Solo What is Home?

[Sayana]

Spring 20, 516 AV

When I slammed the door shut behind me, it suddenly turned purple and started spouting grapes. Thick vines wove this way and that, and I bolted it shut.

“That should hold them,” I muttered under my breath.

I gave a quick thanks to Ionu and took off with my newly acquired possession. It was--

“My-stick-al?” Sayana questioned aloud as she sounded out the odd word. “Mee-stick-al? Miss-stick-al!” She triumphantly managed to read the confusing word at the third try and puzzled over the strange spelling. Moving onto the next word, it looked just as difficult but there was also something familiar about it. “Bee… bee-ay-oo… bee-you-ti-ful!”

The ship lurched to the side and Sayana nearly dropped the Alvad journal as it slid across her lap. However, when she did catch it, she accidentally slammed it shut and her strip of paper that had acted as a bookmark lay uselessly off to the side. With a sigh Sayana stared at the book. Her eyes were tired from the dim light of the cabin but she also wanted to know what was so special about this object the Alvad had stolen.

A call from the ship’s deck settled her decision. “Land ho!”

She quickly got to her feet and tucked the book in her low hand before eagerly rushing out onto the deck. “Another day, Mr. Licketty Split.”

It was overcast and blustery. As Sayana scanned the horizons, it looked as though there was only water in all directions. Yet at the same time, sailors were busy about the ship tying ropes, adjusting sails, keeping the tiller straight. When she looked again, there was a faint smudge just along the horizon. Was it really land? Were they really about to reach the city of Syliras? The wind whipped at her hair and she pulled it back to keep it out of her face.

Even though she had known the entire fifteen days of the journey that she would be making it back to Syliras, it hadn’t really sunk in until now. What of her friends, what of Remi, and more importantly what of Aren? A high hand moved to her chest where her lacun mark lay as well as the scars of her six lined ‘X’.

She would be back, but she would have to be careful about who saw her. And she’d have to find out whether Aren was still in the city or not.

[Sayana]

Sayana rummaged through her belongings and produced a helmet as well as a small mirror. As she tried it on, she smiled at the way it masked much of her facial features even with the simple nose piece. But her hair… that would be an issue. She took it off, and this time carefully piled up her thick curly hair so it would be tucked within the helmet rather than hanging loose. As her mid hands held her hair in place, she put the helmet on again using her highs. The difference was striking.

After tucking in a few more wisps of hair she pulled out the buckler she had purchased before leaving Alvadas. It was simple, not very big, but it provided her with a more knightly appearance without requiring the full set of armour that many knights wore.

Putting on a serious expression, she spoke to the mirror, “Halt thief! Or I’ll arrest you! Halt! You’re under arrest!” Breaking character for a moment she tried to think of other choice phrases. “By the knighthood and Sylir himself, I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Or for better weather.” “It is my duty to help and protect. Nothing more is needed than your thanks.” “Spies in the city? I will report to my patron knight immediately.” “I’ve been assigned to patrol the Kabrin road between Mithryn Outpost and the city.”

She grew more confident with each phrase as she grew into the role. She might not even need to speak much since squires were so prevalent in the city, but it was better to be prepared. But what if she was asked who her patron knight was? After long deliberation, she decided it would be best to choose a couple of common names like “Alexander” or “Daniel” or “Whitevine” and say she was new and being transferred between patrons. As for her own name… Alice. Simple, bland, and something closer to the Syliran culture than her own Eyktol roots. But she would only use it if she was in a fix and needed to supply a name.

[Sayana]

As the ship moored into the harbor, Sayana was tempted to stay on board until nightfall. She would certainly feel safer under the cover of darkness, however she still had Stardust, her white windrunner to tend to. There are two primary ways of moving about a city unseen. The first one was to hide in shadows and choose empty streets and alleys under the cover of darkness. The second, was to appear so commonplace and mingle effortlessly within crowds so that despite being seen, no one would remember one’s presence. Her choice of disguise and her need to visit the stables prompted the latter.

She waited until most of the passengers had disembarked and it was only once cargo was being hauled off the ship did she make her way onto the docks. She wore the helmet and strapped the shield to her back. She chose her most commonplace clothes and led her white mare across the narrow plank to the dock.

The city was like she had remembered it. Busy, bustling, and rather ‘fragrant’. She took her time through the streets and kept her horse close. Her head was often tucked down as she mimed a sense of weariness. Few seemed to give her a second glance, though her horse received a few stares. Her mid and low arms were hidden within the folds of her robe and only once did she look up when someone pointedly told her that she was in the way. She moved obediently without a word, but as she began to approach her old apartment her heart began to quicken.

What if Aren was still there? What if someone had taken her house due to the absence of any inhabitants? She focused instead on blending in with the crowd, matching the hurried and impatient pace of the Sylirans, but never getting to daring to tread on someone’s foot by mistake.

Sayana tied up her horse to an old iron ring upon the stone wall and took her various belongings from the saddlebags. It was a lot to carry and she felt weighed down, but she was as close as she could get to her apartment without actually going inside the maze of hallways so distinctive of the city.

“I’ll be back Stardust,” she spoke softly to the mare. With a second thought, she reached within herself to pull strands of djed. Twisting them like rope and imaging the magic wrapping about the very essence of the horse’s being, she gazed into the windrunner’s eyes with a soft command. “Stay, wait.” She added feelings of security and the desire to remain put. The side effect was that for several moments Sayana wasn’t sure if she was ready to face her old home and that she would have preferred to stay where she was with her horse. No, she had to drop off her belongings and already she felt her muscles beginning to ache under the weight of it all.

She walked swiftly through the hallways, despite the load. It had been over two seasons but she knew the way like the back of her hand. Or at least her low hand. As she opened the door, she couldn’t help but hold her breath for what lay beyond.

[Sayana]

Dust.

A layer of dust pervaded almost the entire apartment. There were a couple of things that looked out of place, maybe something missing here and there, but otherwise uninhabited. And Aren was not in sight, nor any evidence of him. Her wedding dress lay draped upon the bed where she had left it and she felt her heart clench as she dropped her belongings onto the floor in a heap.

She had both hoped and dreaded to find Aren there. But now that she knew the outcome, the overbearing unknown had diminished. She had left her lover over two seasons ago out of distress and sorrow. And neither of them had searched for one another. Her lacun mark had been a sign of that. But only now did it feel truly final to see that he was no longer in Syliras, or at least no longer using her apartment. Even though he might still be in Syliras, in her heart she doubted it.

Aren, Serend, Timothy, Nephti… She ran through the list of people she had run away from, left and abandoned. At least with Nephti she had given the girl a chance at a better life. But could she have done that without abandoning the young Eypharian? But she had come to Syliras to start fresh, pursue new goals, become a power to reckon with. And even if this was not her final city to live in, she would at least wrap up loose ends here.

With new, yet grim determination, the Eypharian made quick work at returning her belongings to appropriate places. Most went to the large chest and some just dumped on the couch or bed. She would have time later to organize her things.

Locking the door behind her, she returned to her white mare and continued through the streets towards the Windmount Stables. She was glad she didn’t see Katelyn, as it would have been hard to hold up her act or give reasoning for her squire-like disguise. With every step she was afraid she might run into someone she knew but fortunately Syliras was a big city.

Once her horse was properly stabled and attended to, she was at a loss of what to do next. Go back to the Rearing Stallion? Find an old friend like Garland? Hide out in her apartment until sundown? She was ‘home’ after two seasons of being in Alvadas and yet it didn’t seem any more like home than Ahnatep would have felt like. There was also the eerie feeling of solid streets and grey blandness that contrasted so sharply from the blossoming and ever changing city of Alvadas.

At last she decided that there was someone she’d like to see. A man who commonly worked at the Soothing Waters, but someone who did far more than give simple massages.

[Sayana]

When she arrived at the bathhouse, Sayana was greeted by a warm welcoming voice. “Hello there. How may I help you?” Ivis Balak spoke from behind the desk.

“I’m looking to get a massage after a long day of training. I heard that Alexus is the best… that is, if he is available.” Sayana replied keeping her tone even.

“Are you of the knighthood?” Ivis asked gesturing to her garb but staring longer than usual at the black robe that seemed out of place.

“Yes.”

She could feel her heart beat heavily for a few ticks until she got herself under control once more.

“In that case, the fee is covered by the Order. Right this way then. He should be available in about fifteen chimes. Meanwhile, have yourself a seat.” Ivis led the way down a short hallway and opened a door to a small sitting room. There were a couple people waiting already, and beyond were three more doors that presumably led to the individual massage rooms.

Sayana took a seat and wondered if Alexus would even recognize her after so long. And then, would he even care to exchange valuable information? Did she even have anything over him, or a true means to persuade him? Ah, but she did. She was not the same woman who had left Syliras over two seasons ago.

When she was admitted into the room, she carefully shut the door behind her and glanced over the familiar man. “You might want to take your helmet off,” Alexus instructed. “It’ll get in the way of the massage. Or worse, fall off.”

Catching his eye, she took a step forwards with a sultry smile. “I’d like you to think back, and remember.” Leaning in, she kissed him deeply on the lips, one hand moving to the back of his head to hold him close. The kiss lingered until she gently broke away.

“I thought you had left, Sayana.”

“I had, but I’m back.”

She removed the stuffy helmet to free her long hair and set aside the small buckler she still carried.

“And your marriage? Your baby?”

“Both gone.” There was regret in her voice but she was past that now. It was as it was. She could not bring back the dead and she had given up on mending the marriage. It seemed like Aren had too.

“But why have you come back? And why did you seek me out?”

“I would like to find out what has happened in Syliras since I left. I’d like to know the ins and outs, who is big and important, anything new within the knighthood and anything else interesting enough to share. I would also enjoy spending some intimate time with you.” She paused as her gaze fell upon his lips once more. “However, Syliras brings back hard memories for me, and I don’t want any of my friends to know I have returned until I am ready.”

She moved in close and placed a hand lightly upon his neck as she gazed into his eyes. Such beautiful eyes, and she pulled at the djed within her and fused purpose to it. A sense of sharing, revealing, for mutual gain. A desire to give. “I’d like you to tell me of the important events and people in Syliras over the last two seasons.”

[Sayana]

He seemed rather convinced at just her words alone. There was a flicker of uncertainty at spending more intimate time with her. Despite what she may think, he had not been without the occasional lover during the time she had been away. But the magic was enough to open his vault of information to its fullest potential, rather than just hints of hearsay and commonplace rumors.

“Syliras has been well over the last two seasons,” Alexus began and Sayana took her place on the massage table after removing her cloak. She was rather sure he would continue. Almost as if in a daze, his hands moved to begin the massage, first starting with her shoulders.

“You left near the end of Summer. There were big plans for expansion in the Fall. Pipes within the city, a new outpost, cleaning out the bandits. Only some of it got accomplished but the Knighthood certainly wants to bring more peace and civilization to the lands.” He paused and began to work down her spine, easing tensions she didn’t even realize she had.

“However, within the city there was a new laboratory that was successfully built. A magic laboratory. The workers said something about magecrafting and a master mage named Clyde Sullins.”

“Where is this laboratory?” Sayana pressed, curious.

“Up near the harbor. I think in Winthrop Alley. Built on an empty lot. Not like there are many empty lots in Syliras.” Alexus answered. “Then of course the Harvest Festival, and there was also talk of wolves in the forests. But that is not unusual at that time of year. Then for Winter, there were rumors of a mage succumbing to overgiving. Pycon mage actually, with monster-like tails and limbs thrashing about uncontrollably. And of course there were the snows. So much snow that it engulfed the city, and several roofs collapsed.”

Sayana thought back to her own apartment and was rather thankful nothing had happened to it. When she got home, she probably ought to check for cracks and the like.

“Mithryn had it even worse though. I heard a couple of people even died from collapsed cottages.” Alexus continued. He seemed to be almost finished, but then a puzzled look crossed his face. “There was also something else I heard rumors of. A new magic, or more like an ancient magic. Hidden for years, or centuries even. They said it was called Dominion and that the knighthood might begin teaching its mage knights and squires of it. But I never managed to hear what it actually did. Not even entirely sure that it’s real.”

There was silence between them for several chimes as Alexus continued the massage. Even though there were a couple interesting events he had included, Syliras seemed rather peaceful throughout the time she had been away. Not like Alvadas with an army of undead invading its streets. Still, she was glad to catch up on the news.

“Alexus, I’d like you to be my eyes and ears in Syliras. In particular, I’d like to learn more about the knighthood and how it operates. In exchange, I’ll provide you a good share of information and customers sent your way. And of course, a few happy nights.”

“I think I’d rather enjoy that,” he answered with a knowing smile.

[Dove Brown]

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Sayana

Skills

• Reading 1
• Disguise 1
• Hypnotism 1
• Animal husbandry 1

Lores

• Hiding hair in a helmet
• Alexus: masseuse and informant

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