|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat May 16, 2020 8:51 pm
Among the finer areas of Zena, buildings were made with a little extra flair. Everyone was more than content to show their Zenan superiority. Here, there were always lamps lit to shine along the various paths, shops had colorful signs to advertise their goods, and homes were always warm. Ergon’s home was in one such area, sturdy with thick walls to protect its inhabitants from the elements. The outside was small but well kept, just like the rest of the surrounding homes. Inside, family heirlooms decorated the walls of rooms filled with cozy furniture, plenty of furs and blankets, and various potted plants. The rooms were all walled separately to conserve heat while the bedrooms stood on the prime upper level for warmth and privacy.
For Ergon, warmth at home was a relative term. The temperature in the house was always kept comfortable. However, home warmth depended on the day. It depended on his mother.
Snowelle was an older woman with dull gray-blue streaks marking her long hair to show an age beyond her actual years. She had been older when Ergon and his twin had been born, but the strain of tragedy and a broken mind added many years to her already delicate frame.
Today, Snowelle was actually up on her own, sitting in one of the cozy sitting room chairs by the fire. Well, she had been earlier, at least. She was knitting slowly, a cup of tea on the table next to her. It had gone cold long ago, and whatever she had started knitting had turned into some kind of misshapen scarf? Her eyes were distant, but her fingers kept working automatically. Her in-home caretaker had left for the night already, leaving the two men of the house in charge of the ailing woman.
Ergon sat on another chair nearby, watching the obscure knitting project growing longer and longer from Snowelle’s hands. He had been trying to keep his mother in the present, but gave up a while ago. Soon, he would just be helping her back to bed to rest. A book sat in his hands, though his interest in it waned. Such was the case whenever he had to watch his mother mentally vacate reality. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take… but each day he kept going. For her, for his father, for himself, and for Kaygon… After all, life had been looking up for him; a consistent job, a beautiful girlfriend, a growing aptitude for his spear work, and even Snowelle was having an increase in cognitive days. Things were definitely going well! What could go wrong?
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 1:56 pm
The night was still young when Sylvirah broached the finer streets of Zidel. Leaving Ada behind at the inn may have been a hard decision, but seeing how strangely passerbys already glanced her way having a large chiavi at her back would only have made things worse. Compared to the town in their livery and jewels Sylvirah was little more than a backwards bumpkin lost on her way through the big city. She had enough fur strapped to her back to make seeing her gender impossible, much less what race she was. The only thing that could be seen was her golden eyes as they scoured structural edifices to find the one she needed.
Finding one small hut in a deserted village was much easier than finding a single building in the middle of a district. At the very least there were lamps to help her see once the sun started to fade, but that brought little comfort to Sylvirah. If anything it just highlighted the differences between this world and her own which made her want to turn back all the more.
A rather large pack hung heavy off her side, but the weight didn’t break her stride. Sylvirah was on the hunt; somewhere in this city of rats was the man who sired her and he was going to help whether he realized it or not. She wasn’t prepared to take ‘no’ for an answer; her family wouldn’t survive another winter if she did.
And yet, once she found his door, Sylvirah stilled. This home was just as nice as any in the area, which was a far cry from the yurt she’d grown up in. The large front door stood like stone before her, blocking the way to a brighter future. Raising her fists, Sylvirah brought it down on the solid wood three times, each bang louder than the last.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 3:46 pm
Ergon had gone upstairs to make sure his mother's room was ready for her. As usual, the nurse had left everything perfectly. Well, they weren't paying her to be a simple younglingsitter! That woman was worth every coin. He was back on the main level and about to touch Snowelle's shoulder when the banging sounded.
Snowelle raised her head and smiled faintly, letting the knitting drop fully onto her lap. "Those boys are so noisy upstairs~" she cooed affectionately.
Ergon sighed and gave her hair a light pat. "That's the front door. I'll be right back." It certainly was an odd time for anyone to come calling. Perhaps his father had somehow locked himself out? Hopefully Iriyana was okay.
Making sure his sweater was secure, he pulled the heavy door open and cocked his head at the strange figure standing before him. This was clearly not a local, from what he could see. Oh, please don't be some beggar seeking a handout... Of course, it was impossible to tell what the person was like under all those furs. Still, he kept himself polite. "May I help you?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 18, 2020 3:38 pm
Sylvirah took a step back as the door began to open and what she saw wasn't...exactly what she expected. This man was younger than she expected so maybe she'd arrived at the wrong house? Or...well, that thought didn't matter as much right now. She reached up to pull the scarf away from her face and with a rough tug Sylvirah brought her hood down as well.
"I was told I could find Grashni here. Is that true?"
For a moment Sylvirah took stock of him and became aware of the hour. She shifted uncomfortably, took a deep breath and sighed. "I understand it's late, but I've come a very long way to see him and time isn't on my side." Hopefully he would understand and if not she would just come back every day until he did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon May 18, 2020 5:12 pm
At least they had the decency to uncover their face enough to talk. A young woman looking for his father? That was rather specific. She must have been referred to them by another client. Still, Ergon pursed his lips slightly. Client or not, this was rather unorthodox. "He does live here, but he prefers to conduct business at the shop. Our hours are consistent, so you will be able to find him there tomorrow morning."
The young lady did seem rather perturbed about her business and the timing. Perhaps he could ease her mind slightly? "He is not home at the moment, anyway. You may leave a message with me, if you wish. Then he will be better prepared to see you tomorrow and you might get on with your business in your needed time frame." If nothing else, putting out the extra hand might result in a returning client later. Even if she was a little clueless, a client was a client.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 21, 2020 7:49 pm
"If I wanted to speak with him at his shop I would have gone there, not here." Sylvirah snarled. The longer she stood in the doorway speaking with the p***k the more she missed her little village. At least up North we would help our neighbors instead of trying to push them away.
Was this how it was going to be? As much as she wanted an immediate response Sylvirah understood that others didn't have to work on her schedule and was preparing a message with a voice called out behind her.
"Ergon! Don't just stand there with the door open; either invite your guest inside or say goodbye. The night's bitter enough without letting your mother catch ill."
Sylvirah turned to see an older version of 'Ergon' walking up towards the house. His stride was set, his hair surprisingly holding color in his age, but his eyes...his eyes were sharp even in the night. He brushed past Sylvirah without giving her much thought beyond a cursory look over her attire. When he stepped up beside of his son he paused long enough to give him a pointed look, "Shut the door."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 21, 2020 8:57 pm
Ergon simply cocked a brow and sighed silently as he was growled at. Oh, one of those clients. This one was going to end up being a pain, wasn't she? What could she possibly need that would warrant the idea to come to the house rather than the shop?
The familiar voice made him suddenly stiffen, and he quickly stepped to the side to allow Grashni room to enter. While their relationship had balanced out for the most part, Ergon was still more than ready to meet his father's gaze right back. "Actually, she is attempting to be your guest, not mine," he clarified firmly, somehow keeping the snark out of his tone. Plenty of practice with client conversations, probably. It seemed his father didn't know the girl, either. She was indeed a bold little thing to just show up as she had. "She was just about to leave, but perhaps you would like to have her in now that you are home? I will be taking mother upstairs, so you would have the sitting room to yourselves."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 7:19 pm
"That's right. I don't have any business with Ergon I came here to see you, Grashni." She could see her chances slipping away by the moment, but Sylvirah wasn't ready to give in. Even as the older man turned she saw the sheer exhaustion of the day weighing heavy on him, but at the very least something he saw gave him pause. His brow furrowed, eyes squinted, and just for a second something clicked.
"...F-forgive me, it's been a long day. For all of us, it would seem." Grashni cleared his throat and nodded towards the interior of his home. "If you wouldn't mind following me I'll see about getting some tea and you can tell me what brings you here tonight. Ergon, I trust you to take care of the rest."
As he walked further in Sylvirah took that as her cue to follow. For a moment she passed Ergon, gave him the briefest of looks, and kept walking until she made it to what she could only assume was the sitting room.
For a moment she simply watched as Grashni stripped out of his outer wear and hung it next to the fire to dry. Once he noticed she was watching he motioned towards the hooks, "Would you like to take your cloak off? What kind of tea do you drink?"
"I don't drink tea."
"...No, I suppose you don't."
Even as he asked the questions he was already moving to his...wife.
Grandfather told me he was married. Which only meant the man she'd met at the door was her brother which made this all the more...painfully awkward. She stood in the doorway, bundled up like a stray, as Grashni bent to talk in hushed tones with the woman.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 8:12 pm
Ergon watched his father with interest. He had half expected the man to shoo the stranger away until the morning, but Grashni pulled himself together. Ergon held the door for the new guest while meeting her gaze before pushing it shut and following the pair. He took the moment to get a better look at the arrival now that she was in the light. It was such a rugged look she bore with those heavy furs. ..and who didn't drink tea?!
Snowelle looked up at her husband's voice and smiled sweetly. "Your sons are so noisy," she teased, still thinking about the knocking from before. Then she noticed Ergon and a strange figure nearby, unfocused eyes vaguely taking them in. "Kaygon, what are you doing standing around in all those furs? You will overheat yourself if you leave all that on! Now go wash up for dinner before your father sees the state you're in."
That didn't take long.. Ergon winced sharply, but let out a breath and turned to the girl to speak. "She's right about one thing; feel free to make yourself comfortable while you are here. We do have other things to drink if you would prefer." It was rare to have a guest over who didn't already know of Snowelle's condition, and even those guests were few and far between. He had to remind himself how to approach the situation since there had not been time to warn the girl ahead of time. He walked forward and reached to pat Snowelle's hand, ready to dismiss himself from whatever business his father was going to tend to. "We've already had dinner, mother. We're getting ready for bed now."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 10:04 am
Sons? Sylvirah quirked her brow and looked to Grashni who had a pained look on his face. He looked as if he were about to say something to her when she spoke instead. Who is she...wait, is she talking to me?
This woman was clearly out of it. The way they acted around her made Sylvirah think she was ill instead of under any kind of influence, but it was still just so uncomfortable. What was she supposed to say?
"I'm not...I'll take some water if you have any." There was just something in the way Grashni looked at her that made her pause. He wasn't necessarily pleading with her, nor was he being threatening it was just...strange. And Ergon. He was just being kind given the circumstances so....I really shouldn't be here.
But what other choices did she have?
"Would you mind staying here for a moment while we bring her to bed? Then...I think it best you were here for this as well, Ergon." He patted his wife on the shoulder and moved to stand, "Come along, dear."
"Sure...and I'll take off my furs so I don't overheat." She wasn't sure what to make of all this. Who was Kaygon and why was she being called that?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 1:03 pm
Helping his mother stand, Ergon gave his father a curious look. He wanted him there? He looked over to the strange girl with the same hint of confusion, but quickly looked away again. He was confused, but relieved to know he would be finding out what was so urgent to the stranger. "If you wish," he replied to his father simply. Once standing again, he gave the girl another brief glace. "I will get your water as soon as we get her upstairs," he confirmed.
Snowelle giggled as she stood, giving Ergon's hand a squeeze before letting it go. "Take care of your brother. I can get to bed just fine~" Still, her free hand reached to take Grashni's arm, part of her knowing the necessary steps to take. "And Kaygon, be a good boy and sure you hang those furs! I don't want to come down in the morning to find them in a pile on the floor again."
Ergon hesitated, but sighed and nodded. "Okay. Sleep well." He leaned in to kiss her cheek, and then grabbed up the dirty tea cups before slipping into the kitchen, where he took a moment to collect himself before fetching the water. Still, he was quite eager to find out what this pressing business was. Mother's delusions were nothing new, but this late night visit was out of the ordinary and interesting. Blowing out another breath, he set about filling a mug with water before taking it back out to the guest. "There's plenty more if you would like another drink after this," he assured.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 1:44 pm
Just what was going on?! Every time this woman spoke Sylvirah had more questions come to mind and the pit of dread in her stomach dropped layer by layer. Something had happened in this family; something dark that had left permanent mental scars and this woman thought she was a son who wasn't around. Had he left? Died? Maybe he just went to town and hadn't come back that evening and she was just confused?
"Rest up." Sylvirah's voice sounded small, even to her. She saw Grashni lead his wife off to bed and was just sort of...stuck in that moment.
She only really snapped out of it when Ergon handed her the water. "Oh, thank you." The traveler took the mug gratefully and gave a light sip, feeling not quite as thirsty as she had been earlier in the day. For a moment she simply held onto the mug, lost in thought, but almost out of habit she started to take off her furs and hung them on the back of a chair. Whether it was because that woman had told her to or not was a mystery.
By the time she'd finished Grashni had made his way back to the sitting room and stalled, as if the first sight of her as she was, without layer after layer of fur blocking his first, was genuinely jarring. "Forgive me, I didn't recognize you at first."
"It's alright. I've been told I take after my father." Sylvirah pointed looked at him over the rim of her mug,"After you."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 2:23 pm
Once free of the mug, Ergon returned to where he had been sitting before. The silence seemed to drag, and he knew the girl was surely curious. He couldn't bring himself to just explain the situation though. After all, they would handle the business at hand, and then she would be gone. At least she had removed the layers enough to look like a real person finally. Put her into a clean set of clothing and she could have passed as a local with no problem.
He straightened up when his father returned, but could only look between the pair during the brief conversation. He had never seen his father's face bear such an expression. Then the girl's statement left him completely confused and his brow knit with concern. "Excuse me.. but what is your business here?" he asked. Sure, there were similarities in their looks, but that had to be coincidental. The girl must have been delusional to even imply that Grashni was her father!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 2:42 pm
There it is.
The momentary lull had passed, it seemed, and the reaction she'd expected was quickly rising it's head. Squaring her shoulders, the huntress stood a little taller and looked at the two men.
"My name is Sylvirah. I'm a huntress from the Ild’vann tribe in the North, and years ago this man," She motioned to Grashni, "laid with my mother, Lakiza. When she passed my grandfather tried to give me to him, but Grashni had a family to think of. So, instead, I was raised in the North, and was sent gold every month."
As if to prove her point, Sylvirah went over to her pack and lifted the flap, revealing it to be nearly full of gold coins. "It's not all there, some of it was spent on necessities with what traders came North, but you can have the rest. I've no need for it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 27, 2020 3:09 pm
Ergon couldn't process what the girl was saying. He looked to his father for some logic in the situation, some sort of reasoning or explanation, but none came. "Father..?" There was no denial, no arguing... "You didn't..." It was good that he had been sitting down already. Otherwise, he might have ended up on the floor along with his stomach and his heart. He watched Grashni desperately, his hands starting to clench into fists. Even the pile of gold wasn't able to make his tear his eyes away from his father. "Tell me you didn't.." Gods, he couldn't even say it! This girl, this Sylvirah, was clearly younger than he was. If it was true-!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
