[Flashback] Under Star and Under Moon

[Veldrys]

„Romantic?“ Veldrys repeated and laughed a little. „I’m not sure if I would call it romantic.“ He noticed how Seven longingly looked at the book. „Can you read it?“ he wanted to know. „Do you know any Symenos at all? Do you remember the words I whispered before? They were from the first page of the book.“ He looked over Seven’s shoulder as the boy inspected the drawing. „Bloodletting plays an important part in the Viratas Cult“, he explained. „It is important to have at least a basic knowledge about where the blood in the body flows and where you can cut without killing the other person or seriously harming them.“ „When your emotions get the better of you?“ he asked as Seven elaborated on why he had sometimes tasted his own venom. „Do you bite yourself? You need to learn to control yourself better. You said that you do not wish to be with women because childbirth will kill them, but a Symenestra’s kiss can be a bittersweet experience as well, especially if you haven’t eaten for a while. Our poison tends to be stronger then.“ „I’ve never swallowed my venom“, he replied. „I’m not stupid enough to poison myself.“ He rolled his eyes. He wasn’t sure if he liked the fact that Seven had such an interest in his fangs. The boy looked at him as if he were some kind of exotic animal rather than a proud Symenestra. He almost expected him to ask if he could extend his fangs and make them look bigger as well – and if he could touch them! „Rest assured, they do more than sit there“, he said in a somewhat dry tone of voice. „As you already know, we cannot digest solid food. We use our poison to break down organic structures into liquid form.“ What he didn’t tell Seven was that some Symenestra liked their food still being alive while it was slowly being liquified. He didn’t need to know that! Veldrys himself always killed his prey before he began that process, and he always handled himself with care.

[Seven Xu]

Seven couldn't help but feel he had offended Veldrys somehow with his questions. The dry tone the Symenestra took on nearly made Seven cringe and he had to hold himself back when Veldrys claimed what he had done as an accident was stupid. Seven was aware he needed more control -- in several areas of his life, not only the venom in his body. Obviously Veldrys was not one to teach him such things. "I have never gotten close enough to anyone to be worried about that 'kiss of the Symenestra' idiom," Seven admitted with an obvious tone of contempt in his low voice. "And I am not stupid. Careless, maybe. Sometimes even a bit assuming. And for that I apologize. But I am not stupid." Veldrys' comment about not eating for an extended period of time piqued his interest. Perhaps his own mouth could become the producer of a painful toxin if he only starved himself.

Seven's eyes drifted downwards to his lap and The Viratassa. His pale tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth before he ran it over his teeth, obviously still trying to make sense of the language. "Symenos." He repeated, "No. I can only read Common, and Lhavitian. This writing is ... exotic. I wish I could make better sense of it." It pained the pretentious Lhavitian in Seven to admit that he could not read something, and it was obvious in the sour look on his face, that tongue moving from one side of his mouth to the other. "So when you feed on a person's blood. It seems like more of a ritual, than anything. It looks very intimate to me. Are these people volunteers?" Seven knew that Viratas did not look kindly upon the pointless shedding of blood. "Do you drink the blood of your kin, or other races?"

It was obvious that asking Veldrys about his fangs had offended him in some way, even after Seven was provoked to do so. A topic change was in order. If he could manage to get Veldrys to teach him something of this language, or the blood rituals, Seven's lust for knowledge would be sated. The half-blood forced a smile, turning another page and avoiding eye contact with Veldrys. Despite his own offense taken by the stupid comment, he could not help but feel ashamed of himself.

[Veldrys]

„Good“, Veldrys remarked as Seven insisted that he was not stupid and inclined his head, a sign that he had acknowledged Seven’s words. „Then there is still hope that you will learn. Even if you have never gotten close enough to anybody, you should remember what I told you. There might come a time when you find a man that you want to be with.“ The Symenestra found his frustration increasing slightly again. He couldn’t believe some of Seven’s ignorance. Would he have to be the one that taught the boy what it meant to have Symenestra blood? He was hardly the right man for that! „I can teach you a few words“, Veldrys offered as Seven admitted that he couldn’t read Symenos. "Everybody that has Symenestra blood should know at least the basics of the language. I might even let you borrow the book if you want to.“ The words were said in a neutral tone of voice, as if he were trying hard not to reveal any of the conflicting feelings that the mixed blood caused in him. Seven’s curosity about his culture impressed him. There were few people that ever talked about it without prejudice. „Volunteers?“ Veldrys repeated. „The people that give their blood in a ritual are usually volunteers. The blood that I drink to nourish myself comes from animals though.“ Here he made a face. He didn’t like the boy’s suggestion that he might drink the blood of his kin. He didn’t really know what the rest of his race thought of it, but he found the idea of drinking Symenestra blood disgusting. „I don’t know what others of my kind think, but I’d never drink the blood of a Symenestra for fun or so that I don’t starve. I’d only do so for religious purposes.“ „Symenestra blood is too valuable to be spilt in such a way.“

[Seven Xu]

Seven's shoulders sagged, looking rather defeated. He wasn't sure what was and was not inappropriate to ask anymore. Every other question seemed to invoke a disgusted look in Veldrys' eyes, as if he was completely astounded by some of Seven's curiosity. A finger found Seven's mouth and pressed between his lips as he bit an obsidian nail and exhaled in a mildly frustrated, ragged sigh. "Indeed. Your blood is too valuable to be split. Keeping it pure, and such. Very important." The words hit him hard, perhaps harder than they should have, and Seven let his defenses down long enough for it to show in his sullen slouch.

After a period of silence and the sound of Lhavit buzzing in the distance, the half-blood pulled his hand away from his chin and tilted his head. "I would like to learn some Symenos." Seven's eyes remained fixed on the book on his lap, although he forced a smile in an attempt to abolish the morose look on his face. Veldrys didn't really mean to be so blunt, he concluded. The forced look softened and Seven lifted his chin. "Listen, uh." A pause. "I do not expect anything from you, you know. Just because I share some of your blood ... I mean, anything I learn from you is very much appreciated. I am grateful to have found someone as willing as yourself to tell me anything."

There might come a time when you find a man that you want to be with. Veldrys' odd tone echoed in Seven's mind, and his eyes widened a little. Was he going to get the talk from this man? A blush crept over Seven's cheeks and his posture straightened as the thought of this Symenestra trying to talk to him about the ins and outs of ... ins and outs, made his mind race with a plethora of awkward situations. The blush deepened and fingers tightened on the book in his lap, "So this is your alphabet. It's nice." An intentional understatement. The very art that was Symenos was breathtaking. A mix of emotions left an odd look on the hybrid's face as he examined the book once again. "I am beginning to figure some of the prominent words out." A finger slid across the page. "This, is Viratas. And this is blood, or life. I am not sure."

[Veldrys]

As Seven talked about how it was very important to keep his blood pure and such, the Symenestra furrowed his brow. He had the impression that Seven sounded frustrated and at least mildly offended, but he couldn’t figure out why. Had he said anything wrong? And if he had, what could the mixed blood possibly have found offensive? He had been far friendlier than most other Symenestra would have been. in sich a situation. „Did I do anything?“ he wanted to know. His voice was a little gentler now. „I was just trying to answer your questions.“ He absolutely couldn’t stand ignorance, but he could stand that sullen look even less. And why did Seven blush like that when he mentioned the possibility of him finding a man that he wanted to be with one day? Hadn’t he insisted that he had no desire to be with women anymore? The healer couldn’t understand what was so embarrassing about it. But then he worked at a place where captured human women were brought to give birth and die. „This is correct“, he replied, relieved that Seven left it at a blush and a widening of the eyes. „You shouldn’t expect anything from me, but for now I’m happy to teach you and answer your questions. And I’m glad that you are grateful. And yes, this is our alphabet.“ As Seven claimed that he was already beginning to figure some of the prominent words out, it were Veldrys‘ eyes that widened. „You are a fast learner.“ Now the Symenestra sounded impressed rather than frustrated or as if he felt he needed to give Seven a lecture. „This means indeed Viratas. And this is blood. Do you think you can figure some of the other words out? Which word means ‚death‘ for example? And which one means ‚I‘?“

[Seven Xu]

Seven's eyes scoured the open book, biting down lightly on his lower lip as he hummed in thought. Veldrys' surprised reaction produced a candid smile on Seven's face. He was genuinely proud of himself, the same way he had felt when he started learning Lhavitian. The hours spent staring at books, side by side in Common and Lhavitian and attempting to decipher what he thought was a gloriously difficult code. "Ah ... 'death' ..." the half-blood repeated, fingers tracing words on the worn page. "That is tough. Although, there was a diagram a few pages ago that appeared to be that of 'life and death', and here is the word, repeated. So, this here is either life, or death." Seven's finger moved. "And, this is repeated a few times and short, it must be 'I'. Or 'be'." The silver-haired teenager's eyes were on Veldrys now, although it was unsure if he was seeking approval or just inspecting the Symenestra again.

Despite Veldrys' impressed stare, there was still tension between them. Seven leaned forward with an apologetic look on his face. He didn't mean it. "I apologize for earlier, the blood comment," Seven shook his head. "You did not do anything wrong. I just let my emotions get the best of me sometimes." Stop taking everything so literally, Seven warned himself, and a cheerful smile smoothed out the wrinkles in his face. Despite his messed silver-gray locks and gaunt appearance, Veldrys did have a certain charm to him locked away in those sullen violet eyes. "Veldrys. Have you ever," The fragment of a question made Seven's cheeks turn pink again and he cleared his throat. "You know. Had to ... be careful, when you were close to someone? What do you do?" The sincerity in his voice dissolved any doubt that Seven had any sinister motives in his search for information. Seduction was not his game.

Seven looked away. It wasn't as if he had someone in mind, but the curiosity was certainly there. It was normal for someone his age to think about such things. It was not normal for someone his age to be mapping every star in the sky. So why did he feel more comfortable with astronomy than the thought of being passionate with another? He felt the deafening silence bubbling up again. "I did not mean to pry. I just ... you know I do not want to hurt anyone."

[Veldrys]

„This is death“, Veldrys confirmed as Seven pointed at a certain word. „And this means ‚be‘. This word though ...“ The healer’s pale finger moved to a word at the bottom of the page. „This one means ‚I‘. And this one ...“ He turned the page. „This one means ‚sacrifice‘.“ Going through a religious text, Veldrys decided, was probably not the best way to teach somebody a language. Even if he went through the whole Viratassa with Seven, the boy probably wouldn’t be able to converse with Symenestra in their native language afterwards. But it was at least better than nothing, and thus he continued to explain the words for a while. „Let’s not talk about it anymore“, he replied as Seven apologized. „Have I ever what?“ he asked as he heard Seven’s question and noticed how the boy’s cheeks suddenly turned pink. „I haven’t been that close to another person yet“, he answered. There had not been more than careful kisses and embraces. As a healer he was aware that there were things that made a pregnancy less likely and that a man’s fertility tended to follow a lunar cycle, but in the end a certain risk always remained. He wasn’t sure if Seven meant that though since he had clearly told him that he had no interest in women. It would be obvious to Seven from the way that Veldrys looked at him that the Symenestra wasn’t entirely comfortable with that topic either. He didn’t mind talking about sex and love and all those things in general, but talking about himself was an entirely different matter. Despite the way he acted Veldrys was still only a man of eighteen and very insecure in certain regards. There were some things he only knew from books or his patients, but had never experienced himself „If I were in such a situation, I’d try to hold back a little. I’d try not to lose control completely, even though it‘s hard ...“ He averted his gaze. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to tell Seven or what he wanted to know. It seemed their whole meeting was destined to be a sequence of awakward stares, defeaning silence and the occasional mutual understanding. „I know that you don’t want to hurt anybody“, he said. „Nobody wants to hurt anothert person willingly. I know that I wouldn’t be able to bear it if another person came to harm because of me.“

[Seven Xu]

The conversation was getting unbearably awkward. Seven bit his lower lip in that familiar silence they were getting so good at breeding and exhaled through his nose. "It would be hard to hold back my first time." That was a very strange thing to say, with too many meanings to be comfortable. Seven furrowed a brow and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and looking sideways at Veldrys while The Viratassa sat precariously on his lap, open on what looked like a prayer, or a song for Viratas. "Let's change the subject."

Another period of silence. Seven leaned back again, hands smoothing out the book and eyes fixed on Veldrys. "I would like to hear Symenos out loud, what does it sound like? From the writing, it seems like it would sound so ... nice, graceful." Seven had never heard the language spoken. In fact, this was really the only time he had known more about Symenos than the fact that it was a language that the Symenestra spoke. "Could you teach me some phrases?"

The thought of Veldrys being as inexperienced as he was in matters of relationships, was a comforting thought that Seven kept coming back to. Were they both destined to be alone for the rest of their lives due to their unfortunate distaste for killing a woman? Perhaps if Veldrys could get over the inevitable fact that the species must go on, he would too. Seven's lips opened and closed a few times, wanting to ask more on the sensitive subject, but he feared it would only result in more tension between them. There had to be ways around this. Expelling venom before acting upon urges. He couldn't have an unlimited supply in there. Seven's fingers twitched against the book again and he dropped his gaze, mulling over this in his head.

[Veldrys]

„Let’s change the subject“, Veldrys agreed and breathed a sigh of relief. The topic really had made him rather uncomfortable. Talking about Viratas and Symenos was a good topic, a harmless topic that likely wouldn’t lead to any more akward situations. „It is a graceful language“, he confirmed. „At least it always seemed that way to me in comparison to the languages of the humans. When I first met humans, traders that visited Kalinor, their language sounded rough to me, as if they were constantly in a bad mood, arguing or insulting somebody.“ „Symenos on the other hand is a softly spoken language. Most surface dwellers find it enthralling.“ He paused as his thoughts involuntarily returned to the Harvest again. Enthralling. Most Harvesters used their words, their voices to charm women and lure them back to Kalinor. „Some might find it a little eery“, he continued. „It sounds different. Did you know that Symenestra is actually both a noun and an adjective? We also have different words for different ages and genders ...“ The next few moments were spent with Veldrys softly reciting a few phrases, a few Symenestra proverbs, slowly so that Seven could take notes or try to memorize them if he wanted to. „Would you like to know more?“ Veldrys eventually asked. „Names of places in Kalinor? Names of Symenestra holidays or dishes?“ He didn’t know how much use teaching the boy those things would be, if Seven would ever find himself in Kalinor, but he found that he enjoyed teaching him. He looked at Seven, waiting for his answer. For a moment it seemed to him as if there was something that bothered him, as if there was something he really needed to talk about. Was he still worried about what his weak venom would do to a potential lover? „Is there anything else you want to know?“ he finally asked hesitantly.

[Seven Xu]

Seven listened intently to Veldrys as he spoke, clumsily repeating the phrases back to him. A blush grew at his own incompetent tongue, mispronunciations, and the dreadful thought that he sounded like a child to the Symenestra. "I apologize for butchering such a beautiful language," A sardonic smile, "I agree with you about Common, though, it is very ... to the point. Rough. Not poetic at all. Lhavitian is a nice language, though I speak it like a dullard."

Seven repeated the last phrase Veldrys had slowly spoken to him, tongue tripping yet again over the complex syllables. The half-blood pulled his legs up onto the stone bench and folded them under his weight. A hand on each knee, he arched his back, becoming noticeably uncomfortable with sitting in one spot for so long. "I can see the eeriness in it, although I understand the reasoning as to why some may find it unnerving. It does not make it any less interesting to me." Seven nodded once, eyes flickering towards the sky. The Harvest. It always seemed to be an underlying factor in so many of his interactions with Lhavitian humans. The source of their hatred towards him. And tonight, when he had learned more about the event than he had ever known, a notion of understanding began to shine in his mind. If anything, Seven would walk away from this encounter a more mature individual, even if the weight of the information would nag at his very being.

"Would you like to take a walk?" Seven offered, standing and stretching his arms over his head with a yawn. He was restless, and it showed on the youth's face as he looked over Veldrys with an eager smile. "There are far nicer spots than here in this city, just as isolated. The Shinya are everywhere at night but if we keep our heads down we should not warrant more than a second glance from them." A shrug, then eyebrows raised with a hopeful smile. Veldrys was less an intimidating stranger now; he saw him as a peer. Perhaps even a friend.