PM to join Restraint [Location: The Rearing Stallion] (Orin)

[Nivel]

48th Day of Spring, 515 AV

After a day spending a day engrossed in study and relaxation the Mage Squire was off to see if her patron knight Sera Grey Baxter had any training exercises for her to do. She could always do training on her own but she still occasionally needed instruction and guidance from an experienced Knight just like any squire.

After traversing through the usual labyrinth of darkened corridors, Nivel found the door to her Patrons Quarters. She gave it a good tap with her tiny appendages and waited fro a response. Instead of Sera Grey asking politely who was at her door, the Tall Folk simply instructed Nivel to enter. The squire slipped under the crack and found Sera Grey writing some sort of note. Nivel had began to notice a distance in her patron knight Sera Grey recently, and was wondering what could be the cause. She wasn’t always the most attentive of Patrons often having other mysterious business to take care of, but when she was around she was like a second much larger mother to the pycon.

“Evening, I just came by to see if you had any training you would like me to do Tomorrow?” Nivel spoke up hesitantly as she didn’t want to interrupt whatever Sera Grey was so focused on.

“I actually have training for you now” Sera Grey replied softly as she rose from her chair and slowly turned in the direction of her Squire revealing her newest mask that adorned her face. “I need you to come with me” Sera Grey gracefully knelt down and extended a hand for Nivel to climb on to. The pycons crawled on and was elevated to the patrons shoulder.

Nivel knew enough not to ask any questions because her patron never seemed interested in answering them. Instead the pycon just enjoyed the ride and whatever scenery she could see through the dim light of dusk. When Nivel noticed that Sera Grey seemed to be heading to The Rearing Stallion, she was confused but also excited.
“We’re going here? for Training?” Nivel clapped her hands in cheerfully assuming she was being rewarded from her dedication to The Order.
“We are” Sera Grey replied then paused a moment before speaking up again. “but not for the reasons you think”
Nivel didn’t know what she meant but the ominous way she spoke made the pycon suspect that what ever it was wouldn’t be the least bit fun. They went into the
rowdy establishment and quickly beelined for the Bartender.
“Good evening, I have arrived with my squire ..may I proceed to the kitchens?” The knight asked the gruff old bartender who was busy wiping down the counters with his one arm. He simply nodded and let them pass behind the bar, Sera Grey thanked the man and proceeded.

They quickly ran into the much more friendly women who greeted the masked knight and squire with an inviting smile.
“Oh you must be The Knight my husband told me about” The women paused and looked at Nivel “So…will this sparkly little fellow be the one assisting us in the kitchen?” She wasn’t happy with this arrangement but hid it fairly well.
“Yes, I am said Knight and this is my squire Nivel”
“Hello, Pleased to meet you” Nivel gave a courteous bow as she introduced herself.
“Well nice to meet you as well Nivel, My name is Remi and I’m the head cook here” The women replied while maintaining her smile “I’ll go get Orin, he’s the one you’ll be helping out tonight”
As soon as the women was gone Sera Grey spoke up “One very important trait for a Mage Kight is restraint, and tonight I would like you to demonstrate this for me by completing this task with out changing your natural shape. Will you do this?”
Nivel was dumbfounded at Sera Grey’s request, how was she to be of any use to anyone if she wasn’t able to stretch her limbs.
“I will…”Nivel said reluctantly.

Credit for Boxcode goes to Telor Riptide

[Orin Fenix]

Orin was frustrated. Today had been one long string of disappointments. First of all, he had slept in later than planned. As a result Orin had not only missed his early morning workout which had started to become a ritual for him. So that had left him grumpy from the start. In fact Orin had very nearly been late to work and he'd come pelting into the kitchen, drenched in sweat and panting from the exertion. And of course today had been the one day Rondo had decided to deign to come in early. The man had given Orin an incredulous look, followed by a glare so hot it could've melted steel, ending it all with a sniff and a pointed look at Remi. For her part, Remi had been slightly more sympathetic but she put up with Rondo's antics so The Rearing Stallion didn't lose the man as a cook. He would be accepted instantly into any tavern or kitchen in the city and Remi knew it so she appeased him whenever possible. So she'd pointed at the pile of dirty dishes that had been too encrusted with grime and grease to get out in one session so they'd been left to soak overnight.

Orin had groaned but complied. He hated scrubbing pots and pans but it was a necessary evil. Rondo had seen Orin's task and a self-satisfied smirk had crossed the other cook's face. Orin wanted to punch it off. Orin didn't hate a lot of people. But he thought he might hate Rondo and clearly the feeling was mutual. Still, Orin was of the mind that Rondo had peaked and Orin was on the rise. It wouldn't be long until Orin's star eclipsed Rondo's and then they'd see who was smiling. So, instead of taking out his aggression on the man, Orin channeled it into his scrubbing. It was surprisingly hard work, if mindless. The heavy cast-iron got even heavier when filled with water. The stains were stubborn and required vigorous work to remove. And the soap stung at various small cuts on Orin's hands and caused his skin to crack. His arms were burning slightly at the end, probably because of the strength he'd been putting into it to prevent himself from wrapping his hands around Rondo's neck.

Orin was taking a well-deserved break when Rondo noticed him. The man went into the pantry and then came immediately came back out and declared himself disgusted and shocked at the state of things in there. He refused to work until something had been done about the matter. Remi had rolled her eyes but tugged Orin along. As she did, she whispered in Orin's ear, "Sorry about this, you know how he gets. But I've got a surprise for you later." She didn't elaborate further, having just a cryptic smile on her face but before Orin could ask what she was talking about she shoved him into the pantry.

Orin groaned. He hated surprises. He'd had very few good ones in his life and so he tended to assumed they'd all be bad. And when life continued to prove him right, Orin didn't see any reason to adjust his attitude. Still he had a job to do. Orin surveyed the shelves of goods with a sense of dismay. It had gotten rather cluttered here so maybe there was a bit of sense to Rondo's outburst this time around. Of course Orin always made sure to put an item or ingredient back where he'd found it so chances were that Rondi had made the mess in the first place. Regardless, it did actually need to be cleaned up a bit, or it would make everyone's life quite a bit more difficult.

Orin took some time to formulate a course of action. Going to Ser Kevith he asked for and got permission to use the ledger book. Turning to a blank page, and then setting it, the quill and the ink on a relatively empty shelf, Orin started cataloging what was in the pantry. He starting pulling everything down from the shelves and tallying up how much they had of each good. Every once and a while someone would come in and ask for something and Orin would hand it off distractedly. He'd gotten a bit sidetracked. While Orin had only the most basic of foundations in math, he could add and subtract, albeit rather slowly. He had started checking his numbers against the amounts that The Rearing Stallion got in regular shipments. Orin hadn't realized exactly how much flour, eggs, meats, vegetables and all the other ingredients they went through in just a few days. For instance, they went through a sack of flour about every other day. They got six, two of each type, every ten days from the miller and they had ended up with quite a few extra sacks after the period of time they went through. While Orin didn't feel comfortable recommending they change any of their shipments, it was truly intriguing, this aspect of the business. His own rather crabbed and spiky handwriting looked poor against the neat columns that someone, likely Remi, kept up. Orin resolved to practice his own writing and accounting. Maybe Remi would be willing to go over the books with Orin every once in a while.

Orin had gotten so lost in the numbers that he'd also stopped paying attention to the time. He had no idea how many bells had passed but when Remi finally fetched him Orin was shocked to see it was evening already. And there was an unfamiliar Knight in the kitchen. Orin gulped. Typically, the Order taking an interest in someone wasn't necessarily good especially if they weren't squire material. Remi didn't seem concerned though, not that she would be as the wife of a former Knight, so Orin went along with her meekly. "Orin this is Sera Grey Baxter. She'd like us to supervise her squire tonight and I thought it might be good practice for you. Also you need to meet more people. So I'll leave you to it." She gave a cheery wave before bustling off.

Orin was confused since he didn't immediately see anyone other than Sera Baxter. However he soon spotted a familiar figure. It was a Pycon, one that Orin knew he had met but for the life of him Orin could not remember her name. Of course Orin's memory of that night was a bit shattered considering he'd ended up with a concussion. Still it was on the tip of his tongue. Something like anvil...no wait I got it! "Nivel? It is Nivel right. Good to see you again I suppose. Oh and of course it's lovely to meet you Sera I'm sorry I completely forget my manners sometimes and it's led to some pretty awkward moments in the past so my apologies. Was there anything in specific you needed from me? I mean I was just working in the pantry and I can't imagine that's what you needed from me. Oh and I'm flattered you came to me, well, not me I suppose but The Rearing Stallion we're always happy to assist the Order." Orin knew he was rambling on quite a bit but that always happened when he got nervous. And he had no idea what a Knight and a squire wanted from him personally. Orin didn't think he had any useful skills or information, at least, not for the Order. So the presence of the Knighthood was perplexing, to say the least.

[Nivel]

Restraint

OocSorry I really wanted to try this box code
“Oh, You to are already aquatinted wonderful” Sera Grey Clapped her hands together in subdued joy. Although Nivel wasn’t sure she remembered this Tall Folk, she had met so many people that night and her memory was a little foggy from having tasted too much alcohol. While it was fun to play around in the bubbly substance it was clearly some kind of mild poison or magical liquid that makes you forget.
“I’m sorry…I don’t remember you Orin…I had too much alcohol, that magical liquid must have eaten the memories of that night within my nexus because I can’t recall much of that night…other than the fact that Garland and Sayana are pregnant with balls…oh wait no humans have babies not balls…I almost forgot that ..oh and the misunderstanding between Treachie and Sayana.…I remember that… I don’t know why she had a problem that fluffy little guy” Nivel rambled on as her overly flexible tiny hands and tails flailed about and her ears fluttered on their own accord. She was didn’t have social anxiety like Orin but she was still a pretty awkward little creature.

“Oh well…uh” Sera Grey cleared her throat, she was fairly used to her chaotic squires antics but was still embarrassed regardless “Anyway to answer your question I’m leaving my squire in your hands so she may hopefully learn restraint. While helping you with the tasks you give her she will be restricted in her form and will have to work out ways to get her job done with in the perimeters of her new limitations. I can not guarantee that she will be fast given her size but she is a very hard worker.” The Mage Knight carefully lifted Nivel’s delicate looking form off of her shoulder and into her arms “Here is Nivel, Be careful she's heavier than she looks” Sera Grey held out the diminutive squire in her hands for Orin to grasp. As soon as Nivel was passed into his grasp he was sure to notice that she was in fact much heavier than her slight frame would indicate, weighing nearly 8 pounds.



"Oh and I almost forgot” Sera Grey held up her index finger in the air momentarily before rummaging through the small satchel bag hanging by her side. It didn’t take her long before she pulled out a fine paint brush and bestowed it onto Nivel.
“I had purchased this so that I could add some painted details to my mask, but never got around to doing it. I think it will serve you much better as a broom, my squire. Anyway thank you very much for aiding in this lesson Orin and Remi, I must be off..Nivel be on your best behaviour.”
Sera Grey gave a polite bow before exiting the building, leaving Nivel alone with the two cooks.

“Uh so what do you want me to do? I don’t even know what you do here…and what is a broom…is it some kind of weapon. Is there some kind of monster that you need me to apprehend because I can help you with that..I’ve fought some mighty beasts in the 3 years I’ve been on this earth.”
Nivel was very much out of her element in this place and was very confused as to what she could possibly accomplish especially while not being able to shift her forms even a little.

Credit for Boxcode goes to Shakune

[Orin Fenix]

Orin wasn’t sure that meeting someone in passing at a party qualified as being acquainted with them. Orin found himself not even slightly surprised that Nivel had forgotten his name. He was intrigued about the tidbit that Pycon babies were apparently called balls, but he filed it away for later thought. The party and why Nivel might not remember, for reasons other than being drunk. So much had happened at that party that night that was sure to be more important than one cook. Although, seeing as Orin didn’t go to parties that often maybe Sayana’s New Year’s party had been fairly typical. Orin sincerely doubted it though, since assassins in Syliras were far from common. So between that and the near fight that had broken out over the presence of a Zith with a pregnancy announcement for good measure, they’d all gone home with a lot to think about. Nivel had probably been so caught up in the events of the night that Orin had completely slipped her mind. Either that or she’d been so drunk that she’d had some minor memory loss. Orin didn’t even know how much alcohol it would take to get a Pycon drunk or if amnesia was a common side effect of serious drinking. ”No need to apologize! My own memories of that evening are a bit fuzzy although for different reasons.” Orin immediately regretted the slight slip of the tongue. He didn’t particularly want to explain why he might have memory issues relating to the party or why he didn’t drink. The first the Order was obviously aware of although Orin rather doubted his involvement was widely know since he’d just been a witness. And the second was horribly personal and involved a tale of heartbreak that Orin had no interest in sharing with a near stranger.

Sera Grey seemed uncomfortable with Nivel’s revelations but she recovered quickly and departed before Orin could make a gesture of respect again. And Orin was left alone with Nivel and a sudden sense of dread. The last time Orin had been left alone with a Pycon it had gone horribly. Archailist had taken offense at Orin’s complete lack of social graces and the afternoon had dragged on far longer than it should have as Archailist made an already distateful task more annoying. Still, it would be unreasonable to assume that Nivel was anywhere near as troublesome as Archailist. After all, humans and other races varied widely in temperment so the same had to be true for Pycons. And if it wasn’t Orin was very clearly in charge. And Nivel couldn’t shift. Orin hoped Sera Grey didn’t expect Orin to be able to stop the shape changes. Short of bodily harm, which wouldn’t go over too well with the Knighthood Orin imagined, there was nothing Orin could do. But the Sera was gone and Orin was left with the surprisingly heavy weight of Nivel resting on his palms. He immediately felt self-conscious. ”So, ah, is there a prefered place you’d like me to put you? I mean, holding you in my hands is fine I suppose but I might need them to do something and then it would be awkward. Also, I’m not hurting you am I? I don’t know anything about Pycons and I’m almost afraid to ask you since, well, actually let’s not get into that.” Orin didn’t want to tell Nivel that he’d almost had his head bitten off by Archailist for asking too many questions too quickly. For all Orin knew, the two of them were best friends and gossiped worse than Brucila and Carmen, the two barmaids at The Rearing Stallion.

Orin’s raging doubts were assuaged somewhat when a torrent of words cascaded from Nivel. She seemed friendly enough and Orin recognized a kindred soul when it came to endless chattering. Orin doubted that she’d take offense if he matched her word for word. And it would be good not to be watching everything he said for once. Too often, especially recently, Orin had been keeping his mouth on a tight leash since he’d annoyed quite a few people. Well, mostly Rondo but Rondo still had quite a bit of clout with the staff and owners here. ”No. Ah, no monsters here. Not in the pantry and not in the kitchen. You might run into some dust bunnies but those are well, dust. Although I’m sure your mighty slaying skills come in handy, just maybe not today. Oh and a broom is just the name of the tool we use to sweep dirt off the floor and out of the door. I’ll show you.” Walking over to the pantry where Orin had left his broom, he pointed at it and moved Nivel so she could hopefully get a better look. Of course, her lack of knowledge about a broom was disheartening to Orin. Apparently Pycons weren’t big on cleaning. ”So, tell me. What exactly do you know about tidying up? If it’s nothing that’s fine I’m happy to show you the ropes.” Orin wasn’t, really, but he’d gotten quite good at hiding his deeper emotions. And actually, Orin would be ecstatic to not only have help but the explain the organization and maintenance of a pantry. It wasn’t often he got to show off his admittedly specialized skillset. It was just that Orin was still stinging from his encounter with Archailist to trust another Pycon. So, unfair though it might be, Nivel would have to earn Orin’s respect.

However, her lack of information on everything related to this task and Orin wracking his brain for everything he knew about Nivel and Pycons sparked a memory in Orin. It was a simple snippet of conversation. One where Nivel had asked if there was any clay and Orin had told her next time there would be. It had piqued his interest at the time but had slipped out of his mind when more pressing matters, such as Orin’s imminent death and severe concussion. But now that he remembered it an insatiable curiosity flared up in Orin and despite his careful precautious he couldn’t control himself before a few questions came flying out. ”So I may be remembering this wrong. But, you eat only clay yeah? Is that your bread and butter so to speak? Ah, if that metaphor makes any sense. I meant, is it a staple of your diet? And the drinking, is that any liquid or just alcohol? And does all that have a different taste, the clay especially? What does clay taste like to you?” Orin just hoped they were relatively innocuous. Otherwise, Orin was about to cause another incident. Still, the answers he might get far outweighed the current level of risk. So Orin felt confident. Besides, Nivel was restricted by being unable to shift. Orin was pretty sure he could get away fast if it started getting ugly. Not that he expected Nivel to try anything in the heart of Syliras but one could never be too careful.

[Sylvette Sciath]

"Clean the kitchen" This had been Remi's command, and it had been accompanied by her handing Sylvette a broom and a dustpan, and a rather stern look. Sylvette had found herself doing more and more in the way of small chores since it had been revealed that she was a Kelvic and not just a cat. Thus Sylvette had found herself mildly regretting that Orin had told every bidy that she was a Kelvic as it had led to more work in the Kitchen than she had previously had from cleaning to even serving food, A job that Sylvette particularly disliked. Taking the Broom Sylvettte made her way intio the kitchen wearing the outfit Remi had made her wear consisting of dress and Apron, and began sweeping it the way she had seen Remi do it before. With each sweep of the broom Sylvette moved the dust and debris that littered the floor after a day of cooking. Making a game out of it Sylvette wanted to see just how big a pile of dust she could create so afteer sweeping out from under the counters Sylvette began making a pile of dust near the back entrance before moving onto the pantry. The pantry was a mess all in it's own and likely contained more dust than any of the other places in the kitchen and took more than a couple ticks to sweep up but Sylvette got he job done, pushing her new pile of dust and dirt out of the pantry to join it with the one she had created next to the exit making an even bigger dust bunny. Taking a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow Sylvette looked over atOrin who was talking with a strange masked woman who had handed him what looked like a small clay statue, though things really got weird when she saw Orin begin to talk to the statue? Sylvette squinted and rubbed her eyes making sure that what she was seeing was indeed taking place. It was, Orin was talking to a small statue. Sylvette would have to investigate this for sure when she got the chance.

[Nivel]

OocSorry for taking so long to reply and for constantly changing up my boxcode I just have to many cool ones I want to try.
Orin indicated that his memory was fuzzy as well and while Sera Grey knew the reason Nivel had no clue why the cook would have trouble remembering. The pycon didn’t feel it was polite to ask a stranger too many questions, so simply nodded as if she simply nodded and let the conversation carry on. Nivel could always pester Sera Grey about it later if her curiosity got the best of her.

“Anywhere you want to place me is fine” Nivel said politely to Orin “I may have trouble getting around but this is training after all so it’s supposed to be difficult. I also wouldn’t want to disrupt your work” The pycon felt a bit awkward being put in this situation, she felt like she would be nothing but a burden on this citizen.

“Oh and don’t worry about hurting me, I’m a squire so I’m supposed to be tough! I get limbs punched off and crushed under giant feet all the time, It still hurts but I grow most things back.” Nivel explained as she acted out the scenarios with her hands. She even pulled her arm off and quickly stuffed it into her stomach and in moments began to slowly reform like a snails eyeball. “See I can just take my arm off and it will grow back easy as pyken” The Squire wasn’t sure why tall folk always though she was fragile, especially when it seemed that it was really tall folk that were the delicate ones. Nivel didn’t bleed, or get scars or really any permanent damage, although her spongy nexus had yet to be disturbed and she imagined that would cause lasting damage. It did make Nivel a little uncomfortable to think of what could happen if this scenario were to ever happen, but she quickly shook the horrible thought from her Nexus.

“No monsters! That’s nonsense there are always monsters to keep in order” Nivel replied with defiance “I supposed these dastardly dust bunnies will have to be my adversary for this evening, I shall keep them in line with this mighty broom” The Pycon held her used paint brush in the air and slashed it about as if it were a sword. Orin showed her what a Tall Folk broom looked like, It was large but wasn’t much different than the paint brush she held in her tiny hands except while her “broom” had hair Orin’s had straw. “Oh so this is your weapon for dealing with the invasion of dust bunnies and other vagrants of the kitchen.” Nivel had selective hearing at this time and was determined to make this fairly ordinary scenario into an adventure no matter the cost. “ I can see it now the dust bunnies base is right there” She pointed to the storage shelf “Their plotting their evil dust bunny schemes as we speak” Nivel noticed a mysterious a mysterious young women with red hair not unlike her fellow mage squire Katelyn. “Is she a broom wielding warrior like yourself or is she the evil dust bunny overlord?” She whispered to Orin so the cat like girl couldn’t hear, clearly unaware that she was a kelvic.

“I have plenty of experience cleaning up the streets of Syliras, other than that I sew a bit in my spare time and am fairly adept at keeping fabric and stray thread in line.” Nivel did like showing special care to organizing the various scarps and buttons she had borrowed from Sera Grey by colour and other criteria that came to her nexus.

“Oh and yes I eat clay and I have tried tea, coffee and alcohol, though I probably won’t try alcohol again…I think it might be a mild poison.” She whispered the part about alcohol just in case the dust bunny overlord were listening in to find out any of her weaknesses. “Well clay tastes different by region but also by colour, the Red clay from the city I grew up in tasted like the purple clouds during a sunset, while some of the clay here tastes like rainbows and happiness…but I’m also tasted black clay that tasted like eating the bright light of syna on a summer day.” Nivel explained as if what she said made perfect sense. “When it comes to fluids there is no taste but I feel the effects of certain herbs that are mixed into my drink, with alcohol…I didn’t taste anything but I did feel the bubbles…and then some…other stuff happened that I didn’t like…” Nivel trailed off a bit and then looked around suspiciously.

Credit for Boxcode goes to Estrellir Konrath

[Orin Fenix]

Orin considered where to put Nivel, before lifting her up. "So, I’m going to put you on my shoulder. Seems the most logical place, and feel free to cling to my neck or my collar or something if you’re about to fall.” Suiting actions to words Orin brought Nivel up to his left shoulder. He waited for her to settle before continuing on towards the pantry, grabbing the broom with his now free hands. This wasn’t ideal, since Orin had to crink his neck awkwardly in order to watch Nivel, which made it a bit difficult to see where he was going. Still, Orin could probably navigate this kitchen in his sleep or in pitch blackness, and he’d been the last one in this area so nothing had been moved. The chances of Orin tripping or walking head first into a wall were slim. At least, about as low as they normally. Orin was a bit clumsy although mostly that didn’t come up too much in the kitchen since it seemed to impart a degree of confidence that Orin lacked everywhere else. In fact, he had no idea why he was letting himself be cowed into walking softly and speaking softly around Nivel. While she and her patron might be big shots in the Syliran Order, they were in Orin’s kitchen. Kind of similar to how a captain of a ship had the final authority, Orin was the master of this situation. That metaphor fell apart when Orin considered that Remi really ran this kitchen and Rondo was her first mate equivalent and Orin was more like a common deckhand. But the sentiment that this was Orin’s place of power held up just fine.

Orin had to stop and stare when Nivel demonstrated some of the more unusual properties of being a Pycon. If they could have, his eyes would have popped out of his head. And his jaw was doing its best to hit the floor. Orin quickly realized what that must look like to the squire and he recovered his composure. But he couldn’t quite keep the glee and surprise out of his speech as he started to gush. ”That’s, well, that’s simply incredible! I had no idea Pycons could do anything like that, that they were so durable. It’s completely and totally one of the most awesome things I’ve ever seen. And you can do that with your entire body? I guess I shouldn’t have been so worried about either you falling or hurting you earlier. You’d probably come out of a fall from this height looking much better than I would wouldn’t you? I would be jealous but it’s just too wonderful to be envious of. And, even if you can recover, doesn’t mean pain is fun for you right? Besides being a tough squire aside, you’re already working on one aspect of being a squire tonight. No need to do more, yeah? Why are you learning restraint anyway?” Orin hoped Nivel and Pycons got more appreciation for their abilities than Orin had been giving them. If he’d had any hint that Archailist had any potential to do what Nivel had just done, Orin would’ve been a lot more respectful around the squire. Of course, thinking about Pycon and what they could and couldn't do reminded Orin of something quite important. ”So, that wasn’t shifting was it? Don’t show me, just tell me, what shifting is exactly.” If the Pycon’s whole body was as malleable as Nivel had just shown then perhaps they could change shapes in some manner. That was Orin’s best guess at least.

Orin was quite amused by Nivel’s antics. Apparently she lived in a very different world than Orin himself did. Sure, Orin had actually encountered far more dangerous creatures, men, and women than would normally be expected in his line of work. But it wasn’t exactly the norm. Expecting to see monsters everywhere seemed like a terrifying way to live. Still, Nivel wasn’t acting that way at all. Maybe she’d simply been joking. Orin didn’t know enough about Nivel, Pycons, or jokes to make an informed judgement about it so instead he’d treat it as at least partially serious. ”Nope. No monsters here. Dust bunnies are inanimate so I doubt they’ll provide you and your ah, mighty broom much opposition, sorry. Just some good honest hard work. Which is its own brand of evil but not something you can fight, exactly. If you know what I mean.” Actually Orin was really looking forward to this job. Most days he went into work excited. It was whether or not his expectation were fulfilled that made him happy or sad not his base level of enjoyment in cooking. Nivel seemed to be ignoring what Orin was saying and running with the idea that someone the pantry was the den of bloodthirsty beasts. Orin was more than content to let her have her daydreams until they were disabused.

As they entered the pantry, Orin wasn’t surprised to see Sylvette in the slightest. Belatedly, he realized he must have been getting a sense from his bond of where she was, at least subconsciously. It was sporadic in that way. Orin never knew what exactly was coming through at any given time. Often it was subtle, although the most obvious and largest emotions, most;y pain, anger, and sadness tended to bleed through. Orin hadn’t had much luck getting satisfactory answers about what the Kelvic bond was exactly. Not that he’d been trying very hard but it was sort of odd. Not in a bad way. In fact, Orin welcomed Sylvette’s presence with open arms even if they were still working on quite a few of the ground rules. ”She’s, well, I guess you would call her a broom wielding squire, since she’s still learning the ropes. Very quickly and very well I might add. Sylvette, this is Nivel, an actual squire from the Syliran Order. She’s here to help us out today. Nivel this is Sylvette my...friend. My best friend.” Orin hesitated because to him it still felt strangely intimate to introduce Sylvette as his bondmate. However, there wasn’t exactly anything he could call her. Lover was wrong, she wasn’t technically family and friend didn’t do the depth of their relationship justice. Orin would’ve shrugged at Sylvette to show that he hadn’t meant anything by his statement, but he was very aware of Nivel’s weight on his shoulder. So Orin gave her a pleading look and hoped the bond would convey some of what he was thinking or at least feeling over to her.

Thankfully, the subject turned to the job at hand before Orin could make the situation any worse. He listened carefully to Nivel’s explanation of her experiences. When she finished Orin nodded thoughtfully. ”That’s all well and good, but have you ever cleaned up dust? That sense of organization will serve you in good stead but first we’ve got to clean this place before we can start making any adjustments to it. Let me think about the best course of action, sound good? Then I’ll give everyone their marching orders, so to speak.” Nivel had put Orin in a decidedly martial mood, apparently. Obviously they should start with the top shelves and work their way downwards. Unfortunately it was just too high for Orin to clean it effectively. The obvious answer would be to place Nivel up there and have her deal with it, but Orin wasn’t going to let her work unless she assured him she knew what she was doing. Otherwise, Orin wasn’t sure he could trust her to do it right and doing it halfway was worse than not doing it at all. So if she needed supervision Orin would need to come up with a clever way to provide it, one that hopefully utilized all three of them and the resources at hand. Orin knew if he turned the ideas around enough times in his head, it would come to him.

Orin certainly hadn’t been expecting anything near the enthusiastic response he was getting from Nivel. Talking to Archailist had been like poking a porcupine. One never knew if they were going to get the soft skin or a quill. I have got to come up with better metaphors. Orin was forced to revise his understanding of Pycons. They weren’t all soulless grumps. Nivel was as bright and as vibrant as anyone Orin had ever met and her joy was frankly infectious. He found himself forced to grin. Her descriptions of the way clay tasted were downright poetic and surprisingly close to the way Orin thought of food and how he sometimes compared it to his other senses. ”That sounds like exactly the information I’ve been looking for, thanks. Is there any way to tell beforehand what it’s going to taste like? And is there any way a simply human such as myself could figure that out? Or would I just have to employ a Pycon taste tester if I was going to try and collect the best clay? This is just so terribly exciting.” Orin suddenly remembered that bombarding guests with questions wasn’t exactly polite. And it was only fair that Orin help Nivel out in her understanding. ”As for your experience with alcohol, sounds like you got drunk. If it works the same for Pycons as it does for humans it makes you sort of, lose control of your body and mind a bit. In really bad cases you black out and lose some of your memories. It’s not pretty.” There had been many mornings when Orin’s father had no recollection of the beating he imparted on Orin the night before. Those had been the worst nights. There was usually no warning and Alexander had been silent as he delivered his blows, as if he’d gone past rage and emerged the other side into an icy calm that demanded violence. Orin was glad Nivel wasn’t an angry drunkard, or she hadn’t been the night of Sayana’s party. However, this discussion brought up another point of conversation for Orin. ”I wonder, if alchohol affects you, do you think other liquids would? Medicines, or I guess potions or stimulants? Have you ever tried?”

[Nivel]

“Pycon definitely still feel pain just like any other creature, although probably in a way different than most.” Nivel put on a scholarly air to make what she was saying sound more important, she moved her hands in a way that mimicked some of the intellectuals in the archives. With her one arm tucked behind her back while the other preformed gentle flourishes. “I hyper-python-a-thighs that pycons identities are connected with their form so it is damaging to their snake-keys when they lose a part of themselves. I know that when I lose a limb I tend to panic and lose all of my will to fight at least until I get it back. Although this is simply a theory mind you.” Nivel was certain that she impressed the cook with her extensive vocabulary that she had picked up here in there, not even once realizing that some of the words she used didn’t exist.

“Now shifting is like pulling one of your um..uh you know those things that allow your body to move..Those uh tussles? puzzles? It doesn’t matter, it’s like flexing one of those but it’s your whole body. I just concentrate and flex my fuzzles and my body takes the shape I want it to but I can’t hold it too long because it’s really hard to do. Although some times my natural form shifts with out realizing it, this happens when I experience something new that opens my nexus to unexplored possibilities. When this happens it’s usually permanent, I think you tall folk call it aging but I don’t think pycons have a name for it.” It was a good thing Nivel had learned more about human anatomy because she wouldn’t even be able to answer this question if asked even a few seasons ago. Even if she was stumbling over her words a bit, it felt good to be able to finally understand some of these things.

“As for why I am learning to practice restraint, I am learning magic and there is always the temptation to go too far with the practice. I also suspect that my patron wants to teach me Reimancy..it’s a type of magic that conjures the elements and allows you to control them as well. It has many practical uses but is more dangerous than the other forms of magic I know, so she wants to make sure I’m ready. For a pycon not being able to shift is very inconvenient, everything is just soooo big and I’m so little. Shifting allows me to stretch my limbs up to reach high places and preform many tasks I wouldn’t be able to otherwise, without it everything is considerably more difficult.” After explaining this she realized she was talking to a commoner about magic and her body suddenly stiffened in fright “you don’t have a problem with the fact that I’m a mage do you?”

Orin didn’t seem to want to play into Nivel’s fantasy, not that that this would deter the pycon from her silly delusions. If anything they just made Nivel more caught up in the story she had forming in her tiny nexus. She stood up on Orins shoulders in a dynamic pose holding her broom out as if it were an epic sword of legend.
“Some would call clay inanimate as well but here I stand the mage squire princess Nivel, ever vigilant against any monsters that might be lurking in the dark recesses of a kitchen pantry! You may not have the fighting spirt yet my dear Orin but I shall make you my ward and we shall fight the great scourge together, with our combined strength we shall easily vanquish the evil filth that dwells in this land you call kitchen with out mighty brooms.”

Nivel let made a courteous but dynamic bow to the red haired girl “I deeply sorry for confusing you with the enemy my fellow broom wielding warrior, I look forward to assisting you in the war against the dust bunny overlord. We shall stop his tyranny one and for all and free the crumb people he has kept as his slaves from so long” Nivel clenched her little fist in determination.

“As you can see I’m very serious and will put that same dedication to any task you give me even if I don’t exactly have any experience in cleaning dust, I’m a fast learner. Although if you’d like to give me some instructions or maybe a demonstration as to what sweeping is supposed to look like that would be much appreciated” Nivel explained as confidently as she could muster, she could tell Orin was doubting her competency and she had to make sure he knew she was up for anything.

“Hrm that’s a good question, I think pycons tastes are different but maybe if you were to be a practicer of Autistics that might help..It helps me taste things I am normally unable to taste. It’s a form of magic that lets you read auras and sense and learn things about them. Although I would love to be your taste tester if you need me to be since magic isn’t for everything. Although since I can’t always be around one thing I know all pycons like is presentation, if you can sculpt the food into something exotic and interesting it will make the taste better, at least it does for me.” Nivel could remember when she was younger how her mother and father would turn her food into fantastical creatures, monsters or mountains so she could feel like a giant as she devoured them whole. it definitely made even the most plain of clay seem exciting.

“If this Alcohol has such horrible side effects why do you tall folk even drink it?” Nivel blurted back in confusion, they pycon had felt some pleasant sensations from the alcohol but it didn’t last for much time at all before it became incredibly unpleasant.

“I study herbs from time to time and have used myself as a test subject for this very thing, some herbs can benefit pycons but not all. I use Tolm to lessen the pain I get in my nexus sometimes from magic use.” Nivel nodded her head as she shared more of her knowledge with the Cook. It made her feel good to already know most of the answers to his questions, since the opposite was usually true.

Credit for Boxcode goes to Estrellir Konrath

[Orin Fenix]

Orin listened raptly to Nivel’s words, though he couldn’t help contrasting them to Archailist’s response when Orin tried to find out about Pycon physiology. Apparently Pycons varied in personality just as much humans did, although as far as he knew, either Nivel or Archailist were considered abnormal. However, the highly technical explanation went a little over his head. Hyper-python-a-thighs? Snake-keys? He’d never heard the words but he nodded sagely. Regardless, he felt that he understood at least the drift of the theory. ”Huh. Fascinating. At least you can reattach limbs when you get damaged.” Orin laughed weakly and a bit grimly. ”Humans don’t have that luxury, I’m afraid.” However, the dark turn didn’t last long, as Orin pursued this particular track. ”So is there a limit to how much clay you can lose before you, well, lose it mentally?” The play on words was weak at best but hopefully it would get at least a sympathy laugh. Or not. Orin’s sense of humor needed quite a bit of work, not that he had any clear idea how to improve it. ”I mean, for instance, a small cut won’t slow me down in the slightest, but, well, a life-threatening one or losing a limb definitely would.” About to shrug to indicate that he didn’t really know how to ask the right questions, Orin remembered where Nivel was precariously perched and figured the motion might not be the best idea.

The information that was flowing was almost too much to process and Orin struggled to have his not overly bright brain keep up with it all. He’d have to go over it all later on his own and see how much he remembered. Again, there seemed to be some sort of translation error although this time it was probably on Nivel’s end. ”Tussles? Puzzles? Fuzzles? The words were unknown and seeing as they referred to humans, Orin was stumped, until he heard the word flex and comprehension dawned. Tentatively, he suggested the most likely option. ”Did you mean…muscles?” He was careful to keep his tone respectful, remembering his interactions with another Pycon squire and not wanting to perhaps somehow set Nivel off.

However, everything about shifting was opening up whole new worlds for Orin. Apparently it was as natural to Pycons as breathing and walking was to humans, which just struck him as strange. Obviously the clay that composed the Pycons was still malleable, not fixed. Which, he should’ve assumed from their ability to move, but it was to a degree he hadn’t even considered before. However, the comparison of permanent shifting to aging didn’t seem quite right. ”By aging, do you mean the type of changes that happen when a child becomes a man or a woman, that sort of aging?” Blushing furiously at memory of the talk he’d had with one of his foster families when he was considered old enough and hoping Nivel didn’t pick up on it or didn’t know what it meant, he launched into another inquiry. ”I don’t know if this is considered rude, but have you shifted in that way many times? Over your lifetime? Actually, how long do Pycons live?” The usual markers for age obviously didn’t apply, nor did they seem to become old in the same way humans did.

The revelation that Nivel was a mage didn’t faze Orin, though he looked at the Pycon with new respect. He figured any squire would be thoroughly vetted by the Knighthood before being allowed to practice magic within the walls of Syliras, and though they might not be perfect, that much he appreciated about them. ”As long as you don’t go throwing magic about in here I don’t have any issues. I gotta trust the Order, don’t I?” Returning to her earlier statements, Orin grinned. He actually wasn’t totally ignorant on this subject, which made him inordinately happy. ”I know about Reimancy. One of my good friends is a mage, perhaps you two have met. Isolde Seibold? Anyway, she told me all about Reimancy.” And the dangers inherent in it, but it didn’t seem prudent to mention it at this time. ”So if you’re not a Reimancer—that’s what you call them Reimancers right?—what types of magic do you practice.” The training of the squires, especially the magical ones among them, was a subject Orin knew next to nothing about, considering how long he’d lived around the Order. Still, Knights were hardly forthcoming about their secrets around outsiders, even people who’d been citizens of Syliras their entire life. ”And I’m sorry to hear you’ve been banned from shifting while here. If you need assistance with anything don’t hesitate to ask.” It was a pretty standard speech Orin had memorized to deal with disgruntled patrons and he trotted it out here, but really meaning it this time. He didn’t want to watch Nivel struggle when he could lend a hand.

Rolling his eyes, but chuckling at Nivel’s antics, Orin realized that his life would get much easier and the work would go much more quickly if he played along with her delusions. There was no harm in it and perhaps this was how normal people played games. He wouldn’t know, but he could certainly try and see how it felt. ”Aye princess Nivel, Orin began, barely holding in his laughter, ”I am but your ward. I can’t defeat these nefarious dirt encrusted rodents without you. Although it is…beneath you…” Orin knew very little of play-acting and fairy tales and was making up pretty much everything as he went along, ”you must defend yourself while I venture out away from you tower.” That sounded right, and Orin lifted Nivel up to the highest shelf, depositing her carefully now that he knew falls could indeed harm her kind.

Sylvette had made her escape, probably wanting nothing to do with the shenanigans going on in the pantry. Orin sighed, but couldn’t exactly blame her. Their relationship was still odd, pulling him in and pushing him away in equal measures and he was afraid he was alienating her. Plus, as a cat, she was often aloof, and he couldn’t tell if that was her Kelvic nature or her personality or just a phase she was going through. Still, there was nothing he could really do about it at this moment in time, so he didn’t pursue her. Turning back to Nivel, he plastered a brittle smile back on his face. Sooner or later, it would stick and turn into a real one. At least, that’s what Orin hoped and what he strove to emulate when his life got bleak. Which happened more and more often these days, not that his past didn’t have its share of darkness.

Bringing himself back into the present and straight into the land of make believe, which was a much easier place to live in than reality, Orin reoriented himself. ”Well, you use your brush, I mean broom, I mean weapon, like so.” Orin had no idea if the technique would transfer over to the Pycon but the theory was the same. Gripping it in both hands, Orin went to the back of the pantry, and started sweeping the floor. He’d have to redo it once Nivel was done with the shelves but for now this would work. ”Just make sure all the dirt you see gets pushed off the shelf and onto the ground. Start at the farthest corner from the door, so you’re not pushing dirt over areas you’ve already cleaned. If there’s an obstacle, I’ll lift it up and you clean under it. Don’t forget to dust the bottoms of anything, or else it’ll go right back on the shelf.” He ran over his explanation and was satisfied. Resting one hand on the broom he peered up at the Pycon. ”Any questions?” It seemed only fair after Nivel had been so good about answering Orin’s.

Speaking of his questions the conversation swung back to Pycons. Specifically, what they ate. And it sounded like there were differences in clay although Orin couldn’t begin to guess. Asking Nivel seemed like as good a place as any to start. ”Does it have anything to do with color, texture consistency? Is there even such a thing as different types of clay? I guess I’m just trying to set up a baseline here.” Running his hands through hair, Orin rocked back and forth on his feet as he thought and watched Nivel work. Perking up at the mention of magic, Orin sighed. Yet another discipline he didn’t have access to. Although he knew horror stories, more and more of his companions seemed to wield magic of one kind or another.

Biting his lip, Orin considered Auristics. It didn’t sound as dangerous as some of the other magic he’d encountered or heard about, but he was sure that, like all magic, it carried risks of its own. And he’d never consider asking Nivel for lessons even though it sounded quite useful for Orin in his line of work. He shoved it aside to think about for another day, and smiled. ”Well, presentation is something that humans appreciate too, and which improves the taste of our dishes. So at least we have that much in common. I guess I’ll start there, since I’m not a practitioner of this Auristics.” He smiled to hopefully indicate that this didn’t bother him.

However, Nivel’s next observation made it freeze on his face as his memory thrust flames into the forefront of his mind. His throat tightened up and tears sprang to his eyes. Even after all these years it still affected him, his father, his childhood, his early life, and he found himself starved for air. Finally he took one shuddering breath and choked back a sob. He wouldn’t let himself cry about that night again. Even if all he wanted to do was curl in a ball and cry, he was, or so he hoped, made of sterner stuff than that. Keeping his now weak smile, he did his best to reply to Nivel’s innocent comments. ”Well, not all of us do, at least to excess. And despite its side effects, it also makes people feel…not good, but more free. With their emotions, with their bodies. It’s…liberating I guess.” Shaking his head, Orin crossed his free arm across his body, hugging himself, trying to find what small comfort he could. ”I don’t drink almost ever myself, so I’m not really the one you should be asking about this.” Hopefully that would shut down anything further from the Pycon.

Herbs was a much better and much more neutral topic, one he wasn’t an expert on, but at least one he could discuss, and he seized it with a distinct feeling of relief. ”Tolm? I’ve never heard of it myself. What’s it look like? How do you prepare it? Does it have any other uses beyond relieving…nexus pain?” Suddenly Orin was quite lost. He remembered her using the phrase before but it had gotten lost in the stream of information somewhere. Feeling like an idiot, he asked, ”What’s a nexus?”

[Nivel]

“Aww really” Nivel replied with sympathy to the tall folks inability to regrow lost limbs “Suppose you can just make new ones, with wood or other materials” She had witnessed a small few in her travels walk around with wooden limbs. At the time she thought they were meant as a form of decoration but was now realizing they were meant as replacements . She remembered that they lacked the movement of an arm made of flesh and but they seemed to gain strength in other area’s so it couldn’t be all bad.

“Well cuts hurt a great deal but they recover quick enough and down’t cause the same mental damage that losing a part of you does.” Nivel explained. Her ears suddenly lowered as she thought of something unpleasant, she hesitated to share for a moment but quickly caved “The only time a cut can be truly lethal is if our nexus is ruptured, it’s normally very flexible and can take a lot of punishment but pointy objects are definitely something my kind need to be mindful of.” It felt strange to share this crucial information with someone she had just met but her nexus was telling her that she could trust this stranger.

“Oh and yes I did mean muscles” Nivel looked towards the ground in sudden bashfulness at her lack of understanding. She was so keen on impressing the cook with her knowledge but she didn’t even know simple things about human anatomy. They seemed to have so many names for different parts of their bodies and it was hard to keep track of what did what and what it was called.

“Yes that’s what I meant!” She was happy she was right on tall folk aging at least and it encouraged her to continue explaining “Everything changes in some form or another with time, pycons are just more noticeable. I’m also certain that you change in more ways than you think, like your beliefs and interests. Pycons bodies change as these things change with in them, I was a much different pycon when I was younger and I couldn’t stay a sphere my entire life. I had to craft my body to serve my own purposes, it would be to tiring to form an arm every time I wanted to grab something and rolling around isn’t a very convenient form of movement.” Nivel could barely remember her infancy but it was definitely a frustrating time for her. Everything was difficult and she longed for the day when she had a body that would allow her to explore the world and all of it’s possibles.
“And don’t worry I take no offence to your questions, I respect curiosity you don’t have to worry about asking me questions. If I don’t feel comfortable answering I will tell you.”

_

“Oh Harameus no, I would never use my magic so callously” Nivel responded with the upmost seriousness in her tone. She wasn’t always the most responsible of mages but she still tried to only use it at appropriate times and in appropriate places. “I don’t believe I’ve met Isolde Seibold, but I’ll have to seek her out if she's a fellow mage, what does she look like?” Nivel didn’t know many other mages with in the knight hood and there in particular whom she felt she could never have any kind of camaraderie with. Tobias was very clear that he didn’t like Nivel during the shield games and he never gave Nivel a solid reason why.

“ Other than Autistics; I know Flux, It’s a type of magic that involves shifting your strength about which allows you to move faster or deliver stronger blows when fighting and Shielding magic, which allows you to create invisible barriers.”She hesitated for a moment “…Although, my abilities are very limited since it’s the newest form of magic I’ve learned. I need to put more effort towards shielding since it will be useful in protecting me from any backlash that might occur with Reimancy magic.”
The pycon mage could remember the disappointment Sera grey had with Nivel’s progress in shielding in her last examination, and it made her voice waver as she told the cook about her short comings.

“Oh don’t worry it’s fine” Nivel brushed off the comment but it wasn’t hard to tell she was a bit nervous at the challenge she was put under by Sera Grey.

_

As Orin got in to character Nivel almost instantly brightened up and transformed back into her fantasy persona.
“Princess! I am a warrior put on Mizahar to defend the weak and destroy evil where it lurks!” She bellowed “I know nothing of princesses” It sounded like she was saying this to be dramatic but she truly had little knowledge of princesses.
“Do what needs to be done my humble Ward, I can deal with these miscreants from the tower of Kitchen” Nivel proclaimed nobly as she was lifted onto the top shelf by Orin.
She went into a fighting stance, griped her broom in both hands and held it across her body like a spear or halbert. However in her nexus it was her pypole she was wielding, since it was the only weapon she could think to use. With a mighty battle cry, the pycon slashed her weapon at the dust, She aimed her weapon at the far corner and swept it to the end with a quick thrust. It did the job but stirred up quite a bit of dust in the process.
“Like that sir Orin?” Nivel boastfully.

_

Throughout the cleaning process Nivel was bombarded with more questions by the cook, he truly was a very curious tall folk.
“I don’t know about any of that its really more of the clay’s innate personality but their are three types of clay that I know of. There is Porcelain which is considered the purest and most gentle of the clays, it’s more of a white clay and is hard to find. Then there is Terra Cotta, which is what I’m mostly made of. It’s probably the most unpredictable of clays, some say its brutish and hardy like a wild animal and others say it is happy and bright like the goddess syna. The last clay is Stone clay,It’s grey and very common in these parts. Stone clay tastes has more of a sky taste to it, like a cloudy sky or a hurricane. You can usually tell a pylon’s tastes by what kind of clay they are mostly comprised of but at the same time pycons like to try new things so. Maybe go with the clay their familiar with but mix it with clay they may not of experienced.”
Nivel wasn’t sure if her information or suggestions would help, it seemed like pycon and tall folk eating habits were vastly different. It seemed like magic was really the only way to bridge the gap.

“That stuff certainly didn’t make me feel free, just very sleepy and sick” Nivel didn’t quite catch on that Orin was uncomfortable with the question about alcohol, but didn’t really want to press the conversation further because it was not something that interested her.

“Tolm can be found in the bronze woods on hills or closer to the mountains. It has a long skinny stem, hairy leaves with jagged ends and in the summer time it forms little bunches of light red flowers. According to my book it can ease pain, help with sleep and ease aching tussles…I mean muscles.”
Nivel hoped her description was good enough, she added hand gestures to her description but from the angle she was in It was unlike that Orin would see them.

Credit for Boxcode goes to Estrellir Konrath