Closed [The Scholar's Demise] Fire and Secrets

[Halin'a]

Halin'a is surprised when Agnusha takes his hand; he'd honestly expected that perhaps his story would have been too much for the other Lethaefal. Instead, here she was offering him comfort; Halin'a couldn't remember the last time someone had done so. He doesn't remove his hand from hers, accepting the small gesture. He listens to her reassurances, that it's not truly Halin'a's fault that Marik was attacked. It's been said to him before - it was said to him by Marik's guardians, as a matter of fact - but he's never been able to really believe that. Marik had been his first friend since the night he fell from Leth's domain to land in the Suvan Sea. He'd almost been like Halin'a's younger brother, and his death had hit the Ethaefal hard; hard enough that he hadn't been able to stay in Syliras, instead leaving the fortress city behind and traveling across Mizahar, staying in various cities before he'd settled in Zeltiva for several years. Zeltiva had been the closest thing to a home that Halin'a had known, but even that hadn't been enough to curb the wanderlust. Halin'a feels his mouth curve into a reluctant smile. "Perhaps it wasn't my fault," he acknowledges, "but that doesn't change the fact that I felt responsible for him." His gaze falls from Agnusha's face to the letter in her hand, and an idea comes to him. "It's been over fifty years since this happened," he says slowly, holding out a hand for the letter. "I think maybe it's time for me to move on." OOCSorry for short-ish reply; got busy in real life right at the end and decided to just wrap it up a few sentences early!

[Agnusha]

OOCNo problem at all. The thread's about to be concluded, so there's nothing much to say. She was glad he did not remove his hand from her. Their hands were rested together. He was accepting the reassurance from a fellow Ethaefal. However, she did not see any differences in Halin’a’s expression and voice. She would admit that the things she said was just a common encouragement and many people should have told him. She felt helpless as she did not know what else to do. She did not know how their relationship was. Halin’a seemed to be quite fond of Marik, and vice versa. It must be painful for Halin’a to keep the burden as long as he live. Which in Ethaefal’s case, forever. “No, you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.” She initiatively replied on his statement. “Marik won’t find peace in his passing if you can’t let him go.” She noticed Halin’a’s hand as he was indicating the letter. Her eyebrow tilted slightly but she did not question. She was the first one to pulled her hand as she used both of her hand to fold the paper and slipped it back to the envelope. She handed it back gracefully and waited for him.

[Halin'a]

The Lethaefal takes the letter, studying it for several long moments before he leans sideways in his chair, holding the letter over the fire in the hearth until it catches; he drops the letter and envelope into the fire, watching the flames lick over the material, flaring slightly when they catch the edge of the dried wax. It's a carthartic experience, giving a physical form to letting go. As the smoke from the letter wafts up the chimney and the paper curls into ash, Halin'a feels something like a weight lifting from his chest. He'd thought, once, that he was over what had happened with Marik, that he'd accepted it and moved on, but he realizes now that he hadn't truly moved on; he'd only forgotten. But now, sitting here across from a daughter of Leth, the music of a full tavern echoing behind them, Halin'a found at least the beginnings of peace; Agnusha was right, neither he nor Marik could find peace in his passing until Halin'a let him go, and he hadn't done that all those years ago. He'd clung to the memory of the boy and to his own guilt. He still felt guilty, and probably always would, but now, at least, with the letter nearly reduced to ashes, he was taking the first steps to truly accepting Marik's death. As the last pieces of the letter burn away, Halin'a returns his gaze to Agnusha, offering her a smile. "Thank you," he says. "I realize you probably didn't expect to be burdened with a revelation like that when you sat down, but I appreciate your company, and your words. Would you care to stay for a bit longer? We can talk of happier things, I promise." He laughs slightly at the end, allowing his expression to turn enticing, inviting the other Lethaefal to stay with more than just his words.

[Agnusha]

The flame took the paper in a whim. Both of the Lethaefal found theirself gazed into the dept of the fiery hearth. She hesitated for it seemed to be an important moment for Halin’a. She watched the flame flickered in his eyes, observing emotion she could not recognize. It must be utterly painful to lose someone you hold dear so much. She wouldn’t know. For there were not many people she knew... not even hold dear. Perhaps it was better if she was staying by herself, accompanied by her beloved friend... the plants. The sad and graceful procession ended as the Son of Leth straighten up his back. She never thought that the very blessing of long live could also invite sorrow for Ethaefal. She was very young from Eths perspective, compared to other who has live for decades of even centuries. The concept of death by old age was never come to her mind. But it was inevitable for people around her. She couldn’t see Tian getting old and died. It gave her a shudder just by thinking of it. A thought for another time. “Don’t mention it.” She swayed her left hand indicating he was not bothering her at all. Well her whole night turned out pretty far away from what she was expecting but she was kind of glad to bump over a fellow Lethaefal. She accepted his smile and replied with her own. Once again she pulled both of her hand to support her chin and gave her a playful tilt of an eyebrow. “Sounds fun.” She started with what was supposed to be interested tone. She didn’t succeed as it as sounded like she was teasing him. She noticed a change of mood from the Son of Leth and was relieved. “Well... to be fair. What do you want to know about me?”

[Halin'a]

The son of Leth gave Agnusha a grateful smile when she didn't interrupt his brief funeral; it was often painful for Ethaefal to be near each other, for the reminder of all that they had lost when they fell through the cracks in Syna and Leth's domains. Tonight had been painful, too - but this was pain more akin to that of ripping off a bandage, to allow the wound to air and heal. Again, most likely not what Agnusha had had in mind when she had approached his table with an offer of company, but the Ehtaefal was grateful nonetheless. Good company could make even the worst situations seem better than they were, and make burdens both physical and emotional easier to bear. Halin'a's smile turned into a grin. "Fair is fair," he agreed, tapping one finger against his chin as he thought. "I would like to know more about you," he said thoughtfully, studying the woman sitting across from him. He gets the feeling that, compared to how long he has been on Mizahar since he fell, she is practically a child. Still, he finds himself curious about her; it is rare that he gets the chance to speak with other children of Leth for extended periods of time. Part of him wants to ask about how much she remembers of her time in Leth's domain, and how much she remembers of her past life, the one that her mortal seeming would be based off of, but that is a personal question, one best reserved for another conversation, should they become more than acquaintances. "How long have you been in Lhavit? Where do you work?" Relatively safe questions, designed to lead the conversation further onto safer grounds. Grounds that did not have to lead anywhere beyond idle chatter while they finished their drinks.

[Agnusha]

“Six winter I’ve been here. Wander my way beneath Zintilla’s embrace. How time fly fast…” Her last sentence was more directed to herself and she was just muttered in a slurred voice. For an instance her gaze was descend to the drink she barely touch. Her finger played at the mouth of the skyglass absently. She did not find a reason for a lie between them tonight. He shared a huge portion of his life to a complete stranger after all. But she got the point that he was restraining for asking her more in depth question. Ethaefals tend to make a distance between each other for obvious reason. It was such a grievous gathering for it remind them with the realm they had been fallen from. She believed that fact hold true for every Ethaefal. A longing which will never sated. “I am a philterer’s apprentice at Starry Chalice. Have you heard of it?” She grinned “I’m still learning to become a better philterer though, I don’t think I make a good progress. In fact… I am looking for this place believing ‘Scholar’s Demise’ was a kind of a place where you can sit in a quiet room and you know.. study?” She paused for a while to see his respond. Will he noticed that was her ‘mistake’ she talked about? As she wait his reply, she grasp her drink and took a sip of it. She wasn’t quite fond of alcohol, her celestial form didn’t need foods or drinks as it was bound to Leth’s prowess. The bartender did a good job though. She liked her drink and reminded herself to ask the Lethaefal over the counter the name of the drink. She did taste a fruity punch of lemon inside her drink, the source of sour hint she noticed earlier. She shifted into more comfortable position and turned to their right as huge laughter broke there. “How about you? What do you do here in Lhavit?”

[Halin'a]

Halin'a listens to Agnusha's words intently; he smiles slightly when the other Lethaefal mentions her misconception about what sort of establishment The Scholar's Demise was. Halin'a takes a few more sips of his drink as she finishes speaking, and then his smile widens when she asks what his job is. "I work at the Red Lantern," he says. "Or at least, I'm hoping to; I've applied for a job there. I used to work at Loveless, in Zeltiva. I am a... person of negotiable affection." He could just come right out and say he was a whore, but something told him that would be a bad idea, not to mention just uncouth. Prostitute would suffice if Agnusha did not catch the meaning behind his delicate wording, though if the Ethaefal was smart enough to be a philterer's apprentice, then she would most likely catch his drift. "I have heard of the Starry Chalice, though as I've only been in Lhavit for a few days, I have not had a chance to do much exploring," Halin'a answered, tone thoughtful. "It has a good reputation; if you're an apprentice there, then I'm sure you're doing much better than you think you are." Halin'a thought for a moment, then suggested, "Perhaps you could study in Alheas Park? It is beautiful in both Syna and Leth's light, and there are plenty of quieter places off of the usual paths." Halin'a had made use of Alheas Park many times himself when he'd needed a quieter space to have some time to himself for various reasons. At night there were fewer tourists, and if it was still too loud or busy for Agnusha's tastes, there were many smaller parks dotted across Lhavit.

[Agnusha]

The words “Red Lantern” has succeeded to make her jaw dropped. While she was ignorant enough to realize Scholar’s Demise have nothing to do with scholar activity, she knew what Red Lantern was. Fortunately she manage to get a better hold on herself and shrug it away. Halin’a showed her many side of him in just one night. In a single chance of meeting. She did wonder why Halin’a condiser those kind of occupation among the other. True it was not such a taboo, but Lhavitan put great respect towards Ethaefal due to their primary leaders being both Synaborn and Lethborn. “It’s an... Interesting job, I suppose.” She took a sip immediately. Now she did need some drinks to help her calm herself. “I can picture half of Lhavitan would go wild when they know you’re working there. While the rest would rushed their way to the Red Lantern to seek your affection.” She made it clear that she just teasing him. With Halin’a’s feature, she felt he would be full booked just in a chime he start working. And she was just thinking about his facial feature. Leth save me... “Please tell me you’re joking” She added in more serious note. She nodded in agreement on account of Starry Chalice bearing good reputation. But just smiled when he mention what she had accomplish. In fact She was beginning to doubt if a path of being philterer was a good choice for her. Or it was never been a good choice? She did not know... “Ah Alheas Park of course.” the park was a good place, perhaps she would try to study there when Syna was up in the sky. “Thanks, I’ll come there at day, if I could make a free time around my shifts.”

[Halin'a]

Halin'a chuckles at Agnusha's first comments. "I am not that attractive," he protests with a grin. "In either seeming. Nor am I that talented at bringing pleasure - at least not yet. I understand that Ethaefal are... held in higher esteem here in Lhavit, because of the city's history, but honestly I have few skills; certainly no skills that would allow me to seek many other jobs. I rather enjoy working as a prostitute, though. A lot of people look down on the profession, but there's decent enough money to be made, and anyone can learn to be good at the job; I've picked up quite a few tricks in my decades since coming back to Mizahar." Here the older Lethaefal gave Agnusha a playful wink; he did not mean much by it, just a simple flirtation without pressure. He realized that Agnusha wasn't terribly comfortable, despite her joking, with his choice of profession. "They really come in handy when I'm working; I'm afraid I'm not joking." Halin'a nodded when Agnusha said that she would go check out Alheas Park; it really was quite beautiful, and despite how popular it was, it was relatively easy to find a semi-secluded spot that did not receive too much foot traffic for a good place to study so long as one did not mind background noise. "There's a space to the northwest in the park that I use when I need an uncrowded place to practice with my scimitar," Halin'a says. "I rarely have cause to use my weapon, but it is always a good idea to stay in practice. There are a few benches nearby, as well; I could show it to you if you would like?" Halin'a knew that Ethaefal rarely spent much extended time together, but occasional visits and conversations were not uncommon. OOCPerhaps it's time to wrap this thread up, unless we want to drag it into a long social thread?

[Agnusha]

Agnusha listened intently as Halin’a revealed more surprising thing about himself. She was in the middle of processing all of his word, but she noticed many detail. Halin’a had stayed in Mizahar longer than she thought. He had been working on this kind of occupation before and he made it clear he was enjoying himself as a prostitute, something that blowed her mind hard. “Oh I think you’re gorgeous...” She continued teasing him for a bit to counter his retaliation. “Well I can’t say anything against what you just said... as long as you’re enjoying it.” She hinted a bit of disapproval there but did not want to be rude. “Gladly, thank you.” Eths was not quite social among themselves. She felt Halin’a was a bit... exceptional? He was quite open to her tonight despite it was the first time they met. Well perhaps the fact that she was the one who approach the Lethaefal may or may not contribute to his openness. Still, she was glad she took the bartender advice. She did learn new things tonight. “Perhaps we could go now?” She glanced to the lounge that getting busier by now. “It’s getting more... vigorous than I could handle.”