Private Tales Cut Our Teeth & Break Our Bones

[Thraah]

Thraah's body was the source of all warmth in the room. Heavy and oppressive it wasn't the welcome kind. It hit your face and made the air feel thin.
When he left Thraah let him go again.
Didn't grab his wrist, didn't ask him to just sit with her, or anything else.
Just listened to to him get along in the dark to his bed and breath.

It felt like an eternity before she too finally fell asleep but something woke her. Some noise that she forgot in the moment of waking.
Her eyes opened, she was stiff from the same sideways position she had when she lay down. Did Maseno get up?
Slowly she rolled over. Because she rarely needed a blanket she had let herself sleep on the covers, that and she didn't feel like moving ever again at the time.
But Maseno was asleep and the the wind rattled against the window.
Just to be sure she made a small exhale of air and winked at one of the unlit candles on the table. It flickered to life and cast soft low light but enough to silently scan the room for any intruders.
They were alone.
Maseno was fast asleep, his brow slightly creased.
Even at rest he wasn't really.
That control, she both envied and resented it.
For the clarity it gave and for all it took from you.
Something of her more playful nature returned as she thought of the face he'd make if she snuck into the bed with him.
The thought died quickly, she knew he wouldn't see it favourably.
Probably not even humorously. He was too disciplined, too much the good man.
She was confident then that whatever place she occupied in Maseno's thoughts it wasn't his heart and in a way that made things easier. He could just be Maseno and she wouldn't put anything on that.
It would be enough.
It would have to be.
With another wink the light snuffed out and she listened to the sounds of his breathing as she drifted off again.

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

Morning arrived all too quickly. Maseno awoke with the first light of dawn, quickly and quietly re-dressed, and bid Thraah take her time while he managed their check-out. He met her back in the tavern area, bundled foodstuffs and rations under one arm. There was no time to take a full meal, they needed to be on their way lest they lose any more of their target's trail.

They got as far as the stables when someone finally came forward.

"My boy," an older man whose salt suggested he'd lived four decades so far, had stepped in from a side doorway, and spoke quite low, "he said you were askin' about a Dreadlord."

Maseno had been halfway through saddling his horse and paused to share a glance with Thraah, "That's correct, Sir."

The man glanced around warily and moved closer, acting to assist him in the task of tack, "He came through just two days ago. Brought the storm with him, demanded shelter and food and a horse. My eldest son was out here tending the herd, doin' his job, said he wouldn't pay for nothin."

He frowned deeply and wiped at his face which had gone quiet pale, "My son... he's a good lad. Strong back, hard worker. Knows whats right and wrong. These horses are our livelihoods, they are. Wouldn't give the man a horse without proper pay. I heard yellin from the house and came to see what he fuss was. My boy was on the ground, his legs bent up like a ribbon."

A staggering breath saved the man from fretful tears but the line of his jaw and the crinkling around his eyes suggested he'd shed plenty of them, "So much blood."

 

[Thraah]

The old man's description moved her.
Clearly he was beside himself. Thraah didn't know what powers Maseno had been imbued with to act but she felt that since it was a rogue Dreadlord that hurt his son, then Dreadlords as a community have a responsibility to make it right by what powers they have.
She stepped forward and addressed the man with a reassuring clasp on the upper arm and a gentle squeeze.
"Hey, we're going to get him, for everything he's done. Just, if you know where he went, even the direction helps, we'll take it from there."
She'd seen this pain before, the Rebellion left its mark on the streets but also in families. Scars that did their best to mend over broken families, parents without children. At these times, even though she wouldn't claim to have any skill at comforting folk. She felt a gentle word, especially from seemingly official types like themselves (even though she was certain neither of them had made any claims).
If she spoke out of turn then Maseno could tell her afterwards but she wasn't going to let the man loose his composure before them.

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

Maseno had gone very quiet as the man told his story, and though he meant to move to comfort him, Thraah beat him to it. He did not interfere - as a matter of fact, he was glad she moved to do it. He'd taken on many burdens and a great deal of grief over the last few years and much as he was liable to take them all on, they had lately begun to weigh on him more and more. The loss of a son reminded him only of the losses within his own family.

"South," croaked the man, holding himself together best he could, "he rode south on my best mare. I fear he'll run 'er into the ground and I'll never seen her again either."

Well that was as good a lead as any they could have hoped for. Maseno gave his own horse a smooth stroke along its neck and lead it from its stall.

"If we find her and she lives," he spoke up, "we will return her to you."

The man looked to him, appreciative but incapable of forming any hope on his expression. He nodded quietly in his thanks.

Digging a hand into his coin pounch, Maz approached them both, "What we owe for the night," he said, and dropped several coins into the man's palm, "please share my thanks with your boy for taking such good care of my horse."

The man furrowed his brow as he counted it, then his brows raised, "This is far more than you owe. Much more, lad."

"I know it will not undo what has happened to your family," Maseno offered solemnly, "or bring back your son, but I do hope that it helps in some way." It was a pained smile that understood grief he offered next before leading the horse from the barn and mounting up. He sat calmly and quietly as he waited for Thraah to join him, and then lowered his hand to help her up.

 

[Thraah]

Thraah was quiet for a while as they went South. The sun was warm and the sky only dotted with clouds.
"That man, that's what a rogue can do and you, you've been stopping them haven't you?"
It didn't need an answer, not really. She tightened her hold on his waste, letting the arrogance of the rogue's actions boil within her. For all her bluster she despised snobbery above all else and the attitude that it fostered towards others.

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

It might not have needed an answer but he'd not had anyone to talk to about what he'd been doing and an answer gnawed at his throat painfully. The Taskforce was meant to be secret from those not involved yet maybe he could speak on some things without going into too much detail.

"Yes," he replied, "for some time now."

A frown imprinted upon his expression, "Do you know the truth of what happened at last year's graduation?"

 

[Thraah]

She'd heard things. Bad things, about half the class turning on the other. A Proctor died but maybe also was a monster too. Everyone had a different story and not long after arriving Thraah had decided to stop asking.
"No, everyone says something different, ghosts, demons, blood rituals. It was before I arrived at the Academy. The only thing everyone agrees on is that, it was bad, people died."
The wind threatened to take her hat from her head so she clapped her hand over it to keep it on.
"I'm guessing you know, so what was it. What really happened?"
Truth be told, Thraah wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know but they were far from it now, in both distance and time and yet... she caught herself in the instance of trying to look back, as if the spectre of that night might be following them.

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

Maz hummed in thought. The rumors had run rampant about what happened and the stories that he'd heard passed down the grapevine had become more and more fantastical to the point of small absurdity. In the end, it hardly mattered - the truth was just as horrid as the tall tales.

"I was not there myself, of course," he clarified, "but in order to have a full understanding of my most recent missions I was allowed to read the filed reports of the eye-witness debriefings. There were several Proctors that pre-planned a traditional graduation for a selection of last years graduates. Most of those Initiates were taken by force, wearing anti-magic handcuffs, to the Black Forest where those Proctors required they earn their titles the old fashion way."

There was a pregnant pause as his brow lowered and expression darkened, "By killing another Initiate."

"Those that refused, and many did, were attacked by the Proctors. Some were eager to fulfill the right of passage. Some fought to protect others. Some opted to run. Several Initiates died both at the hands of their fellow classmates or the Proctors. There were no ghosts or demons or blood rituals. It was nothing but a bloodbath of savagery and violence orchestrated by Rogue Proctors who refused the new order of the Republic ... like the man we hunt now."

He wished that was the end of it, but it only got worse.

"This man works for a Rogue Dreadlord who appeared at the event, Ex-Archon Gilram. He stopped the slaughter, chased away and killed several of the Proctors, and offered the remaining graduates a choice: join him or remain. Many chose to join. Some graduates who are thought to still be alive remain unaccounted for and are believed to have gone into self-exile. Those that stayed to graduate were asked to keep their silence on the matter. The Noble Houses did not want the story getting out of how badly this failure of the new Republic really was."

 

[Thraah]

Thraah listened, scrunched up her face in anger and grit her teeth so hard she felt they might bleed.
The gem heated her, gave motion to her anger at the arrogance of the Proctors and sparked hope at the idea of this Gilram, nobody she spoke with had mentioned him before.
"That's fucking dumb. The Republic didn't fail. These fuckers failed the Republic. This Gilram guy. He seems like he has the right of it. Fucking assholes with high fucking notions getting their jollies pitting kids against each other. WHERE DO THEY GET OFF!"
She was getting warm, uncomfortably so.
"How come whenever trust is placed in authority it's blown almost instantly, what is that?"
Thraah thought she would be sad, or afraid but she was just angry. Angry at the Proctors, The Academy, The Dreadlords as instit... instituan... as a group!
"Sorry for shouting, I just, it's so fucking dumb!"
She began to realise she was warming up to an uncomfortable degree. Some controlled breathing helped, kinda. She was still very warm.

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

His horse did grow alarmed beneath them, tensing at the sudden surge of energy and heat at its back ... then the shouting. What was going on up there!?

Maz frowned, holding his reins snugly and placing a calm, reassuring hand at the horse's neck.

"It's alright," he replied to Thraah, "no harm done. I agree this was not necessarily a failure of the Republic ... but that so many Proctors were able to go rogue from within the Academy is very troubling and certainly something is at fault for not seeing it sooner before the damage could be done."

He touched at one of her hands at his waist as a sign of solidarity in her anger, though his own anger was so much more controlled than her own.

"Gilram is an enemy to the Republic," Maseno's brow pinched at her words of support for the ex-Archon and his present day efforts, "he is the one orchestrating these Rogue Dreadlords and Proctors against Vel Anir. He is behind the carnage of innocents caused by our target. At some point, I believe I will be put to mission against him alongside some others, but first we must take down the foundations of his support."

 

[Thraah]

*Baduump*
At the touch of Maseno's hand the anger, dimmed. Mingled with her feelings for him and bloomed into a refreshing warmth. No longer hot but that inviting heat of a home.
But his words didn't make sense to her.
"Hold up... so this Gilram, he stops the slaughter, rescues the graduates and then starts telling his people to fuck up and kill stableboys?"
Thraah didn't get it.
"I don't get it. If he wants to stop the Republic he should go after the houses, build up an army. Hire mercenaries, assassina..."
Something clicked in her mind or at least she thought it did.
"Wait did he kill that Caeso kid? To like, send a message or something do you think?"

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

She was clearly confused and he wondered, not for the first time in the last five minutes, if he would regret telling her all this. But Maseno would feel no lack of guilt for keeping her in the dark about everything if she was putting her life on the line to help him. It was a difficult balance and he hoped after dealing with Ilversmith that she would begin to see the broader issue at hand.

"I do not know anything about Caeso's death beyond rumor," he replied grimly, "but Gilram is not on our side, nor are any of his men. They seek to undo the changes the Republic is trying to bring to Vel Anir, take things back to how they used to be before the Revolution."

Having been trained and raised at the Academy since the early age of 4, Maseno had no desire to go back to the old ways or put any other children through the horrors he and the other Initiates of his year had experienced.

"That is not a fate I can abide by."

 

[Thraah]

Thraah focused hard on what Maseno was saying but it still didn't make sense why Gilram would save the graduates only to take them away and try to remake Vel Anir as it was.
She tried to focus on the gem, bring it in and find some understanding in Maseno's words.
Her arms tightened though she didn't tell them to as he spoke about not letting the Republic slip back into the Old Ways.
"You're sure, about Gilram? That he's out to hurt people?"

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

"Yes," Maz replied quietly, the squeeze of her arms bringing a fresh sobriety to his emotions, "he already has."

It was humbling to share moments like these with his fellow Initiates. A reminder that they were not as invincible as they liked to think they were. Magic and all its power could not stop every death. It wasn't the answer to every problem, not the best route to take for every challenge. How easy it was to forget the humanity of them all, the trees within the forest of their powers and strength.

"Thraah... I apologize if I have caused any misgivings for you about this mission. It's not an officially sanctioned Academy mission so ...I can take you back to the Academy if you like..."

 

[Thraah]

"NO!"
Thraah practically yelled the word as she reflexively held him closer to herself.
"I said I'm with you so I'm with you."
She couldn't deny it though. Her understanding of the mission was clearer and more terrifying. She had a better idea of what they were facing and the scale of the threat.
One rogue was bad enough but this Gilram could have dozens or hundreds at his call.
She imagined an army of rogue's, powerful and dangerous and wanting nothing but bloody streets in Vel Anir.
"Hey, hold on..."
Thraah's mood became playfully cross as she grocked this truth and punched Maseno lightly on the arm.
"You mean we are always in danger of this Gilram guy and gang of mad fuckers coming for us and you didn't tell me?"
She thumped him again with her open palm.
"Does Stormy know, are you keeping this from her too?"

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

The sudden squeeze at his middle made his eyes bulge and a puff of breath pass through his lips. He knew she was strong but he supposed he hadn't such a clear idea of how strong having never personally faced her in melee combat. Seemed her convictions were as strong as her arms, and she would never know how much he appreciated that about her.

It was a relief to hear it, too. At least he could no longer feel guilt about misrepresenting the scale of threat they faced.

"Ah-" his arm smarted at her punch, more out of surprise than anything else. At the second thump, the Initiate looked back at her over his shoulder, brow raised over a hint of understood mischief.

"We have always been under threat," he reminded her, "by the enemies of Vel Anir both near and far ... this threat just happens to sit a little nearer than most. But no, only a select few know the truth behind the graduation beyond those that witnessed it first hand. Because of the level of threat, those handling the missions against Gilram and his men have been chosen selectively because they believe he has employed spies within the Republic. The fewer who are aware, the better for everyone."

 

[Thraah]

Oh no.
It was beginning to sound like Maseno had trusted her with a very big secret.
*Fuck!*
Thraah was awful at keeping secrets. She told Zeph about her family and as soon as anyone mentions Maseno she blurts her heart up about him.
Worse, this was big. Really big. Big enough to get folk killed. Big enough to...
"Maseno..."
It wasn't time, she wasn't ready but with what she had just learned, would there be time to be ready?
"... in case, in case anything happens to me, I want you to do something for me..."
*Tell my family I did my best.*
*Is it too soon to say I love... ehhh fancy... that I want to spend tonight sleeping in your hunky arms?!*
*Kick Blondie in his stupid head for me.*
Thraah struggled, all were true but she had to be serious, she had to say what mattered most then, not what she wanted.
"Stop here. I need, I need to show you something."
The road was deserted, the mud and cold kept fair weather travellers at bay and perhaps they were the only ones foolish enough to travel in the warm footsteps of a Rogue Dreadlord.

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

The mischief fled from his expression like a bird from a branch at the sound of approaching men. Maseno frowned, pulling up on the reins of his horse to bring it to a stop.

He, of course, felt the need deep in his gut to tell Thraah he wouldn't let anything happen to her. Yet knowing what he did of Proctor Ilverstein he could not and would not make such promises. He couldn't even promise that he would return from this mission, though Zana had impressed upon him she had every bit of faith in his abilities.

"What is it?"

 

[Thraah]

*Okay*
"Okay!"
Thraah slipped from the back of the horse and shook out her arms like she had the heebie jeebies.
For a second she didn't turn around, just stood looking into the countryside.
Then she moved in a sudden flurry of motion. The kind that comes when you are afraid you'll loose your nerve if you wait any longer.
She undid her belt and lifted her tunic up to her chest then turned around to display the long curved scar that ran laterally along the top of her abdomen just under her heart.
"See this?"
She slapped her scarred belly lightly then pulled back down her tunic. It was cold and she was vaguely aware of not being nearly in as good shape as Maseno.
"Under that is... a gemstone. I didn't steal it."
*Dad and Momni stole it.*
"It's... it's how I can do this."
She had fastened her belt again while talking and with a click of her fingers created a brief burst of fire in her hand.
"It doesn't work for everyone but I'm not dumb enough to believe I'm special. Someone else could use it and... well if Ilverstein can he'll only become more powerful."
*And if Gilram gets it Kress help us all.*
Thraah didn't know if she was being brave and honest or plain stupid. Maseno could try to take it for himself, no he wasn't like that. That was her Momni speaking. She was always against her going to the Academy. A nest of snail-vipers she called it.
"So if I go down or get taken you need to destroy it."
When she was done she looked at him expectantly, perhaps it was unfair but there was little else for it. She wanted to trust him as he trusted her.

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

This was most strange. Maseno had encountered many types over the years, but Thraah continued to pique his curiosity the more time he spent with her. He couldn't be sure at all what to expect when she'd dismounted the horse, and watched with a jerk of alarm (his horse did the same) as she suddenly turned and began unbuckling her belt.

Oh Thraah, please don't. This isn't - there wasn't -

Maseno's brows slowly ascended the height of his forehead with every passing moment, action, and word from the firebearer, until they nearly disappeared beneath the tips of his locs. He wanted to avert his gaze as any young gentleman Lord should when a woman bared more than was proper, but for some reason he could not. He at least had the wherewithall about him to listen to her words rather than be distracted by a sudden show of flesh that other young males might.

When she finished, his brow slowly lowered again, knitted in concern and thought and confusion. This was a lot to take in, but perhaps that was entirely fair given the dreadful truth he'd just unveiled to her about Gilram. There was so much that this ... stone of hers implied, least of which was the fact that it meant she was not a true mage. Without it, she was just Thraah ... an impressive thing unto itself, but not a fit for the Academy.

He had so many questions but they simply hadn't the time. After several long, drawn moments of silence Maseno offered her a sober, frowning nod, "You have my word. I swear it."

 

[Thraah]

Elation blurbed with a fresh panic as Thraah hastily added another condition.
"And you can't tell anyone!"
She punctuated the urgency with a half step.
"If the proctors found out then, that's me. I'm out at best and at worst..."
It didn't really bare thinking about.
The Academy was better since the Revolution but it was far from perfect and more than one Proctor might try to take the gemstone for themselves.
This was feeling more and more unfair.
Maseno just needed backup but here she was, laying her world of problems at his feet and asking him to keep her secrets.
To say she felt utterly rotten just then would be an understatement, she felt like she was being a burden. Which was much worse.

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

His frowning alarm deepened. He'd have thought that keeping her secret was implicit with the bearing of it, but he understood her dire need for confirmation.

"I will take your secret to my grave, Thraah," he replied gently, feeling that repetition of his prior sworn oath would lose its value. Instead, he lifted his left hand, fingers curled except his pinky, and crossed his heart, then lowered his hand and offer that same pinky to her to shake on it.

It was the ultimate pinky-promise. He knew it might come across as childish but he hoped she'd see through the face-value of such an action for the true meaning he held behind it.

 

[Thraah]

*BADUMPUMP!*
True relief was very rare for Thraah, much as she behaved as though little ever got under her skin she often felt remarkably vulnerable.
So it was no small thing that Maseno offered her this symbol of the promise he made to keep.
With a smile freed from all her concerns Thraah met his pinky with her own and even wiggled her thumb for good measure as they shook on it.
"You're in it now Maz."
She said using the pinky swear to then take hold of his hand and hoist herself back up onto the horse and settling behind him again, her arms wrapped more casually about his waist but no less firmly.
"You don't mind the nickname do you? It's kinda my thing."
She spoke as if the seriousness of the day was all washing away and the future was bright, because it felt like it was. The gem was giving her heat in steady thrums and she snuggled into the saddle behind him. Utterly comfortable with the renewed closeness.

Maseno Luana

 

[Maseno Luana]

It was a good relief to have her in the saddle behind him again. Not just because he was becoming accustomed to the otherwise comforting presence of her warmth, but it meant they'd reached a crossroads in this thing they called friendship and despite the challenges presented, it seemed they managed to forge a path together. True friends were hard to come by, and he meant to be one to any who gave him the opportunity. That Thraah was one such person was unexpected, but welcome.

Maz loosed a cautious chuckle as he nudged his horse forward and back on the road, "No, I do not mind." There wasn't much point in telling her that half the class called him that anyway. If it made her feel special to, so be it.

"We've some time to make up," he said back to her over his shoulder, "keep hold."

With two squeezing heels, he pushed his mount on into a fresh and ground-covering canter. The next town was several hours ride south, but after only a few in the saddle and the sun barely peeking through the overcast sky high up, they came across a shocking scene.

Alone on the road ahead was an overturned carriage. There were several shapes and shadows of bodies strewn about, but from a distance there did not appear to be anyone moving about. Maseno pulled up his horse as they drew nearer, "Something ahead. Keep your eyes out and be ready."

He did not have preternatural senses like some Initiates seemed to have, but something swirling uncomfortably in his gut told him they were not about to find anything good.

 

[Thraah]

Maz did not have to tell Thraah twice to hold tight.
Her arms kept firm hold of his body as he spurred on the horse
The good mood did not last forever though and Maz warning as to the grim scene before them was well taken.
She scanned the nearby brush for signs of ambush or lingering danger but her eyes kept being drawn to the numerous still forms by the carriage.
"Are they dead?"
She did not notice anything amiss other than the scene itself but she pulled her hand from Maseno's waist to her sword and kept it there just in case.

Maseno Luana