Private Tales Gone Dark

[Caeso Diemut]

VEL LUIN​

Caeso Diemut had not yet been to the storied harbor city of Vel Luin. Even before he reached the harbor proper, he could see over the rooftops the massive Twins looming, the huge statues which marked the seaside entrance—these being Vel Luin's most iconic feature. Trade flowed through Vel Luin in endless droves, and it might well be that a galley was being loaded now with Diemut or Alwine wines for export. And indeed, it was at Vel Luin's impressive Drydocks that the pride of House Virak, the Ironclad, had been assembled.

Yet Vel Luin was not Caeso's destination. It was merely the beginning.

This mission had an...unorthodox beginning. Proctors summoned himself and Lumen Adagio, simply told them to report to the Vel Luin harbor, and that was that. No other instructions. Add in to this that, for the past few weeks, Caeso had suddenly and inexplicably been given some dance lessons alongside his regular curriculum (though he didn't complain at all about this) and it made for a puzzling set of events.

The harbor of Vel Luin was bustling. Naturally. Several fully packed wagons rolled by Caeso and Lumen just as they were passing from the city streets and onto the harbor proper, and laborers along a few wharfs were still busily unloading cargo from a few different ships. A whistle sounded somewhere in the distance, and one particular crew of dockworkers all ceased their work and began to break for lunch. Patchy clouds danced around the noontime sun, none blocking its light.

Caeso stopped. Took a moment to absorb the sheer breadth and scale of the harbor activities.

And he said to Lumen while doing so, "You don't suppose that we were observed at your Friendsgiving feast as being particularly suitable for whatever task is in store?"

Certainly it would explain a lot.

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

Lumen's gaze remained alert. As sharp and attentive as one of Kor's birds. Bootsteps sounded more prominent as they transitioned to the wood of the dock. One hand shifted the satchel's straps that curved around one of her shoulders. Turn of her head to Caeso at his comment.

One of the many nobles in their class.

And she absolutely detested the Gilded class name they'd been dubbed. But these feelings never showed and were certainly never spoken out loud. "Perhaps. Maybe they just thought we looked good together." A wink his way as she continued walking. Whatever it was, they were bound to be on a ship for at least a few days. Beyond that she didn't know or have the details.

And it irked her that the proctors failed to give them more information before being sent on these missions. The smell of salty air and dead fish hit her nose as the got closer to one of the larger ships posted at the end of the dock they strolled down. Shortly after Friendsgiving, they'd all found out about what happened to the class above them. And their debacle of a graduation. She hadn't had a chance to talk to any of her classmates about it, save for a quick sesh with Ysobel.

Voice lowered as she glanced to her mission partner again. "What do you think about what happened...to the class above us? Do you think something like that will happen to us?"

 

[Caeso Diemut]

Perhaps. Maybe they just thought we looked good together.

"Perhaps so," Caeso said. The sly wink wasn't lost on him, no, but the puzzle of their current mission had more claim on his thoughts. Maybe he and Lumen fit some physical descriptions necessary for whatever was in store? Or it might just be as simple as them being able to cooperate effectively for what might be something delicate—placing him with Mieri, for example, would've been an awful choice if such was indeed a concern.

Along the massive harbor they went, essentially awaiting for something (or someone, more than likely) to grab their attention, when Lumen brought up the topic of all topics. The one every Initiate eventually concerned himself, herself, with entirely. The one which, as she said, did not go over so well with the class above them. The one which had gotten him into a fight with Zael Castomir.

"I think it is best," he began, "to conduct ourselves as if it absolutely will happen. The graduation our senior class experienced is but the same as we all have expected since our earliest years in the Academy."

Save of course for the actually successful rebellion and the interloping of the Archon Gilram, but the essence of his point was still valid.

"Thus, it is advisable that we do what we have always done: secure our strength."

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

"If they could kidnap someone like Edric," voice trailed off a rare shiver ran through her core. That meant any of them could be taken. Although, poison and drugs didn't work on Lumen but if she was alone. If everyone else was knocked out she wouldn't stand a chance all the same. She'd developed a bond with Caeso, Zinnia, and Aelita more so than some of the others.

She hoped that if they ever found themselves in a situation like the class above them, they'd be able to stand together.

"Have you ever been on a ship before? And I'm not talking about a day trip, more like the one I think we're about to get on."

She had to wonder if the great Diemut would get seasick.

 

[Caeso Diemut]

If they could kidnap someone like Edric...

Ah, yes. If the Gilded Class's graduation was conducted in the same clandestine manner as that which preceded theirs...well, what chance would they have? The Academy may have endured drastic changes since the Revolution, yet it was still a grueling affair, and every Initiate was still very much at the mercies of the Proctors above them. Like as not they would never see their abductions coming, and even with forewarning, what could they do alone against the might of a Proctor?

Still his words stood. It was best that he, that Lumen, that everyone either of them cared for in the slightest secure their strength with what intervening time they had left.

Cared for?

Caeso scarcely had any time to investigate this odd intrusion of a thought when another question was posed to him.

He shook his head. "No, I have not. Grand voyages have thus far eluded me." He smiled then. "However, I would like one day to sail aboard the pride of House Virak: the Ironclad. I've not yet even laid eyes upon it. But can you imagine? A ship as large as Anir Square, made wholly of metal, bereft of sails, and dwarfing any other vessel that could come close to it? Such is nothing short of a true wonder of the world."

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

Head shook slightly. "No, I can't imagine it," a quiet musing. "But I'd like to see it one day." What kind of grand mission would that be? Probably something very dangerous. Dangerous and worthy.

"Well," she breathed, cutting Caeso a side-glance and patting the side of one of her pockets. "If you get seasick I've got some gingerdrops that should help with it." That was Lumen. She was always prepared. Just then a large barrel-chested man with a ginger beard and fluffy eyebrows and moustache to match approached them.

"Ye two the kids from the Academy?"

Lumen clenched her jaw. Did they really look that young to everyone?!

 

[Caeso Diemut]

Gingerdrops. A remedy so simple for the common malady of seasickness, yet Caeso had not the occasion to be familiar with it until now. Yet this was Lumen's subtle strength, was it not? So far as Caeso knew of her, there was not an ill which passed by her proximity which she was not equipped to handle. Why, one might be forgiven if they thought her magic was not in fact temperature regulation, but instead powers of foresight and preparation.

"I will beseech you if the voyage at all becomes—"

Ye two the kids from the Academy?

Funnily enough, both Lumen and Caeso clenched their jaws at that, like a perfectly coordinated comedic duo upon a stage. Anyone lacking the gray hair which came from old age had scarcely any right to address them, two Dreadlord Initiates of the Academy, as kids. Even if this man (whose hair was most certainly not grayed with age) had not meant to be patronizing, he was still at best horridly mistaken, for with the description of kid came a certain innocence which every Initiate of his and Lumen's age had left behind them long ago.

Caeso let it go. But not without a slightly pointed response, "We are the Initiates from the Academy, if you are looking for such."

The man gave his moustache a casual stroke, and then said, "Follow me. And keep yer voices down."

An odd thing to add at the end. But Caeso noticed after a moment that the red-haired man had only approached and spoken to them when, by chance, they were out of earshot of all the dockworkers and other people on the harbor.

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

A single blonde-brow lofted in Caeso's direction. As if to ask if he thought following this man was a good idea. But what other choice did they have? Seeing no hesitation in Caeso's gaze, she stepped inline with the portly ginger.

Not able to withstand the silden much longer, she finally spoke, keeping her voice low and casual. As if she was speaking to a friend she'd had a long time. "So, where are we headed to? Anything else you can tell us so we can prepare would be helpful."

 

[Caeso Diemut]

The large man glanced back. Said, "Them details aren't mine to give." Then he clicked his tongue and added, "But you're about to get 'em anyway."

Caeso's suspicions were raised with all of these cloak-and-dagger circumstances. Were it not for the Proctors having bid them here to Vel Luin in the first place, Caeso would not have trusted the red-haired man a single bit. Even with the Proctors' bidding it was difficult to think that something wasn't amiss.

Yet the red-haired man led them into a dockhouse where, to Caeso's surprise, a Major of the Anirian Guard and an Officer of the Vestigare were waiting.

"Thank you, Ulrich," said the Major to the red-haired man. "You are dismissed. And please shut the door on the way out."

Ulrich doffed his hat in a parting gesture and did as he was instructed. Caeso's suspicions were relaxed now that they were in the presence of two high-ranking, notable officials, but his puzzlement had yet to be abated.

"Caeso Diemut and Lumen Adagio, Dreadlord Initiates of the Academy, is that right?" asked the Major in a tone of cordial greeting, not a tone of genuine inquiry.

"Yes sir, that is so," Caeso said.

The Major nodded. "I know this has been an unorthodox preliminary to what you Initiates are used to for your missions. But the task which will be given to you today is nothing if not...sensitive."

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

Lumen came to attention and offered a salute that was by-the-book. "Yes sir," she repeated after Caeso. These tactics reminded her vaguely of the Anirian Stalkers. Though perhaps if it had been them, she and Caeso would be sitting somewhere with hoods over their heads.

The Vestigare Officer spoke up next. She was a woman in her late forties with a singular grey streak that ran down one side of her shoulder-length rich, dark brown hair. Her eyes the same color as her hair went from Caeso to settle on Lumen. "We believe the two of you can act the part of a young couple recently married and touring the Empire on honeymoon."

Lumen couldn't stop her brows from raising so high they nearly disappeared into her blonde hairline.

 

[Caeso Diemut]

Caeso was stunned for a moment.

He was aware that missions like this were, on occasion, dispensed to Initiates, ones in which a certain kind of facade needed to be adopted. He was even aware of the dry humor which circulated among those of the upper class (before their graduations, at any rate) that the Academy purposefully sent out Initiates in male and female pairs so that, should the need ever spontaneously arise, an innocent ruse such as the one proposed by the Vestigare Officer could be assumed. But this would mark the first time in which Caeso had actually been selected for a mission of this type.

A sudden thought, coming to mind, unfiltered in the way that these unbidden thoughts usually are: I suppose we did dance well together. I peg the lute player as the spy who assessed us, doing his job whether harassed by Soleil or not.

The stun broke, and Caeso replied, "We can adopt this guise." He looked toward the Guard Major, thinking him most likely to know the answer to his forthcoming question. "To what end, sir? What is the task?"

Major Ramstel (as his name turned out to be) did not waste any time nor downplay what he was saying. "Our two Anirian diplomats at the embassy in Annuakat have failed to send the last month's official report...and, furthermore, could not be located by courier for inquiry."

"They've gone dark," said the Vestigare Officer.

"Precisely. And we don't know why."

"Who are these two diplomats?"

"Both members of minor houses. One, Joanna Deveraux. The other, Lucius Cressin...a cousin of yours."

Caeso's stance at attention stiffened ever so slightly. Cressin, one of the branch families of House Virak. Though Caeso had not ever met Lucius Cressin in person...whatever had become of him would reflect upon House Virak as a whole.

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

Lumen was mildly surprised that Caeso readily agreed to the assignment. She, perhaps wondered, if he wished Zinnia was here, instead.

Lumen took a step forward. "Sir, do you know where they were last seen or do you have any other information you can share on what they might've been working on before disappearing?"

Or going dark.

This was not a time to tiptoe around information. In order to be successful, she and Caeso needed to know as much as possible. And in order to escape falling into the same fate as Joanna and Lucius. Lumen intended to graduate with high markings and perhaps go to the Western front or serve in the highest order of Anirian Knights. She had no intention of disappearing into the Empire long before then.

Besides, she had too many people counting on her to even worry about failure.

 

[Caeso Diemut]

Major Ramstel looked to Lumen. "All we have to go on is their last report, which, unfortunately, contained nothing significant outside of the normal and routine. It was thought that there might be some kind of imbedded code within this report, but after thorough examination nothing of the sort could be deciphered. So that leaves us with only a few possible options. The first, of course, being an offensive covert action taken by the Empire, likely by their so-called 'Imperial Hands.'"

"Assassination?" Caeso asked, going right to the most grim outcome. One of the most prominent topics of conversation among the Academy Initiates were the rising tensions between the Empire and Vel Anir. Who knew? Perhaps this was a prelude.

Major Ramstel didn't confirm nor deny the possibility. "We just don't know yet, though you two will be the first Anirians to find out." Then he moved onto the next, "The second option is that Lucius and Joanna intentionally abandoned their posts and went dark."

Caeso scoffed, despite the formal setting of the meeting and the ranks of the men before him. "There is no chance that Lucius would have willingly thrown the legacy of House Cressin—and House Virak—away on some fanciful whim."

"So you say, Initiate Diemut." This seemed to Caeso to be a subtle, corrective reminder from the Major about their relative stations, but Caeso cared not a whit for it. The Major continued, "Then...there is the third option."

The Vestigare Officer took over. Said in a serious tone, "That Lucius and Joanna were victims of Anirian violence, not Empire plots." Hard eyes looked over Lumen and Caeso. "Hence the need for all this secrecy. There are perhaps not just Empire ears, but Anirian ears, which could have overheard."

"And, relatively speaking," said the Major, "your faces are unknown. The Academy's insular nature is quite good for that. This makes you two ideal for the task at hand."

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

That Lucius and Joanna were victims of Anirian violence, not Empire plots.

Intuitive and intensive gaze broke for the first time to look at her partner, Caeso. She wondered if he thought as she did. Was this a longer reach of the fanatic Gilram? Did his web reach beyond Vel Anir borders? And for the millionth time, she wished she had a mentor. Someone from the class above them. Perhaps she'd finally write the letter she'd been meaning to.

Sharing a quick, silent look with Caeso, she turned back to the Major and Vestigare Officer.

"So we're still to act as visiting Anirian citizens on honeymoon," the corners of her lips twitched for a moment. "But I take it probably not wise to carry any large weapons in the open nor armor? Perhaps different clothes as well. And how're we to arrive? And," she paused, trying not to pepper her superiors with questions, "who will be our contact there to report what we find?"

Or perhaps they'd give them some sort of magical artifact to communicate with. Or maybe a code with letters, though Lu imagined letters would take far too long.

 

[Caeso Diemut]

Major Ramstel and the Vestigare Officer exchanged brief looks, and Caeso was certain that he detected in the subtleties of their shared expressions that they were impressed by Lumen's questions. Clear, concise, engaged in the purpose presented. Perhaps, Caeso imagined, they may have had some difficulty in selecting the right pair of Initiates for this task, and here they found a level of satisfaction with their choice.

"It would be best not to identify yourselves as Anirians," the Vestigare Officer said. "Whatever background you decide is easiest to embody, adopt that, but not Anirians."

"Which," said the Major heavily, "brings us to a crucial point in this: your magic. It was decided that Dreadlord Initiates were the best choice for this task, given how capable each of you are as individuals. I will not command that you cannot under any circumstances use your magic, no—it will depend on your judgment in whatever situation you may find yourselves. But know this: if the ruling authorities of the Empire learn that Vel Anir has Dreadlords operating covertly within their lands, they will see it as an insult and a provocation. It may even lead to war."

"Tensions are at such a point, then," Caeso said.

"Yes," the Major confirmed unequivocally.

It gave Caeso some pause. The political situation between the Empire and Vel Anir was always contentious, ever since the former was founded, and now Caeso and Lumen were to be perched on that precipice where one wrong step could lead to colossal consequences. There was a weight to this mission which all previous missions lacked.

Sensing this, Major Ramstel said, "I understand that this task is extraordinary—in more ways than one. Which is why I am not ordering you to do it. I'm asking you. Take a moment, think and talk it over. Be honest with me, but more so yourselves and each other. If you decline, no ill will come of it upon either of you: the Proctors will not know what transpired here. But if you believe you are capable, then we can proceed."

Lumen's other two questions were on the Major's mind, yes, but this was the linchpin of it all.

Caeso turned to confer with Lumen. Said low and confidentially, "The politics of this can fall to the wayside for all I am concerned. My stake is personal. And I have not been training and honing my abilities for ten years to turn away in my kin's hour of need. What say you, Lumen?"

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

Not Anirians?

It would be hard to hide their accents and their mannerisms. And Lumen was never the best at subterfuge. Surprise at the Major's next comment. This wasn't an order? And she had the intuition to believe Ramstel that if they backed out, it wouldn't tarnish their markings.

As Caeso turned inward, Lumen focused on him angling her body toward her fellow student. Golden-hair fell down one side of her face, creating a natural curtain to hide her lips from the major and vestigare officer. She tried to keep her face neutral as Caeso spoke even as warning signals fired off in her brain.

It was clear this was personal for Caeso.

And it wasn't good that the first thing he said was to dismiss the tenuous political situation they'd be placed in. It was also clear that if either of them ran into trouble, she was sure the Anirian government would not be coming to their rescue. They would be on their own and quickly disowned.

She warred between admitting as much to the major and requesting someone else assigned to her besides Caeso. Someone that could focus without being swayed by personal ties. But a larger part of her felt more loyal to her classmate. Even if he didn't, she counted him as one of the few close friends she had. She gave him a silent look as if to say: don't make me regret this.

"I'm with you, Caeso," she finally whispered back. And even smaller that he might miss it. "Always."

Promptly turning back to the two superiors, she nodded, smoothing light hair beneath one of her ears. "We accept this mission."

 

[Caeso Diemut]

I'm with you, Caeso.

"It is decided, then," he said, returning a small but firm nod. Perhaps there were a few shrewd Initiates among the Gilded Class who would've pounced on the opportunity to decline the mission, but, in general, Major Ramstel would be hard-pressed to find them. The Academy did not teach one to shrink from challenges. And for Caeso, with a kinsman's life potentially on the line, it went double for him.

Set and focused on their present task, Caeso did miss the added word, this coming and going like a breath on the wind.

When both the Initiates had turned back, their assent given, Major Ramstel said, "Good. Good. Out of the options available, the 'Initiate' option had its detractors among my peers. The two of you were selected as the most suitable for the sensitive nature of this mission. Had you declined, we would have to explore those other—and in my opinion less promising—options."

The Vestigare Officer continued, addressing Lumen's other questions (and inadvertently touching on one of the thoughts she had), saying, "You will be on your own for this task. So no contact. Either you'll see Lucius and Joanna returned here to Vel Luin, or you'll return yourselves with the news of what happened."

Caeso held back his disquiet at the matter-of-fact manner in which the Officer said that.

"A vessel will be departing here from Vel Luin bound for Annuakat in a few hours," Major Ramstel said. "This gives you time to have a change of clothes, lose the armor and weapons, and settle into whatever assumed identities you wish; I will ensure that you two will have a place aboard that vessel." Then he finished the brief with this: "You are being given astounding leeway with this mission and how you approach it, and with this leeway comes no shortage of responsibility. Make Vel Anir proud, Initiates."

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

The Major didn't say the third option. That she and Caeso wouldn't return at all.

Make Vel Anir proud, Initiates.

"Yes sir. Ma'am," she saluted to them both. She and Caeso were ushered through a doorway and into a second room where sets of clothing and other travel items were spread out among hangers and table surfaces. They were to discard their current clothing, armor, and weapons and choose the items they wanted for this mission.

"I'll leave you to it, then. Make sure you don't miss the ship departing from Dock A."

Lumen waited until the door was closed and she was finally left alone with Caeso. Reaching out, her fingers ran through the different clothing fashions. It was clear these were native to garb that those in the desert would wear. Clothing light enough to withstand the heat but protective against the sand and sun.

"Caeso," she murmured as she held up a set of robes. Then her tawny-eyes found his own gaze. "Tell me I can count on you to keep a levelhead through this?"

 

[Caeso Diemut]

Caeso looked over the array of attire on display for them in the adjacent room. This made things easy and simple, for no matter what background he and Lumen came to adopt, it was common and accepted for those who traveled in the desert to wear such garments as these.

Being without his weapons would be irksome in the same way a small splinter in one's hand was irksome, but it should not matter overly much. Perhaps they wouldn't need them at all, though that felt like wishful thinking. Daggers were always an option and could be acquired locally. If all else failed and peril necessitated force, they had their magic; discretion, as the Major said, would be the key.

He met Lumen's gaze when she spoke.

"Allow me to be clear then," he said. "My concern is foremost for Lucius, for such concern is inevitable for those who owe loyalty to kin. This mission comes with great danger, both to ourselves personally and for our home of Vel Anir, yet this danger is to me no deterrent. A good many Initiates would say the same, boasting of fearlessness as we are inclined to do; as for me, I do not go as a display of such fearlessness, but as I have said for the welfare and safe return of my cousin. Would it do, then, to see him returned to Vel Anir if I through careless blunders have brought Vel Anir and the Empire to war? I shall merely have traded one kind of peril for another. No, if war is to come, it must not be because of our forthcoming actions, but rather wholly from Empire aggression. It is not my intent to give them easy cause and justification for war. I will see Lucius—and Joanna—returned without national incident. That is my stake, of which I am sure Major Ramstel is aware or at least suspects, and thus why I was one of the two selected."

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

She waited a moment when he finished speaking.

Caeso could be verbose sometimes and she never wanted to cut him off unless she absolutely had to. Fingers began unstrapping her sword. And her mother's shield.

"Alright."

A firm nod to him.

"I trust you."

And it was as simple as that. Very carefully, she placed her sword and shield on an empty table. Sorrow and tension briefly flickering across her features as her fingers trailed over the well-worn surface. It was hard for her to leave these things behind. Even if she was confident that if they - no when they came back, she'd see them again.

"So, what should our story be?" She went toward a table with satchels next, perusing some basic supplies. The major had implied they should be newlyweds and she was curious as to if Caeso had his own approach he wanted to take.

 

[Caeso Diemut]

I trust you.

Caeso's hand paused for a moment on the fabric of some desert robes. The sheer novelty of hearing sentiments of that nature, spoken so forthrightly, was arresting. One simply didn't encounter it among Initiates, let alone Dreadlords. Even Mieri, bright and cheery as she ostensibly was, would sooner throw fists than say anything of the sort.

But Lumen had always been an exception.

He did not know of the exact significance of the sword and shield, but he did notice the attachment she had to them, the value they held to her beyond mere armaments.

Caeso walked over toward that empty table as well, unstrapping the scabbards of his twin swords from his back as he did. "A backstory based around Elbion was the first idea of mine, especially considering the easy excuse of the College in case our magic was required, but I feel as though it is too close to the Empire, too easy for our fabrications to be unraveled."

He laid his weapons down on the table.

"Alliria, repugnant stew of various peoples that it is, would serve. All that binds them together is money, and this lends itself well to our purposes." He smirked a little, "One might be hard-pressed to throw a stone anywhere upon Arethil and not by chance strike a traveling, gawking, well-to-do Allirian."

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

"I think we can pull that off," eyes flickered to his smirk before they returned to the satchels. She picked a dark brown one out and began packing some other sets of clothing inside. "And I agree. As long as we both know the basic geography of the city, I think we'll be okay. The only problem would be if we run into the other, traveling, gawking, well-to-do Allirians and they press us for information."

A quick, small smile toward Caeso.

Then a quick breath.

"If we're to convince others that we're in a relationship, then we're going to have to get comfortable with each other real quickly. I think it will be the smaller gestures. Smaller touches that will hold our story."

Trying to keep a straight face, she held out her hand to him.

"For example. Are you going to be okay with holding my hand?"

 

[Caeso Diemut]

Without hesitation, Caeso half-turned from the table and enveloped Lumen's hand with his own, squeezing with the light and affectionate pressure one might see from couples their age (none of whom came from the Academy) found in towns and villages throughout the Republic.

"A gesture, carefully crafted for the purpose of deception, ultimately meaningless," he said, and then let go. "I agree that the charade will need to be convincing, and therein the true challenge, to act outwardly less as Dreadlords as we are more accustomed, and more like..."

Normal people? Regular people? Ordinary people? It seemed that every which way he could phrase the comparison was somehow a backhanded insult to both Lumen and himself. The moment brought to extreme clarity the sheer difference between Dreadlords and the rest of the populace, be they of the commons or highborn. He had to move on from it, lest he inadvertently insert a wedge into that crack in the foundation of his life.

"...a happy Allirian couple."

He started to take off of his armor, starting with his leather cuirass and pauldrons.

"How difficult could it be?"

Lumen

 

[Lumen]

Warmth. Calluses upon calluses. Hands crafted from growing up in the Academy together. Fingers entwined for a moment before he pulled away. Her own hand quickly lowered to her side, fingers flexing.

Color her surprised.

She truly thought he would make a speech about how he didn't want to ruin her marriage prospects. Then again, he said exactly how this all was. How it was supposed to be.

Meaningless.

She stared at him for a moment. She'd already seen him with far less clothing but for some reason, she felt like she should look away now. She busied herself with packing up. More sets of clothing. Supplies for the road. Rations. There was even a wad of different currencies.

Then she too, began to unstrip her armor. Layer by layer. There was no separate changing area of screen. And on this mission, it's not as if she and Caeso would share a separate room or even a separate bed. They might as well get used to it now. But she did turn her back to him. Long, golden hair falling past her shoulder blades as her bare skin felt the air.

"I think we'll make it work," she said quietly on the subject of how difficult could it be.

 

[Caeso Diemut]

As Caeso shed himself of the rest of his armor and his usual clothes, it was all he could do in the name of decency to have his back turned to the sound made by Lumen's own undressing. His father Sabian stressed propriety often in his earlier correspondences, and Caeso did indeed take this to heart to what extent that he could; there was not much one could do in the communal bathing environment of old in the Academy, with Proctors ready to pounce on any sign of disobedience. Sabian, perhaps heading off whatever forthcoming concerns would arise when Caeso grew into adolescence, also wrote that there were no Ladies in the Academy. And while Caeso agreed with the spirit of this sentiment, still he gave deference to the respect a woman's chastity was due, highborn or no.

It was the reason he flat-out refused the lecherous offer afforded them of visiting a brothel—a brothel—of all places during the old way. Much damage had that day done to his formerly untarnished view of the old way, and to his opinion of his peers who with all but slavering countenances accepted the scandalous offer.

Putting on the desert clothes was a far quicker process than taking off all of his own garments and armor. Naturally. Had they been going to the Tundra, like one of those missions from the previous year, certainly the dressing process would have been more involved.

He didn't turn around just yet.

"Indeed we will, because we must. Dreadlords are meant to be weapons, and we may become anything that is required of us: from the mightiest of warhammers to the finest of daggers."

Lumen