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 Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:38 pm
Finn looked around his room with a huff. The scarred yaeli’s hair was down, not out of personal preference, but because he’d tugged on it so much that most of it had fallen out of the tie. He had clothing strewn about all over the space as well as a few maps, a few pouches of random materials and a book he’d been struggling to read for weeks. It was information on Zena which the salesman had told him was crucial but now he knew he’d been duped. It was all in Zenan! If he could barely read Oban how was he supposed to read that?!
The plan had always been to gather enough money to go North, but now that he had the coin there was so much more prepwork!
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:38 pm
[Corny via Discord]
He was doing his best to not worry, but somehow failing. Tacrith wasn't one to overtly worry about anyone. People could handle themselves and were of minimal consequence. They could do as they pleased.
However.. this was his brother. He had cherished their time together, catching up on the brotherly bond that had been lost in the woods of Yael so long ago. It wasn't perfect, but it had patched a part of his heart that he had long since turned a blind eye to. And now Finn was preparing to leave. For Zena!
Tac pushed the apartment door open and sighed with relief. The pack on his back was getting heavy; he'd pulled out his cane for goodness sake! Now he tucked the tool away and dropped the pack onto the table. He could see Finn's room from there, and he couldn't help wincing at the sight. "Packing your clothes neatly would be a sight more efficient than just tossing them over your shoulder," he mused from the doorway. Finn's presence, whether Tac realized it or not, had made the stern healer's smile come a little easier, and it showed now.
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:39 pm
Finn gave a half turn to look at his brother. While he’d put on some weight over the course of his stay with Tacrith it was painfully obvious he would likely never be a ‘stable’ size. While in the apartment, away from prying eyes, Finn often went around in loose trousers and no shirt at all. His ribs were always visible, as were the plethora of scars, burns, and whip marks, but at least now he was no longer emaciated. He slept comfortably throughout the night without being awoken to hunger and it did a lot for his mood.
He was able to smile now, even give in to jabs and he owed much of that to Tacrith.
“What do I even bring to Zena? All my teacher’s could tell me was to bring something heavy, but I don’t know what that is.” His tutors had done their best to convince him to stay, but Finn couldn’t be deterred. They spoke at length about lack of body fat and cooler temperatures, frost bite and so on, but it sounded like jibberish.
With a huff he tossed one of his tunics onto the bed and walked away from the mess toward the table. “What’d you get? Sounds heavy.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:43 pm
[Corny via discord]
"I've never been there, so I'm not completely sure. I did try to read up on it though." As he headed to the table, he felt the tiniest bit of heat rise to his face. "It's mostly supplies for work... but I also picked up a few things I thought you might need based on what I've read." The various bits of equipment and books were taken out first and set aside. Then a long coat lined with a sturdy fabric and fur around the collar was pulled out from the confines of the bag. "I believe this is what they mean by 'heavy' clothes," he mused with a somewhat hopeful smile.
He turned and held it up to eyeball it against his brother and nodded. "It shouldn't be too large for you. The shop assured me it will keep you warm." He turned it so that Finn could step in and try it on. "It's certainly too warm for here, but you will need it when it gets cold up north."
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:44 pm
The younger yaeli furrowed his brows. What he might need…? He craned his head a bit, trying to investigate the satchel before Tacrith had even brought anything out. Finn was still getting used to the concept of gifts, but instead of immediately throwing suspicion on them he was intrigued.
“That’s clothing? It looks like a blanket. It’s so thick.” His eyes widened as he took in the overall look of the coat. While it was tailored well, he couldn’t get over the shape. Was it really going to be so cold that he would need something like this? No wonder all the Zenans he’d seen were muscular; how else were they supposed to carry coats like this?
Still, he stepped into it and tugged the fur trim onto his shoulders. There was just enough wiggle room to accommodate the clothing he would no doubt wear underneath the coat, but for the most part it was well shaped for him. He ran his fingers along the sleeves, momentarily transfixed by the feel of it and the heat it produced to say anything. Right now he was sweating, but later? Later he would be warm and it was all because of Tac.
“Thank you.” The smile he gave was genuine and showed every bit of the youth that life tried to strip from Finn. “I’m roasting so I know it’ll work.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:44 pm
[Corny via discord]
Tac smirked lightly and nodded. It was far too heavy for his tastes, but he thought it better to go heavier to start considering that neither of them had any experience in the frozen climate of Zena. Add in the fact that Finn had almost none of the natural insulation Tac had read about.. yeah, it was better to be on the cautious side.
The appreciation earned a smile and a nod in return, but that smile he was getting was spreading enough warmth through his chest that he probably could have survived Zena! "One more thing." he turned to reach back into the back and pulled out two long pairs of thick woolen socks. "I was going to get you boots, but you will want to do that yourself to make sure they fit properly. You won't want snow getting in them while you're walking. It will make your feet wet and cause blisters."
He smiled with a hint of play as he held the pairs out for inspection. "I am assuming that the boots will take some getting used to, so I got two pairs for when you inevitably get the first pair wet."
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:45 pm
Finn didn’t keep the coat on for long. As much as he wanted to revel in his gift it was too hot just yet, but the yaeli knew he would get a lot of use of it. So, with a smile he laid the coat over the back of a dining chair. “Another one?” He wasn’t used to getting one gift left alone multiple. While to some socks may have been a disappointing gift Finn was thrilled. He’d never had socks before! Well, outside of the thinner pairs Tacrith insisted should be worn with his boots.
When he took the socks, they were so much thicker than the ones he wore around the city. If he ever lost his gloves, he could just shove his hands in these and be just fine. “Is that true? If you walk with wet socks you’ll get blisters?” If it was then he would have to keep an eye on it. Tac’s playful side caught him off guard, but Finn gave an amused smirk all the same. “In that case you should have bought three.”
Boots. He needed to buy boots! After seeing all of this it was obvious the ones he wore around Oba wouldn’t cut it in Zena. There was so much he still needed to figure out, but this was a promising start. “You’re not going to rent out the room while I’m gone, are you?”
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:47 pm
[Corny via discord]
Tac shrugged subtly. "That is what I read. I have not spent long enough in wet socks to find out myself. It certainly won't be comfortable at the least." Walking around in squishy socks was quite unpleasant, and add the cold on top of it? It sounded like a recipe for painful feet.
"Believe me, I almost did get three. They will have many more options for you in Zena though, and you can pick out your own once you are there." It had honestly been difficult to not go overboard for his brother. Thinking about the freezing tales was enough to have him on edge already, and he would rather Finn be overprepared than not. However.. Finn was also an adult, and relatively competent. He'd grown so much over their time together. Tac was confident that there would be no alley sleeping for Finn up north.
The question of the room made him pause, and he couldn't help turning to look at the space Finn was occupying for now. What would he do now that he'd have the room back to himself? He sighed lightly and shook his head. "As tempting as the extra income would be, I doubt there would be anyone tolerable enough to allow to live with me." When he turned back, he looked at Finn firmly with a nod, though it was mostly to hide the sentimental emotion he was feeling in his throat. "It will be there for you if you ever have need of it again. Just be sure to send word ahead of time; I am bound to let my things flow back into there eventually." (edited)
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Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2022 2:49 pm
The concept of a room that was his still sat uneasy with Finn. Before this he’d never had a space that was stable, much less a space that was occupied by his things and his things alone. He’d rented the odd inn room here and there; mostly in places no one should go, but it was a room. As much as he wanted to see this journey through Finn was also hesitant to leave it. What if once he was gone Tacrith decided to give it to someone else? What if when he came back to Oba there was someone knew sleeping in his bed and everything he’d built here wasn’t nearly as lasting as he’d hoped?
“I’ll write to you.” Finn stated with conviction. They both knew he had a toddler’s understanding of written language at best, but he didn’t care. “That way you’ll know how warm I am and that I made it. I’ll tell you so much about those weird blue people that you’ll wish you’d come along just to shut me up.”
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Posted: Sun Sep 04, 2022 12:19 pm
[Corny via discord]
The firm look was already melting. Finn wanted to write to him.. He knew the extent of Finn's writing skills, which made the concept even sweeter. He'd never had someone to be this concerned about before. He'd had friends, but the number was limited and they were either safe in Yael or missing. Not that he'd actually known the one long enough to have such concerns, but the start of something had been forming... It was almost intimidating, and yet also felt so natural with Finn.
"You say that, but I do not think the cold will agree with me. Besides, I assure you that I will be looking forward to each letter." He raised his hand to point gently. "Perhaps we'll find time to work on your writing a bit more before you leave so you can use as many descriptions as possible."
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Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2022 6:53 am
No, it really wouldn't agree with him, would it? Finn could just imagine Tac trying to tromp around on some of the terrain he already knew he would endure and the mental image made him wince. He would be safer here, even if 'safe' was a relative term.
"Or I could just pay someone to write it for me." Finn also raised a hand to point, but with the addition of a raised brow and a smirk. It didn't last long though; he dropped his hand just as easily as he'd raised it and shrugged. "But if you wanted to waste your time working on letters then we can. At least you'll know it's definitely from me."
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:53 pm
[Corny via discord]
That expression pulled a soft laugh from Tac as he neatly rolled his now empty bag up. "That would make the letters much easier to read. They will likely require payment though, and you could use the practice." He paused at the warning and shook his head. "I would not see it as a waste.. but it is your decision. I have a feeling that a broad vocabulary will come in handy when you reach Zena if you need anything translated."
With the bag tucked away, he turned his attention to the supplies that he had purchased for himself. There was a bit to sort through, but he could multitask. He wanted to help make sure his brother was as ready as possible. "So, what else is on your list of things to do before you go?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2022 3:07 pm
As they spoke Finn tugged his hair over his left shoulder and started working on a braid just to give his fingers something to do. It wasn't something he'd done a lot of in the past so the progress was messy at best, but ever since the locks had become virtually tangle free he'd started to try.
Even if it didn't look perfect it made pulling it back a little easier.
"They do seem pretty uppity." Finn rolled his eyes with a huff. "He had a walk about him...like he knew he was better than everyone else, but not like the Obans. He actually gave a damn." There was an air of importance about that Zenan that could almost mimic the desert dwellers, but without any of the sneers and arrogance.
"Hmm. Food?" Food was always at the top of his list. "A mount, I think? I've been trying to get the stable master to give me a Xaraan, but he keeps insisting he'll sell me one. I could just take the damn thing and run before he even notices."
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Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2022 7:13 pm
[Corny via Discord]
Tac leaned his head back slightly to ponder over his interactions with Zenans. The number was quite limited, but Finn's evaluation seemed fitting from his short experiences. One of them had certainly compared to the Obans, but most seemed to just carry their pride on their shoulders like badges of honor. Obnoxious, to be sure. Not intolerable. "You mean the one who sold you the book?"
Food. Naturally. "Food will wait until you're ready to leave. You will want it as fresh as possible for the trip." Mention of the stable master managed to make his lip subtly curl. "There will be no need for you to resort to stealing. For one thing, I won't have you sinking that low again. For another, he has yet to pay me for his treatment after the janarim incident a while back. Add on a slight fee for the delay and I'm sure he will have no trouble handing a xaraan over."
Hold up... was he really willing to put that much toward Finn's trip? ......of course he was. He couldn't be too obvious about it though. "You will be expected to pay for things like the saddle yourself, of course. Have you ever ridden one before?"
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Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2022 7:25 pm
"No, the man who brought me back from death. Ivyn Gyrsteig." Even mentioning him brought an odd sadness to Finn. He hadn't known him long enough to grow attached so why was it that even now, years later, he felt as if he'd lost something important? "Heat was too much when he showed up. Gave me water, healed my wounds, took me in. Ivyn wanted me to go back to Zena with him. He talked big about training me so I wouldn't waste my talents." Finn clucked his tongue bitterly. "Didn't save him much when the Aishans got him."
He lifted his hand and pointed toward his room, or more specifically, toward the staff leaning against the wall. "That staffs his and it should be with the family he left behind so I'm taking it to them." Finn had no right to something that nice anyway. It was made out of a platinum with a decidedly magical sheen to the smooth metal. Protection runes had been carved in a language he hadn't even known until a native to Zena pointed it out to him.
"Look at you though; who knew you could be that slick." Extortion, from Tacrith? Color Finn surprised. If he'd known his brother was capable of that he might have asked him for a few things before now, but really, Tac would have told him to buzz off.
"A few times, yea. The stable master let me ride them around to stretch their legs when the xaraan boarded for a while."
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