in which Tallis and Calen are unwittingly reunited
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Center of scholarly knowledge and shipwrighting, Zeltiva is a port city unlike any other in Mizahar. [Lore]
Dumbfounded. Tallis was completely and utterly dumbfounded. Cringing a bit as he watched Calen, he could only think that this young man had to be one of the most awkward individuals he’d ever met. He had entered the house looking quite poised and proper and had promptly turned himself into a bit of a mess. It seemed to be a reflection on Calen’s personality. Tallis gathered that, despite Calen’s best attempts to ignore what others thought of him, he was still a bit insecure and tried hiding that fact behind a mask of bravado and arrogance.
Tallis ignored the spill; it would come out. And anyways, most of the furniture in his house was inherited or handed-down. “You really don’t have to drink the tea if it isn’t to your liking. I mean, if it’s too hot or you just don’t like the taste…” The last sentence was muttered and trailed off a bit as Calen’s waving hands persuaded Tallis that this was a minor hiccup in Calen’s composure.
The little accident seemed to have scrambled Calen’s train of thought. Picking up the conversation from where it had been left off and trying to steer it back on track, Tallis calmly replied, “Funny you should mention that – about Syliras I mean. I was actually there late last spring. Very nice city. I’ve been meaning to head back as soon as things here settle down a bit.”
Slipping out of his leather jacket, Calen spread it wide before laying it across the cushion directly adjacent to the one he was currently seated upon. Scooting over, Calen noted that the couch made no noise, though his already thoroughly moist trousers were still notably uncomfortable. "Well, no way that's ever going to dry out without a thorough washing" Calen thought as he made himself as comfortable as he could. However, Calen soon found himself sitting upon the edge of his seat as he leaned in closer, his posture begging for more details. After all, given the way the world was working nowadays, you didn't run into quite as many travelers as you once did.
Clapping his hands in front of him and placing his chin upon them Calen made the decision to give voice to his excitement and curiosity. "Wow, that's actually pretty impressive Tallis; I can honestly say that I'm jealous" he took note that his voice had taken on that annoying airy quality it also did when he was excited; he resolved to reign that in and thus, coughed pointedly. "I mean, I've always wanted to travel, to Syliras, at least, but I've never really gotten a chance" Calen almost reached for his cup as he leaned back, but, given his past experience with it, instead chose to simply cross his legs.
"Actually, I suppose since we're on the topic, I've been thinking of heading down there in the summer; maybe, if you're planning on leaving around the same time, maybe we could travel together?"
Honestly speaking, Tallis was a bit astounded by the request. He would’ve expected Calen to ask him for details about how he got to Syliras, or maybe he’d want to know if the capital city was all it was cracked up to be... but for him to flat out request that they travel together? Tallis couldn’t help but wonder if there was an ulterior motive. And if there was, what could it possibly be?
“I don’t see why not…” Tallis answered tentatively, “But you should know that the last time I travelled to Syliras, it was with a caravan of Knights. And mind you, I’m not particularly good at the whole survival thing. I’d probably be a bit of a burden.”
In truth, Tallis had given up hope on leaving Zeltiva after the plague had hit. A lot of people had escaped at that point, but he couldn’t leave his parents, and his parents couldn’t leave Zeltiva. So he had stayed for the season. All thought of travel had slowly faded as the days went by and now it felt like he simply didn’t have the time to go through the logistics of planning such an expedition.
However, Calen’s tone suggested that he had a plan. And Tallis was definitely interested.
“Exactly how do you plan to get to Syliras? And how do I fit into your plans?”
Talk of travelling to the capital of Sylira had ignited Tallis’ wanderlust. The thought of embarking on a journey with little to rely on except for your own skills and wits (and perhaps… a friend?) tantalized him. It would be immeasurably better than staying cooped up in Zeltiva. There was just something cathartic about being able to travel. Tallis thought it was the feeling of freedom - knowing that you could go anywhere the wind blows.
And perhaps Calen fit into Tallis’ plans. He would have a much easier time convincing his parents to let him go if they knew he’d be travelling with someone else. Each time he left Zeltiva, he had left knowing that his parents were at home worrying about his well-being and wondering about his whereabouts. With Calen to watch his back, they’d be much more willing to let him go and he could leave knowing that he wasn’t causing his parents any unnecessary worries.
Could travelling with the man who had only recently been his arch-nemesis of sorts actually turn out to be a winning situation? Tallis felt he was willing to take that risk.
Tallis' subtle shift in facial expression was not lost on Calen; nor was his apparent disinterest in the state of his couch. He was fairly certain he couldn't afford to replace it. Truth be told, Calen was starting to regret his rather hasty decision to invite Tallis with him on his trip to Syliras. Mostly because he wasn't truly planning on going to Syliras, but rather simply traveling near aimlessly until he ended up somewhere he thought would be fun.
He was having trouble deciding whether he wanted Tallis to say no or yes. So when Tallis answered, though hesitantly, Calen found himself forcing a false smile onto his face rather than allowing a real one to blossom. He chose not to say anything for a moment, instead simply nodding and saving his words for when he knew what he was going to say next. It was odd how closely his choices in dueling Tallis mirrored his choices in conversing with him.
He wondered if that should be a cause for alarm.
When Tallis inquired about Calen's 'plans' he almost laughed aloud; Calen rarely if ever had a definite plan and the times that he did, they tended to crumble into dust. It suddenly dawned on Calen that having a plan for this conversation would've been remarkably useful; he wondered if that was ironic or just obvious. "Uh, well I was..I was going to...." Calen chose to cough at that moment, his mind racing as he attempted to think up SOMETHING to tell Tallis. Then, there it was. Like a punch in the face, his answer was right there on the tip of his tongue.
" Why not take the Kabrin Road? I won't lie and say I know much about it, but I do know its been around for a bit and I know its a pretty well-maintained trading route. Besides, we could probably book passage on a caravan or something of the sort, if time really became an issue. "
Sometimes Calen surprised himself with how quickly he could go from blank-faced buffoon to rambling idiot. Other times, he just found it humorous.
“The Kabrin Road, eh? Doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all. It’s probably more direct than travelling by sea, but we’ll lose the speed. It might be riskier as well, but... I’m sure the two of us could deal with any stray threats. What’s a trip without a bit of danger, right?”
Within a few moments of talking of travel, Tallis had firmly decided that he wanted to leave. Were Zulrav’s winds guiding him to seek out travel? Or was it his own desire to leave? The thought that he wouldn’t have to nurse his parents or wake up to find his neighbours had died in the night was enticing to say the least. Even more tempting to the young mage was the thought of adventure.
Tallis lived for the spine-tingling thrill that could only be achieved by facing the unknown with one’s own skills. Travelling to Syliras would bring meaning back into his life. It was a goal, and he was dead-set on achieving it. On top of that, a gut feeling told him that Calen was his way out of the city and he wanted out badly.
From his few encounters with Calen, Tallis had a basic understanding of what he could do to goad the young man into joining him on a slightly reckless mission.
“I think we should do it. We have sixty days left in the season. That should be more than enough for us to plan and prepare. There should even be enough time left over for us to do some training on the side. Of course… if you aren’t up to the challenge?”
Tallis left the question hanging; dangling like a piece of bait. If his intuition was right, and Calen was as competitive as he thought him to be, he would fall for the provocation, hook, line, and sinker. Tallis simply had to wait for Calen to agree.
For a brief moment Calen was certain that Tallis was going to disagree and then proceed to question his mental health. However, as if to spite his expectations, Tallis did quite the opposite, drawing a sigh of relief from Calen. Though he had only recently made his peace with Tallis, he found himself fairly interested in earning his approval, which both irked and confused him. For a brief moment, Calen's slight smile dropped and he adopted a look of concerned rumination as he reached for the pot of tea. Pouring himself a healthy amount, Calen absently brought the cup to his lips and proceeded to sip politely as he pondered on the matter of himself.
When Tallis brought up the concept of joint training AND a competition, Calen found himself grinning, only the upturned corners of his mouth indicating that was the case. He found the very idea of competing with Tallis tantalizing, but the simple fact that he would choose to challenge him so bluntly only made it seem that much more interesting. After all, Tallis knew just how much of a sore loser Calen could be, so his choice in shouting defiance instead of whispering opposition seemed downright comical.
Lowering his cup until it tapped lightly against the plate he had been provided, Calen allowed his now ajusted smirk to make an appearance. Leaning over so that his chin was resting upon his palm, for a moment, Calen did nothing more than look Tallis over, taking into account the entirety of what he saw.
"You know" he began slowly, his voice soft and his gaze fixed firmly upon Tallis' face "I've always held a certain contempt for the concern my parents had for me. I always felt it was born out of a lack of trust or faith. But now I see that its quite the opposite; my parents believe in both me and my talents quite a bit. In fact, I hold the firm belief that they hold such faith in me, that they believed that upon meeting you, I'd be forced to go further. To get better."
Calen got to his feet at that point, making his way over to his discarded lute and slipping it over his shoulder "And you know? They were right."
As he approached the door Calen shouted over his shoulder "In short, Tallis: you bet your ass I'm up for the challenge"
Revealing Feeling of Inferiority with Air Reimancy
Hated for Being Better?
Admitting Envy for Calen’s Self-Control
Calen and Tallis: Two “talented reimancers surrounded by insufferable people”
Deciding to Leave to Syliras with Calen
Notes
Awesome! Your psots were descriptive, with great flow from through to thought; I really enjoyed when you tied his tea's taste into the post. Due to the more social aspect of the thread, there wasn't a lot I could award from experiences, but I felt they learned a lot about each other, and even admitting a few things themselves, which I put into lores. The socialization is for being civil. xD
Calen :
Experience
Lute: +1
Observation: +2
Storytelling: +1
Socialization: +2
Lores
Beaten into Agreement
Trying to Practice Lute While Walking
Tallis is the Host?!
Fate is a Fickle Being
Tallis: Everything to be and more
Chance to Turn Rivalry into Friendship?
Tallis Feeling Inferior with Air Reimancy
Admitting Tallis has guts and glory
Hated for Being Better?
Tea Is Not My Taste
Calen and Tallis: Two “talented reimancers surrounded by insufferable people”
Deciding to Leave to Syliras with Tallis
Walking Home with Wet Pants
Notes
I love it when characters admit to weakness, or insecurity as you did in this, which was wonderful to see. Additionally, your posts were to the point, but gave insight to Calen's mind and what was also great, how some of his surroundings influenced his thoughts. Though I would like to point out the use of asterisk role-play when he coughed over the tea, other than that, you have a nice voice when you write that reflects Calen's personality. Also, I laughed out loud when Calen spilled the tea, and then continued to sit directly on the spot! That was priceless. Just be careful with some of your grammer around speech; great work! There wasn't a lot of experience I could reward, but you learned a lot about each other, which I put into lores; the socialization experience is for staying civil in the face of someone you might not want to smile at. xD
Follow the music
This was an awesome thread! If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.
by Tallis on May 24th, 2013, 9:47 pm 
