Meeting the Archmage

[concordancenpcs]

[Lezaford's cottage in the Aldanna Range is exactly what one would expect of a centuries-old Archmage. If they were aware of his age or magical capabilities. Most don't and he likes it that way. Everywhere one looks in this simple dwelling, there are books. Books upon books. And more books. If anything seems oddly displaced, it's the suit of Judge's armor set off in one corner. Or maybe the Grimoire on his reading table.

He's expecting a guest, maybe two, sometime soon anyway. The number of guests about to cram into his small home is going to be a surprise. Once he pulls himself out of the book he's engaged in reading.]


((ooc: Due to the number of folks showing up, let's go with party-style tagging instead of a set order.))

Comments

[cruentatafoedus]

[Alas, Vayne is completely unaware of their skills and combined inclinations to rat him out (though they would never see it as such), using the treats to gently bribe the little creatures into quietness so he can overhear the conversation in the house (though that is difficult to do, to be sure).]

[He finds them to be fascinating, finding himself making soft noises under his breath at them as he would Imperial Hounds trained for the army, though they are anything but those bestial animals - with glimmering wings, and wicked, jeweled eyes - he wants them to come a little closer, fingers curious as to the texture of their skin and deft little claws.]

[Vayne wonders for a few moments what would occur to the little creatures should Cid get his hands on them -]

[He stops his mind.]

[Cid is already gone. Gone for four years.]

[Ah, right.]

[The temptation to ruminate flickers to life. He never did like sitting idly in place for any great length of time.]

[resplendance]

[It doesn't take much to bribe them closer. In fact, Aion's quite determined to bask in the attention and pushes her head under his hand for rubbing. Sybaris, the blue, takes his cues from the gold queen and settles quite close as well. They've stopped vocally chattering, but now they're talking at him telepathically, showing mental images of their old home in Fort Weyr and then the more current one that's an airship hangar they share with a very young green dragon. The longer he sits and spoils them, the more determined they'll be to try to prompt answers to their curiosity. Right now, they want to know where he's from.]

[cruentatafoedus]

[At first Vayne isn't sure what he's getting, a flash here and there of images, places he's never seen, never even dreamed of. Bizarre landscaping, architecture - ]

[It causes him to blanch, eyes blinking rapidly, blood draining from his face. For a few moments he stops petting the little creatures, a mixture of terror and fascination gripping him. Cid would love to play with these little creatures because it can only be these little bizarre animals doing this. He has to turn his head again to look, to settle himself, to make sure, letting out a controlled breath.]

[Vayne does not try to pull away again, taking care as to not frighten them, coming to a very real recognition in his mind that these creatures may betray him.]

[He does not resist, however, answering their question with a murmur, unsure of how to mentally share it without putting out some...uncomfortable associations - he makes sure to strain his hearing.]
"An age ago."
[An age? Four years feels like an age when so much is different and the same - a displaced man, a murderer, once an Emperor. The fall of Nabudis weighs on him, Bahamut's loss, that he is without ally - these choices he has made, they are irrelevant.]

[resplendance]

[Such a strange answer to the little curious ones so they try a little harder to ask more. There's more images of Fort Weyr, and then the hearth in the Great Hall. From that warm and comfy spot, there's a flash of Penelo leaned over them offering them little tidbits of fresh meat, as she had when they first hatched. They were so hungry then and just the memory of it is enough for them to project tangible sensations of being utterly famished.

Nudgenudge at Vayne's hands, they're begging for more food, having tricked their own selves into thinking they're as hungry as they were when they first hatched. At least it's a happy enough memory for them both that they manage to project warm feelings of affection for the dancer as well and contentment that she cared for them straight out of the egg.]

[cruentatafoedus]

[As they push for more information, Vayne is curious, contemplative in turn as to his own mental abilities and limits in contrast - can he push back? Form walls and give them ideas and impressions, feelings and emotions without being so subjected? Though he works still in answering and understanding their questions, he tries to focus, working through the training he recalls from preceding time. He cannot, nay, he does not want give them the images from his mind, only his words.]

[At the very least, he wants to stop the stomach churning sensation of want, hunger, and more permeating his mind, not enjoying that they warble so, His mind seeks, perhaps without realizing it, to push some of his own mental dominance and desire to control what is uncontrolled animal instinct.]

[He doesn't realize that the image of Penelo, a girl he has seen and has known, has slipped through his mind, torn from his grasp at their enthusiasm.]

/have a cute icon because I love you like that

[resplendance]

[That sliver of recognition is all that it takes for the little excitable creatures to forget about their sudden burst of hunger and latch on to the familiar. They start to bombard Vayne with more images of their mistress, from her cozy quarters in the Weyr (which was pretty much a homey cave) to her in Larsa's sitting room with Mjrn and Basch present. His previous pushing back trying to stop the images from coming in gets overridden in their zeal to continue sharing.

Aion chirrups forcefully at Sybaris and without warning, the little blue vanishes into thing air to go tell Penelo he's found a friend.]