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 Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 12:42 pm
I don't like this... working together nonsense. We were brought to Eowyn under the pretense of war, then forced to fight for some hybrid's honor instead of just getting on with it. Immensely frustrating.
I can guarantee that if it had been a Oblivionite up there, all of those two-faced cheermongers would have suddenly had something better to do.
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 12:46 pm
It was good to see Kadryn again. I even purchased some new clothing.
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 12:59 pm
After all of that, the monster was defeated by a handful of pure-blooded Magescians and wandering dragon-kin. No. That was not even practice for the war. It was...Eanah sighed and scratched out the start to her last sentence.We banded together and fought for our betterment, but it was far from satisfying. We should have been fighting each other. I suppose it doesn't matter. The war is coming.
I have heard Leyn has returned. I need to leave this place.
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 1:00 pm
news from home This morning, after half a cinnamon pastry and a cup of lukewarm tea, Eanah had mentally requested that Thren join her at the docks when the sun was at its peak. By leaving the grounds separately and meeting up later, she hoped to avoid the curious and sometimes suspicious glances that were inevitably directed their way whenever she and her drakein traveled together. After the success of their surprise trip to Serenia, Eanah had been searching for time to sneak away again, but the endless preparations necessary for her ascension to Expert had left her barely a moment to herself, let alone time to travel. A month ago, she would have latched on to any excuse she could have found to stay close to home, but the Sanctuary had become much less of one since her mentor had returned. She needed to get away. To think.
Eanah had arranged for passage back to Eowyn with the intention of heading east to the volatile peak of Kaiatasel. There would be no blinding sun or sprawling sands to spark memories of the past. She didn't want them anyway, no matter how happy most were.
She slipped out the door of her etiquette lesson almost before she had bid Dares good day, hurrying off toward Haren's as quickly as she could without looking as though she was up to something. A couple of months back she had found a loose stone in the hall near the master artificer's workshop, behind a particularly ostentatious statue, and it made the perfect hiding spot for her travel gear. She grabbed a satchel, changed into a pair of more sensible shoes, and then she was off.
The streets were bustling with students, instructors, and visitors alike, and the diminutive mage found it easy to weave between them, reaching her destination more quickly than a hyper borgnah. There were stares then, when she smiled widely and threw her arms around Thren's neck in a silent greeting, but even blisteringly intense curiosity didn't make anyone pause for more than a moment. Any sane person knew that if you stopped near the docks, you were likely to get trampled.
"Family," the keindred said, his voice rumbling against her cheek where she had pressed it into his neck.
"Hm?" Thren often spoke the thoughts that flashed through his head without pausing to consider whether they made sense. Usually Eanah paid them little mind, but the images that had accompanied the word and his contented draconic purr were unusual for him. Something was up.
"Family. Here." He showed her one of the pictures in particular, a girl a couple of years younger than Eanah who looked remarkably as she had at that age. The other Oblivionite's hair was shorter... her bosom larger... but they could have been...
Sisters.
Family.
"Yes. Family."
"Where did you see this woman?" Eanah hissed, her voice low as she pulled away from Thren.
"Sister."
The last time she had heard Finres speak, her voice had been higher, the quality more pure. Of course, that had also been seven years ago.
"What are you doing h—"
"Eanah. Father is gone. He's... he's dead."
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Posted: Thu Sep 26, 2013 1:08 pm
There is a reason why I don't hire myself out as a finder of artifacts. The fact that I went on this journey to get on my sister's good side really sours her visit.
Not that it wasn't soured already.
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Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:20 pm
an unwanted guestdragon hunt | firani | win Finres is an idiot.
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Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:21 pm
something bigdragon hunt | firani | win My sister is still an idiot, but it appears she is keeping more from me than news of our father's demise. I admit I am curious. I am also willing to wait.
She had better not accompany me on any more hunts.
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Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:22 pm
a herd of troubledragon hunt | six diabis | win Kavanna is as powerful as ever. I have to keep my eye on feral khehora as well. I never would have guessed they could be as intelligent as an Oblivionite.
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Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:24 pm
hello again A flash of pale flesh caught Eanah's attention as she ran, and she hopped to the right when she turned the next corner, hoping to evade her pursuer for a little while longer. It was a difficult task considering the drakein could pretty much pinpoint exactly where she was at any given time, but it did make every second she kept him off her tail that much sweeter.
She was so preoccupied with keeping her thoughts to herself that she didn't notice the young man rounding the corner ahead until she had collided with his chest. Hard. Her hand flew to the satchel at her side, muffling the angry rattle of the six diabi souls stashed there.
"Soudana's Eye, I—"
"Oh! I didn't—"
She recognized his voice without looking up, and from the way he reacted, it appeared he had done the same. They each took a quick step back, though Leyn held his breath while Eanah inhaled and exhaled long and deep to counter her previous exertion. Even though her gaze was on the floor, she could tell he was staring. She found she didn't mind.
"Eanah," he said, breaking the silence between them before it became uncomfortable. "It's good to see you again."
"Yes." There was a desperate sincerity to her tone that she both hoped he could hear and wished she could run from. What could she say? How could she apologize for a feeling she still couldn't find any reason for? At least she hadn't fled. That had to mean something.
"My boots thank you." His voice was warm, and as it had seemed more often than not when she had known him, amused. Eanah's brow furrowed at this, her mind searching for a reason he might find her funny; in fact, she was about to ask him exactly what was so humorous when she realized where she was looking. At his feet. She hadn't raised her head since she had run into him.
"I..." she breathed, quickly lifting her head. The mage looked largely the same as he had the last time she had seen him, with a new neat little goatee and dainty pair of wings the only obvious changes to his physical appearance save for the widening of his Eye. The real difference between the Leyn she had known and the one standing before her now presented itself as a change of bearing. During their time in the desert, his stance had always held a certain playfulness, but now he carried himself with confidence and poise, minus the nonthreatening air he seemed to have adopted just for her. She wished she could argue that this temporary change in his posture was unnecessary, but she knew how close she was to running away, even with his precautions.
"They are lovely boots," she managed. "And you look..." Beautiful. "...well. I am glad you have returned. You... and your footwear." It was a weak joke. They both knew it. He smirked anyway.
"Maon might have mentioned your ascension ceremony. He did more than mention it, actually. He's very proud."
"Pompous, more like. I should do something horrible while it's going on, just to bruise his ego." When Leyn smiled in earnest, Eanah's breath caught and she looked down once more. For the briefest moment she had forgotten their history. She had forgotten the pain she had caused. For that moment, it hadn't mattered.
"I would like you to come. Um... if you can?" She felt clumsy and exposed, as if she'd blurted out the words to a room full of judgmental strangers. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag until she saw his close over them. Her mouth dropped open slightly, but no words would come. She looked up.
"I would be happy to."
She nodded and swallowed. "Thank you."
Leyn reclaimed his hand almost reluctantly. "Well, that's settled then. I should let you get back to..." He actually seemed to see her then, and amusement returned to his features as he examined her matted hair and bloody cloak. "...killing things."
Eanah smiled in return without knowing or meaning to. She nudged her satchel's flap aside and fished out one of her souls, grinning as his face lit with genuine shock. "Killing things, indeed." Before he could reach for the orb it was back in her bag and she had turned away.
"I shall see you around, Leyn," she said over her shoulder, her voice tinged with a teasing lilt.
Had she not been confronted by her self-satisfied drakein as she rounded the corner, Eanah might have sank to the floor and indulged her quaking limbs. Instead, she slapped at Thren's well-muscled shoulder, sending a spike of faux shock at the beast.
You did that on purpose, she said in his mind, sockets wide with mock affront. You knew he was there the whole time and you pushed me into him!
Thren shook his head. Not whole time. Part of the time, he replied, letting out a clucking chuckle.
Eanah rubbed at the soft skin above his eyes as they strolled toward her chambers. "Sneaky Thren," she whispered, pressing a light kiss to his cheek.
Not sneaky if doing something you want, he said matter-of-factly. Eanah is sneaky for hiding feelings from Eanah. She has a tricky mind. Be simple.
The Oblivionite sighed faintly, mulling over his words. The drakein was right, of course. But things were never simple.
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Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:26 pm
a date The pain was faint at first, like the start of a stress headache or the muscle twinges one feels after a day of heavy lifting. It was nothing she couldn't handle. She went about her business with no indication that all was not well, or so she thought. Her instructors were not fooled.
"There is no reason to hide the signs of your ascension, dear," Dares murmured as she rinsed her amber-glazed teapot.
"Even when my grunting and whining ruins our get together?" Eanah quipped. "I'm fine. Really."
And she was. A week later, things were much worse.
That afternoon, Eanah skipped her physical training with Anat, not bothering to let him know she wasn't coming so she wouldn't need to admit her weakness. She took to the roof in a thin shift and leggings instead, pressing her back to the cool shingles in an effort to find a little relief. Not only did her shoulder blades and tailbone seem to throb with every beat of her heart, but she could swear the skin in those spots was moving too. She tried to think beyond her immediate discomfort, of spells and stories and dragons instead, and after a time, it worked. Eanah fell asleep on that rooftop, and only awoke again when her tender flesh began to tear.
Her eyes fluttered open at the initial break, before she was entirely aware of what was happening. The skin of her back was pulsing in earnest now, and when her wings ruptured forth in a burst of warm blood she grit her teeth, clenched her fists and whimpered. The rooftop air around her was still chilly, but Eanah didn't feel it. She had to get out of here. She had to find help. She had to give in.
The girl ended up outside Maon's chambers, not out of any great need to share this pain with her elderly teacher, but because his rooms were the closest. It also helped that she knew he left his door unlocked at all hours. She fell to her knees as she pushed the panel shut behind her, the whimpers growing louder as she tried to stand once again.
"Who's there?" Maon's voice was rough with sleep, but he still managed the commanding tone she recognized from her youth. Eanah couldn't muster a reply, and she jumped a bit as he rested a hand on the top of her head, smoothing her hair. His voice softened as he spoke, adopting the cadence and pitch she was more accustomed to these days.
"I know it hurts, dear, but you can't stay down there all night." A cooling numbness enveloped the entirety of her back, and she felt nothing of her discomfort as Maon helped her to her feet and led her to a plush divan in the next room.
"Sit."
"I can't," she replied, voice strained. "I'll ruin it."
"That's why I didn't offer my bed," he said with a chuckle. "It's no matter."
Eanah eventually reclined, but only after Maon had fetched an old blanket he promised was bound for the scrap heap and laid it out for her. Under the influence of her instructor's pain relieving spell, Eanah didn't even have to find a particularly comfortable position before she had drifted off to sleep.
---
The first thing she heard once she had regained consciousness was the sound of low, familiar voices in the other room. She stiffly pushed herself back up into a seated position, but didn't otherwise move. Outside, the sun was high in the sky. Still, she didn't feel as thought she had been asleep for more than a handful of hours.
"She's awake. I should..." There was a rustling of robes as one of her visitors departed, but before she would dwell on who it had been, Maon hustled around the corner and gathered her into a hug. Her wings fluttered feebly, and it was only then that she realized they were there at all. Her tail seemed much more mobile, wrapping around her forearm and preventing her from giving the old Oblivionite more than half a hug in return.
"Feeling better?" he crooned.
Eanah's wings flapped with greater intent this time, the small breeze their kicked up knocking a scroll or two off of a nearby shelf. Surprisingly, beyond the mild ache that came from using muscles she quite literally hadn't known she possessed, she was barely in any pain at all. She looked at Maon, every bit of disbelief she was feeling plain on her face.
He chuckled. "It is not meant as a punishment, my dear, only as a right of passage." He stepped back, clasping his hands and slipping them into his sleeves. "This does mean I may set a date for your ceremony. In one month's time, you will officially be an expert."
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Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:28 pm
glad you're feeling better Several days after word got out that her ascension ceremony would be held in a matter of weeks, Eanah returned to her rooms one evening to find her sister's belongings missing and a scribbled note in their place. Finres's handwriting was as neat and girly as Eanah might have pictured it, had she cared to, but it was clear the girl had written the missive in a hurry nonetheless.
I hear that congratulations are in order! Father would have been so very proud. I am sad
to say that what I have come to tell you cannot remain unspoken in the wake of this news.
You should not move into this phase of your life unprepared.
Meet me in the back room of Verrano's Vault in two nights time and there will no longer
be any secrets between us. I am sorry I did not wait to say goodbye.
---
A small part of her regretted convincing Thren to remain outside the busier part of town as she made her way through the crowded pub. Eanah had her scepter, of course, but a nearly fully grown drakein would have kept people away from her entirely. She wasn't in the mood for the accidental brushes and touching she encountered in public—not that she ever truly was—and she would have welcomed the barrier Thren would have provided, even as she muttered over the inevitable attention they would have received.
In any case, it was too late to worry about anything like that now that she was here. The curtains that separated the pub's back room from its public space stretched in front of her, waving ever so slightly in the breeze from the open back door. Eanah reached forward, parting the curtains with her fingers and stepping through.
Finres sat on a plush chair across the small room. She was alone and her spine was straight as a longsword, dark fingers folded in her lap. She seemed to sit even taller when she noticed her sister, but she said nothing, her faint smile inviting Eanah closer.
"I'm so glad you came."
Eanah huffed out a laugh as she took a seat. "How could I not? Even I can't ignore the mystery and intrigue that has surrounded your visit." Silence stretched between them for a moment until the mage was settled. "So? Spit it out."
"I can't just... spit it out," Finres said with mild distaste. "This is an important story that spans nearly the length of my life. I don't know how to begin."
"Fine," Eanah said, noting her sister's distress. "Take your time then."
Finres sighed, spreading her hands out over her skirts. "Mother and Father... before you were born they were not as well off as they are now."
"I know. I've heard their so-called horror stories."
"Yes. I can't deny that their lives prior to having us were tainted with ambition, but I also know they are truly sorry for how they came about their good fortune. Father was most repentant before he died. I know he would have come to ask your forgiveness in person, had he been able."
Eanah wanted to make another disparaging remark, or perhaps even get up and leave, but she remained still, a lengthy sigh the only measure of her frustration. "Forgiveness for what?" she finally prompted, her hands fisted in her lap.
"Forgiveness for what they did to you."
She clenched her teeth. "And that is...?"
Finres hesitated again, unable to meet Eanah's gaze. The mage began to gather the edges of her cloak and stand up, sending her sister into a brief fit of panic.
"Onoeh!" Finres whispered. "Do you remember father's friend Onoeh?" Once the words had left her, the girl sank in her seat, shifting unhappily.
Eanah's brow furrowed. They were finally getting somewhere, but their destination was anticlimactic and, worst of all, it made no sense. "Yes? She trained me for a short time before I came to the Sanctuary. She told Father I... I don't remember." She felt warm hands close over her cold ones, but she couldn't see them, even though her head was bowed and her eyes were open. Her mind was in the past, her vision flooded with images of a gruff old woman leaning in close, roughly cuffing her ear.
She shook her head. There was a sudden antsy squirming feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she knew somehow that she shouldn't go down this path any further. She knew that hearing her sister's secret was only going to cause trouble in the long run, but Eanah plowed ahead anyway, pulling her hands from Finres's grasp.
"What does that have to do with why you called me here?" For a moment, it seemed as though Finres would stall again. Instead, the words spilled forth in a flood, submerging Eanah in a past she had only just realized she couldn't recall.
"You know of the Legion."
It wasn't a question, and although Eanah thought she should already know what Finres was getting at, her memories on this subject, at least, remained foggy. "They train Oblivionites for war." It was all she could manage. At least it was true. She knew that much.
"You. They trained you for war, Eanah. Mother and Father wanted more than a cottage in the hills. They wanted security and power. And I feel... horrible saying this, but... I can't... I can't say I blame them." A pair of tears, so perfectly formed that they might as well have been rehearsed, trailed down Finres's cheeks and splashed against her brocaded collar.
"They sold your service when you were six, and Onoeh broke you out again three years later. It seems they make no effort to apprehend deserters. Perhaps they think if you're good enough to sneak away, your freedom is deserved."
Finres began crying in earnest then, pleading with Eanah to understand the wonders her childhood had bought, how grateful they had been for her sacrifice, but Eanah heard none of it. Instead, she recalled sand rushing over her head, suffocating her. Protecting her. She was not allowed to feel, trained to attack without provocation or remorse and to never allow anyone to get too close. For her safety. For theirs.
Her sister's voice faded in and out of her attention for a time. They came back into focus slowly, still as moist and spineless as they had been when she'd lost them. At least the girl hadn't noticed her distance. Keeping up the appearance of control was always something to be proud of.
"Onoeh was father's sister. They didn't tell me that until..." Finres swallowed. "The two of you went away again soon after you returned. Mother said it was some sort of... therapy? Onoeh had been with the Legion far longer than you had, and I don't think whatever you did soothed her in the slightest. She... passed away soon after you left for the Sanctuary. She killed herself."
Eanah didn't realize she'd closed her eyes until Finres touched her hand again and her lids snapped open. From the way Finres edged back in her seat, Eanah could only assume her expression held something menacing and fierce. That wouldn't do. She took in a deep breath through her nose and forced the tightness around her eyes and mouth to abate.
"Well." Her voice sounded gruff and angry. She smoothed that too. "I'm not going anywhere." Eanah could tell the smile she forced would have been more at home on a month-old corpse. She wanted to get it under control as well, but it was the one thing she couldn't seem to fake. "I appreciate you coming to tell me this, truly. It makes sense of... a number of things." She swallowed and looked down at her hands. "But I do not have the time nor the desire to sit here and tell you that I am glad my sacrifice spared you pain or that you are forgiven. I need to think. I want to do it alone."
She marveled at the terrible calm that settled her anger as she stood. All that Finres had brought her were words. They meant nothing until she could remember what had happened in those three years... until she could recall what the Legion had changed of her, and what parts of her personality were just... her own.
"Farewell, sister. I trust I will not see you again."
Ignoring Finres's shocked expression, Eanah strode from the room.
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Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 2:29 pm
a land of ice and snowdragon hunt | two aiskalas | win There is no entry on this page.
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Posted: Mon Dec 16, 2013 9:34 pm
please come homedragon hunt | two aiskalas | win/loss I thought that my visit to Aisko would end like the one to Eowyn did. In tragedy. Instead, it seems I have been given a second chance. I intend to make the most of it. Who would have guessed that such a frigid place would spark such warmth in my heart?
I must get back to work before I start sounding any more like my idiot sister.
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Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2013 7:27 am
decorum Once she had returned to Soudul and the majority of her teachers had come to cluck and coo and voice their displeasure over her expression of free will, things had quickly gone back to normal in her small corner of the Sanctuary, with the notable addition of Leyn. He didn't crowd her or inject his opinions on how she ought to live her life, but his presence was definitely felt. Anat and Dares were seemingly oblivious to the pair's reawakened camaraderie, but Maon was quick to mention how happy her attention made her former tutor. Eanah was surprised to find she didn't mind the old Oblivionite's intrusions. She gathered his words close to her heart, each one warming it a little more.
She occasionally recalled snippets of her time with Onoeh now, flashes of searing pain and terrible anger coming to her while she practiced her defensive forms and recited the words she would say at the ceremony.
The big day crept up on her in the end, but by that point, she had gone over what was expected of her so many times that she could have made it through in her sleep. Later, after she had shaken what felt like thousands of hands, when her voice was hoarse and her hair had been freed from its multitude of tiny braids, she and Leyn sat on the same low stone wall they had occupied after he had been promoted.
"Are you absolutely certain you don't want anything to drink?" he asked, voice heavy with phonily innocent disbelief.
Eanah chuckled, lightly clapping his shoulder. "No, thank you. The evening of your ceremony was very entertaining, but I have no desire to end it as you did."
Leyn grinned, the expression fading into a warm smile as a companionable silence stretched between them. "That seems ages ago."
"It was. Nearly three years."
"I've missed you."
His voice was soft, and even though his words held no suggestive intent, they still sent butterflies through Eanah's stomach.
"Yes," she began hesitantly. "I have too. If things could have gone differently..."
"Then we wouldn't be who we are." He placed his hand over hers, the warmth of it a stark contrast to the chill of the wall. "Don't worry. I meant nothing more than what I said, and I shouldn't have said anything at all." When she started to protest, Leyn pulled his hand away gently, sitting up straight and turning to face her with a grin. "I must congratulate you again. You will make a fine expert, and no one deserves the honor more."
She smiled faintly, secretly glad for his awkward change of subject. "Thank you, Leyn."
"You are quite welcome." He hopped to his feet, offering Eanah a hand. "Now, we dance."
"No, we do not."
"You owe me!"
She shook her head and fought a wider grin. "I only humored you then because you were drunk. I'm not doing that... here!"
"We didn't finish."
"And whose fault was that?"
Leyn didn't reply. Instead, he lowered his hand in a clear gesture of concession. Eanah nodded, accepting his defeat. She motioned for him to sit, but before she could follow it up with a verbal request, Leyn bent toward her and hauled her bodily off of the wall, securing her over his shoulder.
"Put me down!" Had she been laughing less, Eanah might have spared the time to throw a spell his way, or at the very least a couple of well placed slaps, but instead she simply worked to keep the faint darkening of her cheeks hidden under the fall of her hair.
"You barely weigh a thing, my dear, even with those wings. If you don't want marauders sneaking up and stealing you away, you should—"
Both Oblivionites let out startled yelps as something collided suddenly with Leyn's side, sending them toppling into the grass. Eanah rolled up onto her knees, her sockets wide as she searched for their attacker, but when she found only Thren, she began to laugh, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him close.
"I save," the drakein said, looking up at Leyn with a draconic grin. Eanah nodded into his smooth skin, her laughter having softened into a silent shaking of her shoulders.
"What have you been eating, you tubby lizard?" Leyn groaned, rubbing at his ribs as he pushed himself to his feet. "Remind me not to do that when you're fully grown."
Giving Eanah an affectionate nudge, Thren stood as well, butting his head into Leyn's side where he had previously hit him. "Needs more padding if that made Leyn broken. Weak, like runty keinling."
"You're one to talk, shrimpy. Try coming at a man head on, instead of skulking about in the shadows." Leyn held up his hand, letting a few sparks of electricity play between his fingers. "You won't get so—"
"Am I shrimpy or tubby, Leyn?"
"What?"
"I am big and small, you say. I am a very interesting Thren."
"You can be both. Eanah, tell him he can be fat and short at the same time."
Finally on her feet again, Eanah did no such thing. Instead, she brushed the dust off of her fancy dress and approached the drakein and the mage, slinging and arm over Thren's shoulders and curling the other through Leyn's.
"You two are the worst at arguing," she said, tugging them both back toward the Sanctuary.
Thren waited until they had advanced a few steps, then whipped the tip of his tail at Leyn's back.
"I felt that!"
"Good, runty keinling." The drakein let out a pleased cluck.
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Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 8:47 am
they offend mehunt | three drouil | win We made some good money this day, but soon after we returned to the Sanctuary, war preparations picked up. I have lacked the time to record this job. I am making time now.
Had I known taking down a handful of dumb animals paid so well, I might have signed on for something like this sooner.
No. That is a lie. I never want to see another stupid drouil again.
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