PM to join A family reunion, of sorts

[Enki]

2nd of Fall, 513

It was a relatively quiet time at the market, though it didn't feel that way to Enki, he'd never been good with crowds.
Still, he had some things he simply needed to buy - the sooner the better - so here he was, trying to appear casual, stay out of the way and browse.

He scanned through the crowd for a moment, then turned back to his browsing, trying in vain to ignore the people.
The stall was selling writing supplies, he'd already picked out a bottle of ink as well as a small stack of papers, he was now going through the blank books, feeling the stiches keeping them together as well as the leather used for cover.

[Azelle]

Azelle stood among the crowds of the market. The sound of chatter filled the air as she searched through it. It was perhaps peculiar that this bustling market, despite its overwhelming sound and smell, proved to be one of those rare places in the city where she felt most comfortable, but among the horde of people, all with their own purpose, she knew that no one cared enough to pay attention to just another passerby.

Doing her best to ignore the smell that such gatherings often held, Azelle made her way through it, searching for just where it was that her supplier had decided to locate himself this day. Urgh, just where is that blasted man. she thought to herself as she searched.

“Ah ha” she exclaimed as she spotted her mark. Concealed among the various similarly designed stalls were the writing supplied she needed. One of these days she’d have to buy the man a flag or something.

She clasped her cloak more tightly around herself so that it would bear the brunt of any dirt that might find its way onto her, and then began to slip through the crowd when opportunities arose. It took some time, but eventually she managed to make her way to the stall. The crowd thinned somewhat here when compared to those marketing necessities, but they were still noticeable.

As she reached it, she raised a hand to the keeper of it, and began to speak “Good morning Gus.” She stated.

Recognising her, the man gave a professional but curt response. “Greetings Azelle. What are you here for this week?”

“Just some parchment and ink right now. I’m fine on quills for the time being, I might turn up again later this week if I’m wrong, but for now that will be enough.” She replied.

The man nodded, and parchment, ink, and gold traded hands. Azelle cast him a smile and spoke a few words of thanks as she carefully placed the vial of ink in a padded pocket of her cloak, and laid the sheets of parchment carefully in her pack, being careful not to crease them prematurely.

[Enki]

“Good morning Gus.”, someone said

"I recognize that voice.", he thought to himself, looking for the speaker. He found her just as the merchant spoke up.

“Greetings Azelle. What are you here for this week?”

Book forgotten, Enki took a few long breaths, taking a moment to focus himself as his parents had taught him, meditating they had called it.

After judging himself calm, or as calm as he was likely to be using magic in a crowd, he made a slight gesture with his left hand as if stretching his fingers as he mumbled a word in gibberish.

There was a flare of light as he activated his Auristics, visible only to him, as his eyes began perceiving information normally not visible. He tried to focus on Azelle's aura but he'd not had much in the way of practice yet and various auras from the crowd kept distracting him.

After three seconds of trying, he'd kept count of course, he closed his eyes, ending the magic.

Opening his eyes again he realized he'd missed a part of the conversation as Azelle was already packing her things.

"A-Azelle", Enki called after his adopted sister.

Though it had been three years, he was fairly certain. It was by no means a common name, he'd recognized her voice and while he was no expert on fashion, female such especially, the dark boyish clothes were something of a rarity on a girl like that.

[Azelle]

Azelle turned as a familiar voice stuttered over her name. Surprise clear in her eyes as she looked him over, a slight smirk crossing her face as she watched her brother. The man still seemed to retain his surprisingly unimposing appearance and demeanour after all this time. It seemed like the trip hadn’t phased him much.

Her new supplies packed away, Azelle slipped her bag under her cloak and lifted a hand to Enki, giving a single wave of acknowledgment as she attempted to mask the surprise at seeing him back, instead choosing to greet him verbally “Morning little brother. It’s good to see you back.”

There were a few questions she’d like to ask, but she paused a moment, letting the casual greeting sink in before inquiring. “How was your trip? I didn’t expect you to return so soon.” She said with a smile.

Shifting herself slightly, Azelle readjusted her footing, and rebalanced herself to accommodate the weight in her bag. “What was it like in Syliris? Are mother or father come with you? How are they?”

[Enki]

Enki rubbed his left eye as he worked on a reply. Personal Magic, even such a short burst of Auristics, had side effects. With care they seemed to remain minor and temporary. At least he didn't get a headache this time.

"Hello", he returned the greeting, turning slightly away to looking between her and the merchant quietly counting coins with his free hand.

"Awful", he was about to brush away the subject but reconsidered. This was his sister after all, he would at least make an effort to hold a proper conversation. "I barely had any time to practice during the travelling", he shrugged handing the coins to the merchant, starting to pack.

"Syliris was too crowded for my liking, and those knights seemed to be everywhere... No, its much better here.", he shook his head "No, they've gone somewhere else, its why I came back actually. They were fine last I saw them though we...", he trails off.

Having paid and packed he takes a quick glance around. The crowd was starting to make him uneasy.

"Can we continue this somewhere else, please?"

[Azelle]

As Enki answered, Azelle’s smile turned back into a smirk at his complaints over travelling, but it faded, replaced by a raised brow as he cut himself off, her mind trying to figure out just what it was. I wonder what it is. Do they intend to stay in Syliris? Did he get into another argument with them? I suppose there’s nothing for it.

Azelle nodded at his request to leave, shrugging as she did so. “I suppose so. I’m done with my shopping for the time being. Have you gotten what you were looking for yet? If so, we can leave. Did you have somewhere in mind?” she asked. “I should be free for most of today.”

Standing on the tips of her toes, Azelle attempted to see as much as she could past the presence of the passersby. Aggravatingly, as much as she considered her brother’s stature to be lacking in presence for a man, he was still a little taller than her.

[Enki]

He shuffled nervously, the crowd and the unexpected meeting were really starting to get to him.

"Yes, mostly. I-I can come again for the rest. Anywhere without a crowd."

He started walking away from the stall, towards the market entrance, or from his perspective the exit.

"My apartment isn't far, or the parks might be quiet this time of the day?"

He turned to see if Azelle was following or not.

[Azelle]

Azelle dipped her head in contemplation a moment, trying to decide as best she could. “Let’s head to your apartment then. I’ve got some work I need to do, and it would probably be easier to work there. Besides, I should find out where you’re staying anyway.” She eventually responded.

She trailing just behind Enki, Azelle made her way through the crowds, careful not to let herself collide with anything that could damage the vial stored in her cloak. As she did so, a thought occurred to her.

"Just where are you staying? You might as well tell me in case we get separated somehow." She asked, but for the most part remained silent as they walked. She knew her brother was uncomfortable out in public, and they’d have plenty of time to talk once they arrived.

[Enki]

Destination confirmed, Enki picks up his pace slightly.

While Azelle seemed content in protecting her vial of ink, Enki tried to avoid contact with people altogether, stepping out of the way as best he could and when he inevitably did bump into someone he immediately kept going.

He nodded, he found the idea reasonable.
"I'm renting an apartment at Solar Wind Apartments for now."

Enki kept going, soon leading them into a building and then in through a door into a relatively large room. As far as furniture goes, the room had no more than a bed, a desk, a couch and a chair, all of simple make. In a corner stood a hearth. The room had one window, with the curtains pulled to cover it.
The room was tidy, but more out of lack of anything to make a mess with than anything else.

Enki took a seat at the edge of the bed, leaving the chair for Azelle.

[Azelle]

Azele followed after just as she had started, the process of travelling through the city wasn’t so much uncomfortable for her as it was boring these days. The familiar sights had started to become somewhat stale. Perhaps she should have gone with her parents. Unconsciously, she shrugged, dismissing the idea.

Upon reaching his apartment, Azelle casually looked over the apartment. It was quite spartan, but she had expected that, neither of them had had too large a focus on the outward appearance of their living spaces, though one thing about it did irritate her a little, luckily it wouldn’t take much time to fix that. Ignoring the chair offered for a moment, she paced over to the window and pulled open the curtains.

While the daylight didn’t make the room any more ornate than it was, it did somewhat alleviate the gloominess it held. “Hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to be able to see what I’m doing.” She commented as she made her way over to the chair and desk, unpacking her newly acquired parchment, ink, and writing utilities. That done, she turned looking over them as she asked “So, what was it that you were going to tell me?”

Without waiting for a response, she pulled over a sheet of parchment and began the process of painting a focus in the center of the sheet. Her initial design appeared to be a simple net-like grid, expanding as she worked on it, though the design maintained its consistency. Though she took care with each stroke, she slowed herself so as to keep an ear open to listen to her brother’s reply.