[temple of all gods] challenge. (jaelyn)

[Caelum]

Timestamp: 78 Spring, 511 A.V. The city Syliras was not one Caelum had seen in years, the hours since like grains of stardust trickling constantly through his fingers. It had risen out of the wilderness like the bastion it was, fortified and imposing against the stretch of the Suvan Sea glittering in Leth's colorless light. It was a beleaguered member of the horse clans who had ridden through the gates, been questioned as to his intentions and welcomed with the brevity of dutiful men going about the details of honorable lives. The windmarks had claimed him with truths that were only half told, speaking in veins of ink to swirl a sun pattern about a temple and an eye and vanishing beneath the worn and ragged hems of clothing. Old leather, faded linen, high boots that had known the trespass of far more than tall and endless grasses told as many way-walking tales of travel and travail as the road dust clogging his words. The first order of business had been to acquire stabling for Vega, a mount very much in need of rest; and once that was accomplished to his strict satisfaction, complete with the handing over coins from his very low stock of funds, it was his turn. Rest had been found, as bargained for, in a corner of the stall with Vega amongst fresh hay. It was far more comfortable and safe than the majority of berths he had managed to acquire in two years, the familiar resonance of the Windrunner's breaths lulling him swiftly to sleep. It was in the privacy of that borrowed corner that the change overtook him with the rising of the sun, hidden from prying eyes that might deem him saint or monster. Windmarks were erased by sunlight left beyond the walls and those who had watched the night before a Drykas rider enter, it was a man of greater height, a hood pulled low over his brow to leave but a glimpse of his face, who walked out in the same clothes. They fit this hooded man far better than they had fit the Drykas who always abbreviated by the moon. It was past the infant hours wherein various worships tended to be remembered, those marked times delineated by the passage of days; and in between these moments, a place such as the Temple of All Gods, was very, very quiet. He sat in the back, long legs stretched out beneath the pew in front of him and an arm slung over the back of the pew he sat upon. Fingerless gloves wrapped his hands, revealing calloused fingertips stained with ink, disappearing into the sleeves of an old leather jacket, the sweater beneath which that to which his hood was attached. He could have been a beggar, but he held himself in a way to make that seem impossible. He was no vagrant: the gods knew very well where he stood, as he had once told a certain ship's captain. No, he was just a man. One who had lost everything twice and was only now emerging from the shock that had held him in thrall of Rak'keli. He had been again on his knees but at least doing so over the surviving instead of the dead. He gazed too steadily through the bars of light striping the temple floor, chin down, mouth set and eyes forward in no familiar posture of obeisance. If one didn't know better, they might think he was sitting here not in prayer or reflection, but in the statement of some sort of challenge.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Wearing just her simple, slightly worn, tunic and pants Jaelyn hesitated as she approached the doors leading to the Temple of All Gods. For most of her life the place had been a sanctuary and a place of reflection, but after her encounter with Kendall the other day she was a little unsure she would be able to find any peace there. Not that it was Kendall's fault, but things had slowly been getting more and more confusing this season.

After almost a chime standing there Jaelyn finally took a deep breath and slipped quietly between the doors and into the Temple inside. A quick glance around the wooden pews revealed that no one she knew, or that was involved in her feelings of confusion.

There was however a man she did not recognize. A hood hid his face from Jaelyn's view back at the entrance to the Temple. There was something strange in the way he sat, not praying or quietly contemplating, but as if he was aggressively waiting for something.

Frowning slightly in confusion she slowly walked towards this strange man. Who would be sitting in the Temple with such an attitude? Was he there to cause trouble? Jaelyn's hand dropped down to the sword that rested on her hip as she stopped at the pew the man sat at. She hoped she wouldn't be forced to draw the blade inside the Temple, but it was best to be prepared.

Clearing her throat lightly Jaelyn took half a step into the pew where the man sat, and then softly spoke, "Excuse me, sir? Are you alright?"

[Caelum]

The turn of his head disrupted the lay of the hood, sliding it partly back to let in the daylight. It caught against skin crafted from the same sunlight, a face created with all of day in mind. Thick blades of hair glowed like embers and ashes and the eyes that met her's seemed to have swallowed the sun, belonging to no mortal man. That which was truly remarkable, however, were horns curved delicately back from temples in shimmering hues of bronze and russet, tarnished gold and streaking veins of palest green. His mouth, however, was set in a grim line that grew only thinner when he took in the young woman's ready grip on her sword hilt. "Have I offended?" He spoke softly, accent difficult to place as it had nothing to do with this earth; but his Common was fluent, as was the slight raising of his eyebrows.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Jaelyn couldn't help but stare for a silent moment as the man turned and looked at her. His features were unlike anything she had ever seen before, and honestly beyond what she had ever even imagined a man's face could look like. His expression however did not sooth her concern over his possible actions in the Temple. However the man had done nothing actually wrong, which he knew by his question, and so Jaelyn forced her hand off of her sword's handle.

"No, you have not," Jaelyn responded softly, and then bowed her head, "I am sorry if I offended you with my caution. There have been some people trying to spread unrest in Syliras this season, and the way you were sitting there... It looked as if you were expecting trouble," she kept her head bowed the entire time she spoke, feeling embarrassed at her rash actions.

It seemed that she still had a very long ways to go before she was even close to being a Knight. Finally she lifted her face to look at the man again, her cheeks lightly tinged pink with embarrassment as she offered, "I am truly sorry, it was wrong of my to assume you might cause trouble," the explanation sounded pathetic to her, but she hoped at least it would be accepted by the man.

[Caelum]

Shockingly, perhaps, the corners of his mouth began to twitch halfway through that earnest apology. By the time she was finished, his mouth was crooked towards an actual smile, wry though it was. It changed his entire countenance, seeming to loosen even his posture until the troubling effect of his internal brooding against the gods was all but vanished. "Lady, if I have learned nothing, it is to always expect trouble. While," he drew out the word in making his study of her. Lithe, competent, young and serious, he tentatively judged. "Your welcome was, ah, lacking, I can only applaud your very Syliran heart." A glance of final accusation was sent the sweeps of sunlight through the temple, though visually it adored him; and he rose to his feet, elegant and worn. It was to offer Jaelyn a head and shoulders sort of bow, the kind learned in worship and chains rather than noble courts. In the end it seemed he was regretfully unsurprised to have been greeted with such suspicious readiness. One might imagine he was not too often the recipient of any warmer thing else. "Caelum," he introduced himself.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

"A pleasure to meet you Caelum," Jaelyn offered with a soft smile at the man's kindness in not only forgiving her, but his compliment as well, "I am Jaelyn Baroth, Squire training to become a Syliran Knight."

As much as she wanted to be polite and not make a further fool of herself Jaelyn couldn't help but let her eyes wander over the fascinating form of the man. It was clear that she had never seen anyone like him before, but as interesting as his clothes, skin, and facial features were it was his horns that kept her attention. The colors combined with the way that they looked carved from some fantastic stone kept her grayish eyes focused there for several breaths.

When she finally realized that she was staring she jerked her gaze back down to Caelum's face, "Ah, are you new to Syliras? You look like you have just arrived from a long journey," she made a faint gesture to Caelum's clothing.

As she waited for his response Jaelyn clenched her jaw slightly, frustrated at herself for being such a fool in her actions. She should be better than this! At this rate she would be lucky if she was worthy of becoming a Knight when she turned 18 next year.

[Caelum]

Caelum bore the squire’s staring with a bland expression, gloved hands sinking into jacket pockets with patient biding as par for course. Syliras was failing to endear itself to him, but then he did not expect anyone to actually be concerned about that. There were few places he honestly liked, most places he honestly had to suffer for the means of one end or another. It was not typically the fault of the city itself, but the sheer amount of people; and in their numbers and struggling congregations, people were what wounded him, every time and without fail. “You’d be the closest thing to one of the famed knights I’ve ever met,” he admitted while peering down at Jaelym, monumentally unconcerned with the perceived intensity of his study. Turn about was fair play, after all. The flat note in his voice troubled as it suggested that he might not have necessarily wanted to cross paths with a Syliran knight. Of course, the pair of them had already proven correct conclusions were not so easily obtained, swords and glowers at gods notwithstanding. “Excepting those at the gates and I’d not have called that an actual conversation. Of course, their hands were kept where I could see them.” He watched her clench her jaw, stuck his tongue into his cheek and took pity once more. His mouth twisted into a self deprecating smile. “It’s been a few seaons since I’ve seen the inside of a city,” he confessed. “I just arrived last night and have been trying to find my way around. Walls are great deal less talkative than trees.”

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Jaelyn simply nodded in response to Caelum's comments regarding meeting the Knights. With someone else his words might have prompted her to offer to take them to meet a Knight, one of the city guards or possibly Ser Raynard if her Patron was not busy, but the tone of Caelum's voice gave the feeling that he did not overly desire to get to know a Knight.

That feeling of course led to a hint of suspicion, but Jaelyn quickly banished such thoughts. She'd already made a fool of herself once by being overly suspicious and assuming things. She would not make that same mistake again in this conversation.

Still, that left her with no real idea on what to speak on, until Caelum answered her question. Jaelyn's eyes widened slightly in surprise at his claim of spending seasons outside of a city, "You have been outside of any city for seasons? That is very impressive," her words were honest, and she smiled softly as she spoke, "You must be very skilled to do so. Might I ask what brought you to Syliras then? Here to get supplies, or did you have some business to attend to here at the Temple of All Gods?"

Honestly there were other questions she wanted to know the answer to, but she'd already made herself look like enough of a fool that she dared not ask. Most prominently of those was what race Caleum actually was.

[Caelum]

Humor’s shadow cast itself across an otherwise sunlit face, causing his smile to loiter. “I’d not claim to be particularly skilled, Squire Jaelyn. It was by choice, but not an easy one. Ah,” and he glanced up, towards the vaulted ceiling that loomed over them. “Don’t be too impressed. Most of it was luck, and some of that bad.” When he looked at her again, too narrow shoulders hunkered a little, defensive against the very air of this place. It was becoming apparent that he was unaccustomed to casual conversation and his Common was cheaply bought and accented so exotically as to be alien, but that meant he was making more of an effort than was immediately apparent. “Resupply,” he admitted. “But first I’ll need to resupply funds, so searching for a temporary way to go about that.” He paused, considering. “I’m looking for someone as well, but...” He trailed off, smile dying, and eventually shrugged. “No business here in the temple but the oldest kind there is. Am I keeping you?” He raised his eyebrows slightly, not wanting to tether the poor girl unwillingly with conversation.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Jaelyn gave a small shake of her head, disagreeing with Caelum's downplay of his time spent in the wilderness, "I do not think you could survive for seasons simply on luck," she gave the exotic man another soft smile, "Me and a few other Squires just recently completed a survival training in the wilderness of 10 days. I cannot imagine doing that for a full season, much less multiple ones."

"No, you are not keeping me, I have some time before I must return to my training, and I would be happy to help you with whatever I can here in Syliras," Jaelyn gestured about the temple, "If you would like some more time to complete your business here that is fine, but if you wish I could help show you a few places where you might be able to find employment, or with anything else you want to find."

Jaelyn hoped Caelum wouldn't feel that she was prying with her offers to help. It seemed he didn't want to share who he was looking for, which she was trying to respect, but she still wanted him to know that she would be willing to help. Initial impression and exotic appearance aside Caelum was still just a traveler newly arrived in Syliras, and so it was her duty to help him as she could.