Private Tales Yours Truly

[Olvir]

Ollie smiled, a true, warm smile as she expressed the absolute confidence she had in him. There was little as uplifting as hearing words such as those from people one cared about. For Ollie especially, who had had such few offers of kindness from his family.

His fingers laced softly around hers, touch as delicate as could be. "Alas."

The young noble said theatrically.

"The sun is just beyond my reach, but..." He gently brought the back of her knuckles up to his lips. "Lunch I can do."

Ollie knew that things looked dismal, that the bright future the two of them yearned for had darkened just a bit. But he intended to do just what he had said. What he'd told both Elspeth and her father.

He would just have to figure out a way to actually do it.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

"I never doubted lunch," but she was glad he was reasonable enough to know the sun was beyond his reach.


LUNCH

Lunch happened to be a short promenade down through Gilded Quarter, past shops and businesses and more row flats like her own. This part of the city was posh and clean as a whistle. The buildings were crisply funished with elegant designs, flowers, and the creme de la crop of Vel Anir's noble society. Where they went, Elspeth garnered plenty of attention, but she was not the only one to receive notice.

Seemed Olvir had made enough of a name for himself that he was also recognized.

The Chevron resided at the heart of the quarter; a well known and highly acclaimed home of Chef Astir Chevron. They were seated out in the courtyard square at a patio table, given the afternoon's lunch options, and orders taken. Feeling her mood lightened just from the simple walk there on his arm, Elspeth smiled easily into the afternoon sun for a few moments after the waitress left.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you about," she began, "my brother Elias ... I remember you saying once in a letter that you have met him in the field before."

Her gaze fell to her waterglass on the table as she delicately traced a fingertip along the cut of crystal, "Will you tell me about him? What he's like?"

 

[Olvir]

Olvir gently spun the spoon in his cappuccino, an import from Cortos, as Elspeth asked her question.

He smiled ever so gently. "More than met him."

The young noble said. Though Elias had been in the Academy for years, Ollie was more than happy to call him a friend. Either through pure luck or some design of his family he had been at Eli's side more than a few times over the years.

It was easy for him to call the other boy a friend.

"He's..." He pulled back for a second, thinking. "Like the wind."

Ollie said with a small smile. "At times just the thing you need on a hot summers day, and at other times...a gale which threatens to take you away."

His head shook.

"Eli is loyal, good. The best friend I could have asked for." Ollie added. "But the Academy has been hard on him, like it is on a lot of them."

The young noble said quietly, a sadness touching his tone.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

That was ... perhaps not at all what she was expecting. Then again, Elspeth really had no idea what her brother was like. She didn't smile at Ollie's words but adopted a curiously pensive expression. What he spoke didn't seem to line up well with what she'd witnessed just a short while ago, but it felt wrong to judge the Initiate based on such an isolated encounter.

During a battle, no less.

"I ... met him. A few weeks ago, on the battle front of Corolden. I volunteered to run their triage tent and he came in full of arrows," Elsi's brow furrowed slightly at the memory of him, bloodied in his armor, "he should have died by any right with his wounds."

His recovery had been nothing short of a miracle, given her knowledge of medicine, the human body, and her own experience in working within the medical field.

"He was crude, spiteful, willful to a fault, and utterly insistent I release him back to the front."

But that hadn't been the worst part.

She frowned as she looked back up to Ollie, "He didn't recognize me at all. It was like he'd never had a sister."

 

[Olvir]

Olvir paused for a few seconds, his lips thinning as he considered her words. "They take a lot away from them, Elspeth."

He wondered briefly how much she knew about Dreadlords. She had met them, obviously, but few knew details of what happened inside of the Academy. His own insights had only come about recently, and what he'd learned still shook him at times.

"Until the Republic came along most of them thought they would be nothing but weapons and tools for us to use and throw away." Gently he placed his hand on the table. "He was raised, brought up to..."

Ollie trailed off, then continued. "In that moment he was the storm I was talking about. Trying to get back to where in his mind he belonged."

For a second he paused.

"Give it time, another meeting." He told her with a smile. "There's more there."

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

Try as she did to remember her encounters beyond Elias - with Ralene and Edric, Elsi did feel she knew that they were raised quite differently. Separately. Edric had not known how to dance. Ralene was a blacksmith and a warrior. Even simple social gestures had been beyond Ed's understanding.

She remembered him, clear as if it were just yesterday, utterly lost among the sea of nobles in Oban.

And Ralene, fearless as they came. She saw that, too, in Elias. By her guess, he didn't know fear at all.

A knit brow met Olvir's encouraging words and her frown stuck, "I sedated him," she replied without a beat, Elspeth gave an unapologetic shrug as she took up glass in her hand, "He needed surgery, I needed him to cooperate."

"Somehow I'm not certain a second meeting will go well."

 

[Olvir]

Ollie chuckled, a small sound that he hoped did not come off as mocking. "The last time I saw him..."

He said with a shake of his head and a smile.

"I got him punched in the face by some bar thug." It hadn't been his fault really. Elias had just been there and...well things had spiraled out of control. "And he still ended up helping me that night."

Together they had managed to find out what Ollie had needed, and from there he'd been able to save a girls life. Elias might have been prickly at times, but what he'd said about him was true. "I am sure he'll come round."

Ollie encouraged quietly. "Maybe the next time won't be on a battlefield either."

He said softly, frowning as he realized that Elspeth had been at a battle. A knot forming in his stomach as he realized just how much danger that must have meant.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

A smile tried at her face behind her glass as she listened. Of course things were quite different between Ollie and Eli than they would be between herself and her brother. For one: Eli hadn't attempted to seduce Ollie with socially inappropriate compliments. For two: Ollie wasn't connected to Eli's family, a subject of which Elsi had very little notion of where Elias stood.

She sipped at her water, felt an appreciation for Olvir's encouraging words, and tried to let them take her worries away in the gentle breeze of the square.

"Maybe," she agreed, "he'll be graduating soon ... but I worry what path he'll choose after. Do you ..." she set her glass back down and fussed with his gifted bracelet at her wrist, "do you suppose he'll join the Guard?"

 

[Olvir]

Olvir frowned for a moment, his head shaking. "I'm not sure."

He would not, could not lie to her.

It was a promise he had made to himself long ago. One forged in the lies of his father. Ollie wanted to do the right thing, wanted to be honest and truthful. Even if it meant having to face the harshness of reality. He smiled briefly, trying to keep his cheer.

"He and I have never spoken of it." He admitted. "But..."

Ollie said with a frown. "For a lot of them the choice is hard to make."

He hadn't spoken about it with Elias, but he had with Houri and Alistair. Both of them had known what they wanted, but both had struggled with the choice. Options they had never even considered growing up suddenly open to them. "The Guard is, I think, for most, the easy option."

Whether that was true for Eli, Ollie couldn't quite say.

For a second Ollie paused, then he added.

"This is..." He looked at her. "Is there anyway I can help with this?"

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

Well at least Olvir didn't think Elias would choose exile and that was a great relief to her. If he chose the Guard, then perhaps that might mean she'd see him - if she just so happened to get requested for humanitarian aid or the medical tent on future battlefronts but that was a big if. Going with the reserves, who knew where he'd end up. She could offer him placement under the employ of House Sirl ... but what possibly could she have him do that would utilize his strength and skills?

Elsi certainly didn't need anyone running around killing things for her and she already had a body guard.

"I don't know," Elsi leveled her companion with a strong sigh, "it would be so nice to have my brother in my life. I fear that's the last place he wishes to be."

"If you see him again," she began after a few moments pause, "would you tell him-" that she loved him? Missed him? Wanted him to come home and partake in the family that had given him up to a childhood of torturous hell?

"That I would like nothing more than to speak with him again and that I hope he enjoyed the book I gave him."

 

[Olvir]

Ollie smiled, a soft and sympathetic smile. His head tilting in a nod. "I will."

He had no idea if he would see Elias any time soon. His latest stints in public had hardly put him in the best graces of the Dreadlords, and although the Guard now controlled them he was well aware that the politics of it all still played a role.

It wouldn't shock him if the next time House Weiroon requested a Dreadlord they would simply be told; no.

Such was the price of doing the right thing however, and if he had a choice Ollie would have done it all over again.

For a few seconds Ollie let a lull hang in the conversation. Taking a small sip of his coffee before starting once again.

"Would you tell me a little of your plans?" He understood the gist of course, but not the details. But it was important to Elspeth, and thus it was important to him. Plus there was always the chance he could help, in some small way.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

Food arrived during that lull, and though Elspeth wouldn't say she found the silence between them awkward, it was strangely discomforting ... not taking advantage of their time. There never seemed to be enough. She turned and quietly tucked into her meal, taking a few bites before Ollie's question.

"So much," she admitted over a smiling sigh, "it all begins with Sacred Hearth Incorporated, my new place of business next door to my flat. There I will see patients for ailments that do not necessitate a major hospital or surgery. I have several nurses and another elder Doctor that will also practice there, and will take over when I leave to volunteer in the triage tents at the front, or take humanitarian aid to places in need."

Elsi smoothed the cloth napkin over her lap, "I mean to open up further installments of Sacred Hearth offices across Vel Anir territories, and start a mobile office as well. Once that's underway, I intend to join Parliament so that I may begin moves to open a centralized hospital and medical college. If my time in Dornoch has taught me anything more than what I was sent there for, it is that Vel Anir is sorely behind in its medical knowledge and practices. This I will not stand for. Not while I have the resources to change it."

 

[Olvir]

Ollie listened carefully, nodding along slowly and smiling at what Elspeth described.

It seemed such an odd thing, that with all the selfishness and narcissism that existed in the Nobility, so little would find it's way to the two of them. Ollie knew he wasn't perfect, knew that Elspeth wasn't either, but measured against their peers...

"That's wonderful, Elsi." The warmth in his tone showed how much he meant those words.

Vel Anir was sorely lacking when it came to expertise in the field of medicine.

They had doctors and nurses of course, but unlike other famed cities they had no real healers or the like. Such things almost always went to the Dreadlords, where the skills were more derided and disdained than allowed to flourish.

"Is there any way I can help?" He asked, taking a bite of his meal.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

Help? All he had to do was smile at her - but of course that wasn't a proper answer from a Lady.

"Your support helps more than anything," she implored, "I daresay I will not have it from my father. Perhaps you might put a bug in your sister's ear when the times comes that I am ready to step into Parliament. I'll need someone of good standing and clout among the Nobles to support my bid."

She was of age now, but for certain she had at least a year or two worth of work to do and a name to make for herself before she'd be ready for such a role. There was a long and nigh impossible to overlook history attached to the Sirl name that she would need to rise above if she was to be recognized for anything other than that.

 

[Olvir]

Ollie smiled. "I am sure Aisling will be more than willing to support you."

After the Revolution, House Weiroon's fate had been intrinsically tied to the fate of the Republic. Though he did not quite understand it all, Aisling had been thrust into the midst of dramas surrounding the Guard and it's leadership.

His sister had never been quite forthcoming about the details of it all, and Ollie had never pressed.

Nevertheless, she had been utterly delighted with all the things he had so far managed. A stark opposition to how both his father and Uncle viewed his dealing. He was sure his sister would be just as supportive of Elspeth. Especially after all that she would do.

"And by then, maybe even my word will carry some weight." Ollie offered with a warm smile.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

That he thought Aisling would was about as much as she could hope for. It had been some time since she'd had the pleasure of Aisling Weiroon 's company, so she thought perhaps they were due for another visit soon. Making a mental note to write the young woman later this evening, Elsi released a sigh and relaxed a bit more.

This was nice - not just being in Olvir's company, but finding that it was an improvement to the usual strenuous affairs of her chosen career.

"I would be disappointed and surprised if it didn't," Elsi returned to him, beaming warmly and proudly at the man she someday hoped to call husband, "what about you? Is there not something I can do to support your own bid for greatness?"

 

[Olvir]

Ollie smiled at his beloved, the small boost of confidence giving him heart. "Your encouragement is all I need."

He told her softly.

"My father is sending me off on some fools errand of a treasure hunt." Olvir was still not entirely sure what Sebastian Weiroon was hoping to accomplish. Clawing back their Houses notoriety was an admirable thing, but it would not be done through finding treasure. "And after I return from that..."

For a second the young noble trailed off. "I should like to enter the Tourney of Anir."

Though not hosted since before the Revolution, organizers were slowly putting together the famed Tournament. A competition open to any and all no matter rank or station, with competitions for archery, jousting, and of course the Sword. "I have been training with a friend, and I think I have a chance to place well."

A soft chuckled escaped him.

"Or at least not embarrass myself." He added.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

Missions and tournies. All things that put a man at risk of peril. Elspeth had attended plenty of the latter and seen to more than her fair share of the former along battlefronts to know well enough the likelihood of injuries and death. There was a great deal of prestige from victories to be found in the Tourney of Anir and doing so would only help his cause. Their cause.

At what cost? Perhaps a bit of a dark thought for such a lunch.

"That sounds promising," she remarked after several moments of quiet thought on the matter, "my father will, of course, make a large donation to the Tourney. I expect many men carrying the Sirl banner will be among your peers and opponents."

How grand it would be for him to rise above them.

"What is this treasure your father is sending you after?" Immediately her mind conjured a pirates hoard or a hidden relic within a long lost temple. But those sort of things were just stories and tall tales.

 

[Olvir]

"I'll make sure to dedicate every match to you." He said with a smile, then laughed. "At least the ones I win."

The smile on his face lingered for a moment long, the small flirtation sitting before he answered her question. "It is called the Burning Heart."

Olvir had, of course, done his due dilligence. Even if he thought this entire thing a fool's errand he would not slip a detail passed. He needed to know everything that he could, and he'd made sure to collect every scrap he could about what it was they were to find.

Unfortunately, even his digging had uncovered little.

"An artifact that apparently can act as a catalyst." Olvir said with a frown. "Father thinks it could help with our families...magic."

He frowned, still thinking it odd that such a thing existed, or could even be talked about. He had never known, of course, but now Elspeth and he, as well as all of Vel Anir knew that Weiroon had been one of the families that hid magics within some of their children. Along with Pirian, Urahil, and others, the extent of their powers was revealed after the Revolution. "Bring back our 'luck' so to speak."

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

Ill make sure to dedicate every match to you. He said with a smile, then laughed. At least the ones I win.

If those very words weren't the mark of a humble person, Elspeth didn't know what was. She smiled at this, seeing it for what it was but understanding it as something much more. Truly, she'd rather he humble than a victor - but her father wouldn't agree. Elsi wanted to comment that she'd be there to cheer him on regardless of any outcome, but he'd moved on to the treasure.

"A catalyst to magic?" the question was more wondering than direct and she offered Ollie a look of faint confusion, "Do you mean ... to make it stronger?"

 

[Olvir]

A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "I honestly could not say."

Part of him still couldn't wrap his mind around the whole thing. Aisling had sat him down and explained before the news broke of course, and his father had...well the old man had his own opinions on all of it. Yet the idea was still so foreign Olvir wasn't quite sure what to think.

"I suppose so." He said, settling back in his chair. "But in truth I think my father simply seeks to have any sort of say in things again."

Though his Uncle had ruled the House before the Revolution, Olvir's father had at least been involved in things. "Whatever this Heart is for, I do not think it will be a boon for me."

Just a distraction. "If it were up to me, I'd stay in the city."

He looked up at her with a smile. "Here."

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

Worrisome.

That was about all she could think in regards to this ... Heart. If it were real and truly a catalyst to power could it also bring harm? What if it did something to Olvir? What if that was his father's intent all along? But what good could possibly come from martyring the youngest Weiroon son over a relic?

She was frowning and didn't realize it until he picked up his flirtations again, bringing back a smile again. Had he always been this way?

"What a dream that would be for you and I," Elsi offered warmly but felt the weight of her worldly duties tipping the tone of such dreams, "one day we may reach it." And all their struggles would be worth it, but it was difficult to say just how long they would have to struggle to get there.

"Until then, we have today...and I my bracelet," she looked down upon the gleam of the single piece of jewelry with fondness, "I must find a gift for you to take along your journey."

 

[Olvir]

"One day we might." He said with a nod, a small smile plucking at the corner of his lips. Their lives would never be ordinary, he knew that. Even after the Revolution their names carried far too much of a burden.

Yet it was a pleasant dream, one that he would entertain again.

"That's not necessary." He assured her. "Your company is enough of a gift for me."

Not that he wouldn't appreciate a token of his own. "I'll be in the city for another few days yet."

Gathering everything needed for the expedition was taking some time. "Perhaps we can have another lunch before I leave, or even dinner?"

A bit of boldness, and a bit of hope slipped into his words.

 

[Elspeth Sirl]

Necessary? No, of course it wasn't. But now that she'd the thought, Elspeth was determined to make it so. He'd not leave before being presented with a gift, if only she knew just what.

At least he was sparing her the possibility of seeming to forward in asking how long he intended to stay. A spark of anxious excitement grew in her chest upon learning there might be more opportunities to -

"Perhaps we can have another lunch before I leave, or even dinner?"

She'd share every meal of the day with him if she could, but that was perhaps better saved for after marriage.

"Why not both?" she countered with her own boldness and a bright, wry smile, "I'm setting up my clinic and finalizing my move. No patients to schedule around yet. Just boxes."

 

[Olvir]

"Yes." He said almost too quickly, his eagerness revealing itself. "Yes."

He repeated with a bit more smoothness. "That would be swell."

Of course it would take some scheduling. They both had their own duties, but it was a small step. If they could go from seeing each other from once a year to once a month Ollie would pledge to whatever god had made it happen.

"There have been some lovely new restaurants." Ollie said with a smile. "Including one where they say the pastries are quite literally magic."

Made by a former Dreadlord who had accepted status as a reservist and opened up a bakery. "I'm sure I can get us some reservations."