Completed To think like them

[Leander Urahil]

Leander didn’t know how to tell the proctor that he had no clue what was actually poisoned and what wasn’t. He had not come up with any way to discern one food from the next. He had not even come with an idea on how Proctor Salak would be thinking about this trial. There was a silence that seemed to get heavier with each passing second as no one answered the proctor’s question.

Leander had only been able to make it seem like he was eating more than he actually was, which wasn’t really solving the task that proctor Salak had laid out for them. It was improvising in a moment that could potentially in the future be life or death for the young Urahil, yet as Leander thought about it, he realized that perhaps he hadn’t been as precautious as he should have been.

What if it was the ham that was poisonous? Actually, he had been touching the tuna with his fork, and with that fork he had brought to his own lips.

“Is it… anything that you didn’t touch wasn’t poisonous?” Leander asked hesitantly, bracing himself to get scolded.

Kristen Pirian Salak

 

[Salak]

Salak smiled.
"Quite right Initiate. The food I didn't touch was not poisoned in fact the way you piled food I hoped you'd figured it out."
Sitting back he gave the room a hard look.
"In fact, nothing was poisoned. It's all completely harmless."
He let that fact sit for a moment in the air.
"Can anyone tell me why I'd lie to you about such a thing?"
Again his eyes scanned the room as one by one relief washed over the Initiates. He was probably enjoying this a bit too much but after all there was no real danger.

Kristen Pirian Leander Urahil

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Proctor Salak's response to Leander's ventured answer prompted in Kristen the irrational fear, brief but quite powerful, that the tuna was indeed poisoned, and that she was going to be in for an awful time over the course of the next few days—not to mention having failed the test! But then Proctor Salak went on to say quite definitively that nothing was poisoned, and at this Kristen sat with a clearly befuddled expression. All throughout her own time at the Academy, even despite it being in the new era of the post-Revolution, always had there been tangible consequences to every test, every failure. Proctor Magomo never let her off easy. Proctor Ebersol's own series of late-night riddles had come with its own punishments for failure to solve them.

So here, yes, Kristen was stunned for a good moment, and could not then reply properly.

At last she summoned the wherewithal to hazard an answer of her own, "Proctor Salak, is it the framing of the test itself? You stated only that, for the purpose of the exercise, we have reason to believe we may be poisoned, not that..." Gods! This all sounded imbecilic now that she was saying it aloud! Agh! Just finish, just finish the thought with what confidence you can muster! "...not that the threat of poison is an absolute certainty. The exercise was, then, less about identifying foul play, and more about maintaining subtlety to ascertain whether or not foul play has even occurred."

Her thought felt incomplete, so she hastily added:

"So as not to 'spark suspicion' or perhaps cause offense at the table of an actual host, Proctor Salak."

Salak Leander Urahil

 

[Salak]

"Correct Initiate Kristen. Forgive my deception but I banked on your past experiences with other Proctors to make the threat seem real. Yet as I have said to Initiate Leander "know my motives and you'll know what is poisoned" I serve Vel Anir and so at this moment have no need to poison you. That would take you away from your studies and weaken us, even if only temporarily."
He took a drink of water before continuing.
"Regardless, you behaved BELIEVING there was poison and so you had to try and think your way out of it. A Dreadlord is more than their magic or their name or their skill at arms. A Dreadlord's first and last weapon is their mind and your experiences will test your minds. Do not neglect them and never underestimate an opponent. Learn how to do that and you can keep your physical and magical skills hidden. Any fool can measure strength once they have seen it but with a little deception your enemy will have to measure something they cannot see and fear what they do not know as you have here today."
Feeling his work done Salak sat back and closed his eyes. to relax and enjoy a class that got to where he had hoped it would.
"Now please, eat up, take some with you if you wish for later and if anyone has any questions you may ask now. Otherwise you are all dismissed."

Leander Urahil Kristen Pirian

 

[Leander Urahil]

He didn’t very much like this trial. It made him feel stupid, this play on words that had slipped his mind. Somehow all that had registered was poison and the dangerousness of this poison and yet it was for nothing. He had worried for nothing. He had taken this seriously for nothing. He had looked stupid for nothing, clearly worried about poison and being worried in being poisoned.

Leander could only find solace in the fact that he hadn’t been sent away like Iscandor had. He looked over at Pirian, upset that she had figured this out before he did. Well, looks like she was good for something then. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been rude and instead try to get her help in this. Next time, if he were ever on a mission that involved some heavy thinking or mind games he would go to recruit her to his side.

Might as well start buttering her up now.

“I’m impressed, Pirian, that you had this all figured out. Maybe even a bit envious.” And with that, Leander placed his fork and knife down. There was a strange discomfort within the middle of his palm. He wasted a second or two by cracking his knuckles. Strangely enough, despite being a bottomless pit most meal breaks, he had lost his appetite after feeling foolish for trying so hard. He passed, he’d take that, and he’d appreciate not getting Salak’s Revenge and needing to be near a lavatory for a week.

“Thank you for this lesson, Proctor Salak.” Leander said with curt simplicity and left the room.

Salak Kristen Pirian t

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen was dumbfounded. She simply couldn't believe it. Oh how the words felt so feeble on her tongue, worse in her own ears, and yet, against all odds, she had been right? If Aionus Himself granted the means for her to tell the Kristen of mere minutes ago, why, that past Kristen wouldn't believe it any such thing at all! So real had it been, the threat of poison, the consequences of failure. Only through Proctor Salak's prompting, the guiding suggestion that he had purposefully fabricated the threat of poison, was Kristen able to form the idea she had spoken aloud. Still in some way she thought that it couldn't be true, that indeed there was at least one poisoned dish on that table.

And it seemed every other Initiate at the mock feast shared the same fear. Leander was the first to rise, but, as though he were the lord and host of some actual banquet, every other Initiate followed his lead and also came to rise and make to leave. Perhaps it would be a few more generations yet before such a generous offer as Proctor Salak had given would, with all sincerity, be graciously accepted by Academy Initiates.

Kristen departed the dining hall with the rest, and, with her astonishment having greatly diminished her irritation, she came up alongside Leander as they all walked.

"The Urahil family dinners," she said, beset by curiosity, "surely they are not as bad as you suggest?"

Salak Leander Urahil

 

[Leander Urahil]

Leander had moved down the hall at a leisurely pace, but his normal stride was greater than others. He always seemed to be moving too fast as if he had somewhere important to be. Leander never rushed anywhere. If anything, too often he found himself arriving late to things. Kristen reaching his side so quickly, and with such ease, almost surprised him for a second. Almost. He had forgotten that his neck didn’t hurt when he looked at her face.

“Oh, they’re worse.” Leander said with a shrug. There was a part of him that knew divulging these private matters would be frowned upon. He could imagine Amell, because now it seemed his eldest brother only had the energy to send his most deranged mutt to handle him, lecturing him on family secrets that must never reach other’s ears. For the sake of one of the founding families left, to not tarnish the prestige, blah blah blah. Thinking it would piss off his eldest brother, Felix, Leander continued.

“Ever had a dick swinging contest with your two eldest brothers and father?” He looked over Kristen. Well, of course, she hadn’t. Women were different. “Or have a sister refuse to eat, sitting there with a empty plate even with important guests at the table, and staring straight ahead because apparently she needs to make everything about her? She gets it because she’s the youngest and the thinnest and the weakest so Oraya has to baby her. Which, obviously, pisses father off more, so he pisses off Felix or Amoux, usually both, and then they’re pissed, right? So what do they do? Take it out on someone else.” Which always tended to be him. Leander yawned. He was used to it by now and getting released from the Academy to attend these dinners didn’t happen too often.

“You should see us all on the holidays, though.” His father had strict rules about those not being from his blood attending the important family dinners. Both Felix and Amoux’s Obanese spouses weren’t allowed to participate, having to stay at their own estates. Leander imagined his sister-in-laws enjoyed the peace and quiet. Maybe they even looked forward to having their husbands depart to Urahil Manor. Holidays were different. They had to keep up that traditional appearance of being united. It was only on holidays that he would see his niece, Alice, or his Uncle Kendrick (he was still in deep shit from losing that invaluable antlered scabbard, the dagger long gone, belonging to Godfrey Urahil to some smarmy winged elf named Darius). It was also when the cadet house, Quillon, came to celebrate their shared blood.

“If you ever want free entertainment I could always extend an invite. Maybe you’ll get to meet my fiancée when I do.” He still had his fingers crossed that it was his father who had chosen the woman and he followed the pattern of selecting a woman from Oban. Something in his gut told him he shouldn’t get his hopes up. Leander felt the secret engagement was some ploy by Felix.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

In all truthfulness, it was not as though every single dinner Kristen had attended at the Pirian Estates was enjoyable. Family was a precious thing, but absolutely not a perfect thing, and there were most certainly times of squabble and strife. But, goodness, Leander made it seem as though what he relayed was in fact commonplace rather than the exception. It had to be exaggeration, embellishment, right?

What caught Kristen most off guard, however, was Leander's casual mention of something toward the end.

"You...are already betrothed?"

No matter her personal opinion of Leander, she ought to have been happy for him, for marriage was a lovely thing. Yet she couldn't help but to feel bothered, envious, even if she truly ought not, even if it was unseemly for her to feel so. But it was there. That tiny poison seed of doubt, of feeling not good enough, of feeling unworthy, that Leander should have this and that she did not.

Leander Urahil

 

[Leander Urahil]

“You sound shocked.” The corner of his mouth quirked up as he glanced towards Kristen, a blonde brow rising up in a subtle arch. Leander was surprised to see her having a hint of surprise. He considered why she would be, maybe because he was still an initiate or because Oraya still wasn’t married—it was wellknown that her engagements kept falling through.

The smirk faded away into a small frown of soft contemplation.

“An official announcement hasn’t been made. But from what my cousin told me, the deal is done.” That’s all marriage was for the Urahils: suitable arrangements to keep the power that they held. Another shrug, another yawn, if only to show he wasn’t bothered by not knowing who she was. “Not that it matters. I’ll probably cheat on her all the time anyhow.”

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"Leander!" Kristen said, immediately incensed not only by his final remark but with the flippancy with which it was said. "How could you even consider doing such a thing, blatantly violating the sanctity of marriage?"








Leander Urahil

 

[Leander Urahil]

“Sanctity of— no, forget that.” A hand lifted out to the side to push that question behind them as they continued down the hall. Leander could only give her an inquiring look, for once not irritated or with some hidden manipulation simmering underneath. “What exactly do you think marriage is? Don’t tell me you think it’s for love and all that other nonsense.”

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"It is for the benefit of your children!" Kristen stressed, speaking passionately of the subject. "Every child needs a mother, a father, and yes, seeing love shared between them is naught but a boon for the child's well-being. What manner of example would it set for your son, for your daughter, to see their mother disrespected so by rampant infidelity?"

It was quite clear that Kristen did not put much stock in the idea of marriage for political gain; or, at least, if such were the case in a marriage, that every effort should still be made to make the marriage work.



Leander Urahil

 

[Leander Urahil]

Leander smiled at that, biting back the chuckle that wanted to come out from his throat. It wasn’t that Pirian’s words were funny, it was the fact that he knew she believed it to be inherent to marriage, to children, to love. If she hadn’t brought it to children, and this supposed good example they needed, he could have given her his opinions on love, and sex, and how the two of them together didn’t exist.

“Haven’t got caught yet, won’t get caught then.” Unlike his eldest brother, Leander wouldn’t use his staff to sleep around. No, that was sloppy. It was a slap in the face, not to his sister-in-law but to the patriarch of the Urahil family. “It’s all about being careful and making sure whoever you fuck,” because that’s all it was: a simple animalistic need of release, “know their place and keeps their mouth shut. I wouldn’t even call it cheating if it’s a one night stand and you pay for it because one person is just doing their job.” A few more steps as he considered a new thought. “You’re right about one thing. Women shouldn’t cheat, though.” His pale eyes glided over to Kristen and then her stomach.

He patted his own.

“Because of the children. Who wants to raise kids that aren’t their own? And if they take over the family name but are without sanguine ties? Ha, a noble house would be ruined.”

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Haven't got caught yet.

Kristen nearly choked (some pesky bit of tuna, apparently, was poised just inside her throat ready to complicate her gasp). She coughed for a brief span, then recovered. What she didn't recover from was the implication of what he said: Gods, she could have done without it!

The conversation, the revelation of Leander's thoughts on the present matter, only got worse as it proceeded. Kristen couldn't believe her ears. Funnily enough, the echo of Caeso's words came to her: ...it is in a man's nature to indulge in lechery...virtue springs from the denial of these base impulses. She herself would have phrased his argument differently, but it wasn't entirely unlike her own position.

"But that's preposterous," she said, incredulous. "Upon what ground do you stand to make such a demand, soiling yourself with vice and then demanding the absolute cleanliness of fidelity from your wife? Not that so woeful a union would be made better if she, too, were as despoiled. The bond between husband and wife is made precious by its exclusivity. What intimacy you have to offer will be made worthless by your current course, Leander, surely you see this!"

Much of this came straight from Kristen's mother, Josephine, who had taken a great deal of time to speak on these matters before Kristen enrolled into the Academy.

Leander Urahil

 

[Leander Urahil]

“Yeah those are good words for you to live by, Pirian.” Now there was a hint of an edge in his voice. Something about this conversation was almost feeling like a lecture. He took a deep breath, a long sigh of exasperation the product of it. Leander took one— sunburnt— hand and ran it through his too-pale-to-be-blonde hair. He didn’t leave her to herself, continuing to swagger next to her.

It was stupid but he wanted to prove Kristen wrong. Even if she upheld values he wished Odessa should hold. Somehow, admitting his lackadaisical morals about monogamy and intimate fidelity and her reaction to it made him feel… gross. No, not disgusted with himself. Disgusted with the hand he was offered in life as the youngest son of Lyon Urahil.

“If I sleep with my wife it’s for one thing: to make a baby. It’s not for enjoyment, it’s not to strengthen our bond.” Leander glanced over at Kristen. “I don’t care if she’s kept herself pure for me or not. I don’t care if she loves me or not. I don’t care if she cheats as long as no one else knows, even myself.” He didn’t plan on letting his future wife knowing if he spent time in another’s bed.

“I’m doing what’s required of me for my family’s legacy. If I could have it my way I wouldn’t even be engaged.” Married and forced to politic around Vel Anir through social events sounded more painful than the box. “All this time I spent here to then just be married and tucked away in some empty estate my father hasn’t used in years makes me sick.” He looked at Kristen, stopping now to show his sincerity. “If I could have it my way, I’d never get married.”

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Leander was of an obstinate and self-assured opinion—this saying nothing of that opinion's ghastly content. To Kristen his view seemed so empty, justifying chasing ephemeral satisfaction instead of enduring fulfillment.

Yet her own demeanor, ready to counter and keen to stay embroiled in the heat of argument, changed toward the latter end of Leander's remarks. Softened. Even if her more wrathful tendencies were shouting not to show empathy, that Leander deserved no such thing, well, it happened to be more her nature. What he'd said, "...to be tucked away...," discarded, essentially, after being made to simply go through perfunctory motions to satisfy what he as a son of Urahil was expected to do, gods...

Was that why? Was that why he wished never to get married, why he railed against even the very idea of it in all the ways in which he was capable? Proctor Salak's lesson had been about knowing the mind of one's enemy. She didn't consider Leander an enemy, but knowing his mind, how he came to this point, understanding, was the only means by which she could possibly introduce to him the mere suggestion of a change of heart.

Kristen had stopped when he stopped. And she said, "Leander, that is awful. Awful that your father Lyon would treat you so."

Leander Urahil Salak

 

[Leander Urahil]

He hadn’t expected that. The surprise was clear as day on his face, eyes wide and brows high and mouth slightly agape. She should have argued with him more. Kristen should have told him how he was wrong and all her romantic ideas about marriage and family. She should have called him a pig, blamed it on his heritage, his last name.

It’s not that it wasn’t true. It was awful. Leander felt his responsibilities in life were awful despite being the most attractive in his family and being gifted with such magic. At one point, Leander felt like he had pleased his father with his aptitude for all the arcane, succeeding with his college magic studies and going over tome after tome of spells. He realized, once he was older and could understand those troublesome subtexts in conversation, that his father only cared for Leander being able to nullify magic.

For Felix’s sake. They had to keep the almighty Urahil magic alive inside Felix. Everyone else was expendable. Leander would make a good bodyguard.

“Yeah, well, I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me, it’s just annoying.” Leander said stiffly, realizing that his pause to had been seconds long. Words felt clumsy on his tongue, his lips no longer knowing how to form them properly. He shook his head. His emotions didn’t go away, yet having Kristen’s sympathies weren’t necessarily uncomfortable. “My old man thinks he knows everything but I am going to be the youngest archon ever one day. You should find yourself lucky, Pirian, you’ll be able to say you knew me. You could even tell your children how it’s all true: I’m tall, strong, smart, suave and incredibly handsome. They’ll be hanging up posters of me in their rooms. All the kids will.” Leander was grinning now, his reality pushed into the back of his mind.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

What was Leander telling her? What was he showing her of his mind?

He didn't just want to be an Archon. No, he wanted to be specifically the youngest Archon ever, a feat surpassing even the similar ambitions of the likes of Noel and others who aimed for the lofty rank. Such a thing would come with no small amount of admiration and acclaim. In a word, value. That which Lyon in his callousness withheld; by the grace of Astra, what a horrid thing for a father to do to his son, and Leander was in danger of perpetrating a similar disregard upon his own sons, if he did not turn his licentious worldview around.

"I want to see you succeed," Kristen said. Leander was grinning, but Kristen was sober and earnest. "You are a worthy son, Leander, and if your father is adamant about tucking you away then may your merits outshine his pitiful judgment. May you be the better man."

Leander Urahil

 

[Leander Urahil]

Perhaps he had preferred her pointing out his iniquities, for his smile fell as he realized she was being quite genuine. Imagine that, a Pirian sympathizing with a Urahil— and not just any Urahil, but one who planned to follow in his brutal, bloody birthright. He had been left wide open as Pirian said the words he would never hear from his own father, a worthy son— no, being a worthy son. Her last words, such simple six words strung together, felt like he had been sucker punched in his gut, caught completely unawares by her compassion.

Could he be a better man than his own dad? Some part of him liked to think so. There was a more persistent negging that came from his father’s vitriol, having been planted long ago. Even if Leander tried to ignore it, it was there, and the roots were deep.

“Don’t worry, you will.” He said, lips curving up into a smile. How best to treat this moment? How best to use her sympathies for his own gain? She had proven herself to be incredibly intelligent when it came to mental warfare, the sort Leander struggled with, and wouldn’t it be best to have her on his side? And only his side. “You know, Kristen, I don’t care what the others say about you, I like you just the way you are. And, personally, I have no problem with you.” Leander started walking then, still intent on leaving the building. He figured Pirian would follow.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen stood where she had last spoke, hands clasped before, and simply watched Leander go.

'Twas a closing remark of his that one might well expect, given his demeanor. Kristen herself could even name a good handful of those he alluded to, some here at the Academy still, some having left with her erstwhile class. But those who had held enmity against her weren't important in this particular moment. Leander was certainly disagreeable, but, so far as Kristen knew, he wasn't a monster like Bull or Edric. Would his demeanor change? Could it change? Such things took time. Time, and in some cases, great conscious effort. Kristen herself would know.

As the rest of the Initiates from Salak's lesson swept past her and filtered out of the hall, Kristen at last came into motion again and followed them out. She broke off from the group once outside, and started toward the Pit: the physical training area of the Academy with the lovely nickname. The day wasn't done, and Proctor Magomo had his expectations of her, after all.

Well, speaking of great conscious effort, hmm? The whole of her body was about to be feeling that quite tangibly.

Leander Urahil