Private Tales Fortune

[Aurra Brylee]

"Oban!"

Aurra turned around with he city walls behind her. She spread out her arms and looked at Nuir

"Land of pretty castles, gryphon riders and - perhaps for us - fame and fortune."

She was feeling quite optimistic. Her Elbion job had gone well and she had been well paid. No one hand tried to double cross her. She'd spent some alone time with Nuir and then dropped off the magical box and been handed a nice weighty coin purse.

"I say we find somewhere to stay and then head to the Shepards Crook. That's where the wizard Gideon tends to assemble groups for his expeditions to the abandoned cities."

 

[Nuir]

The city walls alone were quite impressive in their expanse. The tinge of salt in the air a familiar smell mingled with new scents of bustling city life. What little Nuir had seen of it so far was noticeably cleaner than Elbion or Alliria had been. Alliria was filled in many portions with folks who struggled too much getting by to be concerned about the state of the streets. Elbion had a somewhat chaotic air of the hazards of strewn magic. This city seemed to hold neither problem.
Like the others, Nuir was fresh and oblivious to any dangers lurking beneath the pale extravagant surface.
He gave Aurra a small smile and nodded in agreement. Nuir was glad to see her in such high spirits.
"I shall follow your lead!"
He gathered likely she had some notion of where to look, certainly more than he did. The healer's method to finding room and board before now had been to simply wander around until he came across such a place on chance. Aurra seemed to already know the city.
He hesitated then added with a hint of hope "I don't suppose.....do you think we will see any? Gryphons that is..." Nuir had seen many an unusual beast before but Gryphons weren't on the list.

 

[Aurra Brylee]

"We might!" she declared boldly, stepping with a light bounce.

The streets of Oban were alive with the rhythm of evening - traders calling out the last of their wares, guards changing watch, the faint toll of a bell somewhere high in the citadel.

Aurra moved through it all with the easy grace of someone who’d learned long ago how to disappear into a crowd, the hood of her cloak pulled just low enough to soften the sharp lines of her face.

She slowed as they crossed a wide square, where the cobbles gleamed from a recent rain. A sudden rush of wind tugged at her cloak and she glanced up just in time to see the dark sweep of wings passing overhead.

A gryphon, red-feathered and massive, banked low above the rooftops before climbing again toward the fortress spires. The sight drew a rare, genuine smile from her.

The creature’s rider - a knight in Oban’s colours - raised a gleaming spear in salute to those below before vanishing into the clouds. The crowd murmured in admiration. Aurra lingered a moment longer, watching the sky, then looked back at Nuir.

Nuir

 

[Nuir]

Nuir trailed behind Aurra with the stumbling uneven pace of a gawker. He had been to a few large cities by this point in his travels yet he still found himself unacquainted with hustle and bustle.
He did he best not to let his curiosity sway his attention so much as to lose him companion in the crowd.
She parted the parted the foot traffic much better than he and he used her wake to avoid being in the way.

His glances catching on passerby or busy stall as they walked. Sure enough when Aurra turned to look at Nuir he would have a sparkling wide eyed expression. Gryphons really had a majestic air to them. It was only after the figure of the saluting knight disappeared from sight that he caught her watching him. A small flush of embarrassment rose to his cheeks. "Well.....we checked that off the list rather quick!" Nuir remarked, amused and a little flustered.
"Do you know much about them? The gryphon riders? I rather envy the bravado of those who can ride a winged beast without fear of heights. The thought makes me a little dizzy."

Aurra Brylee

 

[Aurra Brylee]

Aurra’s smile deepened at his flustered tone, though she was careful not to let it turn into a grin.

“You hide it well, then,” she said, glancing sidelong at him as they walked. “Most folk I’ve seen from the ground tend to gape with their mouths open when they see one for the first time. You at least remembered how to breathe.”

The comment was teasing, but her voice softened at the end. She slowed her stride just enough that he could fall in step beside her, the press of the crowd easing as they left the square behind.

“As for the riders,” she went on, “they’re Oban’s pride. Every one of them trained from childhood, bonded to their gryphon through some ritual or another.” Her gaze drifted skyward again, thoughtful.

“Still… I’d rather have my feet on the ground. Easier to vanish when things go wrong.”

Nuir

 

[Nuir]

A small chuckle fell from Nuir's lips in response to the teasing.
"In that perhaps I have an advantage. I've often been told I could stand to be a bit more....expressive."
Though in many ways Perhaps Aurra Brylee was an exception considering seen some sides of him he hadn't shown anyone else before.
His steps mirrored hers appreciative of her leisurely pace.
"I wonder..... I've been at great heights many times before, the snowy peaks of the spine, The cloudy landscapes from Thiria.....but I've never ridden around on something. Perhaps I wouldn't feel as at home as I imagine."
He considered the bond of the riders and their feathered companions.
"Though perhaps with such a close familiar such things a trivial. If you were to summon any familiar for such lifelong companionship, what would you choose? "
It was a common thought experiment among his siblings growing up. For such skilled summoners a useful exercise. One's imagination and ambition are the true limits for a skilled summoner.
Unfortunately he was not skilled. In the slightest. So a thought experiment it remained.

"I was quite partial to a Pegasus as a boy....or perhaps a frost dragon....but now I feel certain that either would be more hassle than utility to a healer."

 

[Aurra Brylee]

Aurra laughed softly, the sound carried off by the evening breeze. “A frost dragon? Nuir. I can barely keep you out of trouble with your feet on the ground - what would I do if you were dangling off a dragon somewhere above the Spine?”

She gave him a sidelong glance, the amusement lingering in her eyes. She was trying not to make a crass joke about riding things. She had a sense that he wouldn't appreciate it.

“A Pegasus though… I can almost see that. You’ve the temperament for something noble. "

They turned a corner where the street narrowed, sloping gently downhill toward the harbour quarter.

The smell of salt water returned, mingling with roasted meat from a nearby cart. Aurra slipped a few coins to the merchant and handed one of the warm pies to Nuir without ceremony.

“If I had a magical companion,” she said between bites, “I’d want something small. Quick. Maybe a fox spirit, or one of those little flame sprites they keep in lanterns up north.” Her smile flickered. “Something that doesn’t need feeding and doesn’t talk back.”

She nodded ahead. Between two tall houses, a lantern sign shaped like a shepherd’s crook swung gently in the wind, casting a pool of gold on the cobbles.

“There it is. Hopefully Gideon is about.”

She looked back at him as they approached the door. “And perhaps, if you behave, you can tell me more about this frost dragon fantasy over a drink.”

 

[Nuir]

The corner of Nuir's smile quirked up. He wasn't sure what she was envisioning but there was a hint of mischief in her eyes. Best to let the dragon lie, imaginary or no.
His chest puffed up a little at the idea he gave off any hint of nobility. He wouldn't have said such a thing himself. Nuir opened his mouth to say as much, then was promptly distracted with a savory treat.
His eyes lit up with delight as he gratefully accepted the pie.
Nuir appreciated the blend of admittedly much saltier flavors than Nuir was used to. Perhaps it would pair well with Ale.
"It's a good answer. Such creatures are happiest when they are of use."

He cast his eyes in the direction she indicated to find the lantern sign.
Nuir met her with an oblivious look "....why wouldn't I behave?"
He followed behind her finishing the little pie with a naively interested expression.

Aurra Brylee

 

[Aurra Brylee]

Aurra only shook her head, a soft laugh escaping before she could stop it.

“That right there,” she said lightly, “is exactly why I said it. Maybe sometimes I won't want you to behave."

She smiled to herself and turned towards the door. She didn't want to tease too much, she had already spoiled too much of his innocence.

The warmth of the tavern met them as she pushed open the door. There was no fire, it was just the warmth of bodies inside.

The air was thick with the low hum of voices, the scrape of chairs, and the scent of spilled ale. Lanterns hung from the beams, their light glinting off brass and old wood polished by years of elbows and spilled drink.

She stepped aside to let Nuir through first, eyes scanning the room with practiced ease. A handful of sellswords lingered near the bar, and a minstrel tuned a lute by the fire.

At the far corner sat a cluster of robed figures deep in talk. One of them, a grey-bearded man with a pointed hat far too theatrical for common sense, looked suspiciously like Gideon.

Aurra’s expression softened when she looked back at Nuir. “You’ve got that wide-eyed look again,” she murmured, though there was no real bite in it.

“Try not to stare too hard at anyone with a sword. It’s a good way to start a fight.”

Her gaze lingered on him a beat longer than she meant it to, something fond and unspoken tugging at the edge of her smile. Then she turned toward the bar, voice low but certain.

“Come on, healer. Let’s get you a beer and just keep put eyes open a moment. "