Private Tales Where Nightmares Fade and Dreams Bloom

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer

Gavin Blackfyre

Captain Blackfyre
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The rain fell down at a violent torrent, never ending and threatening to wash the city away as the chorus of the storm's booming thunder came to a head. Rain this time of year was expected, but the ferocity of the storm itself serve to catch many off guard, sending them scrambling for cover from the downpour. The hour was late and as expected the streets were darken but with the storms arrival an eerie blackness blanketed the city as if to say evil itself had crept in uncontested.

While the tavern goers on their way for drinks or those stumbling home from having to many tankards raced for cover, hoping to stay dry under awnings, two men stood above all, perched upon a treacherous rooftop standing opposite of each other. The pair cut rich silhouettes against the backdrop of the storm, appearing more so like gargoyles then men with how still they were. Unlike the stone creatures however, cold to the touch, there was no denying the heat between the pair that filled the gap between them.

"Gile..." One said.

"Malis..." Said the other.

Greetings issued, they acknowledged each other after what appeared to be a stare down which lasted decades. In truth, this meeting had long been in the making.

"Where is she." Gile said, jaw clenched and tight with anger he tried to repress.

"Close by brother... You didn't think I would let her miss this show?" Malis chuckled with a sweeping motion of his hand towards a neighboring building. There, among the many windows which face them, a porcelain face filled one of square panes of glass, staring wide eye.

"Your no brother to me Malis... Just a ghost from the past." Gile corrected, a quick glance given to the window to confirm what Malis promised.

"Come now! Surely you do not mean that... I am more brother to you then Gavin ever was... We both know this... This has been years in the making... If only you followed my instructions oh so long ago, it would have never come to this. Embrace me now and we can put this silly notion of us warring with each other to rest... I'll even allow you to have her." Malis spoke as if he had already won.

"Why does the ghost still speak?" Gile fumed, unwilling to play Malis's game.

Both men were silent now as the rain hammered down upon them. The wind picked up at that moment, a strong gust that tore at their soaked clothes and filled the silence with a beast like howl.

"I see... You have much to learn brother... I suppose we will never outgrow our roles.. I the teacher and you the student... Are you willing to do this... You've but one hand these days..." Malis smiled, wide and devious.

Gile looked to his hand or rather where his right hand use to be. Now there was nothing but a bandaged stump, a reminder of what he had lost so far and a badge of what he was willing to risk for her. You... Always you. The words he told her echoed in his mind and he smiled.

"You think I need two hands to best you?" A smirk played across Gile's tired face and he looked up. A fire had ignited in his eye, born of determination.

Close by in the docks below two thunderous explosions rung out followed by two plumes of black smoke that barely contained the fireballs with in. With in moments the large ship docked there began to sink, claimed by the troubled waters of the vast river.

A look of annoyances flashed across Malis's face as he stared accusingly at Gile.

"You have no ship now... Soon you will have no hostage... And soon after... You will have no life..." Gile drew the blade which rested upon his right hip and readied himself.

"I must say... I do enjoy this game..." Malis replied a low chuckle erupting into a full blown cackle as he too drew his blade.

The pair were on each other in seconds, racing down the length of the slippery tiled roof, years of training aiding in the balancing act of not falling off the top arch. As they neared each other they both swung their blades, one filled with the disappointment and betrayal of a trusted brother and student turning on him, the other swinging with the hatred born of stealing and harming his beloved.

And as their blades neared, a bolt of lightning cut through the sky, bathing the two in a brilliant white glow which was a image sure to burn in the eyes of any watching.

***

"This is it." Gavin chirped happily as he stood outside a rather run down looking shop which gates were up across the entrance and window display, marking the shop as being closed. The shop itself looked rather depressing and in desperate need of being repainted, unless it's owner was going for this desired look. Faded black and rust.. That was a design choice... Right?

Unlike most of the other shops that crowded the city of magic, there was not a trace of glitz or glamour at all. Hell, even it's location was hideous, being kept on a side street which curved away from the main street and then sharply to the left and down a flight of stairs into a back alley, as if it were purposely hidden from view. Gavin had talked about a friend who could help him with his issue of not being able to use the Blackfyre... He just failed to mention that his friend owned a failing shop and apparently was a recluse.

The pair had arrived in Elbion a week prior, fresh from their jaunt in the netherworld and rested for the better part of a week. Between their escape from Alliria, braving the dangers of the open water with a dragon, being chased down by magical beings, fighting off pirates, and then being sucked into a demon world, the pair had earned a small break for their troubles. Besides, Gavin's friend was out on business, and so they had to wait a week. This meant enjoying copious amounts of food, drink, and dessert in a luxury inn that Gavin was associated with thanks to fact it served as a black market hub in Elbion.

As all good things, the small honey moon came to an end and the pair now found themselves standing outside in the shadows of the tall walls around them, in a dank alley way, waiting to be greeted. They should have been out enjoying the sun, holding hands, kissing, snuggling, and all manner of normal things normal couples enjoyed... However the half elf and ship captain were everything but normal.

Kestrel
 
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This is it.

The half-elf standing at his side didn’t bother to hide the very not-impressed expression on her face as she took in the storefront in front of them. It was decaying and in desperate need of a repaint, down a side street that rather made her wonder if it was even ‘open’ to begin with. Certainly not a prime area for a bustling business… though when was anything ever exactly what she would have expected when it came to her darling captain and his connections.

Planting her hands on her hips, she heaved a sigh. “Why do I feel like I’m going to regret the decision to follow you into this closet,” she observed, looking over at him with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She even leaned into him, nudging him with her shoulder pointedly.

It wasn’t even a question of if she was going to follow him -- because of course she was. The past week had cemented in her mind the idea that her place was right at his side, wherever that ended up being. They’d arrived in Elbion exhausted, dragging, and run down, having just braved pirates, assassination attempts, and a world of demons trying to rip them apart… More than that, reaching Elbion had been the end of Kes’s “plans”, however tenuous and half-shod they were. She’d never planned on leaving Alliria, certainly not under the circumstances she’d found herself in, and through all the adventures just “reaching Elbion” was all she had to go by.

Finding herself madly in love with the man by her side had definitely not been part of ‘the Plan’, but… well, for the first time, she had some glimmer of promise for her future. A future with him, out in the world, wherever that may take them both, whether it was posh inns or rundown creepy storefronts. Because it would be both of them, no matter what.

“Seriously, what sort of ‘friend’ is this and are you sure he can help us?”

The Blackfyre wasn’t exactly a normal run-of-the-mill magical spell that wasn’t working correctly or anything like that. It was, from what Kes had gleaned, almost more of its own entity than anything else. Not a normal situation at all.
 
"A smart friend.. A learned friend. Someone who knows his way around magics." Gavin said as he turned look up Kes. She wore the face of a woman not impressed. "Trust me love he is the one we want to see."

Gavin made motions to knock on the door before them but found his knuckles rapping against cold wrinkled flesh. Turning to look in a sudden confused and startled manner, it seemed the door had opened, ever silent to the point where Gavin was not aware it was open. it was as if the old man had always been... And old he was. His face was impossibly long and wrinkled, nose pointed and rivaled by his sharp chin. His skin was freckled with the spots of old age and his hair, what was left, was wiry and silver.

His skinny frame was bulked up by the many robes his had on, each piled on as if he were attempting to appear heavier then what he was or either some odd attempt to keep warm.

Regardless, the odd old coot did not flinch as Gavin knocked upon his head and instead fixed the captain with a glare.

"You're late..." He spat. Which was odd because they weren't expected. Gavin just inquired to see if the man was in town, not to set up a meeting. "And the red head has changed." He motioned to Kes an earth smell of soil and herbs wafting in his wake.

"That's because dear Thanis, she is not the red head." Gavin said. "Jae is on my ship heading here.. This is Kestrel... Kestrel, Thanis."

"And she loves you? The red head didn't love you... She loves you.. You love her... You stink of it." He went on to say. "A wonder why she loves you.. You are trouble.. So is she though..."

He was rambling it seemed but he struck some interesting points.

"I hope she loves me.. She says she does... I'm wondering when she's going to realize she can do better."

"Shame.. She can.. This way... I've tea." Thanis slowly turned about and moved into the darkness of his home.

This had all the makings of a fun time.... Hopefully.
 
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Kes was looking up at Gavin as he spoke, so missed the door opening as well. Amethyst eyes slid back to the man who was revealed, underneath Gavin’s knocking knuckles, old and wrinkled and layered with more robes than could possibly be comfortable or reasonable. The half-elf’s eyes flicked back to her beloved captain, one eyebrow arching as if to ask are you ABSOLUTELY sure? He didn’t look much like the mages that Father had employed…

Apparently, however, they were late. And… he couldn’t tell that she wasn’t Jaenessa, but could tell that she loved Gavin and … was trouble. The half-elf sort of glanced up at Gavin with this guilty edge to her gaze -- she hadn’t forgotten that all of this, the reason they were here, was because by her own actions Gavin had lost his connection to the Blackfyre. He was completely and utterly in this situation because she’d put him there, after he’d just done what he could to help her and protect her…

She nearly missed the invitation to tea, watching as the man -- Thanis -- turned and disappeared into the rundown “shop” if it could even be called that. For a moment, Kes hesitated on the threshold, not sure she wanted to go inside… What if he had nothing good to tell them? What if Kes had ruined Gavin’s connection with his power forever? Would he still want her after that? Or would that sit between them, festering, and ruin the most precious thing she’d ever been allowed to call her own?

“Well, he’s… eccentric,” she managed, in part finding that quips helped settle the way her insides were jambling all about.

“But… if you say he can help us, then let’s do it.” She smiled, reaching up and brushing his cheek with her fingers before dropping her away. Then she’d take a breath, and step forward, following the strange old man into his strange house and hoping he’d have an actual answer for them….
 
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"Eccentric... You are being kind love." Gavin said, adding in a lopsided grin for good measure.

And then he was vanishing into the darkness, leaving Kes to follow.

Dimly lit and musty, like the scent of old books, with a faint hint of lemons, perhaps from the tea. There was no rhyme or reason to the arrangement of items on display either. Books, massive leather bound tomes of various colors and titles, some dealing with herbology and others mythical creatures were stacked beside large round plates crowded with jewelry. Gold rings fitted with fat rubies, chains of silver with wolf head pendants, bracelets of platinum ringed with diamonds fought for purchase, threatening to spill over. Vials of viscus liquids lined a crooked book shelf with faded labels placed before them, markers of what they contained once upon a time. A suit of armor stood tall, it's might helmet serving as a hat rack, stack and slightly tilted, threatening to fall at any given moment. Strangely, despite his love for clutter, one would be hard press to find any dust in the room.

The room was packed with small lanes cut through the collection to form lanes for traffic despite no one else being there. The man's collection of oddities were so varied, it was hard to pinpoint what he dealt in.

Hobbling over, Thanis made was for his desk which served as a counter, which looked remarkably like a tree stump, freshly cut as if a lumberjack took a ax to it and just dumped it there. Upon it sat his ink pot, ledge, and a tea set up with three cups, each steaming. True to his word, it seemed as if they had been expected.

"Sit... Drink... And remind me why you are here... " Thanis croaked as he rounded the desk and sunk into his large cushioned chair.

Gavin was about to protest and say there was no place for them to sit when branches sprouted from the trunk and grew to form two seats. It didn't end there however, as thick vines covered the seat and back to become a cushion for them. Gavin couldn't help but offer a small smile at the sight of this. Looking to Kes, he sat down slowly and waited for her to follow. Once she did, he spoke. "... Having issues... With my magic."

"Issues? Boy you don't have issues with your magic... A issue would be attempting to conjure a flame and instead, shooting a spout of fire... Issues are your problem... The problem is, you don't have magic to use.... It's been sealed." Thanis informed as if this was common knowledge as he took up his cup of tea and sipped.
 
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Kestrel paused on the threshold of the store, glancing to her left and right up and down the street… as if just making sure, one last time, that this was the only possible path forward, before stepping inside.

The smell of lemon was what tingled at her nose first, mingled with the smell of pages and… other things. The books, she expected. The Family mages were always carrying scrolls and tomes of various shapes and sizes, all of them seeming to be older than the last that she’d seen in their hands. The various odds and ends, however… those were less expected. Especially the jewelry, which glittered and called to the thief’s magpie nature with its siren song, and she raised her hands and wrapped them around her cloak’s edge to keep them from wandering.

Normally, she was decidedly less apologetic about her fingers and their ability to secret away all sorts of tokens and tidbits, but somehow the idea of touching something that would cause the world to end or at least herself to get cursed was a great deterrent. Plus, they were there for Thanis to help them. Hard to make a case that they should be helped if Kes was just wandering around stealing from him.

Sit, drink, the man gestured, and Kes looked up at Gavin with confusion because there was no place for them to sit -- only, a moment later, there was, and the half-elf was left with this sort of incredulous expression on her face as she sat down. Because, of course she was going to, and murmur a very polite ‘thank you’ when there was a cup of tea just waiting in front of her and this wasn’t the weirdest thing that had ever happened to them but it was getting up there…

Especially when Thanis scoffed at Gavin’s description of the issue at hand and offered his own.

“Sealed?” Kes burst out. “Sealed by what? How do we un-seal it? I mean, there’s definitely a way to unseal it… right?”
 
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"How do we unseal indeed...." Thanis scratched at his chin as if pondering the question and after a moment when it appeared he had an idea, he spoke. "Imported.... The tea leaves... Fresh from the southern expanse...A special grove in the Falwood.... A rather common mint leaf... But they hold a lemon like after taste... Magical in the way nature often is."

And he smiled to them as if he delivered upon them some great revelation, leaning back into his chair only after he took up his cup and cradled it in his bony fingers.

Gavin shared a confused look with Kes and upon doing so found himself startled as Thanis spoke up once more excitedly.

"There!" The old man yelped. "The look you shared... With her.. you look to her for support... Understanding... A shared connection.. And that is the issue at hand. A connection. A severed connection.. But think lad.. For as long as I've known you.. has this... Power that shares your body ever spoken to you...?"

Gavin moved his mouth to speak but paused, thinking about the words that were just said. In all the years knew the old mage the Blackfyre never spoke to him. Once before, the person he inherited the power from manifested itself to tell him of the power and he would sometimes have strange dreams which lead him to trying new ways of using the power, but not once had the Blackfyre spoken to him.. Not until... Not until he met the half elf beside him.

"There it is... The look of realization..... You've an old magic in you... Old magic indeed...One that speaks to her... So tell me.. Tell me everything from the first time you met her until now..." Thanis said, flashing them a all knowing crooked grin before blowing upon his hot tea. As odd as he may have appeared, the old coot seemed to be onto something.
 
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Kes leaned forward slightly as the old mage considered her question… and then answered about the tea. And its source. She glanced at the cup in front of her, then looked over at Gavin, as confused as he was by the turn the conversation had taken.

Only to have that seized upon by Thanis, his voice loud and excited. The half-elf looked back at the old man, watching him as he continued to speak. And his words seem to bear weight for both him and Gavin, and.. Her. Confusion furrowed her forehead as she looked between them, setting her tea cup down as she waved one hand between them, as if to interrupt this train of thought.

“Wait -- wait -- you’re saying that I’m doing something to… to, what, make it more active? I mean, it seemed nice enough -- when it spoke to me that one time, all it said was to take care of Gavin -- which then I didn’t, not totally --” Her thoughts sort of jumbled out in a rush, but she couldn’t help it. She’d come in here thinking she was the reason Gavin had been denied something he’d been learning and growing on his own… and now her presence was part of that growing, too? She didn’t know how to suss through all those feelings…

Of course, only after she said it did she realize what she’d just said, and she looked up at both of them.

“... is it weird? That it spoke to me? It was just after Gavin had used it to heal a -- a friend of ours. But that was before we were --” She glanced at Gavin with a small, sweet smile. “Before I knew what we were, anyway…”
 
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"You've got a glow abouts you... Not the one you get from being with him either." The old mage said with a crooked grin.

"Thanis!" Gavin said sharply.

"Just saying... I've known him for years.... Never knew the power with in him to talk much less manifest in such a fashion..." Thanis pressed on.

Gavin would huff, as Thanis could be rather blunt at times and knew how to work Gavin's nerves. Still, the old man had a point, and so, Gavin began to go into detail about all they had encountered. From back home in Allira all the way up to escaping the demon world. By the time he was done, his tea had been finished as well and he was reaching to pour himself and Kes a second cup.

"Lucky you lot are to have escaped that... What ever it was... From the tales I heard, magic would not have done you any good either... The demon spawn there have a natural immunity to magic it seems..." Thanis informed them with a shake of his head, another mystery he would no doubt look into.

"However it seems the root of this problem of yours comes from the amulet she carried... You said it fed off the magic of your dragon friend.. Leaching off of her... Then it binds that magic with in itself... When Kestrel...." He paused as if wondering he used the right name before going on. "smashed it on the deck of the ship, a wave of energy was released.. The energy itself acting as a literally bind, forming a layer of magic that servers the connection between Gavin and the Blackfyre... Perhaps bind is to direct a word... Hmmm... Think of it like this... A coating of magic... If were to toss a blanket over Kestrel.... She is still present in the room, just covered. I toss another blanket... She is still in the room... Just covered more....However... it gets harder for her to move... Harder for her to interact with everything outside of the blanket... You friend, have many blankets.... So we need to start removing them."

Thanis dumbed it down for the two magically inclined people before them. They both knew how to use their magic, they lacked the in depth knowledge on how to explain it's use however.

"Fine.. I think I get it... How do we do that." Gavin asked. It seemed simple enough.

"Good question... Good question indeed... I do not know." Thanis said, his voice rather dead pan.

Simple enough... Right... Gavin was a fool for thinking anything would ever be simple enough.
 
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Thanis pressed the issue just a bit more, pointing out that she had a ‘glow’ about her -- and the half-elf flushed brightly all the way to the tips of her pointed ears at the insinuation? Statement on their relationship? She wasn’t even sure. Gavin was quick to come to her proverbial defense… but even as he spoke with the old man, Kes spread her hands and looked down at them, a pensive furrow on her brow.

Ever since they’d returned from the other land, she’d felt… a little strange. Lighter. Less weighed down. Initially she’d pegged it as just emotional relief bleeding into the physical at not being trapped in that hellhole, but the truth was, ever since she’d touched the portal stone, felt the depth of its power, it was like she hadn’t really let all of it go. She’d been so consumed with getting back to Elbion and then deepening her relationship with Gavin that the few times things had slipped through her hands -- quite literally, right through her -- she’d not dwelled on it much.

Shaking her head slightly, she brushed it aside. Side-effect of the portal stone’s magic. It should go away. It always had before, though Drendor had had to help her the last time this had happened…

Looking up once more, she rejoined the conversation just as Thanis was discussing how the Blackfyre had been cut off, like blankets being laid upon top of it… Her amethyst eyes flicked to Thanis as Gavin spoke the question of the hour -- how did they get the Blackfyre back, re-establish the connection, and she even leaned forward slightly in anticipation of the answer… only to have Thanis tell them the worst possible news.

He didn’t know how to fix it.

Her shoulders slumped. “Do you know who might? Someone who might be able to talk to the Blackfyre itself, see why its connection is severed to Gavin? Or… or someplace we might be able to go to find those answers?”

If they needed to travel back across the world, she'd do it in a heartbeat. As far as she was concerned, she was the main reason that Gavin was in this mess... she wasn't about to squirm away from doing whatever was necessary. Though, really, Thanis could have told them they needed to go to the top of the Spine and Kes's answer would have been the same, even without the guilt of her being responsible for it hanging over her head. Her place was right next to Gavin, wherever that ended up being.
 
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"Just because I said I do not know does not mean I can't... I'll have to study you... The both of you truthfully... The tea should be taking effect now." Thanis said as he stood up slowly and stretched. Their was an excited glint to his eyes as he looked between the pair.

"Then study awa-" Gavin began to say when Thanis's words register. "What do you mean take effect?" His voice was raised and slightly alarmed.

"Dear boy... I'll need you two relaxed for this... Can't very well have the pair of you up and about. You'll be fine." Thanis assured them.

Gavin tried to stand up in protest but found his legs did not respond. He knew he was willing himself to move but all he could do was slump back against his seat. His body felt heavy now as he watched helplessly.

"No need to worry... You two will be going soon enough. You need but relax and listen to what I am saying. My voice is an anchor.. It grounds you to this reality.... When you hear my voice, you are safe... You are about to journey into your inner self... The source where mana gathers... You need to take me there so I can understand how magic flows through you...." Thanis advised them as he walked around his desk and came to stand between them. A bony hand would be placed on each other their shoulders before he continued. "You will feel as if you are floating... Then sinking... But know my voice is your anchor and you will be fine... " His voice, now monotone, assured then once more. "Now at the third ring of the bell, we will venture inside, diving deeper and deeper..."

And then a bell rang, no different then a simple dinner bell. Gavin found he had not the strength to object, his mouth unable to move. A second bell followed. Gavin tried to look over to Kes but found he couldn't. A third bell rang... And all went black.
 
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Kes looked up at the old man as a strange look snuck into his eyes. Why did he look like that, so keen like that? And… the tea? She started to push herself up to her feet in alarm… but her body hardly responded, sinking away from her and back into the seat, this weighted, heavy feeling spreading through her limbs. Her eyes darted to Gavin in alarm, finding that he was as saggy and affected by the tea… and mentally she was cursing herself. She knew better. She knew better. She had refused to drink alcohol from Gavin the first time they’d met for these very reasons… She’d gotten soft. Trusting.

Thanis’s voice continued and the half-elf felt the weightlessness as he was describing it -- so different from what she was used to when she used her abilities, where she always felt so light and warm… and then the chimes, and with each one, she sank deeper and deeper, until by the third one, it was all black…
 
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"I want to first, apologize for the means I used to get you hear. I simply could not risk either of you saying no... I've yet to find another means to get here and asking to drug you... Well I'm fairly certain how you would respond to such a request." Thanis spoke in a soft voice that echoed in the darkness.

"I assure you however... I am here to help you and Gavin." He continued. "Now I need you to calm down... I know this can be jarring.. But I need you to start... Building.. Building what you believe is in the darkness. Bring light to this place... Build the place you feel the safest.. This is the only way I can see the mana flowing with in you, clearly and with out doubt... And the quicker you build, the faster we will be able to help Gavin."
 
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This didn’t feel anything like her magic, not when she used it… and it didn’t feel like Father’s magic, which was always so cold and unsettling to her. No, this was just… dark and heavy and nothing, except for Thanis’s voice ringing -- shifting? -- through her mind.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re getting stabbed when I wake up,” she replied. Spoke? Thought? She didn’t even know. It was all just sort of … weird. Then he was talking about building and she didn’t have the first clue what he meant. She wasn’t a mage, she had no training in her abilities… In fact, Father had done his level best to keep them both secret and as minimal as possible, in order to keep the secret from spilling over and ruining her life otherwise. She wasn’t sharp enough to be a mage, after all, he’d reminded her.

Now here Thanis was, trying to get her to do that exact thing she wasn’t smart or skilled enough to do even with tutelage at her disposal, and really, it irritated her to no end…

But he’d said it was important to help Gavin… and she’d done scarier stuff for her beloved captain, such as activating a portal stone. So she stopped thinking about stabbing crazy old men who spiked otherwise delicious tea and considered his words. Build what she believed was in the darkness. Well that sounded like something she didn’t even know how to begin unpacking, considering all that she’d done, all that she’d seen. But… build the place she felt the safest.

That, now, she could do.

She didn’t know about … building. She didn’t… But she knew what it felt like to fade into something else, when she pulled her powers around her, and so she tried that. Fading into the memory, it felt like stretching herself out and then letting it pull her in, until she could hear the sound of the sea lapping at the sides of the ship and feel the cool breeze and see the stars overhead. And the deck underneath was hard but tempered by the fur, tickling at her skin as she rolled onto her side to stare at the man slumbering next to her. The moonlight glinted off the tips of the waves, no other ship even in sight, only the barest smudge of black visible on the horizon indicating where the shore even was.

Out here with only the sound of the water against the hull and the occasional snap of the sail over head in the slight breeze and the steady rhythm of him breathing… Out here, she could almost imagine what it was like to be one of Tor’s messenger birds, winging high and lofty through the clouds, far away from all the things that pulled her down and shackled her.

How is this supposed to help Gavin?” she asked, her voice soft, as if she was in any danger of waking the slumbering captain.
 
"How indeed..." Thanis said as he stepped onto the deck of the ship, seemingly materializing from thin air. He looked at the scene she created, nodding to himself and pausing only for a moment when he spied the captain dozing.

"Ah... Magnificent setting you created here.. peaceful... Filled with emotion, even if you yourself do not realize it... Now come child... Let me see you." Thanis become her with a warm smile as if she had not threaten him moments before. He wore a warm smile, stood straighter and did not appear to fit the motif of the old man she first saw. He appeared, vibrant even, a glow about him that was warm and comforting. Hopefully his intentions were just as comforting.

***

Gavin stood in the darkness of his inner self. Around him where glimpse of past events, shadowy moments covered in a think haze of smoke. Try as he might, he couldn't view them clearly and that angered him to no end. They were right there, he could touch them! He reached for the next vision, vaguely making out the form of a slender woman behind... a wheel? He knew the woman... He felt like he knew her. He loved her. A smile played across his face but then something in the distance caught his eye and he turned his gaze away and the memory faded. What caught his gaze was the forming of a rather large door.

Coming together through the darkness, the door slowly took shape before him. It was massive, standing as tall as the largest mast on his ship, towering above him. At first it was just a large imposing door, devoid of detail but the more he stared at it, the more it began to be filled in. And so, Gavin turned to fully watch it, curious as to what would happen next.
 
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Kes stood as Thanis appeared suddenly on the deck (?) of the ship (?), her amethyst eyes flicking over him to take in any sort of threat that he might pose that she could see… Thankfully for him, he wouldn’t be stabbed. It wasn’t because of how comforting or nice he looked, but rather the half-elf’s pretty strong feeling that it would it do nothing in this world that he’d taken her. Not to mention, she didn’t know how much control he had in this.. Place, whatever it was.

Folding her arms over her chest, she eyed the old man, a descriptor that hardly seemed to fit him as well in here, even as he spoke. The gentle wind, warm and moist, tangled its way through her hair, even as she brushed it back behind her ear.

“So… what was even the point of this? Besides proving the fact that I can recall a quiet night on a boat with decent enough accuracy?” she asked, frustration in her voice. “None of this is related to the Blackfyre or helping Gavin or -- Or anything.” She gestured to the slumbering form of the captain, knowing that he wouldn’t wake, because it wasn’t actually Gavin. More just… a representation that the place she felt safest was a place that contained him.

Ugh, now she was getting all metaphorical, too. This whole thing was annoying.
 
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Thanis was quiet for a long while as he watched her and though still, he had a look upon his face that suggested his mind was not at all still. Finally, what ever seemed like minutes, he spoke. "You know there is no one way to look at ones mana... Such, many people would suggest that there way is the correct way... But truth be told, they are all correct... Some mages can smell magic in the air... Others need merely glance to you to see you've magic with in... Truth be told, all the senses can be used...."

He moved slowly about her as he spoke and finally settled beside Gavin, a small chuckle given as he looked down to the sleeping captain. "I think in your mind, you make him for more handsome then what he truly is." The old mage mused before going on. "But these are methods to sense magic... With enough practice, a skilled mage can look further... find the essence... The composition of magic..."

Thanis spoke in a slow canter as he lifted his hand up to the sky to release a small ball of light from his palm. The ball of light drifted upwards as if blown about by a breeze they neither could feel. Once it was high enough, the ball burst and spreading out to a web of light that blanketed the sky. "Magic... It is all connected... Like a web... I've studied for years to come to this conclusion... All magic is connected to the source... The center... And from the center, one branches out... Some learn to control fire... Others water... Some can see parts of the future... Talk to animals... But I've come to learn that what I first believed to be one web... Is no such thing." And as he spoke, the web was joined by others which over lapped the original, created a sphere of sorts.

"I've trained myself to read magic... Taste it... I can tell who can spit fire from their mouth and wind from their palms... Who has a healing touch and who decays life... Which is why I said you had a glow when I first saw you... A glow that is eerily similar to the Blackfyre... And that is how we are going to help Gavin."
 
Kestrel stared at the man as he regarded her, her lips pressed tightly in a thin line. She listened… but his words didn’t make a ton of sense to her. Well, they did, in a theoretical way, but she was a thief and a fighter, not a mage or scholar… so she followed him as he walked around to sit down next to the image of Gavin, pursing her lips in disapproval when he mentioned her making Gavin more handsome.

“He’s very much that handsome,” she huffed, folding her arms over her chest.

Biased? Bah.

Her amethyst eyes flicked up as he tossed a ball of light into the air, watching as it spun out into a web, then coalesced back into a sphere. She watched for a moment then dropped her gaze back to him. Here, the crux of it. Did she go along with the crazy old man in front of her? He’d tricked them and drugged them and now she was trapped… here, wherever here was, in more regards than just on the deck of a ship from a memory she’d held so close to her heart. She could fight, in whatever way she could figure out…

Or… Or she could trust him. Gavin had said he was an old friend… and she trusted Gavin.

Her brow furrowed. “How does my magic being similar to the Blackfyre’s help Gavin?” she asked. It was like layers with this old man -- every time she peeled back to get one answer, there were only a dozen more questions waiting beneath. “And what does it mean that my magic seems similar to his? Is that.. Is that okay? Or is that bad?”
 
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"Bad?" He mimicked her look of confusion though he offered a grin as well. "What is bad or good but labels we use...?" He asked though had no intentions of having her answer or giving a answer himself. "It means it is similar.. And if it is similar, we can use your magic to pull the Blackfyre free of it's binding. I will not stand here and pretend to know what the Blackfyre is... In all the years I've known our dear captain I've never known the damn thing to speak, yet you say you have spoken with it, and according to Gavin himself, there are not one but two entities with in him... What it is we can worry about later.. But how it's magic is composed.... You are able to pull a cloak around you... Shield your self from view... I believe the Blackfyre is no different. It's able to manifest itself into our world as we see it... But it's presence is cloaked."

Thanis went on to explain as simple as possible. "The way it cloaks is presence is very similar to your magic... So using you as a anchor, we should be able to draw it out.... That is how you can help him."
 
Thanis answered her question with another rhetorical question that made the half-elf sigh, but… thankfully, he was moving on already. Into… a subject that made her stare at him with increasing surprise and confusion.

She… didn’t even know where to begin unpacking what he’d said. First off, he started with the assertion that something special, something crazy had happened when the Blackfyre had spoken to her… and she couldn’t disagree. She’d always remember that moment when the towering being of fire had turned to her -- her -- and issued its decree, disappearing without giving a chance for rebuttal. It wasn’t like she’d even have known what to say, anyway… and now he was saying her magic was… like that. Like the Blackfyre itself, and the idea that her, with her silly little trick, was even remotely similar to that was absolutely incredible...

Then… she perked up eagerly. “You think so?” she asked, her eyes drifting down to the figure of the sleeping captain. “You could … reach the Blackfyre? See what went wrong and how to fix it? I want to do it, whatever it is, whatever it takes…” She stepped forward towards him, her face set and determined.

“Just tell me what to do. I’m ready.”
 
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"There's the enthusiasm I was hoping to see.." Thanis offered a joyful smile as he saw her excitement. It truly seemed she was willing to do what ever it took to help Gavin.

"I need to see your magic at work... It's one thing to see that your power is related to the Blackfye, it's another to see it at work first hand. So... Amaze me." He teased as his arms came to cross over his chest and he seemingly stood there, waiting for her to call upon her magic. Hopefully she wasn't shy in front of a audience.
 
Kestrel couldn’t help the smile that pulled at her lips at Thanis’s approval of her exuberance… that, at least, was a little bit more reassuring, another sign that this crazy old guy was probably being truthful about wanting to help Gavin. Hopefully. The half-elf was still not convinced that stabbing him wasn’t that bad of an idea, once she had actual daggers and not just… whatever these were.

Then he was prompting her to showcase her magic… and she hesitated. Not because she was reluctant to do it, but she wasn’t sure if it … would work right here. Wherever here was. This place… It didn’t feel entirely real, and that meant that it wasn’t entirely the same. But … He seemed confident that it would work, so she flex that muscle, the one that had always been there for as long as she could remember, stretching herself out and letting that cloak of warmth, of fuzziness, draw around her as she simply… vanished from view.

She opened her eyes, finding the world around her that fuzzy incandescent that told her she was invisible, the warm tingly stretchiness that always accompanied her power use. She’d once told Gavin about the euphoria that came with it and how easy it was to lose herself in it, but it also was a reassurance that she’d come to count on. She’d always had this ability to slip out of sight to aid her, and it’d saved her life more than a few times.

She held it only a moment before dropping it, plunging back into ‘reality’, if this could even be referred to as that.

“Sometimes I… drop things, too,” she said, not entirely sure why she was being truthful with him with something that she hadn’t even told Gavin yet. “Like… my hands suddenly… are less-there. Back when I was fifteen, it happened a lot and Father -- Drendor -- he’s a mage -- did … something to make it stop happening. But ever since touching the Portal stone in that demon-world… it’s been happening again. More frequently than before, even.”
 
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Thais watched, eyes wide and curious. There was a sense of wonder about him and it was painfully clear, the man had a deep appreciation and love for magic. He watched as she vanished from view and then returned and he was left tapping upon his chin with his index finger.

"Interesting... Can you make me vanish as well? I imagine as such from what you've told me. It's one thing to see your magic... Now I have to bathe in it." He informed her as he stepped to and came to stand beside her. It appeared the old mage was already pondering something as he nodded to himself as if confirming thoughts he did not share with her just yet.
 
Kestrel waited for him to tell her what he was thinking, give her answers about how any of this was going to happen, to explain things… and, instead, he noted ‘interesting’, then gave her another task. The half-elf stared at him for a moment, the warm breeze off the ocean teasing at her hair. It felt so nice, even though she knew it was all just an … illusion. Or dream. She wasn’t entirely sure which.

Her eyes drifted to the slumbering captain on the deck, and she reached out and put her hand on Thanis’s shoulder.

She didn’t say anything -- she didn’t need to. It was pretty obvious as soon as she’d pulled the magic around them both -- the feeling of weightlessness, the sensation of warmth, of connectedness… The way the world went just a bit… glowy, the edges softening yet everything getting so much clearer in its relation to them. It was a strange juxtaposition, and Kestrel held the magic up for several long moments to let him truly enjoy… before letting it slip back, plunging back into the sharp cool real world.

“I can do inanimate objects, too, as long as I can touch them. Anything too big, though, and it’s exhausting. Now.” She turned towards him, those amethyst eyes glittering and sharp. “... how are we helping Gavin?”

Single-minded, thy name was Kes.
 
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He was drunk on her power, tasting in it's essence as he vanished from sight. His eyes were closed in contemplation and perhaps it was slowly becoming clear that to see her power, he truly didn't need sight. From him, a odd warmth poured fourth coupled with a pressure. Immense in size, dwarfing his physical body, was that of his magical presence.

"Your magic has a lightness to it... As well as an exhilaration to it's use... It is raw... And powerful.. Though your hands are unskilled at molding it.... No fault of your own mind you... This.. Drendor... From what I see... he placed a cap upon you. Stunting the growth of your power... In time it stabilized, and thus allowed you the use of masking yourself with no interruption... The reason you were, "dropping" yourself, was not because your magic was weak... On the contrary, it is rather power, too powerful for you to handle without practice at the time.... But when you touch the portal stone, the influx of mana through your body blew this cap right off. Your magic is growing, catching up for lost time... And you have to practice on how to use it... I imagine you may be able to conceal large objects with enough training... At the very least, you will be able to conceal while moving yourself..." Thanis went on to tell her as she dropped the cloak about them.

"You know... Magic has a taste to it.. Each one different...A scent as well... Different signatures... And color.... You know, the eyes of man can only interpret so many colors... But there are creatures that see differently then we do... Some are gifted enough to see heat... Some see vibrant blues and rich reds your mind would not be able to comprehend... Your magic is no different... it leaves behind a color not many in this world would be able to see.. And learning to see that color is how you are going to help Gavin... I am going to take you to him... But please, make no means to move to him. He must not be distracted for what's to come." Thanis went on to say.

Before the half elf could agree, he placed his hand over her own and the scenery changed, the ship fading away and blown off upon a unseen breeze that neither felt, the world she created would turn to dust. Now they stood beside Gavin, who's eyes were locked upon the large door before him. Sweat dotted his brow and it was clear he was locked in a battle of concentration so fierce his body seemed to tremble.

"He is giving it everything he has to manifest the door... But you need to reveal the larger picture before the door can be open... I spoke of blankets before, piled upon the Blackfyre... Find it... Not only can you cloak yourself, but you can see what is cloaked... What is hidden... See the color of the magic that is similar to yours, hidden away... I can help you see.. What I can not help you pull out the Blackfyre from it's binds.. That, you must do alone."

Thanis said as he reached out and pressed his thumb into the center of her forehead. She'd feel a faint burning, as if a muscle she had not used before was being worked out. Much like how the cap was removed for her before, he was doing much the same. The old mage was helping her see with eyes she knew not she had. Her eyes would dilate, larger to the point where should have been little white left. And in doing so, the chamber they were in should have been revealed and more importantly, the thing in which they sort to find, the Blackfyre.
 
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