-bard at a tavern, and I want to be a healer or someone who helps the sickly. What job do you have, or want to have?” Kayle asked with curiosity, before he continued eating.

Kayle speared the vegetable that wouldn’t stay on the fork, and yet again no improvement. He looked at the vegetable as if he was scolding it. He proceeds to the vegetable next to it, picking it up with no issues. He places the fork in his mouth pulling it away, leaving the vegetable in his mouth. He looks at crypt as he chews the food within his mouth, awaiting an answer.

[Xarl]

OOC: Sure, order would make things a lot more smooth.


Xarl took another sip of his drink, pondering his answer to Kayle's question carefully. Revealing too much would only serve to arouse suspicion so he settled on a half truth.

"Ah, I am currently apprenticed to a wizard and am nearing the end of that apprenticeship, ergo I have had very little time to seek employment." Xarl answered, keeping his cordial tone steady and smooth.

A vague enough answer so that it wouldn't endanger him overmuch, but one that gave just enough information to show that he was willing to trust these two. Xarl also decided to leave out his mistress' efforts to force him to find employment and to give up his conning, unnecessary details and all that.

"After my apprenticeship ends, well, perhaps the open road shall beckon to me. My mistress tells that Zeltiva boasts a fine university."

That was actually the truth, a rarity coming from Xarl's lips. He recongnized that if he wanted power he would eventually have to escape the thumb of the Syliran Knights. Besides Syliras was getting rather stale for his tastes, an eventual change of scenery would be nice.

His answer given Xarl took another sip, glancing at the two men to gauge their reactions.

[Crypt]

"A wizard. Most interesting." Another one who practices an Art, or multiple Arts. I have not heard of his mistress before, but that is a common occurrence. "I would advise you, Xarl..." Crypt glanced around the table furtively, ensuring that no others would be within hearing range for his next few words, "That you do not speak too bluntly or carelessly about the Magics. Syliras, though much more tolerant of magic than other cities - I hear that there exist warrior-mages within the Knights - does not take too kindly to anyone who speaks of magic, especially the more dangerous branches. Still, seeing as you're still here, I assume that you should be skilled enough to prevent anyone from noticing." Tilting the glass that held his water within, Crypt contemplated the liquid within for a few seconds, distracted by the way the light was warped in myriad ways. "Zeltiva is an excellent place for scholars. You should do well there, assuming you behave well."

[Kayle]

“So you’re a wizard, Xarl?” Kayle said with curiosity.

Kayle didn’t know much about magic, nor anyone who used it. He enjoyed watching mages cast their spells when he gets the chance. However, Kayle would never cast a spell himself, he doesn’t want to learn magic because of stories his mother told when he was young.

Kalye listens to Crypt explain about Syliras low tolerance with magic, and how Zeltiva is a good place to seek knowlage.

“Yeah, Like Crypt said, you have to be cautious.” Kayle agreed.

The waitress returned to the table, taking Kayle’s plate and leaving a dessert. The desert was a fruit salad of some sort. Staring at the plate, he remembers news he had heard.

“Xarl, if you plan to go to Zeltiva. Be careful, I heard a plague has struck there.” Kayle warned.

[Xarl]

Xarl listened politely as both men warned him to be cautious with speaking about his magical abilities. He really didn't need to be told this, his mistress had beaten this point home when he'd done something particularly stupid early in his apprenticeship. One of his mistress' priciples regarding magic was that it was not to be fluanted openly. Young Xarl, still bitter from his time on the streets, decided one day that it would be a good idea to practice his magic on an orphan who'd bullied him frequently.

Not only did the experiance leave him nearly drained but when his mistress discovered it, she had been less than pleased.

"Thank you for your advice, gentlemen, you don't have to tell me twice." Xarl responded.

While their responses had been rather expected, and exactly what he had hoped for, Kayle's news about Zeltiva was not. He would have to keep an ear to the ground for more news on this matter, traveling to a city struck with plague was less than ideal.

"A plague you say? Interesting." Xarl said, leaning forward just a bit and putting on a neutral expression.

"Luckily, my apprenticeship does not end until spring. Perhaps after that it would be wise for me to find employment and wait for more news on the issue." Xarl mused.

His mistress had often told him that the path to power was often riddled with bumps, well this plague was appearing to be one such bump. However Xarl would overcome this issue eventually, no man, or plague, or god would prevent him from taking the power that was rightfully his.

Returning his attention to his companions, Xarl smiled slightly, inclining his head to Kayle respectfully.

"Regardless, thank you for the warning, I am in your debt." The young hypnotist said.

[Crypt]

"A plague... Curious. News from other cities, even in the same regions, are rare. Hopefully they will be able to get over it. From what I've heard, Zeltiva's been rebuilding ever since the Storms this Spring. This plague will be a rather annoying obstacle." Crypt stopped conversing with Kayle and Xarl as he attempted to chew a particularly troublesome piece of beef. After finally swallowing it, he turned to the others. "Would you be so kind as to let us know what branch of magic you practice, Xarl?"

[Kayle]

Kayle picked at his desert as he listened to crypt’s conversation. He stabbed a yellow fruit, which he assumed was a slice apple. He placed the slice in his mouth and began to chew, it was sweet. The taste verified Kayle's assumptions, and he swallowed the food soon after.

“Yes Xarl, please tell us about your ability… you don’t practice reimacy… do you…?” Kayle said, inclining his head.

Kayle wasn’t a big fan of reimancy. Ever since he was a child, reimancy was extremely unappealing. However, he does his utmost best to tolerate it, but this often means being rude and ignoring it.

[Xarl]

Xarl steepled his hands out before him, the gears of his mind turning quickly to adjust to the situation. The question was something of a trap, if he refused to answer it might breed suspicion as to what he practiced. If he opted to tell the truth they might wonder if he had been subtly manipulating them the whole time. Glancing over at Crypt he noted that the man seemed a little too curious about his magic.

Xarl was not a paranoid man, seeing shadows where there were none seemed rather foolish to him. He was however a cautious man, enough to know that there were very few people interested in the finer points of magic. While Kayle seemed interested just for interests sake, there was something more behind Crypt's reason. He couldn't be...

Sensing the presense of other mages had never been his strong point, according to his mistress only those trained to see aura's could reliably tell a normal person from a mage. He could test Crypt through another method however, it was risky, and if it didn't work he might need to leave in a haste.

Xarl's expression became more serious and his smile was dropped entirely, glancing about descretely to ensure no unwanted ears were near he leaned forward.

"I am a practicioner of the Hypnosis discipline." He said in a low tone of voice.

If Crypt reacted with interest then it was likely he was a fellow practicioner of the art. If he and Kayle reacted... poorly, Xarl was prepared to leave in a moment. His mistress would call what he was doing foolish and risky. Xarl had found however taking no risks brought poor rewards. He downed the remaining water in his cup and placed it down on the table, his grey eyes boring into Crypt's mismatched ones.

[Crypt]

"Hypnotism." Crypt muttered the single word as he racked his brains to remember if he had encountered the discipline anywhere before. "Where have I experienced it? Was it this season, or was it in Fall? Ah, yes. The Rearing Stallion. A Zith by the name of... Well, I can't quite remember it. But I do remember seeing how it worked. Most fascinating skill, that is. Requires one to be persuasive, to be charming and appear innocuous. But it won't cause a drastic change in one's personality. The seed has to be inherent..." Crypt realised that he was distracted from the conversation by what he knew of the workings of Hypnotism, as gleamed from brief observation of the Art itself and a few books in the libraries of Avanthal and Alvadas, and spoke again. "That is... interesting. I've only met one other practitioner of that discipline. Very well. Since you have deigned to reveal that you practice such a... controversial and most certainly not well-liked branch of magic, I shall in turn tell you mine. I am an amateur Aurist and Flux user. I can see auras if I choose to, and interpret only the shallowest details of them. I can enhance my muscles slightly and use it to give me a larger advantage in combat." He waited for their reactions, before continuing. "It is... good? To meet another one here. I've not had the chance to talk to another who practices magic since Fall."