Searching for Priskil (Larina, Stitch)

[Rhuryc]

50th Spring, 511AV Icewatch Barracks Crunch. Rhuryc was not fond of the sound. His boots echoed his approach to the large, fortified building, dwarfing the lighter steps of the woman beside him. An odd pair if any, the man towered over the Kelvic, although that was similar with most - if not all - the locals, but it served as a maker that screamed foreigner. Not that either of them shared the common aspects of any Vantha. Nevertheless, it was good enough that one of them understood the language. Rhuryc had made it a point to announce himself in the Vanthan tongue where ever he went and, for the most part, his communication with the people had improved. His accent was discernible after some time of living among them, though he was still on the cusp of fluency. Fortunately, his size did a great deal of talking for him. When the pair reached the barracks Rhuryc made little fuss in their entrance. his pace was slow, unsure, but his back was straightened with confidence, this was the place where Stitch had mentioned he was staying. Hopefully. If not, well, Rhuryc was rather adept at dealing with embarrassment. His foot falls resounding against the stone floor as the two of them glided beneath the entrance. A cursory gaze flicked from one edge of the lobby to another, seeking - if haphazardly so - a source of which to ascertain directions. Mid day? The barracks was empty. Entirely so. A quick spin revealed less than a fly in the immediate vicinity. How strange. With a shrug in Larin's direction, Rhuryc stepped forward and went about poking his nose about, polite in his manner, yet curious in his gait. It was a rather warm day - for Avanthal, perhaps the lot of them were outside? Out a side door. How had they not heard the racket from outside? Rhuryc stepped from the barracks and laid his vision on the frantic antics of the Icewatch, various Dire Polar Bears and their Bondmates hard at work in the exterior yard. Training did not seem so silly. His mind must have been frazzled. For a moment he stood in stern concentration, examining the exercises of the various warriors in action. None of them caught his attention. Grumbling, he stepped forward and made his way through the lot of them, somehow missing any real attention of his own making. The sword at his side garnished a few looks but for the most part no one made any sort of move to stop their trek. Only when they came upon a strange, oddly dressed man among the masses did Rhuryc come to a stop. He waited, patiently, for a moment to interrupt, stepping forward once the man had ceased his movements. "Stitch." Rhuryc addressed him by name, arm raising into the air as a hail. "I have someone here you may wish to meet."

[Larina]

She needed some kind of release. Although the walk from Iceglaze Hold to the barracks was not a particularly long one, every step of their journey fueled Larina’s nervous enthusiasm. She worked hard to keep her jitters in check, but the idea of actually finding someone who may help her was far too exciting. Every now and again, Larina fell behind her Sylrian companion and traipsed about in the snowy footprints his large boots left behind, bounding from one to the next to exhaust her energy. It was amazing that she didn’t break loose and start running laps around the city. Not that it wasn’t a tempting thought. The Kelvic followed on the heels of her guide as they made their way into the Icewatch Barracks. This was a place which Larina had always longed to enter, yet never had a reason to. She had little contact with others of her race, and here she was in a den full of them. Rather, an empty den. Larina was disheartened at the sight of the bare stone walls, devoid of any her kin. But as Rhuryc led her around the back of the stone building, the girl was met with an extraordinary spectacle. Polar bears –absolutely magnificent in their furry splendor – were moving through the paces of their daily training. Larina was instantly enamored with the lot of them, and her mind danced into flights of fancy. Ravishing creatures of winter sworn by a holy oath to protect their beloved city on pain of death. One of them, a bear unbound by any master, caught her gaze. A cold arctic wind picked up around him and made his shaggy hair sway in the breeze. His mark of Morwen rendered him unfazed by the cold, and so it was natural for him to wear a thin and rather form-fitting tunic. Time slowed down as he rose and began to walk steadily towards her, his lithe frame moving with grace. And then- Larina ran straight into Rhuryc’s back. She stumbled backwards, her daydreams vanishing. He had stopped. Obviously. She sent him an apologetic gaze and muttered something about being distracted by “rippling biceps of glory.” Bother. Wait, oh! This meant that they had found their man. Stitch, was it? Funny name, that. Did she hear it wrong? Larina peeked out from behind Rhyruc and cautiously stepped into view. A few paces in front of her stood he man which her companion had addressed. Balling her fists in excitement, Larina gave a small bow to the stranger. Yet, something was awry. His eyes. Stitch’s eyes were all wrapped up. Was this some sort of training she did not know about? Oh! With a jolt, the Kelvic realized that her graceful bow went in vain. He would not be able to see it at all! She thought about extended a hand to shake or sending him a friendly wave or even giving a warm smile. But, no! These gestures were completely obsolete. All of her trained social decorum was thrown out the window. And so flustered by this new development, Larina called out to the man, her voice a few decibels louder than what was appropriate, “Hello!” Immediately realizing her error, she coughed into her sleeve and lowered her volume. “Hello, good sir. My companion mentioned to me earlier that you may be able to do me a great favor. And I truly hope that you can. I am called Larina.”

[Stitch]

"Priskil, speed up." The shirtless row of men hurriedly went about their push-ups as Stitch walked back and forth in front of them, his back to the approaching visitors. "Now left." At his command, at the height of their push-ups, the men used their hands to hop their upper bodies to the left, their feet staying in the same position. They let out a grunt as their bodies took the strain of the sudden movement, and then they continued on, hurriedly pumping out the quick push-ups. Stitch's own body was shirtless as well, showing off his defined figure, bandages wrapped around both his eyes and arms, the ends of which were fluttering in the cold wind. Sweat poured down him, as if he had just finished with his own intense work-out, his breath coming hard. He wore baggy black pants that flowed around his long legs, a thick woolen shirt tied around his waist, as if he had just taken it off moments before. "Now right." The men obeyed, hurriedly hopping back to the right. "Don't slow down." He turned right before Rhuryc addressed him, a great smile blooming upon his gentle face, the blind man lunging forward to wrap the blacksmith in a quick hug. "Hi, milord! So happy to have you here! And this one sees you brought a guest?" The full power of the Stitch smile was brought to bear on the quiet girl, his blind eyes staring upon her as her Aura developed into a flustered mess. He chuckled as she awkwardly greeted him, giving her a quick bow as well. "This one is known as Stitch, milady. The pleasure is all mine." The blind man turned, waving to the row of Kelvics on the ground. "Up and at it. Go practice with your peers in their sparring." The Kelvics wearily climbed to their feet, more than a few of them lingering to give Larina appreciative glances. Stitch chucked a bit, and waved at them, hurriedly gesturing them to go about their business. Turning back to Larina, he took a quick moment to study her, his head tilting to the side as he focused upon her Kelvic Aura. She was more human than most. That confused him. Perhaps it was just all the time he had spent around these beastial dire bears. But even when compared to Gromhir, who had spent most of his waking moments with Kamalia... this lady had a lot more humanity into her. That humanity had a core as well, something soft and sacred it had been built upon. The humanity was a thick wave of tree branches throughout her beastial colors, and it was rooted into a solid core. Stitch focused harder, now curious, staring deeper into her Aura, expending Djed to further focus his mind to it. Perhaps the two of them would notice the flicker of blue behind the bandages that covered his eyes, as if a light had shone for a split second behind them. Pain. Grief. Confusion. Loss. The core looked strong from the outside, but when closely examined, it was slowly becoming unraveled. It was cracked with all of those negative emotions, and even though the girl had tried to patch it... her core was still falling apart at the seams. Rhuryc faded for a moment, and now, it was only Stitch and Larina's Aura. Stitch suddenly stepped forward, speaking quietly, his voice soft and compassionate. "Milady... this one is sorry for your loss." What...? How did he...? "This one doesn't know if it was a person, a place, or a thing... or perhaps something deeper, and something more intimate. But this one can see you are missing something important. May this one give you something that may help?" He waited a bit as if to judge her reaction, and if she didn't protest... he continued on. A hand rose, his right hand, and suddenly, a dim glow flickered from it. The very sight of it would be enough to invoke a slight glimmer of hope within both beings who were to stare upon it, and Larina would perhaps be able to remember a bit of her master in it it. "Know Hope." Stitch stepped forward, and gently reached out, cupping her cheek with the palm, if she would allow him. He hoped she would. It was all so sudden, Larina and Rhuryc both would likely be confused. But he hoped they would both trust him for now, and Larina... He hoped she would be able to recognize the gift, and accept it for what it really was. A little bit of hope.

[Rhuryc]

Rhuryc guffawed and embraced Stitch. He lifted the smaller man into the air for a moment before setting him down and turning, allowing for the two to confer without his eaves dropping. So far as he was concerned, Rhuryc's duty was finished. Larina was with Stitch now. Good. A moment of consideration graced his countenance as he watched the interaction - Stitch, accommodating as always, examining the new arrival in his own fashion. How the blind one did it he did not know. Magic, of course, the specifics being far beyond the comprehension of the lowly smith; still, he did not let it bother him any more than it had to. He trusted Stitch. With his life and almost anything else he could imagine, so what was there to fear? Quite a bit. Bah! This was now out of his realm. Excusing himself, Rhuryc made little fuss as he stepped away, turning and removing his existence from their further interactions. They would be fine without him. Instead he busied himself with the Kelvics. Polar Bears. His first day in the city had been spent marveling at the beasts, watching their movements, their antics, all of them civil in their own way. Friendly, almost. A few long, powerful strides brought him to one of the creatures as it rested from its daily trials. The Kelvic, still in its bestial form, met Rhuryc's presence with a gruff "aroo" of a sort. He smiled. How could he not? They were big, fluffy bears. Adorable. Deadly. Adorable. He nodded. The Kelvic stood. Large, lumbering movements brought the two of them face to face for a long, drawn out moment. Rhuryc approved more than he dared. A hand raised and he scratched the beast under its chin, his fingers twirling between the fur in a well practiced pattern. He did have his own cat. In a sense. Was the creature puring? Did Polar Bears purr? Rhuryc almost coo'd at the animal. Really. He wanted one. Maybe one of these days he would petition Morwin to whisk one of the bears away from Avanthal. He doubted the results. A glance brought him the attention of his surroundings. A ring of sorts. He eyed Larina and Stitch, checking on their progress - what was that light? Nevermind. His business was elsewhere. Rhuryc nodded and motioned to the ring that the two inhabited, his vision flicking to the bear's eyes before he spoke. "I've never had the opportunity to train with a bear before. Since I'm under the impression that you won't maul my face off, you up for a bit of sport?" The bear canted its head to the side. It seemed to almost be questioning the man's sanity. Maybe it was. It probably was. "Don't worry, Bear. I won't hurt you." Could bears laugh? Its eyes seemed to be amused at the prospect. It shrugged. Lumbering back to its side of the 'arena', Rhuryc removed his cloak and coat, tossed them aside, then undid his sword. He created a haphazard pile and turned back around just in time to watch as his opponent charged. There was little more frightening in the world than an almost two ton bear charing you dead on. Rhuryc was aware of this. Effort was in the timing. With a lunge, the man threw his body to the side and hit the snow in an unceremonious thud, hitting the ground and remaining prone for a moment longer than he intended. Was that a roar? He rolled. The Bear trounced. There was hardly a mark where its paws hit the ground - its strength thankfully withheld for the sake of the mortal's well being. Well. At least he wouldn't die today. Rhuryc sprung up. As his partner spun to greet him, the mauling, massive form of the bear sailed forward again. How could that damn thing be so fast? It lunged. Rhuryc moved. Again. He slid to the side of the beast, ducking beneath its outstretched arms and grasping its back in a wild foray to attain some kind of upper hand. Like that would happen. So Rhuryc climbed. Grunting, the man pulled himself up the side of the bear as it snapped around, paws lashing out at the sudden disturbance. Hah! He mounted the bear. Rhuryc had dealt with a bucking horse before. But he had a saddle then, and the horse was not a bear. There was a difference. A big one. The creature thrashed and Rhuryc held on for dear life, his teeth clenching as he wrapped his arms about the beast's neck, squeezing tufts of fur in his effort to foothold himself down. "Good bear!" His muscles flexed. Grunting, he pressed his torso against the bears back and wrapped his legs around what he could, boots digging into flanks as he lay himself prone against the beast. He climbed more. Then he laughed. The creature spun in a circle, lashed out, then propelled itself up onto two feet. Was it off balance? Oh. Oh! Crap. It leaned back. Frantic, Rhuryc grabbed onto a paw. With the full brunt of his own strength the man rolled from the bear's back and latched onto the arm, his feet kicking around to the front and saddling alongside the Kelvic's chest. Hah! Ahah! They hit the ground.

[Larina]

Larina watched the greeting between the two men, grinning at their candid displays of affection. This apparent kinship helped to cool her frayed nerves somewhat. Well, he certainly seemed friendly! But the Kelvic tilted her head to the right as the stranger turned towards her and reciprocated her bow. Wait. What? How could he have seen…? Maybe it was just instinctual. Instinctual in the same way that the blind man knew precisely where Rhuryc stood and was able to give him a perfectly aligned hug. Right. Were those bandages just for show? Stitch seemed all too coordinated for someone lacking vision. Maybe he is just good at adapting to his surroundings. …Or, he could have gotten those wrappings blessed by some kind of wizard who put a spell on them to allow the wearer to be able to see through the bandages while also concealing his eyes from others. Yes. That’s probably it. In her ponderings, Larina almost missed Rhuryc slipping away from the conversation to explore the training grounds. A twinge of alarm sped through her body as she realized that she had been left alone with a stranger who was clearly more than what he seemed. Her lips tried to twitch into a smile at Stitch’s introduction, but the dim blue light that flashed from behind his dressings halted the action. She stiffened. A single word burned into her mind. Magic. A treacherous word filled with the horror of the unknown. Sweat beaded on her forehead and the back of her neck, immediately freezing in the cold. She wanted to run. Or fight. Or maybe call for Rhuryc help. But what Stitch said next killed those impulses. “I don’t underst-” Muscles in her stomach clenched up and nails dug through her gloves into her soft palms. This was impossible. In a manner of seconds the man was able to open up her skull and peek into its contents. The murky waters her memories which were all punctuated by the strength and softness of one powerful individual. It was completely and utterly unfathomable. And frightening. Larina stood stock-still as her ears caught Stitch’s petition to help her. No. No way. Magic was dangerous. He was dangerous. There was no way she would actually allow a mage access to her thoughts and emotions. Panic bubbled up in her chest as Stitch began to raise his hand and plans for escape stampeded around in her mind. How the hell did she get into this situation in the first place? Why was she even here? To find help. A dull, yet familiar glow caught her attention. The faint golden color of the light matched the hue of Larina’s eyes as she watched it pour from Stitch’s hand. Unbelievable. A wave of relief flooded over her, slackening her tense posture and clearing her mind of doubt. The girl slumped forward, tipping her gaze to the snowy ground, and gave the man a tiny nod. Warm radiance prickled the surface of her cheek. It sank beneath her skin - merging with her blood, gripping her bones, seeping into her muscles, and infusing every inch of her body with a singular feeling: Hope. How long had it been? The emotion seemed almost foreign to her now, but the girl embraced it fully. It was like a great reunion between old friends who had been apart for far too long. Larina straightened up, her posture perfect, and a glowing smile spread across her face. She lifted her eyes to meet the blinded ones before her wanting to thank him, but was met with an entirely different view. The blue flicker which had shone through Stitch’s wrappings had been replaced by a set of equally colored eyes that blazed even more brightly. A tangle of crimson hair lined the pale face that now met the Kelvic. A slight curve at the edges of the lips expressed a familiar, subdued grin. Even the touch of a hand on her cheek which radiated light had changed. Softer now. A broken voice managed to find its way into Larina’s throat and utter a single word. “Ilahi?” And in an instant it was gone. Vanished. The form of the blind man jerking back into view. The suddenness of the woman’s arrival as well as her departure left Larina lightheaded. The blood drained from her face. Her legs seemed unable to support her weight, and she swayed under their instability. She stumbled back from Stitch’s reach, holding a feeble hand out as if that would prevent him from using his magic any further. Larina turned around to seek Rhuryc in the promise of something stable and found the man tangled in the white fur of a polar bear. How curious. A bemused, “Huh,” escaped her mouth just before she collapsed to her hands and knees in the snow.

[Stitch]

Stitch was so focused on the girl and changing Aura that he didn't even notice his friend slip away. At first he had been curious as to if she would actually accept what he wanted to bestow on her, as he had noticed the fear and the aggression seeping through her beastial colors. Her animal side was scared of him, fighting to take over and act on instinct. Stitch was very aware how taboo his magic was, and very aware of what some people would think of him that he used it so... blantantly. So obviously, and so seemingly carelessly. He was basically a magic-user who walked around, flaunting his mystical powers for all to see. He remembered how naive he had been, back in Syliras. How he had thought no one would care, that everyone would see how wonderful his gift really was. Couldn't they understand that his magic was saving him from eternal blackness? No, no, of course they couldn't. He definitely understood that now. They could see. They weren't like him. They were a superstitious and fearful folk, but then again, who could blame them? While Stitch had seen the good in magic, he had also seen the horror in it. He had seen how dangerous it really was. So, when he approached Larina, he tried to move as slowly and serenely as possible. He didn't want her to bolt, fearful that the glow in his hand was some kind of evil witchcraft. Thankfully, somehow, she seemed to realize what it was he was trying to offer, and immediately bowed her head to accept it. Happy that he could give what he had been blessed with himself, he offered her Hope, sharing what Priskil had gave him. It only lasted a few seconds, but it seemed to have both a good and bad effect on the Kelvic. The flickering golden light flooded through her Aura, dancing to the darkest part of her cracked core, doing it's best to patch up the hidden wounds. A golden light from deep within her made itself suddenly known, to Stitch's surprise, a beacon of Hope welling up from inside of her to respond to his small gift. Had she been blessed once before? It was a important part of her that he had lit, but it had been hidden so well... Then, she staggered back, a variety of emotions welling within her. She held out an arm, to ward off the blind man, but he ignored it. He could see the strength draining from her figure, and reacted, grabbing her wrist and stepping forward. As she fell, he also fell, skidding to his knees to catch her, supporting her suddenly slack figure. Flushing a bit, not so sure what to do at the sudden turn of events, he whipped his head about, trying to find his vanished friend. "Milord? Your lady friend needs he-" Stitch paused, his facial expression turning to one of bafflement. Tilting his head to the side, Larina's predicament briefly forgotten, he simply stared at the blacksmith. "...milord, why are you wrestling the polar bear?" In only a minute, he had managed to go and get into trouble? The tense Stitch visibly relaxed, chuckling, glancing toward Larina. "Milady? Shall we go watch the man wrestle? This one can escort you to a bench, and perhaps get someone to attend to you while you rest. Are... you alright?" To him, it looked like she was just suddenly... tired. He didn't know though. It could easily be more. His Auristics wasn't suited to analyzing good health.

[Rhuryc]

Hah! Suck it, bear! Rhuryc rumbled. He realize, though, despite his new placement atop the Kelvic, he was still remiss to really do anything to the creature. Instead of assailing the beast further, he slid down its side and stepped away, laughing aloud as the creature turned over and half-roared at him. It felt like a sign of affection. Rhuryc believed he had made a new friend. Yet, as the creature went to right itself and recover from its attempted suplex, the man took a a stalk of his surroundings and found them to be remiss. Despite his bear incursion, the man picked out the form of Larina as she sped away from Stitch. Was she alright? Concern replaced the humor evident in his countenance. Stepping fast, Rhuryc ignored his new bear friend and egressed his way from the sparing ring, his hands thrown up to motion for the Kelvic to desist for now. Fortunately, the warrior as all too accommodating. He practically ran. Stitch's voice echoed in his mind - something about his actions - but the specifics were lost as he focused the sole of his attention on Larina. Reaching the girl, he took a knee and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, fingers wrapping about her arm and offering a gentle squeeze in support. His head lowered and he glanced into her eyes, frowning, forgetting for a moment that he had left his coat behind. Carefully, he offered to help Larina stand, his opposing arm coming about and checking her forehead for any sort of temperature. Was there something wrong with the weather? Avanthal was much colder than Sylira, if she was unable to handle it then they could make for the Whitevine in no time. "Larina?" He spoke, his tone smooth and soft as he aided the woman in standing. "Careful, now. What's wrong?" They had only just met, sure, but Rhuryc was not about to have her fail under his vigil. He felt responsible somehow. No matter this silliness about gods.

[Larina]

Everything seemed further away somehow. Black edges crept into her line of slight and darkened its margins, narrowing her vision to a small hole. What just happened? Her sense of touch had also dampened. She was not even aware that someone had halted her blissful descent to earth and now was holding her body. Had she just seen...? Noises, too, seemed to fade into obscurity. The shout of a man echoed through her ears, but his voice was muffled and his words, indistinct. How was it possible? Surely, Larina must be going mad. As the world around her numbed, Larina’s mind focused solely on the image of the red-haired woman. A vision. A dream. A memory. The woman could have been any of these, or she could have been all of them. But, the Kelvic shook these ideas from her head. No, whatever she had seen was so much more real than that. As if just for a fraction of a second, her former mistress was back again with all of the virtues and faults that made her human. Standing in the snow and holding the cheek of her Kelvic mutt, pouring out radiance in her quiet comfort. All the while grinning at the girl’s foolishness for actually thinking her to be dead. Larina wanted so badly to believe this idea, and maybe for a moment she did. However, the truth was not so easy to ignore. Ilahi was gone. This thought alone brought Larina back from her reverie, gently restoring her sensations. Blinking away the darkness which clouded her view, she saw first the face of Stitch. Odd. She shifted her legs, yet they were buried in the snow. Ah, she had fallen. Or at least part of the way. The girl realized that there was something supporting most her weight and was quite surprised to find that Stitch had caught her. The muffled words he spoke gradually became clearer, and Larina managed to catch his final question, asking if she was okay. “A-Ah. Yes. I, um, think I must have just tripped in the snow. Or on ice, maybe. But, yes. I am plenty fine. Mhmm, I am alright.” The blood had not yet returned to her face, and trembling, Larina tried to prop herself up in the frost. She looked up at Stitch, half expecting the phantom of her mistress to reappear through his features. She gave him a wary glance and her voiced wavered, “At least I think so. What exactly did you do to me?” Confused gold eyes stared past the bandages and into the blind ones. The luminance, a powerful reminder of what was, Larina understood. This was a magic familiar to her: one born of warmth and hope, traits of which the users of this power must also possess. But this mage had earlier caught a small glimpse of Ilahi through her mind. Could he have used it to conjure a vision? Saved from the storm of ruminations which this question would inspire, the Kelvic felt and arm wrap around her shoulders. Rhuryc. Tipping her head towards him, Larina managed to give him a half-smile. She latched ahold of the arm he used to test her temperature and used it to help her stand back upright. Before the girl was able to feed him the line about tripping in the snow, Rhuryc looked her directly in the face and asked outright what had happened. Her mind blanked. How to answer? A small list of lies filtered through her head, all of which would support the notion that she was still sane. But she had been honest with him before, and Larina had a funny feeling that Stitch would be able to call a bluff if she fibbed. “I, um. I think I- I saw…” And now what will you tell them? Her voice lowered to nothing more than a whisper, “I saw something impossible.” There was no stopping it now. She looked pleadingly at both men, hoping that they would not haul her off to Whitevine under trumped-up psychosis charges for what came next. Glancing back at Rhuryc, she murmured, “It was her. The woman I had mentioned before. The one, the one who had-” The word “died” stuck on her tongue and she could not get it out of her mouth. Shaking her head, Larina pushed on. “Well, I saw her. For only a second or two. She, ah, came back? I’m not sure if that’s right. I mean, it can’t be right. I know that. But, she was there! She was right…there.” A gloved finger gave a small point at Stitch. Creases appeared on Larina’s brow as she regarded the blind man. She paused for a moment, trying to figure why Stitch had become the medium for her vision. But it made her a little dizzy, and she tightened her grip around Rhuryc’s arm. “I don’t really know what it was. Or why it happened.” Though, she had her hunches. “But, you believe me, don’t you? I’m not just making all of this up. I saw her again. Like she was real! You-You believe me, right?” Round, glowing eyes looked from one face to the other, wanting just a shred of affirmation. Something to help ground her again. The warmth was still strangely absent from her frame, and the relentless cold of Taldera’s winter sunk into her body. With an unconscious shudder, Larina concluded, “I think I would very much like to go inside.”

[Stitch]

Stitch let out a sigh of relief as Rhuryc came darting up, happily allowing the man to take the Kelvic from his arms. He wasn't comfortable holding women. Even if he had caught her from tumbling to the ground, she had still been female, and she had still been in his arms. He just wasn't comfortable with that, oddly enough. She gave him a questioning glance, and then voiced her suspicions, and Stitch readily answered back. "This one didn't do a thing, outside of touch you with the Mark of Priskil." He lifted his hand, revealing the twisting vorpal mark on the back of it, a brand touched with a tase of gold. Like flicking on a switch he had inside of him, he willed the hand to glow again, some of Priskil's radiant light glowing from the surface. He offered Rhuryc a look at it too, giving the man a small smile. "A gift this one recieved while in Syliras... there was a situation, and with that situation, came despair. Priskil answered prayers though, and was there to watch over this one. This is also what came of such prayers and protection." He clenched the fist, and the light flickered off. "A small touch bestows a small amount of Hope. There are other uses... but none quite as important as that one." Stitch tilted his head to the side, once again giving her Aura a quick glance. She was wary and suspicious, all over again. And, there was a hint of despair starting to creep back into her core, as if she had suddenly remembered what had spawned the negative emotion. That wouldn't do. Glancing from Rhuryc to Larina, he figured it would be best to just be honest about his magic. Rhuryc already knew, really. And Larina deserved to know, after he had just taken such an intimate look inside of her. "This one also uses magic to see, though it wouldn't affect you. It just allows this one to see... smoke. If you are a fire, this one sees the smoke. You give off an "Aura" that tells all that lies within you. The more skilled one is at this magic, this "Auristics"... The more one can see within the tendrils of smoke. Simply put, your hurt is very well hidden, but it is also a very big part of you... this one could easily see it. This one just wanted to heal it, even if but a little. This one apologizes if he overstepped his bounds." The apology was aimed at Rhuryc, too. Stitch was afraid he had made an error in judgement, and had gone and handled the situation wrong. He hoped the blacksmith wasn't mad that he had caused his friend to collapse. Some of his sorrow was obvious on his face. He had just tried to help, and now, he was feeling as if he had done some harm instead. He would have to get better at this "spreading Hope" idea. Even in her confused and cautious state, Larina had something to say. Stitch listened closely, piecing a bit more of the puzzle together, slowly understanding what the problem was. Her core of hurt was pieced together because of a person, and she had seen a glimpse of that person inside of him? Stitch gave her a small smile, not questioning her sanity for a second. "The way you talk, it as if this important person has left you, somehow. Do you really think that this person would leave so easily? This one knows not the story, nor the circumstances around it... but this one can tell that whoever it was, they were extremely important. That importance makes them live on, deep inside of you. Somehow, she lives on within this one as well, apparently. The fact that she makes herself known to you likely means that she lives on for you. Take it as you will." He motioned for the practicing Kelvics to go on about their business, as a few had paused to make sure Larina was okay. He waited for Rhuryc to help her up, then led them into the Icewatch Barracks, to a empty sparring room with a few mats that she could lay upon to rest, if needed. "This one once again apologizes for being so... sudden. This one just looked where he didn't have permission to look, saw how you... hurt... and couldn't help but to act. Forgive me, milady. This one is assuming you didn't come here to get magically dissected by a blind man."

Rhuryc listened. Really, there was little more for him to do. He always figured Stitch had some sort of magical ability - his antics were entirely inexplicable otherwise, and so far as Larina was concerned. Well. He believed her. Whether it was some kind of psychotic episode or otherwise, she did see something, so why deny it? He was gentle as he helped the Kelvic back to her feet. One arm remained around her shoulder whilst another grabbed an arm, both lifting himself and the woman with just enough tension to allow her to do most of the work on her own. That was all most anyone needed, he found, just enough support to function. Was she cold? She certainly felt it. As Stitch did the talking Rhuryc fetched his own, fur cloak - and the rest of his accessories - and set it over Larina's shoulders. He would be fine. Beneath the monstrosity he wore a thick, leather coat and enough attire to keep him warm enough. He felt very much like an observer at this point. Larina was in trouble - or rather, she had been in some? He was entirely unsure of just what was going on, but despite his concern for the girl Stitch was his primary concern. What had happened in Syliras? Or, better yet, had the man ever explained what he was doing in Avanthal? Rhuryc never asked, it was not his place, but he felt his curiosity grasp his mind with its rigid, unforgiving sensibilities. He mentally swatted at the notion to ask. Maybe later. For now, he offered the other man a curt nod in an affirmation if ever there was one. Actions meant more from him than words. Before long they were off. Passing through the barracks again, Rhuryc kept himself close to Larina, acting as a sort of vigilant protector. There seemed little cause for alarm in such a safe place, but then again that was what Rhuryc did. He protected. The actor in him could be dramatic when the situation called for it. "I've never known you to be nefarious." Rhuryc said, his gaze flickering about the room as if he was looking for traps. An ambush, maybe. Why was he so alert? "And I don't even believe you capable of such a thing, Stitch." He paused to flash a smile at both the man and woman. "You can trust him, Larina, if anything he's what you were looking for, isn't he? I doubt you could do much better on a whim."