Private Tales The Mountains Ahead

[Aviana Sabel]

She sighed softly and moved to take a seat next to him on the bed, not close enough to be intimate or so that she was touching him, but near enough to be somewhat comforting. It was difficult to tell if he was trying to reassure her, himself, or a combination of both.

Either way, she made the decision to let the weak excuse slide.

Normally, he was the cool and collected one, but perhaps it was her turn to don that calm confidence.

She took a deep breath and braced her arms behind her on the bed, tilting her head back just enough so that she could look up at the ceiling. "Everything is fine, Kasim." She murmured, using his first name instead of Mr. Areth for a change.

"If it'll make you feel better, I can keep watch while you get some rest?" She offered, turning her gaze back towards him with a raised brow.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He shook his head. "It'll be fine."

The Jester sounded a tad more confident this time.

"I'll carve a rune in the desk and the door." That would at the very least wake them up if so much as a mouse pushed against the other side of the wood. "That'll be about as good as a person."

This time Kasim didn't have to lie. Rune Magic was perhaps the best of all magics when it came to setting traps. He had rarely encountered a better way of doing it, and even the wards of College Magic didn't stand the test against some of the more complex Runes he could make.

He leaned back on the bed slightly. "We'll both need as much rest as we can get."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"You're right. Not like a rune can accidentally fall asleep." She teased quietly, running a hand through her locks.

After a brief pause, she changed the topic with a slight grin on her lips. "You're quite apt at the game, I might add." Her head canted slightly to the side as she looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. "I've never been very good at it myself. Was always worried that I was going to cause an 'incident' back home." She murmured idly, it was one of the first times that she'd actually mentioned her home outright.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim let out an amused chuckle. The game was his life, had been since before he'd become a Jester. Since then it had only gotten easier really, there were few places in the world where the game was as dangerous as it had been in Vel Anir.

Sure in some Courts you could make a fool of yourself, even earn an exile if you did something particularly wrong. But in his home one little slip could be a knife to the throat, a drop of poison in your food, half a dozen other ways to die that you would never really see coming. Politics was more dangerous than war in Vel Anir.

"I've been playing since I was a child." Kasim said with a shrug. "It comes naturally at this point."

As depressing as that was.

Kasim had never really enjoyed it, not since Vivian. As a younger man he had excelled and even pushed the envelope, but it had changed. "That was a cake walk compared to home."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

This tendril of information caught Aviana's attention and she turned towards him with an intrigued expression. A child in court wouldn't partake in the game unless he was forced to. Why would a little jester take that up? Her brow furrowed slightly.

"Where is home? I know that court on the mainland is... different than in Minaris."

Her nose wrinkled slightly when she gave the name of the city and she glanced away briefly. Until that point, she'd been careful to refer to the island of Sheketh as a whole.

She considered his words diligently. If it came so naturally to him, she would need to be more careful with what she said and how she acted. For her, the mask was a conscious effort, one that strained on her and left her feeling exhausted at the end of the day. She couldn't imagine being so accustomed to the weight of it that she considered it 'normal.'

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim stopped for a second, realizing that he had slipped up.

Perhaps it had been the drink, or perhaps he was simply coming to trust Aviana a little more. He frowned for a second, and then shrugged. They were more than a continent apart from Vel Anir, and the chance of running into any one connected to the Seven Houses was all but impossible.

Even if they did, Kasim would simply kill them. "I'm from Vel Anir."

The Jester admitted, though his tone was oddly somber. Of course she would be able to piece together that Kasim would likely be of at least minor nobility, otherwise he wouldn't know how to play the game. Beyond that she would not know more, at least he hoped not.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Of course, she'd heard of Vel Anir and just how dangerous their politics were. She found it difficult to believe that such a court would allow a child to scamper about and play their game while he learned how to juggle.

Her arms wrapped loosely around her legs, clasping her hands together in front of her shins as she watched him for a few moments. It would seem there was more to the jester than just bluster and charm. An outcast nobleman perhaps? He certainly was handsome enough to fit the bill, and it would explain just why he was so skilled with intrigue and courtly ways.

If he had something to hide, she didn't want to pry and force it out into the open. She could understand wanting to leave your home out of everyday conversation. It was... oddly comforting to realize that she wasn't the only one with a few secrets.

"You're a long ways from home, then." She mused. "I'm sure you've several stories of your own then." Her tone was playful, making it clear that she wasn't asking for the truth of how he came to be so far from Vel Anir. If anything, she was mimicking his tone when he'd first approached her.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"I'm a Bard." Kasim said as he leaned against the cold wood of the wall behind him. "I have countless stories."

He used to terms 'bard' and 'jester' almost interchangeably. It was a practice that he'd learned through one of his mentors. There was actually a distinction between the two. A Jester was an entertainer, using tricks, skills, and sometimes even small illusions. A bard on the other hand told stories and played instruments.

Kasim was technically both, but which face he wore depended on when and where he was. "It's what brought me here after all."

He smiled at her.

The history that Kasim carried with him was not something he shared lightly. It wasn't simply because he didn't trust her, but also because knowing too much about him was extremely dangerous.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Her chin came to rest against her knee as she watched him and she chuckled softly. It was dangerously easy to let her guard down with him, but he had proven to be more than reliable when the occasion called for it. He'd saved her life once already and he'd stuck with her this far, perhaps that small trust she'd developed was not entirely misplaced.

"Tales until the ends of the earth, I'm sure. But how many of them are real?" She remarked.

Though he claimed to be a bard, she'd actually not heard him spin a story, sing a song, or so much as hum a tune since they'd started traveling together.

Or, she thought dryly, she'd been dealing with a performance all along.

"So aside from picking flowers at night, what does Kasim Areth enjoy?"

 

[Kasim Areth]

"More than you'd think." Kasim said somberly, though cryptically. He wasn't just speaking of the tales of his own life of course, but most of the stories he told. The best and most engaging stories were often those that were born in truth. It helped sell it to everyone listening, but more than that, it helped grant it a certain amount of credence.

Kasim had learned that early on. Sure he embellished things, but everyone did that. Even when they were saying something about their own life. It was natural, normal even.

When she asked her next question he frowned slightly. It was an odd one to ask of him, though she didn't know half the reason why. Kasim Areth wasn't a real person, just a name that he'd made up when he'd left Vel Anir. "I'm not really sure."

He mused for a second.

"Drinking I suppose. A game of cards now and again. Telling stories." He shrugged. "Fucking."

It was crass, but utterly the truth.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

His response to the second question elicited an amused snort from the half-elf and she shook her head a few times as she chuckled quietly. It was blunt, to be sure, but he hadn't directed the sentiment at her, so it didn't make her uncomfortable. A man telling her that he enjoyed fucking might as well have declared that water was wet.

"I'd say you chose a fitting profession then." She quipped, a small smirk at the corner of her mouth.

She couldn't speak to her own opinions on the matter, as she had yet to bed a man -- though that would hardly have come as a surprise to Kasim, and she doubted that he much cared about that particular bit of history.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He shrugged. "I suppose so."

It was why he had picked it in the first place. The Freedom to travel where he wanted when he wanted, talk to everyone he saw...just do things that he couldn't have imagined before.

Reflecting on it seemed odd in a way, as if he hadn't really thought about it before. His fingers drummed on his thigh for a few seconds, and then he let his shoulders roll once more.

"I stumbled into it really." That was the truth. "Never really thought about what I was going to do before I left home."

It had been a rather panicked flight.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She leaned a shoulder against the wall, intrigued but knowing that she should pick her questions carefully.

Her next words were carefully pondered for a few moments, not wanting to say the wrong thing. "Just wanted to get away then?" She asked softly, not directly asking why he had left or what he had done before he took on the role of a jester.

It should have seemed a little strange to her, curled up on the same bed as a half naked man with the door blocked off, and slowly getting to know him. But it just seemed natural for her. That, and it was a good way to distract him from the paranoia that seemed to be gnawing at him.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Something like that." Running had been the only option at the time, that or ascend to the throne...so to speak. His family were not the Royals of Vel Anir, but close enough to it. Varik was one of the most powerful and influential even among the great House.

They controlled most of the mines around the city and two thirds of the ports. That allowed them a great amount of manufacturing capability, and thus they controlled quite a bit of the Anirian Guard. Even without being part of the ruling four Houses, Varik was still an extreme threat to the others.

That was part of why they had tried to kill Kasim so many times. He'd been the heir apparent.

He supposed running had probably helped them. "It's rather complicated."

Kasim stated simply.

"And if I told you..." He shrugged again. "You would very likely end up dead."

It was clear by his statement and tone that it would not be at his hand, but rather a force beyond his control.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana gave a silent snort, a quick burst of air through her nose at his last remark, and she glanced down at her hands clutched together around her legs. She found it a little ironic that he was concerned about her being killed if she came to learn the truth of him... and yet he faced the same peril just by traveling with her.

She wasn't sure how to broach the topic, but she thought it was only fair to warn him. He had made that clear to her, the least she could do is the same for him.

One of her hands released its hold on the other and it moved to brush her hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath and slowly released the exhale after a brief pause.

"I see... Guess I'm not the only one running from something then?" She offered tentatively, then immediately regretted it.

He'd likely assume that she'd just run away from home, and would brush it off. A silly, little, rich girl running away because she didn't like something her father told her to do, no doubt.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He didn't make the assumption entirely. From their first day of meeting Kasim had guessed that she was on the run from Something. Whether that was home, a husband she didn't want, or half a dozen other different things.

Aviana had an urgency about her, a need to keep moving. Most people didn't ever travel more than a few dozen miles from their home, and those that did usually tended to be sailors or merchants. It came as no surprise to him that she was on the run, mostly because he'd assumed it all along.

"I guess not." He answered simply.

If she wanted to offer up more details, then that was on her.

Kasim didn't feel the need to press her, not now when the danger didn't come from her home, but rather what was ahead of them tomorrow. If whatever she was running from came after them he would question her, but for now? Now there was no reason.

He had joined her at first for the story, simple curiosity, but he realized at this point after hundreds of miles that it was probably more than that now.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She had expected a judgmental look, or perhaps a string of follow up questions, but they never came. It seemed as if the both of them had a sort of understanding of one another; but she couldn't quite pin down when that had developed.

Either way, she was oddly relieved that the two of them had opened up to one another, or at least, that they had started to do so.

She gestured over to the desk with a wave of her hand. "Could you teach me? Or can I help in some way?"

 

[Kasim Areth]

"How to move desks?" Kasim asked. "I mean you just sort of grab it and then push..."

It was obvious he was simply teasing her.

The Jester knew very well what she was asking about, though the answer would be more complex than what she might be expecting. Rune Magic was not like other disciplines, not really anyway. There was no talent to it, none at all in fact, just a hell of a lot of studying.

Like learning a language really.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She scoffed at him, laughing quietly as she climbed off the bed. Her bare feet pattered softly against the wooden floor as she moved over to the desk.

"Guess I'll just start doodling then, until something starts glowing." She remarked, tracing her fingers across the wooden top of the desk.

Magic had always been one of her greatest shortfalls. It was a tender subject for her, and something she wanted to improve on if the opportunity presented itself. If she ever did see her father again, she wanted to make him proud. She remembered the first time he had tried to teach her a spell, and the crestfallen expression that had etched into the man's regal features when she had failed spectacularly.

What she could manage in spells, she had compensated for with her combat training and alchemy. That was at least something she could improve through sheer will power alone.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim chuckled. If only it was that simple. Rune Magic was exceptionally complex. Mostly this was because every line had to be perfect, every little corner, every curve. All of it had to be just right. From the simplest little rune to the most complex scrawling. Get one thing wrong and you could kill yourself.

Learning the starter runes were rather easy, really, beyond simple, but it was when you moved into the more complex that things became more difficult. "Grab some parchments from my pack, and the inkwell."

His tone was not commanding, but she'd have to follow his words if she wanted to learn.

"Then come here." Kasim wanted to do this as far from the door as possible. There was always a glow, and the further away they were from windows and doors the less of a chance there was for someone to notice.

Plus, he didn't want to get off the bed.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She moved over to the jester's pack and she rummaged through the contents to find the parchment and inkwell that he mentioned, taking great care to not snoop through the rest of the bag.

Supplies in hand, she settled back down on the bed next to him and she laid the pieces of paper down on the mattress between them. She understood the basic concepts of rune etching from her schooling, and from watching Kasim during their travels. Whether he'd realized it or not, he'd already been teaching her. After all, he'd been the one to properly explain the importance of a runes source component.

"Right. Done and done." She remarked lightly, laying down on her stomach and kicking her feet up behind her into the air.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Rune Magic isn't like any other magic." Kasim stated simply. "In most Disciplines one needs to have a particular gift in order to actually do anything."

The Jester grabbed one of the pieces of parchment and unrolled it in front of Aviana, then set the inkwell besides it. He touched neither after that, instead continuing to explain. "Empathy, College Magic, Singing the Winds, all of that requires a certain...spark within someone in order to actually work."

It was the same for the Magic of Vel Anir, Kasim's actual magic, what he had not touched in over five years now. That talent was passed down through family lines, powers and abilities that settled within lineage rather than any other circumstance. It had it's own price of course, and there was a reason Kasim never used it.

"With Rune Magic that doesn't matter." He told her simply. "You are essentially using the Runes to invoke magic. Powering it through the factors I've already told you about and then willing it with the Rune you are drawing."

He glanced down at the parchment. "That's where the difficulty comes, willing the magic."

Kasim unplugged the inkwell, dipped his finger within it, and then drew three quick lines on the paper. A symbol formed, it seemed to sit there, and then a soft glow ran around the edges of the ink. Half a second the paper folded itself over once.

"A rune like 'fold' is relatively simple, but mess it up in any way..." Kasim drew the symbol again, but this time one of the lines was slightly askew. "And the Rune will fail."

Just as he spoke the paper suddenly crumpled into a tight ball.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

A faint smile tugged at Aviana's mouth as she watched the demonstration.

"So... drawing the rune correctly is what wills the magic to take form?" She asked, glancing up at him with a raised brow.

Her eyes instinctively shifted to the plethora of runes that were etched into his flesh, looking the detailed designs over with muted interest. "Are those defensive runes, then?" She asked a second question, then realized that she hadn't waited for the answer to the first.

She blushed slightly at her rudeness and glanced back down to the parchment between them.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"No." Kasim was able to answer both questions in the same word. Teaching had never been his talent, mostly because he was far too selfish to actually let anyone learn anything he didn't want them to. The Runes though were something that he couldn't keep to himself.

They weren't his to keep secret. "The Runes themselves are what will the magic. Getting them correct is simply allowing your intent to carry through."

The concept wasn't difficult really. The Rune itself, or getting close to the rune, would invoke magic. Once that magic was invoked what happened with it depended on how well the Rune was crafted. That was why new runes could, and often were, created. As long as they were based off the Runic Language, it was not difficult to create new effect.

That was what many of the symbols decorating were.

"No. Defensive Magic cannot be carved into the flesh." He told her simply. "Runes placed into the flesh always collect their price from the flesh they are carved into."

At least in his experience. "You could use Dragon Blood or something of the sort to draw a defensive Rune, but that's still dangerous."

Mostly because there was no telling if it would touch the skin and then burn the rune into the flesh, thus re-triggering it and killing you.

"These runes." He pointed to those tattooed into his skin. "Increase my stamina, speed, resistance to the weather."

The effects all took an extreme toll on him of course. "They essentially steal energy from my body, and after I use them my body is hungrier, more tired, and more easily damaged."

Oddly enough, he did not point to any of the runes directly carved into his skin.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana noticed the difference, but she wasn't sure if it was intentional or not. "Right... that makes sense. Don't use a rune on something without a proper component that can actually handle the magical drain then." She murmured, nodding a little to herself.

"Can I ask what's the difference between a carved ruin and the tattooed ones?" She asked gently, her tone making it clear that she didn't mind avoiding the topic if he didn't wish to discuss it.

While she waited for him to explain, or change the subject, she picked up the folded piece of parchment and intently looked the simple rune over. The lines seemed simple enough, but she could see how things could quickly get complicated and intricate if you built on the rune itself.