Private Tales Light After Dark

[Audreyn]

She blinked at him, his words catching her off guard.

First off-- What? Was that another language? She gave his papers a wary look before fidgitting with the front of her dress.

Which lead her to her second point of confusion. She glanced down at herself, growing self-conscious for what felt like the first time in her life. "I... hadn't really thought about it..." She admitted, wrapping her arms around herself as she considered the cold for the first time. Her shoulders dropped, relenting to his logic.

"But I can't take charity," she admitted, a slight flush to her cheeks. It was a concept her father had drilled into her long ago-- don't take favors. Don't take help. Earn your way or don't take at all.

His aversion to it made sense now. Still, a moment of clarity over her father's issues didn't mean she could discard morals that had long since become her own.

She flailed in place, desperate for a solution that allowed her to walk out of this chaos with just a little bit of dignity. "I can... carry your bags?" She offered, her gaze upwards matching that desperate need to retain something of herself here.

Just say yes.

 

[Gerrard]

"Fine," he agreed with a wave of his hand. "You can carry something anyway. Starting with your own bags."

Curiosity flashed across his face briefly. In the face of everything that had happened to her she still desperately wanted to hold on to some pride. He could respect that. If she had some determination still then perhaps she would have the drive and diligence to overcome her academic disadvantages and learn how to use her abilities.

"We're going to be on the road for five days and nights. Yoy currently have just a dress. What are we going to need then? Hmm." Gerrard left a space of silence for her to fill in. It was such a simple question but he wanted to see her stop worrying about her pride and apply herself to something useful. If she wanted to start with carrying then she could carry what they needed back from the market.

 

[Audreyn]

"I-I don't know .... a cloak?" She offered, hesitant but not meek. As long as she was doing something for it...

"Warmer stockings and... maybe a blanket?" That seemed like enough. And she could carry his things in the blanket, like a sack. She nodded at her own resourcefulness, her hands dropping from their crossed position at her chest.

She stepped deeper in, going to his bed to tug on his blankets and tidy up too. She wasn't entirely sure where the line was yet, but winter items were expensive.

"So where are we going, anyway?" She asked, a small bit of excitement entering her tone. "After the assassin?"

 

[Gerrard]

"Then we'll go get those things," he said. One thing Gerrard wasn't short of was coin. His titles and lands had been transferred to his younger brother. Thomas still sent him a wage which he was more than comfortable living off. He suspected the authorities of Elbion were aware of this. The monarchy of Vel Anir had offered him a minor title if he was willing to turn his research to making new magic methods of destruction to turn on the city's enemies. He suspected he was still allowed that wage to keep him from taking up the offer. In truth he had his own drive and wouldn't have his work subverted but he made the effort to visit the courts of the King every year to make it seem it could tempt him.

Gerrard shook his head. "He won't leave a trace. Will have gone to lick his wounds before tracking us again. You really want to meet him again?"

He considered the possibility. If someone had murdered someone close to him he would certainly go out for revenge. Whilst he wasn't about to dissuade her from the notion, he knew that if the assassin came back with renewed determination she was more likely to burn herself out that get her vengeance.

 

[Audreyn]

A hard gleam entered her, the girl nodding sharply once.

"He can't get away with what he did. He... he just can't." She smoothed out his pillow, slowly stepping away from it all as anger grew inside her gut. "And the people that hired him. The ones that did this. I want to find them. I don't care if they're nobles or the king of the world itself, I'm going to stop them," she told him, completely confident in this as she looked back his way.

"They aren't doing this to another family again."

 

[Gerrard]

Grey eyebrows shot upwards as the intensity of her proclamation. The Order of the Steel Coin was far beyond their ability to bring down. No one even knew if they had leaders or were just a loose collective of mages prepared to swap money for a life. There was also the small matter of him being barred from the city of Elbion.

He quite liked this passion from her so he decided not to dissuade her from the quest just yet. If they had to part ways in a few months so she could try and seek an even high revenge then so be it. It was perhaps part of her process of grieving. Gerrard hard to remind himself just what she had been through.

"Very well," Gerrard said. He took his purse and coat and went for the door, locking it behind them.

"Can't promise they'll have much choice in such a small village," he said, heedless of the fact that her own wasn't even half the size of this.

 

[Audreyn]

"Village?" She followed up. "This is like. A city."

She had seen it from outside the window, and boy did it look exciting. They pushed onward to the street, and through the streets to the market stalls. Her eyes widened significantly, her steps slowing as she tried to catch sight of it all.

"They must have a trading route," she noted, wrapping her arms around herself to starve off the chill. "Maybe a.... maybe a cloak first?" She asked, a touch timid about doing so.

 

[Gerrard]

"City? No. You could maybe call this a town." Gerrard turned and looked over his shoulder and then ahead once more. He pursed his lips in thought.

"No. Definitely a village." Perhaps, he thought to himself, he would need to take her to Vel'anir. He cast an eye over her briefly. If he took her to one of the balls in a fashionable dress she would probably catch a few eyes. There would need to be a few lessons in ettiquete first.

"They sit on a crossroads, so make good trade. Coat, cloak and scarf I think. Temperatures will start to drop quickly soon."

 

[Audreyn]

She paled a little over the thought, already uncomfortable with the chill. "...andperhapssomewoolenunderwear," she mumbled, quickly darting forward to avoid dealing with his response.

She had never really had to be out in the cold before. Winter was a time for farmers to hole up and wait out the brutal chill. Being a girl, she hadn't ever been tasked with more than fetching wood or briefly milking the cows before she could dart back inside and bask in the warmth that was a constant fireplace.

The prospect of living without shelter... Well it was a hitch in the small bit of excitement she felt. And she did feel excitement, oddly enough. Though the circumstances still burned holes through her chest, this change in her life wasn't entirely all grim.

She left him for a display of cloak, her eyes naturally going to the prettiest one. Pale blue. Embroidered flowers along the hems. Totally impractical for travel. She forced her gaze onto practical wool ones instead.

 

[Gerrard]

Gerrard had no response for that whatsoever. He hung back and let her walk on ahead. Whilst he had a vested interest in ensuring she had suitable clothes and equipment for the ride he had absolutely no part to play in the purchasing of women's underthings.

Fortunately she was looking at cloaks so he lengthened his stride to catch up.

"If you want something that will suffer the conditions without looking like peasant wear then find a blue or green woollen cloak and find a matching broach or two," he suggested. Just because she had made the suggestion it didn't mean she had to look a servant on the road. His generosity had its limits of course; red, black and purple were far too expensive. He would be surprised if the market village even had such colours.

 

[Audreyn]

She double took, her expression softening at his suggestion. She immediately flickered towards another pale blue cloak, simple compared to the other, yet thick and nicely woven. It would last her long time. Far beyond their acquaintance, which made her swallow hard and blink back a smidgen of moisture in her eyes.

She had stopped questioning his generosity, but that didn't mean it wouldn't have its moments of getting to her.

She took a deep breath and unfurled it, bringing it around her shoulders and shivering against the warmth the warmth that it began to build. She looked down at herself and nodded, satisfied. "This one then." It looked rather nice with her eyes.

She glanced down at the brooches and bit her lip, abruptly uncomfortable with making that pricey selection. Her eyes then flickered to a stall with assorted underthings and she blushed, slipping off the cloak.

"How about I leave you to figure this out and I just go-" she made vague motions towards that cart, these two shopping spots a little uncomfortable for her to do with him. Both for the costs and ... the objects. It was easier to accept a blanket.

She needed more blanket carts.

 

[Gerrard]

Gerrard rather hastily took some coin from his purse and handed it over. It was entirely too much for what she needed to purchase but he had no interest in enquiring any further.

Instead he turned his attention to the brooches, keeping the cloak over one arm. He found an old fashioned one made of bronze with blue stones. Then he negotiated for a second, more plain brooch of pewter; they were easy things to lose.

He paid whilst keeping Audreyn in his peripheral vision. Taking his time, he managed to leave the stall and catch up to her after she had finished purchasing some additional warm clothes and was perusing some blankets.

"Here," he said, offering the small bundle.

 

[Audreyn]

She had even managed a woolen dress, of which she was quite proud of. There was no doubt now that she would be fine in this weather, her eyes alight as she held the top of it up for him to see. Another soft blue, a color she had never been able to indulge in before. Her coin all gone, she accepted the bundle with an appreciative nod. She had stopped saying thank you constantly, the girl learning appropriate humbleness without getting annoying.

"You know, I think with these things I won't even need a blanket. I can just wear them all on my body, no need to turn it into a pack either." She was, however still thrifty. That would likely never change. "We can be done here?"

 

[Gerrard]

The first few hours of riding on the road were done in near silence. Gerrard had his head down and rode out in front, dismissing any attempt at conversation. They had found a placid horse that would follow his own all day. It was no magnificent Mount, slow and dependable. That was all they needed right now.

Gerrard had set a few magic wards on a simple leather strap hanging from his saddle. Any scrying magic directed at the pair would set it off. At least he hoped so. There was a chance the Order of Steel Coin had techniques he was not aware of. Fortunately he knew this road and there were few places to mount an ambush. Setting camp would be the danger. Yet whilst Gerrard was no battle mage, there were few who could prepare a dangerous layer of wards and traps quite like he could.

He took them off the beaten path at the sound of rushing water, drawing his horse to a stop beside a stream.

"Now it would not normally be the best place to start teaching, but I feel that if you could learn to control a fireball you might be less likely to burn away my eyebrows. How does that sound?"

 

[Audreyn]

A day of firsts, Audreyn had been totted dutifully along behind him, gazing in wonder as the land passed them. Thankfully, a farm girl had cause to ride a horse. While the saddle was new to her, the canter was not and she held her own without undo issue. The sore rear forming though...

She slide off the docile creature, patted his snout and rubbing her ass as Gerrard leveled his question.

She visibly paled, looking up at him in apprehension. "Are you-... are you sure that's wise? Last time I did anything I-" nearly burnt the world to a crisp. She was in no hurry to repeat this experience.

 

[Gerrard]

"It will give you a real outlet to show you have control. You've managed to mostly burn yourself out but normally a student learns all the layers of control well before they have so much power."

Gerrard shrugged. "A fireball is easy, by comparison."

It would have been easy to make the decision for her. After all he was the expert in the matter. If he started going down that path then she would only end up being more dependant on her decisions.

"You want the good and bad news of each options and you can decide for yourself?"

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn blinked, not expecting it to be so much of an option, really. She was pleasantly surprised that she could resist this. Or that he'd even let her. The ability to chose made her more willing to listen, so after a moment of consideration... she gave a hesitant nod.

"Okay. Lay them on me."

 

[Gerrard]

"So if we focus on establishing fundamental control the bad news is that it will take longer to give you all the techniques you need to protect yourself. On the plus side the risk of losing complete control is quite low."

Unless you met, for example, the man who killed your parents before your eyes, he added to himself.

"Also if you do lose control you won't suffer for very long. Before you either extinguish your own life force or burn your body to a crisp.

" If we learn fireballs it's a cheap trick to burn off your excess power, but you might burn your own hands a few times doing it. Maybe lose your eyebrows for a few days."

 

[Audreyn]

She stared blankly at him, none of his words reassuring.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were going to give me ... two sides? It... sounds like you're saying I have to use it no matter what. Can't you just turn it off again? Why is it even so strong to begin with?" She near demanded, frustrated with it all.

"What if I... just decide I don't want it? What then? Why can't that be an option?"

 

[Gerrard]

He pondered the possibility for a few seconds.

"There are artefacts that can surpress magical abilities. They are rare and expensive. But why would you? No don't answer I know the answer, sorry. But just imagine what it could be. Magic is...it has limits and laws but compared to what you can do without it, it might as well be without limits. Do you really want to forsake all that it could be?"

 

[Audreyn]

She frowned down at herself, considering this. " I don't... really care about being a dem-... what ever this is anymore. They're gone, they're dead. I'm not going back, so what does it matter?" She shrugged a little, feeling defeated. She pet her horse, then burying her face into his neck for a moment before she spoke again.

"I just don't want to hurt anyone." Except her parents killer. Which she begrudgingly acknowledged she'd need her abilities for.

She frowned, chewing at her lip. "...You think the fireball is the best option?" She hesitated for a moment, then nodded, sounding tired. "Okay. Let's just... let's just do it."

She abandoned her horse, moving towards the stream. "Do I have to get in it again?" She asked, her nose crinkling.

 

[Gerrard]

"No I'm not going to make you get in the water again," he tentatively laughed. She probably didn't think it was all that amusing at all. "But it would be better to have somewhere to throw the thing that won't burst into flames."

He considered how far they were from the horses and the stream and took a step closer to face her square on. His expression turned serious.

"That fire, can you visualise it? How does it burn right now?"

 

[Audreyn]

She blinked, finding the question odd but willing to give it a try regardless. She swallowed hard and shifted a bit in place, trying to get comfortable and calm herself enough to not have to deal with her eyes fluttering open at the first neigh of the horses.

A few deep breaths later. She chewed on her lip once again. "Um... Like... a fire? Hot? A few new logs added in so its all night and bright but... not about to jump out of the fire pit or anything?" She peeked through her eyelash, seeking out validation with a slight embarrassed flush to her cheeks.

 

[Gerrard]

"Good. Just settle on that mental image for a few seconds. Like before, let it become more real in your mind."

Strange how it was easiest to teach building this detailed mental image of something familiar, before eventually tearing it all down and making it an instinctive process to draw strength from inside.

"Hold up your hand, palm up," he told her.

 

[Audreyn]

She took a shaky breath, growing uneasy as she forced herself to picture it again. She gingerly brought her palm up, it shaking as she held it upwards into the space between them.

"N-Now what?" She breathed, trying to keep herself calm. She wasn't going to blow up another house. They weren't even in a house.

The strength of the power inside of her startled her greatly. It wasn't a small or simple trickle of a new mage discovering their powers, it was a roaring stream of potential that had taken years to erode its path through her. How had she never noticed it before? For a flickering moment, she tried to think back. Her head spun, a slight flame appearing in her palm.

She yelped and yanked her hand back, the flame snuffing out.

She promptly looked abashed, shoving her hand back out before any disapproving look could be sent her way.

"Wasn'texpectingit."