Private Tales When Given the Night

[Kaira Yehven]

Old Town seemed to have been built for fanfare and celebration, but the Province had been built with newer hands and minds, the celebration of art and entertainment. As it looked north of the Tower, the view of the sea could be found at various places along the streets.

Kaira liked it here, as none came to recognise her immediately like they would in Old Town. She was grateful for the love and support, but on an everyday occurrence? It was stifling.

She was able to mingle and weave through the crowds in the Province's nightlife without pause, coming to a stop just shy of a viewpoint of the docks below. Kaira wandered over to lean against the stone wall, stopping her from falling from a great height.

A smile pulled at her face, taking in the different ships sailing foreign flags, and the private vessels making dock. One day, she wished to get on a boat and see the land it finds harbour in next, but her Stone kept her here in Valenntenian lands. The Faith Stone warmed at her sternum, and absent-mindedly her hand goes to press on it beneath her shirt. It wasn't until she recognised the sense it filled her with was being in proximity to another Stone, and Kaira turned away from the docks and sea to see the other Guardian in the dark.

"Oh, Mabbon!" She smiled wider. "I thought you left Valenntenia." As did many Guardians after Homecoming came and went.


Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'I did.' Stepping from the shadows, Mabbon smiled shyly as he came to stand before Kaira. Tall, dark and -depending on the eye of the beholder- handsome, the half-orc wanderer nodded in greeting to his fellow Stone-bearer. 'My family has a vineyard just outside the city walls. I... went to stay with the them, for a time. I recall my mother having forwarded you an invitation to dinner, once or twice.'

His mother was a devout follower of the Ancients, and as such sensed something of a kindred spirit in Kaira. His father, too, had something of a soft spot for the Faith-bearer. She was, after all, beloved by the people of Valenntenia.

Mabbon wasn't; he wasn't supposed to be.

He had his predecessors to thank for that. And the Stone. 'What brings you to Old Town?' He asked, stepping up alongside Kaira to gaze out over the port. Here, beyond the shadows, the daylight bore down on him like a great weight. Mabbon could already feel a headache coming on. Bloody sun! 'You looked... joyful,' he said, turning his face away just so. 'I hope I have not disturbed anything.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira's smile turned into one of amusement. "The Province, Mabbon. You haven't lost your way, have you?" She teased lightly, turning to peer up at him as he joined her. Old Town was on the other side of the Tower, and somewhere she would be recongised and not left alone too much.

Kaira's Stone kept it's warmth, radiating higher as the Stone of Darkness was closer now.
"Nonsense. You could never disturb my wanderings." She turned her face to below, still smiling. "I do mean to visit the vineyard... but my Stone is awfully strict on how far from the gates I can go." Her brows furrowed slightly, and the Guardian stood a little taller. "Oh. Well... actually, if in the presence of other Stones, the Anci--- my Stone, works agreeable with leaving Valenntenia." Kaira flashed him another smile, distracted. Solomon said to not let anyone outside the Somners and Guardians know her ability to commune with the Ancients, but whereas she did trust Mabbon, she did not know if he would laugh at her. "If I had known you resided there, I could have made an effort to accept the invitation."
"I was on my way to the Gallery Hall, if you wanted to join me. They have just finished their renovations, and there are some new pieces there I wanted to see." Kaira studied his face. He didn't seem to be enjoying the view, and looked a little bothered...
"Oh, crickets!" Kaira slipped her arm through his and steered him towards the street. "What are you doing wandering in the daylight?!" She fussed. The Guardian of Faith was a little under a head shorter than Mabbon, but her quick steps would make it difficult to stroll side by side. She acted as if his pale skin would burn!
Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'Oh, I don't know! It seems I may have lost my way,' he said, taking Kaira's words and turning them against her in an effort to stop her fussing. He felt her arm slip through his. Momentarily stunned, Mabbon opened his mouth to speak. Unfortunately, a moment was all Kaira needed to take control of the situation, steering him towards the Gallery Hall of which she had spoken mere seconds before.

Well, I guess that's it, then!

Deciding to let fate run its course, Mabbon hurried to keep up with Kaira as she forged them a path through the quiet Old Town streets. Residential buildings pressed in close as they walked, and Mabbon felt the stone beneath his boots cool slightly as the shadows engulfed them. 'Kaira!' He squeezed her arm in an attempt to get her attention. 'There's no need to rush, really. I'm fine!'

Digging his heels in, the half-orc smiled as they slowed to an acceptable pace.

'See! I haven't burnt to ash. Who woulda thought?' Pale as he was, it was not uncommon for folk to mistake him for a vampire. Once, in a place far, far away from here, an old lady had tried to drive a wooden stake through his heart. She had missed, obviously, though it had taken some considerable effort on his part to explain to her that he wasn't a creature of the night.

Well, not in way she thought, at least.

Smiling wanly at the memory, Mabbon focused on matching his strides to those of the wind-spirit pulling at his arm. There wasn't much of a height difference between them, but the Faith-bearer sure could move when she wanted to. 'You must really love your art,' he said, pressing close to Kaira to allow a family of four past. 'Hobby of yours?'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira stopped and looked up at him, seeing his series face before a smile settled there, and her cheeks reddened. It was subtle upon her complexion, but she found herself averting her gaze to keep from staring. How embarrassing. "I... just know you aren't so fond of the sunlight. Especially this mid afternoon sun."

She thought about releasing him from her vice like grip just as he stepped closer into her to skirt around others. Her arm and hand stayed there, adjusting to something more comfortable. "I am no artist, but I have always loved colour." She smiled, turning her gaze up back to his face. "I like learning about the concept of the artist in particular pieces. My favourite, of course..." And here, she paused. She was not familiar with the Province like she knew Old Town, but the streets operated on a grid. Everything had it's place here, north of the tower.

"Crickets." She pouted. "I thought it was along here somewhere... but perhaps I was mistaken." She unwound her arm from his, moving forward to approach the bakery they stood outside of.

"Excuse me, but the Gallery Hall? Was it not along this street?" Kaira asked by the door.

"Next street over miss!" Answered the shop attendant. She said her thanks and rejoined Mabbon by motioning him to follow.

"What I was going to say, was that my favourite piece in the Gallery is the depictions of past Guardians. The Saints, as the exhibition is called." There was one guess what Guardian was Kaira's favourite of the collection. "My father used to take me every once in a while and just talk to me about what he saw. Then I would learn to see my own depictions." And she often did these things, things that kept her parents alive by way of memory. Of course, she missed them terribly, but she had the lessons they taught her to guide her forward.

"It should be quieter this time of the day. Have you been to the Gallery before, Mabbon?" She had matched his pace, perhaps even slowing them both down now to have conversation.

It was not often she got to meet with the other Guardians, not when they were free to leave this city, but even Kaira was kept busy in her day to day. She got along with each and every one of the Guardians, but perhaps that was due to her peaceful personality. Her Stone only strenghtened that serenity. It also connected with the other Stones in a way that Kaira had begun to recognise the pull of power that belonged to the Stone of Passion, Villam often checking in on her to ensure she was keeping healthy habits. She wasn't.

"They open until late in the night. It is so quiet at that time that... I feel as if I am in the company of ghosts." In the company of her father some nights.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Kaira motioned and Mabbon moved. He knew Valenntenia well -even the parts he wasn't supposed to- but that didn't stop him from making a wrong turn every now and then. Fortunately, the people who lived around these parts were the helpful sort. A quick word with the baker had them back on course. Mabbon almost smiled at how easy it had been for Kaira to get an answer.

All he would have got was a scowl and a hooked thumb.

'The Saints?' Mabbon hummed, rolling the term over in his mind. 'Not what I would call my predecessors.' Nor myself, he thought, a hand closing around the Stone he wore over his heart. Jagged, cruel, its edges were nigh imperceptible to the naked eye. Mabbon never brought it out unless he had to. Malignant, as dark as its namesake, it drank in the light, robbed life of its colour.

He would not rob Kaira's of hers.

'I... can't say I have,' he replied, following after the Faith Guardian, his footsteps light. Old habit. 'I never really thought about it, to be honest. Paying a visit, I mean.' Above, the sky was a clear powder-blue. Sunlight radiated from the sloped rooftops and domed vaults of the Gallery. Slate-black. White-gold. Not quite the colours Kaira spoke of, though no less eye-catching.

'Particularly if the place is haunted,' he smiled, gentle, even when he was teasing. 'Perhaps it is. Spirits exist. So why not ghosts, too?' He slipped up alongside his companion, wraith-like, though not intentionally. 'I wonder if... your father...' Mabbon paused. The unspoken question hung in the air between them, heavy, and yet so easily borne. 'I'm sorry. I did not mean-'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira gave him a sad smile. "No, you're alright... I hope for this too." She too came to pause; her Stone warming and feeling heavier. Her hand went to adjust the leather strap, a piece that was possibly on it's last legs of strength tying the Faith Stone around her neck. It had been her father's leather necklace that tied a shell a young Kaira had found on the shore, but it had broken upon his death in battle.

"I feel as if I can feel my mother everywhere I go. She feels brought to life in the House of Blessings, when I attend prayer, I feel her right beside me." That was because she always saw her mother. If Kaira were truly an artist, she could paint her likeness with such recollection. "You would think I would not miss them after almost ten years, but..." She hung her head low, chewing at her lip. Her feet kept moving toward the Gallery, now visible from where they walked.

"But I cannot figure why I can never truly feel my father's presence like I do my mother's. Was it because I had watched my mother's health decline after his death? Because I bear the stone of Faith, where my love for it was born from her own love for Valenntenia?"

Kai looked up and shot Mabbon a sheepish look. "Sorry. I am rambling... I do not mean to bring down the mood."

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Mabbon nodded. 'Don't be sorry,' he said. 'Talk, if talking helps. You have a pleasant enough voice, and I find it easy to listen to.' Staring ahead, the half-orc vanquished the shadows in their way. He could feel dark daggers probing at his back, insisting he stay. He kept them from touching Kaira with conscious effort; he could sense more than see how they thirsted for the power her Stone possessed.

You shall not have her, he promised the voices held captive within his Stone. You shall not have me.

The voices laughed at that, but the Stone relented, after a time, allowing Mabbon to follow the Faith-bearer out into the light of day. Wincing, a hand shading his eyes, Mabbon stared up at the stone pillars and flowing banners of the Gallery. Cobalt blue and blood-red, each was adorned with a symbol that Mabbon instantly recognised as marks of faith.

His eyes wandered to Kaira. He could feel the power resonating from her Stone, pulse after pulse, like a heart beating its steady rhythm. 'Big place,' he remarked, struggling against the wave of heat kicked up by the strong winds blowing in off the sea. 'Big and impressive. I imagine the inside is even more so, no?' Smiling encouragingly, he mounted the wide steps leading up to the entrance.

His Stone screamed its hatred in his ears as he turned to look down at her.

'Perhaps you should lead?' He suggested. 'Don't want the staff thinking I'm here to ransack the place.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

'Talk, if talking helps.'

Kaira smiled at him, appreciative.

'You have a pleasant enough voice, and I find it easy to listen to.'

And there, she averted her gaze. Her cheeks flushed with light colour, and her lips twitched with nerves.

"Yes, the Gallery is possibly the most gorgeous space in Valenntenia. Do not let the High Priest hear me repeat that. The Hall of Faith is beautiful, but not filled with my favourite things." She chuckled, ducking her head as she stepped before him and entered the quiet entryway. Marble floors anchored the high ceilings of the first room, a remnant of an old House of Blessing that saw no use after generations of faithful traveled to larger halls to pray. The Absalon at the time then decided to turn some blessed halls into other establishments. Homes, galleries, theaters, and homes.

Kaira loved this room the most. Up above, sixteen figures were carved in stone. they stood on pedestals, the stone of which they bore written in Old Valenntenian.

"Look. Guardian Catherine Leadyss, the Stone of Darkness." Her hand then moved to point to the figure across from Leadyss. "Guardian Caelum Cross, the Stone of Faith." The second generation of Guardians. The first depictions were housed in the Hall of Faith in Old Town, the largest and oldest house of blessing. "After Cross died, it took over twenty years to find the next Guardian of Faith." Turning to peer at him, she smiled softly. "An ancestor of mine, if you can believe it. Aline Yehven."

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'You don't say!' Gazing up at the statues, Mabbon took the time to take in the delicately dangerous features of the once-Guardian, Leadyss. The sharp chin and pointed ears protruding from beneath her stone hood marked her for an elf. Her statue, much like every other statue in the grand entrance hall, looked down upon them, as if judging the newcomers.

Mabbon wondered if Catherine Leadyss would have deemed him worthy of the Stone he now carried. Probably not.

Much like Kaira, he knew the combined histories of the stone figures above. Lady Catherine, for example, had died defending Valenntenia from foreign forces. Her list of honours was as long as it was impressive. But most of what had been written down about her spoke nothing of her character. What kind of woman was she, to have laid down her life for the sake of others?

A damned brave one, Mabbon reckoned.

'This ancestor of yours, Aline...' The half-orc turned, taking in Fire and Void, Faith and Earth, Blood and Water. 'Do you ever wonder what kind of person she was? What she felt, to carry the Stone, as you do now?'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira smiled sheepishly at him, guiding Mabbon further into the Gallery. "Well..." she debated on her next set of words. "I cannot say for certain that I have seen her true self, but..." No, even in this quiet, she could not afford someone overhearing her. And so, Kaira looped her arm through his again and softly continued for his own ears.

"Each Stone is different for every Guardian in some cases, hm? In the histories kept in the Great Library, no Guardian of Faith has ever... communed with the Ancients. They speak to me, and I am their voice here in Valenntenia. I ensure the people are heard, I take away those pains and strife they suffer... and then I pray every night. It... takes up my sleep, usually. Aline is a version they communicate through with me... familiar faces." The portraits and the depictions in stone did put her ancestor to justice.

"The Absalon said not to tell anyone beyond the Somners and Guardians about this... There are those of the Faith that believe any audience with the Ancestors is heresy." She was more afraid of Lale Carvyre finding out and using it against her to drive her out from service as Guardian. "But I can trust you, can't I, Guardian Dreierg?" She turned to smile up at him.

"You wouldn't chance angering the messenger of the Ancients, now would you?" Her elbow dug into his side as she teased lightly.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'I don't know. Can you trust me, Guardian Yehven?' An elbow dug into his ribs. Glancing down at Kaira, the half-orc held up a forestalling hand. 'I jest. Of course you can,' a smile, to ease the conversation away from threats and promises of retribution. The Faith-bearer could be a mite... intimidating sometimes. Mabbon liked to think she wasn't a full-blown zealot.

He had witnessed first-hand just how dangerous they could be.

'Not in the business of putting my fellow Guardians at risk,' he continued, quietly. 'Besides, from what I've heard, you've been nothing but... well, faithful.' He scritched his chin, a hint of colour touching his cheeks. Embarrassment was not something he often felt, but when he did! 'What I mean to say is... you're doing a good job.' Was that right?

'Not that you need validation from the likes of me,' he laughed, passing into a large room full of paintings and marble busts of Guardians come and gone.

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira failed in stifling her nervous smile, ducking her head a little as the passed various pieces of art on display. The renovations were done in the next room, and although she had seen these pieces before, Kaira liked to spend time on each and see something new.

And Mabbon had never stood foot inside the Gallery before, possibly never even seeing the works of art here.

"I like to hear it from my fellow Guardians." She smiled. "You have been serving... six, seven years? Only three of those years have you had a Guardian of Faith. Dorian, Ancients rest his soul, said he never worked with a Guardian of Faith before... and before his death, he was a great mentor. I just wished I had more time with him and his Fire." Her first Homecoming and news of the murder of the Guardian of Fire had put a considerable damper on the festivities.

"Each of you have welcomed me the past few years. When you all leave the city... I pray to the Ancients you are all safe. Each of you, I say your name and I pray you all courage and strength. Valenntenian might, too, for those that need it." Kaira guided them both to pause before an old portrait of some General of the Vanguard. Looking at the placard, it identified a Carvyre ancestor of Lale.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'That's most kind of you.' Mabbon answered diplomatically, allowing Kaira to lead him between exhibits. 'Just... be sure to spare a prayer for yourself every now and then, Kaira. Ancients know you deserve a few!' They all had their burdens to bear. Mabbon's, for the most part, were physical. Easily borne by one used to hardship.

Kaira's labours involved the spirit. The half-orc considered himself fortunate in that regard, though he did feel sorry for her.

She seemed to be handling her Stone well, however. Guardians were chosen for their resolve and natural affinity, after all. What did it say about him, to end up with the Stone of Darkness? Nothing good, I'd wager. Examining the painting in front of them, Mabbon took a moment to study the General's features more closely. The set of his jaw, the upturned snout, the creased brow.

'A Carvyre,' he identified the man before even glancing at the plaque set in front of the portrait. 'A great, great grandfather, according to the inscription. I wonder what Lord-General Bartholomew would think of the state Valenntenia finds itself in today? Would he take pride in what the city and its people have achieved during his absence, do you reckon?' Then, in a lower voice.

'Assuming, of course, there is anything to take pride in.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira turned her head to peer at Mabbon with an arched brow. "With time comes change. I am certain the life in Valenntenia differs greatly then than it does now. The Province was minuscule in those days..." Kaira turned back to the dated inscription. "I wonder what the Valenntenia then was like... The uniform of a General changed since then."

What was depicted in the portrait was full regalia, coloured with the scarlet and bronze of the House of Carvyre. Now, the General was allied to Valenntenia, not a single House. They wore a deep navy suit, and the likeness of the Tower pinned the highest of their decorations on the breast of their coat.

"Look," She beamed, gently guiding him by pulling on the arm she was still attached to. "It is the Ancients' Dwell!"

Monuments had been made, paving the path and journey to the structure outside city walls where it was believed the last of the Ancients came to rest after leaving Valenntenia to their Descendants. Kaira had never seen any of the monuments of the Ancients, nor had she seen the large ruins that once was a grand cathedral.

"The Ancient that birthed Water." She read the inscription, leaning in to ensure she could see the card properly. "Well, this says it is located three days out from Valenntenia." Would her Stone allow her to leave the city for such a time? After traveling with Villam, Lyta, and Konstantin weeks away from Valenntenia, her health and mind began to waver towards the end and was taken back home earlier than planned.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

'So I see!' Grinning, amused by and somewhat sharing Kaira's excitement, Mabbon gazed upon the painting depicting the Ancients' Dwell. Three day's travel by horse or so the plaque claimed. 'You can do it in two, if you wished to make a speedier approach to the Dwell.' Mabbon remarked softly, the painting's details matching those he saw in his mind's eye.

He had only been the once. For whatever reason, he had never imagined going back for a second visit.

Now, with Kaira yapping interestedly in his ear, he had an excuse to refresh his memory. 'We could go,' he said, 'I've nothing else planned for the next week or so. Assuming the Somner's or the Absalon Himself don't find something to throw at me, I'd happily accompany you to the Dwell.' Safety in numbers and all that. Glancing sidelong at Kaira, the Guardian continued; 'If you wanted to, that is. I know you have your... duties to consider.'

He shrugged, neither here nor there.

'Just a thought.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira could not help when her breath caught in her throat, her arms moving to constrict his arm.

"Would you?" She breathed, looking up at the half-orc with held back excitement. The Guardian of Faith knew she could not whoop with glee, not in these surroundings. Cutting off the circulation to his arm? It would serve a happy sacrifice.

"If I were in the presence of another Stone, I just may be able to afford a quick journey to see the Dwell." Her attention was no longer on the artwork on display; now captivated by her fellow Guardian's offer.

"Let me speak to the Absalon, Mabbs. If it is a reason to see me leave Valenntenia, I can assure you, he cannot refuse that."

Kaira wondered if Mabbon knew it had been a dream on multiple occasions to leave the city; that his offer, although kind and with good intentions, filled the Faith Guardian with hope?

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

He cannot refuse refuse, huh? Suppressing a smile, Mabbon turned his head to face Kaira. He could already feel his arm going numb where she was squeezing it. 'You have fire in your eyes, Kaira,' he said, admiring them while he still could. 'I'm sure even the Absalon would buckle under such heat.'

With a gentle turn and pull, he continued on his way through the exhibit, a hint of colour to his pale visage.

'Perhaps some time outside of the city would do you some good,' he mused aloud, Kaira's excitement at the prospect inspiring him to put greater thought into the matter. For what kind of man didn't treat his friends every now and then? 'The steppe-lands really are quite beautiful. It would be a shame for you to have to experience the world through the eyes of others.'

He gestured at the myriad portraits on show. How many remained true to life? How many suffered from... embellishments?

'I don't know. Broadening one's horizons hasn't seemed to do me much harm.' He paused. 'Mind you, my Stone doesn't have the same... drawbacks as yours.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Was this embarrassment, the way her cheeks flared, her heart battering against her ribs, and the way she ducked her head once Mabbon took them along further? It was not anything she experienced before, that her orcish friend could make her feel such this way when it never used to be when they first met after her appointment as Guardian.

"Then, I propose we test my Stone. Tonight." She loosened her grip on his arm, sheepishly throwing him a grateful look for offering to take her beyond the city. "Just to see if the theory stands true, that only in the company of a Stone I can leave Valenntenia..."

Her dark hazel eyes appeared brown in this lighting, casting them to look at the last pieces of portraits on this wall before she gently nudged him to move towards the next room. It was a larger room, this time filled with marble sculptures. Guardians, Somners, Absalons... even key members of Vanguard history were fashioned into the stone.

The very first sculpture had Kaira stop and gasp.

She dropped her arm from Mabbon's upon her continued approach, and sank to her knees before it's depiction.

Dorian, the recently passed Guardian of Fire. His likeness was true, even that smile. Kaira held her breath to keep the choked sob down.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Mabbon's breath caught as they entered the next room. Is that...? 'Dorian!' Stopped dead by grief, the half-orc looked on as Kaira sunk to her knees before the statue of their former friend and comrade. Something close to tears formed in Mabbon's eyes as he regarded the stone replica of a man forever lost to them.

'Looks just like him...' The words poured out, unbidden, but no less true. 'Even got the smile down and everything!'

His throat felt dry as he knelt down by Kaira's side, borne there by a heavy heart and the need to comfort his friend. Looping an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close, did what he could to lessen the pain. 'Can't say I knew him all that well,' he confessed, blinking, battling the strange feelings coursing through his mind. 'Do remember how he used to joke, though.'

Smiling, he glanced at Kaira.

'Recall him and Ayden always trying to catch me out during the Homecomings. Daft buggers! First time they tried, it was night time,' he laughed. 'Ran rings around them til the sun came up. After that, well... You can imagine.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira did not care for the curious stares of those visiting the exhibit, did not care that they looked upon her with pity and their hands over their hearts. Her eyes never tore from the likeness before her, her lips wobbling with threat to bawl her eyes out here in the Gallery.

In the safety and shelter of Mabbon's arm, she turned into him and hid her face at his shoulder. She did not sob, but the tears flowed without issue. Had he already perfected the quiet mourning after losing so many friends and family in her life? Kaira's breaths were shuddering, deep and full of choked exhalations, she listened to Mabbon reminisce. The Faith Guardian whimpered, holding back the sob that begged to be heard.

It was hidden, but her smile pulled at her lips, cheeks twitching against the struggle it was to hold it so. Mabbon would feel it against his shoulder, would know that he brought her comfort as he did support.

It had always been her grandfather, Somner Yehven, that had comforted her in the past, but she was most grateful that her friend was here by her side.

Kaira was unaware of patrons quietly and respectfully leaving the area, turning their backs on the Guardian pair to give them this moment of memorial for their fallen friend and Guardian.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Kaira turned into him, and he held her close as she battled through her grief. Silently, he watched as the others filtered out of the room, many giving the two kneeling Guardians a wide berth. Mabbon found such spontaneous gestures of kindness heart-warming, though the smile that touched his lips was one borne of sadness and concern for his friend.

How well had she known the former Fire Guardian, he wondered, for her grief to run so deeply?

Better than I ever did, he thought, looking up at the stone statue, his own grief broken down and compartmentalised for another day, another time. This was not the first loss he had been forced to endure nor was it anywhere near the closest. A part of him felt guilty for handling the situation so well.

Another part knew it was only a matter of time before the pain finally caught up to him.

Something to look forward to. Smiling darkly, self-hatred rearing its ugly head, Mabbon listened as Kaira whimpered into his shoulder. Hugging her tightly, he closed his eyes, and laid his forehead against her own.

'Let it out,' he whispered, his words for her and her alone. 'Let it all, all out.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Her arms wrapped around his middle and did not think twice about her grief being on full display. It made her feel small again, fourteen and attending the funerals of both her parents. Her father passed while in active service, and her mother too grief stricken, too heartbroken, had given up her heart to be laid beside her husband. And a year later, her dearest and most precious friend, Liya Carvyre, passed from her illness.

Dorian had been there when her father fell, had ensured to support her grandfather in raising her, as did many Old Town residents. The faith of the people made Kaira grow into who she was now, but that did not mean it hurt any less to be reminded of those she had lost in her young life.

"Guardian Dreierg? We have a private courtyard for staff over this way, if you would like to take a moment?" A Vanguard member came to approach, pointing to a steward that held open a door leading to the gentle courtyard, shaded by the tall walls of the building.

"Please..." Kaira pleaded softly, lifting her head to see who had spoken. "Just... a moment, please?"

Why had the grief poured out of her now? Not when she was there, present in saying a prayer over his body to be readied for transport back to Valenntenia? At his service, where the Ancients willed herself to say the Concluding Prayers and not the high priest?

All those occasions, she had been Guardian. Here, she was simply Kaira, who came to chase ghosts because their absence left her unsettled.

Mabbon Dreierg

 

[Mabbon Dreierg]

Mabbon waited patiently as Kaira fought hard to get her grief under control. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her in to his chest. It would not do for the people to see a beloved Guardian weeping so openly. Even the lone vanguard was not unmoved by Kaira's sobbing.

'A minute, please.'

Slipping away to re-join his squad, Mabbon watched as the vanguard officer shared a few rather animated words with the proprietor. Apparently, their scene had caused quite the stir. Maybe we should... Loosening his hold on his fellow Guardian, Mabbon ducked down to look into her eyes. 'Kaira?' He spoke softly, as if afraid of invoking her name. 'Do you want to step outside for a bit?'

It was sunny, out there, in the courtyard. Mabbon could feel how scarce the shadows were there.

'Come on, let's get you up!' Grief could not be rushed, but they both had an image to uphold. 'It's nice out. We can... talk. Maybe even find a moment's peace amongst all... this,' he gestured at the room around them. The paintings and portraits and statues. So many muses, almost all of them dead.

'Hard to do, I know. Still, it never hurts to try.'

Kaira Yehven

 

[Kaira Yehven]

Kaira tried to compose herself, now having cried a puddle upon his clothing. "Crickets. Right... I'm sorry." A hand went to clear her tears, only to make new, fresh tracks.

She moved with Mabbon to stand, looking to see where he pointed to before spying the courtyard the Vanguard spoke of. "There's some shade..."

"We can provide some sheets to help with the glare, Guardian Yehven."

Although she did not need it, she knew someone that would.

"Please." She blubbered, leaning into Mabbon. And so they waited, only a few minutes before given the indication it was ready.

The Faith Guardian was grateful for Mabbon giving her this support, shileding her from other onlookers. Once they were in the courtyard, cool and less glare from the sun, Kaira sat on the stone bench and dropped her face into her hands.

Her grief anew, sobs wracked her frame. Her shoulders shuddered from catching her breath in between hysterical cries.

Mabbon Dreierg