[Stone Garden] A Bit of Air [Cathan]

[Hadrian]

Hadrian blinked at that, wondering how he had upset the Kelvic into thinking he had issued some sort of challenge, feeling a surge of panic at the idea of trying to fend off a lupine Kelvic going all rage on him, but then he made the connection between what he had said and Cathan's reaction. He laughed a little, his pale skin flushed. "No, no. I was just being hospitable, honest. I mean, I don't really live here anymore, but it is my hometown and we are... well, it feels like we might be friends, anyway. I'm not trying to drink until someone vomits up their life or passes out, dead to the world. If you want to do that, we can go back to my father's house and drink his wine..." At least Cathan seemed amused, and Hadrian nodded when he told him about where he was staying with Kendall the Pyromaner and Sondra the, "Konti?" he asked, trying to fill in that blank in Cathan's memory. "See, the ale is making you forgetful." He laughed. Cathan put him at ease, apparently, because he wasn't generally one for laughing and smiling all the time. "Well, I can probably help you get there if need be." He also gave him his father's address, the Aelius household, in prime location within the Citadel, windows and all. Just in case. "But if you're determined to take that as a challenge, you should know that I spent a good portion of my university days pickling my liver with kelp beer. There's no dishonor in avoiding a challenge that can't be overcome." He grinned.

[Cathan]

"We shared a kill. We drink together. I told you about things I wouldn't usually tell - so we are friends." The Kelvic's voice rung with certitude, his amber eyes shining not just because of the liquor. A certain amusement spoke out of them when he lowered his mug. What Hadrian said next however got him thinking.

"So why do people do it then?," he asked picked a piece of vegetable from his plate. Gravy had soften the carrots and beans, giving all of it a less favorable color in various shades of brownish red. Not that he minded. Although the food had started to go cold, Cathan appreciated the faint taste of meat. At least now the actually meat was gone. "When you are in taverns you always find people drinking, I have seen them in Zeltiva. And here when I last visited." Casual he licked his fingers, watching the other man. "Sometimes they are even sleeping under the tables at the end of the day," he tilt his head to the side, "at least unless decided to throw them out."

The Kelvic sensed there had been a fault in his logic somewhere. "Always thought getting somewhat drunk was the point of drinking." There were too many examples proving his theory, some of them had even been his owner. "It seems to make everyone happy. Or almost."

The people who came to clean the floor at the end of the day, did not always seem to enjoy the faintly snorting obstacles they found here and there under tables and benches. Cathan imagined it also had something to do with the puddles of vomit involved once in a while.

"A Konti though, yes." He grinned when he Hadrian laughed, the sound in a way as pleasing as an compliment. "Not sure if I would have recalled the name even when I was sober though," the Kelvic admit, nodding to the address given. The idea of windows was a welcome one. There should be more windows, yet Cathan could see it would make a place build of stone grow cold even quicker when the wind was driving through rooms and corridors.

"Maybe I should give up," the shapeshifter mused. He did not mind loosing if the process was painless or more painless than winning, but he had been drunken before. The state held little merit to him. "Probably should challenge you on our hunt instead." A light frown showed on his face. "Unless you hunt with magic. Might as well pass then too."

[Hadrian]

Cathan's admission of their fast friendship drew a small, earnest smile from Hadrian. A bit embarrassed by that, even as he knew that Cathan wouldn't likely understand the point of embarrassment, he wished he could share that self-confidence. "Friends," he said quietly, just barely audible over the crowd, and raised his mug. After drinking, he said, "Oh, well. It does loosen things up, the inhibitions and all. Some people can handle their drink. Other go to it to help them through grief or disappointment or whatever else... and then it becomes like a crutch, or even a sickness. One can become addicted something that feels good. "Konti are sexy," he said, apropos of nothing but the revelation that Sondra would be a pale beauty. He had never seen an ugly Konti. "Oh, well... we can call it a draw, friend." He grinned. "And perhaps we shouldn't drink too very much more unless we want to be easy pickings for any thieves who might be about, slipping through the fingers of the Knights. Or... why don't you just come over? There's more food and drink in the Aelius household, and there will be natural light when the sun comes up. You'd enjoy that, right?"

[Cathan]

Listening to Hadrian's explanation the Kelvic nodded. What the men said made sense to him, at least in his current state of mind. Maybe he would do some more thinking on the matter later, when he had time to sort out the evening's impressions. There had been too many to process in detail just yet.

"She sure looks healthy," Cathan agreed, as if the trait equaled to beauty to him. "Bit pale maybe, but she is able to summon up quite some strength." Sondra did not slow them down on their journey, not in the way he had figured a female might. She had been no stranger to travel and that was a fact the Kelvic appreciated. When you looked for a mate you wanted someone to keep up with you, an individual strong and skilled, able to bring down her own kill. You wanted a potential companion to be able to hunt at your side, tracking and chasing deers among other things.

He had not met enough Konti to know if all of them shared his travel companion's qualities, but Hadrian seemed to be of the opinion they all were easy on the eye. If it was true they certainly had an advantage over humans. Cathan had met a good number who hardly qualified pretty in his eyes, all thin and pale and with soft skin; unable to bring down quarry – he was not sure how anyone could fall for such women.

The shapeshifter tilt his head to the side. "I should come," he said slowly. He was almost certain Sondra would not mind him staying away for a night, only in Kendall's case he was not so sure. The young man worried about the strangest of things some times. After a long second of consideration the Kelvic nodded again, more intend. "Just have to leave on the morrow, so I can tell Kendall and Sondra I did not get thrown from the city for chasing cats." The shadow of a smirk returned to his face. "Later we can head hunting however. If you like, that is."

[Hadrian]

"Well, the Konti are all quite fair. It's their natural coloration, not a warning of illness." He smiled, interested in the obviously functional idea of beauty Cathan had. Therefore, Hadrian himself must look awkward, being weak of limb, magic tricks notwithstanding. "Right, then," he said, grinning. It certainly made his face less creepy when he smiled without self-consciousness. He put money on the table and stood up. "Let's go, then, before we do ourselves or anyone else any damage..." He laughed a little and eased out from the table, hanging back enough for Cathan to keep up, but beginning to walk toward the door. He was not weaving, but he was certainly paying attention to putting one foot in front of the other and not making a fool of himself. "We can go hunting in a few days," he surmised.

[Cathan]

Again Cathan nodded. What he had seen of the Konti certainly did not hint a secret illness. "Maybe there is more to a few people than what meets the eye," he said, not all to happy about the idea.

He had always prided himself to be able to judge an opponent, but lately his talent was failing. Kendall was not good enough just yet to kill a deer with the bow, he did not need a weapon to hunt. If the young man wanted to he could jump ahead and get his venison well done. The Kelvic was sure Hadrian was able to do something similar. Only when it came to Sondra he was not so sure yet. He figured she fought with the hammer he saw her carry and while he never had learned to use a weapon, they at least posed an assessable danger.

Emptying his mug, Cathan hurried to follow along behind the other man. Windows. No matter how much he had come to like the room he shared with his traveling companions, the mental image of the sky, the sun rising in the east, the fresh air was something he was looking forward to. Apparently there were even nicer homes to be had than Sondra's, the thought surprised him a little.

"Looking forward to it," the Kelvic grinned, catching up with Hadrian. Briefly his fingers brushed against the mage's shoulder. It might have been a pat. Or maybe Cathan had just lost his balance. It was hard to tell.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian certainly hoped there was more to people than met the eye, otherwise he was merely an awkward, pale, bookish young man who lived in an ivory tower far away from the rest of the world, even when he was among them. He mulled over this and the rest of their long and strange meeting as they trekked through the cold air and into the citadel, and then through the halls until they reached the Aelius suites. Turning to Cathan, he held his finger up to his lips, cautioning silence. Then he unlocked the door with a quiet click, eased the door open, and led Cathan past the sleeping porter. A quick sneak into the kitchen got them a sack full of supplies from the larder, and then they continued on into one of the rooms. Hadrian closed the door behind them and smiled apologetically. "Make yourself at home," he said quietly. "I'm not the only one who does a lot of traveling, so they just keep some rooms for any of us when we are in town." There was a good sized bed, a pair of armchairs near the fire banked in the hearth, a wardrobe and a large window. They were too far from the outer walls to require arrow slit sized windows. He moved to stoke the fire, adding a log, which quickly got to blazing. Then he walked over to open the window, letting in a chill breeze with the faint, frozen tang of the Suvan Sea upon it. He sat down in one of the arm chairs and began laying out various foods and bottles of wine upon the small table between them.

[Cathan]

Outside the Stallion Cathan took a deep breath. The stink of smoke faded with every step out into the dark and he welcomed the spreading silence as a chance to sort his thoughts. The Kelvic could not have said why he was doing what he was doing, why he did not worry to follow stranger home or why he enjoyed their company. It seemed the right thing to do, the way he knew it was proper to help Kendall move to Ravok. Both filled him with the indistinct feeling of satisfaction, the knowledge he did what he was meant to do.

"You forgot to mention you were living in a palace," the Kelvic murmured as they entered the residence of Hadrian's family. A moment he stopped just to look around, to take in the many interesting details the place was so rich with, but the sorcerer sneaked ahead and Cathan was forced to follow along. Servants. The kitchen filled with more food than one could eat in a dozen days. The home was irritating and wonderful at the same time. There was too much furniture for the shapeshifter's taste - but one could no have everything.

Casting a last glance over his shoulder, he stepped in the other man's room. Instinctively his eyes darted from one corner to the next, searching the chamber. They were alone. Breathing out the Kelvic leaned out of the just opened window. "I like to travel. Mostly because I enjoy the woods and running."

He took a step away from the window, instead folding into the second chair, surprised how deep he would sink into the cushioning. "It would seem though, most men would be glad to live in a house as large as this one." Not waiting for Hadrian to hand him the food meant for him, Cathan picked a piece of cheese from the table. He felt bold doing so, but he did not apologize. A second he watched the other man.

"Thanks for inviting me."

[Hadrian]

Hadrian just laughed silently when Cathan called it a palace, leading him into his room. After the Kelvic looked around and spoke of traveling, Hadrian nodded. He loved it too, but for slightly different reasons, or perhaps that was all semantics. "I like to travel too, to meet new people, learn new things, see new things. It's like running in a way... having that freedom to move in any direction, to expand to fill your surroundings rather than contract to fit in, the way I feel like I have to do here." Once they were both sitting in the comfortable chairs, he smiled. "It's not actually a house, but apartments within the Citadel," he explained. "Granted, they are spacious and well-appointed apartments, but..." He shrugged and picked up a piece of cheese too as Cathan seemed to be waiting for him. "But... yes. When I am in Syliras, this is home. Welcome to my den. You are very welcome."

[Leviathan]

Thread Award! Hadrian   Skills Skill Gain Info. Auristics 1 -- Reimancy 1 -- Hypnotism 1 -- Anthropology 3 -- Flux 1 -- Philosophy 2 --   Lore Wolf Behavior Cathan   Skills Skill Gain Info. Hunting 2 -- Climbing 1 -- Observation 1 -- Skinning 2 -- Philosophy 2 --   Lore Magical Disciplines (basic)