Fable - Ask It's What's On the Inside That Counts

[Kailyn]

Surprise flecked her features.

No argument? No protest?

Interesting. She'd expected some form of push-back but was all the more grateful there hadn't been.

"I hope you bring something a little less gruesome to read next time," she suggested quietly, a small twist in the corner of her mouth as she turned to leave.

The next day, Kailyn showed up on time. She held a basket looped within one arm.

 

[Gaheris]

It was almost as if he had prescribed an hour, and when the hour had passed, that was acceptable to him. Truly the inner machinations of the Imperial Mortician's mind were an enigma.​

​

"Don't count on it," was his dismissive response.​

​

---​

​

The following day, Gaheris arrived only a few moments after Kailyn. He carried the same black book, and upon seeing her there first, stopped dead in his tracks. To show up early was a surprise, but the basket was suspect. He regarded her warily.​

​

"Why do you have a basket...?"​

 

[Kailyn]

She blinked at the man, frowning slightly. If anyone had a right to be mistrusting, it was the former slave. Perhaps the heels he wore were pinching his toes too much and made him the way that he was. Hand pulled the fabric on top of the basket aside, revealing some pastries and grapes.

"Breakfast. I imagine students and teachers learn and instruct better on a full stomach rather than an empty one."

She offered out the basket, letting him choose what he wanted.

 

[Gaheris]

Breakfast. In a basket. Gaheris could see clearly now: this woman was made up entirely of grand, childlike innocence. His response was a forced, demure smile. Something between embarrassed and pitying.​

​

"Pleasant instinct. But I've already eaten," Gaheris said.​

​

Salted fish, cheese, a little bread. That was all a person needed to get through the lion's share of the day. No pastries. Those were for children. And troubled harem girls, apparently.​

​

A grape, though...​

​

He plucked one grape from the basket, popping it into his mouth as he turned and walked back to his precious, precious bench. "Get started when you're finished. Stay on the mat this time."​

 

[Kailyn]

She must've been very hungry because when she looked again, the man wasn't wearing heels. Something in his tone made her suspicious as to whether or not he thought the instinct pleasant at all.

A small frown graced her lips.

"Okay," she sat on the bench next to him as if it was the most natural thing in the world and placed the basket between them. She took out a buttery croissant and some grapes and began munching, taking her time.

Finishing, she used a napkin to daintily clean her lips then stood, settling herself on the mat. This time she was wearing loose fitting pants and lose linen shirt. Honeyed-amber eyes closed with one last glance to her tutor.

 

[Gaheris]

Gaheris once again rolled his eyes, but otherwise let the bothersome woman eat at her leisurely pace. It was her funeral anyway. The longer she put it off, the longer she'd be here instead of pursuing whatever aims idle women of the court pursue.​

​

Maybe embroidery. But that was more an Allirian thing.​

​

When she finished, he only glanced up to confirm she was meditating properly. Once again, the only sound that dared permeate the quiet garden was the crinkle of parchment. Gaheris said nothing for the full hour - a testament to Kailyn's meditative prowess. Or maybe he wasn't paying attention.​

​

"That's it for the day," he announced, once he'd judged an hour to have passed. "You can go now."​

 

[Kailyn]

Two weeks went by doing the same thing. Same mat. Same courtyard. Varied breakfasts, though.

On this particular morning she met the man with the glossy, white hair at the same place, fully expecting to her mind wander for the next hour. Every now and then, she'd drift into her ability. See what he was reading, though, she no longer shared those moments with him. She thought it might unnerve him too much. And what had he said? That it was nothing more than a parlor trick.

She only wished he read more interesting things.

"Good morning," she looked around not seeing the mat. "No mediation today?" Brows rose along her sun-kissed face.

 

[Gaheris]

Gaheris was snoozing on the bench when she arrived. Long night. It must have involved a lot of bodies, as the normally faint smell of cinnamon was remarkably stronger today. Anything to replace the scent of decay. His head lifted, and he blinked wearily at Kailyn.​

​

"Don't get your hopes up," he grunted, lifting himself from the bench, dragging himself to the corner. All his limbs felt like dead weight, and it showed.​

​

From a different corner of the courtyard, he dragged out another rolled up mat - although it was larger and coarser. More of a carpet. Once that was snapped and rolled out, he wandered off again and came back with two blocks. Or rather, a marble brick and a bronze bar.​

​

They were rather small, barely the size of his own palm. Gaheris presented them to her.​

​

"Pick your," he paused to yawn, "Favorite."​

 

[Kailyn]

She eyed the man, a small frown pulling at her lips.

"They have some fresh chai made in the kitchens every morning." It was clear she was a little concerned at his fatigue. And his lack of self-care.

Did she have a favorite?

Amber eyes trained downward at his outstretched palms. She pointed to the marble brick.

 

[Gaheris]

"I'm sure they do," Gaheris shortly answered. "Go sit down with that."​

​

He passed the marble brick to her and took the bronze bar back to the bench with him. The tired mortician sat himself down once again, arms splayed along the back of the bench in an attempt to relax. The bronze bar was left just next to him.​

​

Gaheris yawned again, before continuing.​

​

"You're a Transmuter, meaning you can change the physical properties of matter with magic. This can have useful applications beyond painting, or whatever it is you said you did. But in order to change an object from one form to another, you've got to be intimately familiar with the form you're turning it into."​

​

"So go on. Meditate on that marble brick for..." Gaheris trailed off and massaged his brow. A cynical sort of person would assume he was estimating just how much time he could get away with sleeping for, but thankfully there were no cynical people here.​

​

"Three hours. Really get to know it."​

 

[Kailyn]

"I don't know if my magic works exactly like that," she commented quietly but went diligently to the mat like a nun going to morning prayers at the crack of dawn every day. Crossing her legs, fingers cradled the marble brick in her lap. Fingertips ran over the surfaces, acquainting herself with all the imperfections.

Three hours passed as a bird flew over and pooped previously close to where Gaheris sat.

 

[Gaheris]

"Use of magic is a skill," Gaheris replied, yawning ambivalently into his hand. "It can be taught like any other."​

​

Peasant mentality as usual. But not everyone had the gift of several formal half-educations. Gaheris was, unfortunately, far too drowsy to move himself to feel either pity or disdain. Instead, he passed out around the half-hour mark. Chin down, arms folded across his chest: the picture of academic integrity.​

​

A wet splattering sound eventually woke him up, close to the three hour mark judging from where the sun was. He blinked, confused, until he saw bird shit on his bronze bar.​

​

"Fuck off," he rasped, throat dry.​

​

As with any nap, he felt worse afterwards, and his joints cracked audibly as he peeled himself from the bench. Careful to avoid the contaminated parts, he picked the bronze bar off the bench and went to drop it in the fountain.​

 

[Kailyn]

Kailyn cracked her eyes opened and stretched, resting the marble block on the mat next to her.

"Did you have a good nap?"

There was a spark of humor in her eyes.

She stood, fingers working some knots out of her lower back, thumbs pressing into stiff and sore muscles.

"What is supposed to happen exactly?"

 

[Gaheris]

Gaheris stooped over to dunk the bar in the fountain, giving it a little swirl to encourage the bird shit to separate from it. What a joke. He did not dignify Kailyn's first question with an answer, as that would mean acknowledging he had been asleep for any period of time.​

​

"Nothing."​

​

He set the cleaned bar on the top of the basin walls. Rubbing his hand off on his shirt, he turned to face Kailyn.​

​

"You are being familiarized with inward focus and material substance," he droned. "How do you think magic works?"​

 

[Kailyn]

A slow blink at the man.

The artist in her got distracted as the light from the courtyard brought out the lighter shades of his hair. Highlights and lowlights. His pallor skin. Those dark circles beneath those haughty eyes. His full lips.

"I didn't think much of magic until this happened to me. I had no pre-expectations for how magic should work."

Fingers continued to work at the muscles along her back.

"Except that it has a cost."

 

[Gaheris]

Yes, he did have full lips. Presently they were pressed into a thin line as he debated whether or not to explain the finer points of how magic should work. Evidently his sense of obligation won out, as he trudged back to his bench to sit.​

​

"Well, you know that much," he said, scratching an ear with his pinky. "Think of magic like energy. Ambient energy. Do you know what that means?"​

 

[Kailyn]

She nodded.

"Sure. Energy that's just...around?" Hand waves loftily through the air.'

Kailyn took a moment, gaze flickering to the ground, then up toward her tutor. A shy look in her eyes.

"Would you mind if I painted you one day? Out here?"

 

[Gaheris]

So she knew what ambient meant. Having a good vocabulary was as important for learning magic as it was for writing. Lots of high concepts. Gaheris opened his mouth to continue, but had his train of thought derailed when she abruptly offered to paint him.​

​

He closed his mouth, regarding her curiously, which then morphed into a wry, amused smile.​

​

"Oh? Am I so worth painting?"​

 

[Kailyn]

Her turn to look at him like he was looking at her. A mirrored-gaze. Fingers came to tuck locks of brown behind a curved ear.

"Of course. Why wouldn't you be?"

A shy glance back to the fountain then back to the mortician.

Kailyn had an unnatural and perhaps annoying to some gift to see the beauty in almost anything - anyone. It's how she survived her past. How she survived the grueling journey from Cerak At'Thul on the slaver's ship.

 

[Gaheris]

Gaheris drummed his fingers along the back of the bench. He shrugged. "I don't know. Not many people offer to render portraits of their undertaker, so I just assumed..."​

​

Back in Cortos, only the wealthy ever had portraits of themselves made. Gaheris supposed that he, occasionally, had enough money to pay for a cheap one... But what would he do with it? He traveled too much. Which was already inconvenient without a giant canvas slab to lug around with him.​

​

"And how does that process go? You pose me and I sit still for ten hours?"​

 

[Kailyn]

Lips twitched along one corner.

"Perhaps not that long."

Twitching pulled into a genuine smile.

"Think of it like practice on...meditation. If you are agreeable to this, then let's postpone tomorrow's lesson. Meet here same time? I'll bring my art supplies."

 

[Gaheris]

Postpone tomorrow's lesson? Inconceivable. At least, it would have been, if Gaheris had been paid any extra money for taking on this responsibility. Or afforded any additional privilege at all. Which he, sadly, was not.​

​

A free portrait would certainly make up for the regular inconvenience, plus the hazard pay of nearly being shit on by a bird...​

​

"Meditation. Right," he echoed. Saucy little minx. "Fine then, you've convinced me."​

​

He certainly didn't sound like he needed much convincing.​

​

"Bring whatever you like. But you're keeping that brick."​

​

He was referring to the chunk of marble that still lay close to her. Apparently it was to have some recurring importance. Gaheris stood, immediately reminding him how stiff his limbs were after that nap. Strange that he needed reminding.​

​

---​

 

[Kailyn]

"Deal," she smiled, grip tightening around the marble brick.

"Until tomorrow." Turning on her heel, she left the stiff-limbed mortician.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning she was in the courtyard before her tutor. Easel was set-up in one corner. Paints out. Pallet of mixed paints in one hand and her brush in the other. A smock was tied over her clothing.

No converse.

Some sandals. Brick was in one of her back pockets. She eyed the lighting and seemed satisfied enough. Now she just needed her subject.

 

[Gaheris]

He arrived promptly, if not altogether urgently. His nose wrinkled slightly at the easel, and at Kailyn in her painter's get-up. All dolled up and ready to paint. How delightfully quaint. Say what you would about the God-Emperor, he certainly knew how to stock a harem.​

​

Gaheris was not dressed much different from his usual manner. The same comfortable traveler's clothes, though much more pristine now that he lived in a literal palace.​

​

"Try not to look too excited," he said, dragging his fingers through his hair. Didn't want to be immortalized with knots. "Where do I stand?"​

 

[Kailyn]

“Here,” corners of her lips twitched as she parked herself in front of him. Fingers enclosed around his upper arms and she gently but surely guided him to the angle and spot where the light hit him just right. Fingers released him.

“There.” A real smile up at the man.

“Perfect.”

Backing up, she ducked behind the easel. Brush went in one hand and with rhythmic strokes, she began painting the man. “Have you been with the empire long?”
Idle chat to pass the time.