[Amoren] Dawn of Forever, We're Bound Together

[Degare]

TIMESTAMP: 1st First Bloom, Glade 4622
NOTES: -

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After he’d finished packing some of his own things to leave, the conversation with his Valran about his decision to go to Lorien with Arkash and then retreat to the Badlands went about as well as the Veir had expected it to. Which is to say, she was apoplectic with him. Lucia’s fury slowly waned as Degare bore his heart to her about his emotions of late– how he felt towards Arkash, how the younger man made him feel, how it felt when they were apart, how aimless and without purpose he’d felt over the past decade and so on. His new lover had made him feel, for the first time in forever, truly alive. In the end, he reminded her that he loved her and the entirety of his House dearly, swearing he’d be back, even if he couldn’t give a precise day. The only things he needed from her were to coordinate with the other Veir about running everything while he was away and excusing his absence. That, and if the opportunity ever arose, he requested she find ways to make Raphael’s life just a little bit more interesting.

Once he and Lucia had said their farewells, he and Arkash reunited. Degare had chosen to wear the simplest thing he owned, layered satin robes with a hood worn alongside a cape that draped forward over his shoulders about halfway down his chest, splitting in the middle. Down the back, the cape extends to a few inches above his ankles. Appearearing at first to be an inky black, in direct light, the fine fabric would shift between cool reds, shadowy purples and deep blues. His mask was black, opaque and featureless. Four darkened glass panels adorned the top third of the mask in a single row; each being about two inches apart, two of them were positioned to allow him to see through. On his back he wore a leather bag that he was able to fit a surprising amount of things into– he’d used Weave to compress the air out of anything fabric and painstakingly organized his possessions to take up as little space as possible. Such a feat was useful for he’d needed to shove a fair few layers of clothing in there in order to survive the frigid climate of Nivenhain.

Together, the two of them made their way from his manor once again to Amoren’s adjoining portal to the Hallway. The memories associated with the path they walked weren’t pleasant ones, at least not for the Ferrier. For the last time the pair made this trip, it was only one of them that went through and they'd ended up separated for much longer than either man ever wanted. Much as this association created a rather unpleasant sensation in his stomach, he was able to maintain his composure. This time, they would go through as one.
Stuck together, they’d promised one another.

For most of their walk, the Veir was quiet, lost in his thoughts. The thought of traveling so far from home, truthfully, made him feel nauseous.

Despite the odd mix of emotions within, he allowed himself to enjoy the city around him; it'd be awhile until he'd come back. Amoren in the spring was a rather beautiful sight, kaleidoscopic in colors from the omnipresent hues of gold, red and orange to the bright greens of new plant growth adorned with myriad shades of flowers layered between lovely, marble architecture. Together, he and his lover looked like any other pair of Entente that wandered the streets of the city’s most opulent districts– very few others even glanced in their direction. There was something that relaxed the Veir, something that made him feel safe, about the anonymity his mask and hood provided.

As they neared the building that housed Amoren’s portal, a memory from early that morning crossed Degare’s mind. When he’d expressed to Arkash that he sincerely did want to devote himself to the other, he noticed that the sentiment had made his lover cry. In the moment, he’d chosen to embrace the smaller man in a gesture of reassurance, but it did make him wonder what that had meant. Had he been under the impression that the capability or desire to commit was not something the elf possessed? The irony of assuming such a thing was that it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

In reality, the Veir’s odd navigation of relationships and commitment was a complicated web of apathy, mistrust, a damaged ego, guilt, self doubt, but most of all, fear– lack of interest wasn’t even part of the equation. Part of the reason he forced himself to even request the other’s devotion was that he wanted to get over these things, to allow himself to be happy. After all, that fear is something he’d carried his entire life. The Sil’Norai had buckled to that fear in his last serious relationship and in doing so, he allowed his most important promise to have gone unfulfilled.

Beneath the dark glass of his mask, red-amber irises flit towards the smaller man that walked beside him and he could feel a smile begin to pull at his lips despite everything. The elf just wanted to be happy and Arkash made him so. “It’s such a relief knowing we won’t have to part…there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than by your side.” He spoke with a volume just loud enough for his lover to hear, the soft velvet of his voice woven with his affection.

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'Thoughts'
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Raillen Tongue/Speech"
"Silvain Tongue/Speech"

[Arkash]

The Hallway was something Arkash dreaded every time he passed through, and the extent of his history with the Elven Relic didn't even end with the day he'd parted from Degare. He hated the number of eyes on it, the number of Halamire that guarded the structure at all hours of the day. It made him uneasy every time he passed through, despite the convenience of being able to travel hundreds of miles in an instant.

While Degare effortlessly dressed in suitable clothes for traveling through such a well-seen place, Arkash had spent the minutes he had time for fumbling a needle through his torn attire. He hadn't lost any fabric in the scuffle, which made it easier to stitch the damage shut. The problem was that Arkash wasn't all that experienced with mending clothes.

His needlework wasn't all that bad after he'd adjusted to working with the different materials of his shirt and breeches, but fell short with the matching of the colors and shades; he'd used a few different tones in some of the stitches, and others were a few shades darker.

No matter, he was able to wear his tailcoat to cover most of the tears, and with one hand in his pocket, he could navigate one side of his coat over the most obvious tears. A brass-handled leather bag carried all his remaining belongings in the form of his Necromancy tools, doctor's kit, lockpicks, and the other things he'd come to accumulate since his sudden Eviction from Fort Valrazan.

A plain white mask of no features covered his visage as they made their way through the street, but despite the comfort of anonymity, he kept his head down. The Hunter would recognize him with ease, he imagined. Until they were on the ship, he couldn't risk drawing attention to himself.

He was uncomfortable through the entire walk, but it didn't show in his posture or the way he held himself. He simply paid no outward attention to his surroundings and proceeded through the gilded streets that led to the portal. Briefly, he wondered if any of the posted Halamire had been told to keep an eye out for a man of his description by the general, but thought it farfetched given his apparent selfish alignment. Valentin wanted his Sunderscrap for himself, after all.

Degare was quiet while they walked, too. Though Arkash occasionally glanced up at the taller man to try and gauge his thoughts and expression, there was nothing to read upon his opulent black mask.

Even so, he caught what the man had said and smiled sweetly out of sight of the general public. It was difficult not to lean toward the Veir and take his arm with his own, but such an act of immodesty was surely frowned upon in the Candor. "...The sentiment is shared, my Veir," Arkash spoke in response with a sort of coy glint to his eyes as he glanced up at the elf. "I don't know when the next ship leaves, but we should hurry. The sooner we're in Gentaven, the better," Arkash said low, then nodded to the building they approached.

Up the cut marble stairs, Arkash hurried the last few paces and used his heavy hand to open the gold-engraved cathedral door for the Veir, whom he allowed through first with a bow of his head.

The air inside was tense to the young Rath, almost thick enough to carve. Knights of opulent armor lined the walls with weapons in hand and stood to attention while various other Entente of grand status gathered in small games of Candor near the doors that led to various cities across Daravin.

Arkash couldn't read, regardless of the languages written to indicate which doorway led to where. And so, Arkash looked up at the Veir with patience; only he knew the way to go.

Image source.

[Degare]

TIMESTAMP: -
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Though Arkash’s mask covered pretty much his entire face, the holes for his eyes allowed Degare to see parts of his expressions that way. Other than that, he could see tension in the way that the other held himself if they paused. There was a certain awkwardness to his movements when they started or stopped that it was unlikely any stranger would recognize, though the Veir did purely because he’d spent quite a bit of time observing his lover and his mannerisms. It was like he was barely paying attention to anything around him and relying solely on the Veir to guide him. Spacey, almost, compared to the usual alertness the young man possessed. Only partially was this intentional; he likes to learn peoples’ behaviors and the little things about his partners, yes…but he also just adored the little Rathor, so his gaze often fell on him almost by default.

Nonetheless, he noticed the discomfort his lover’s body held. The pale elf wished he could offer his touch to comfort the other, but such a thing would be frowned upon…it’d have to wait until the two of them made it to the ship and out of the public eye. Especially after the affection displayed in the conversation they had that morning, Degare really did have trouble resisting the urge to put his hands on his partner. Unbeknownst to him, Arkash felt the very same.

Instead of touch, the Veir offered a sentiment of similar meaning. He didn’t actually care that much if anyone overheard in this scenario, it was just vague enough to be entirely harmless alongside the fact that nobody would recognize either him or his beloved. The little glimmer in Arkash’s eyes he saw after he replied made the pale elf grin beneath his mask, pleased that what he’d said gave the other any sense of happiness. Though none of his features could be seen, he still blushed at the title…lovers of his calling him noble titles always made him squirm for whatever reason, in any relationship he’d ever been in, and this one wasn’t an exception. The sweet way Arkash always spoke the words embarrassed him just a little more than normal, though. At least his lover almost never used ‘Lord’ or ‘Lord-Regent’– both of those had more formality to them because they elevated him above the other Veir in his House and thus had more inherent deference implied by their use.

Arkash did speak again, words that expressed his unfamiliarity with Genteven’s ship scheduling. “I can’t say when exactly the next one departs, only that it’s too early in the day for it to be the last…but I do agree. I…” The elf’s words cut off, as if he were about to misstep with what he wanted to say. After a moment or so, “I’m looking forward to using our time on the ship to learn more about the finer points of Necromancy. Spend some time practicing with my Mark, too.” Sentiments like these shared between nobles in Daravin? Perfectly acceptable. The actual implications of what he’d said? Probably not what anyone who overheard would think– and the second one was technically illegal, even here.

Amber eyes followed his lover when he’d moved to step in front of the Veir, acknowledging him with a delicate nod when he held the door to the grand building open before them. Everything was carved of thick marble– such stone would be heavy for the average person, Arkash’s strength showing through with the ease by which he pulled it open. Nothing so notable that it would draw any unwanted attention, but Degare found the small display of power to be enticing.

Once within, he noted that his lover’s posture stiffened just a little more. Figuring he wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time in here, the pale elf walked with slightly longer strides to move a little quicker but not look inherently rushed. The pair passed through the single adjoining portal within Amoren into the Hallway underneath Arlain in an instant. Taking a second to orient himself, the Veir turned and made his way over to the portal that’d land them in Genteven. With a glance to see whether or not Arkash was still following him, he passed through the portal. Within two minutes, the two of them had traveled from Amoren to Genteven– a distance that was roughly as long as Daravin was wide. Guiding his lover swiftly out of the building, he blinked at the difference in scenery when they stepped out into the city’s mid-morning light.

The city was beautiful but it lacked the warm hues of gold and orange that he’d grown so used to being surrounded by in the south. Here, they were surrounded by some of Daravin’s oldest Human-built architecture with dense, cool shades of green lovingly planted around and between buildings. It’d been a good few months since the Veir had been to Genteven for any reason, and he usually didn’t stay long. After pausing for a moment to remember where the harbor was, he pivoted and began to walk in that direction.

The two strode through the city’s trade district on their way down toward the river, walked past the trade section of the harbor and then to where vessels for transport of people were anchored. The building where people bought tickets and waited for their boat to board was easy to spot and fairly obvious in its purpose. The harbor wasn’t incredibly busy that morning, but there was still a rather large amount of people moving through the streets. Genteven was a very popular city for trade and travel, the harbor being one of the busiest parts of the city.

Despite the denser streams of people moving about, Degare’s form would be harder to lose in a crowd than most given how tall he was alone. Once the pair entered the building to acquire passage on the next ship to Nivenhain, the Veir did most of the talking. He communicated in Gentevarese, though he mostly listened and spoke in simpler sentences because his knowledge of the language was somewhat lacking. It was a simple enough affair to buy tickets for a boat, though. Being a creature of habit, the Veir opted to pick accommodations for the two of them that were in the highest price bracket the ship offered. Paying with a cheque that would just bill his family, he collected the tickets with a hand gloved in black satin.

Pocketing the slips of paper, the Ferrier beckoned his lover after him. As they walked, “The boat leaves in about an hour but we can board in about fifteen minutes.” The elf led the other back out of the building and found a bench for the two of them to wait at. The gentle breeze that blew over the harbor might have been relaxing if the circumstances were different. He turned his head to face his partner, “Have you traveled much by ship before?” His voice was curious for the most part, but thin threads of anxiety were woven through the words. Come to think of it, he’d never asked how Arkash had gotten to Daravin the first time.

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'Thoughts'
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Raillen Tongue/Speech"
"Silvain Tongue/Speech"

[Arkash]

Despite how heavily Arkash focused on maintaining his outward appearance, he only seemed to paint himself as uncomfortable, as the lord noticed. Even so, the older man’s comment on Necromancy and practice with his mark did bring a slight smile to his lips beneath the mask.

He didn’t linger; neither of them did. It seemed neither of them were keen on remaining in the public eye. Though Arkash had to move his legs faster to keep pace with Degare’s wider gait, Arkash kept up fine with the aid of his superior athleticism. “I do want…” Arkash began in their hurried pace. “To practice a little more with animating the dead,” he continued, a far cry from Degare’s implications… probably. “If it suits you, you might be able to help with that, with or without your mark,” he said, then breathed in sharply at the realization that he might have eluded to too much to the truth. “But of course, I could always use more practice in Briomancy…” He finished with a brief smile.

By the time Arkash and Degare arrived at the home of the hallway, he was much too wired by the stress of public appearance to inhibit his strength, and so, he opened the heavy door with relative ease and didn’t recognize the feat of strength, even after he pulled the door closed behind him and engaged his weight in the step, he didn’t pause to consider his unintended flex.

They were straight through, moving on through the first portal with some degree of nausea that quickly dissipated. Again, he arrived within the portal nexus, and all the doors to different parts of Daravin surrounded them. Quickly, he reoriented his gaze on Degare, and followed the elf through the portal.

The difference in the composition of the air, the temperature and the humidity was palpable. It filled his nose with scents that suddenly came into full focus, potent in their strength. He breathed out hard and drew breath through his mouth until he could later sort through the smells in the new land, and followed Degare out the building, close to his heels.

He and the Veir emerged on a much more natural Daravin, human architecture everywhere they looked with plant life and trees extending from cordoned sections of the city. Arkash took a moment to admire the paved cobble roads that surrounded small croppings of grass around the roots of planted trees while Degare familiarized himself with the city, then looked up at the man as he began to advance.

Mouth ajar, Arkash followed the taller man through the crowd. Dexterously, he weaved through the people and deftly stepped around the obstructions that were Gentaven’s citizens. Gradually, his tension subsided and he began to relax as they moved further from the Hallway. He was able to better focus on his belongings, and minded his purse through the dense street that paved the way to the harbor.

Degare appeared to wait for him before the building that secured their tickets, though the Rath was quite obviously perspiring by the time he arrived at Degare’s side. His breathing had picked up a little in the light of the morning’s sun, he almost steamed. “I might have to invest in some lighter gloves,” Arkash said with a gesture to the pale leather ones that obscured his hands. Dressing like an Entente was much too warm for the Rien nameless.

Regardless, he followed the older man under the shade of the building, then into the cooler air of the interior, where their tickets were sold. Arkash paid close attention to the conversation as it went, but couldn’t understand a thing. Even so, he did little more than watch the ferryman from the eyeholes of his mask. Arkash was about to produce his purse when the Veir wrote the check, and the Rath’s features brightened beneath his mask, much to no display.

Tickets in hand, he again followed the man out of the building.

He tried to steady his breathing, but the condensation on the inside of the mask made it difficult. Was it condensation or sweat? He wasn’t sure.

When they finally sat, Arkash might have been rather noticeably flushed. “…Fifteen minutes, you said?” Arkash asked through the struggle, then breathed out deeply from his mouth before he hazarded a breath through his nose. The smell of the river’s water was the first thing to hit him, followed by pollen, tree sap, glucose, sweat, body odor, shit, rats… He exhaled deeply once more, dispelling those smells.

“Only once my Veir,” Arkash answered with a glance to the Veir, then returned his gaze forward as he set his back on the floor between them. “Coincidentally, I was traveling with another Veir at the time; a boy by the name of Caladrin,” he explained. “The ride was fine at first, but the longer it went on, the further I fell into sickness. It was quite awful; it felt as though my stomach churned with the rocking, I was dizzy, my chest was tight… I was lucky I’d had nothing to eat that day or my dry heaving wouldn’t have been so dry… And that would have been… Awkward.” Of course, his stomach as always empty regardless of how often he ate. But the idea of vomiting the remains of a macerated person did make him smile internally.

“I suppose you travel by ship often?” he continued as he brought an ankle to his knee, hands clasped together while they rested on the calf of that leg.

Image source.

[Degare]

TIMESTAMP: -
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Once the pair had arrived in Genteven, Degare noted that it took Arkash a moment to readjust. It must have been especially jarring for his senses to so abruptly travel between two very different locations like this. Though he hadn't thought about it beforehand, the elf did pause while he oriented himself and waited to move until his lover was ready.

The climate in Genteven was fairly mild, nothing horribly thick like a jungle or a swamp, but the air did carry a reasonable amount of moisture with it in addition to the early warmth of the region's First Bloom. To Degare, the weather was pleasant, if a little too bright. For Arkash? He appeared to be struggling to move through the city without overheating. Much as the Veir felt sympathetic, they'd be on the boat soon enough and his lover could take off whatever layers he wished.

Shifting into a sort of autopilot, the Veir paid for both of their tickets before guiding his partner back outside to sit somewhere less crowded.

With a soft exhale before he spoke, the pale elf posed a question to his lover. At the mention of another Veir, he squinted beneath his mask along with a slight tilt to his head, considering for a moment whether or not he recognized the name. He didn't, granted, there's a lot of lesser Veir and it'd be a massive pain to try and keep track of every name. In response to the notion of seasickness, "...how long was that trip? This one should last a few days longer than a fortnight. Hopefully you won't be trapped in misery this time, but I did pay for the more expensive end of accommodations so at least it should be easier to try and sleep it off if that's the case." After pausing for a moment, the elf spoke again, "As for me…I mostly take short distance trips via the river connecting to Boghadar and the cities along that waterway. Since I don't usually leave Daravin, traveling by sea for far longer distances is…fairly rare. I'm…not the most well traveled. Going too far from home makes me nervous, in truth." His anxiety was just a little bit more audible with that admission.

Once those words were spoken, the Veir was silent for a few minutes, head and eyes unable to really stay focused in one direction or on one thing for very long; he also had trouble sitting still. Both hands rested on either knee, fingers curled tightly against his palm. The musculature of his thin frame was fairly tense, resulting in a slight deviation to his posture that would appear stiff, uncomfortable. For people that knew him, this would come across as paranoid, anxious, or worrisome.

The busy nature of the docks and the brightness of the sun was slowly building to become overwhelming to the elf, creating a sort of ringing sound in his head that continued to rise in both pitch and volume as moments passed. Almost serendipitously, the loud, gruff voice of a man announcing that their ship was boarding snapped the Veir out of this haze before the ringing sound became unbearable.

Blinking a few times as he came back to reality, Degare breathed out a deep exhalation and slowly stood up. Looking back down at Arkash, he gestured wordlessly for his lover to follow him. The ship boarded in groups and because of the Veir's status, he and his beloved companion got on pretty much right away.

Looking at their tickets, the Ferrier still didn't say much as he led his partner to their cabin. Once within, the tension he held would lower notably, but not so far as to entirely dissipate.

The room itself was rather narrow, as was typical even on the more expensive end. The door had been built into the longer wall, towards the bottom left corner. Against the wall and immediately to the left upon entering was a couch, and across from that was a table with two chairs. At the far end of the room was a reasonably sized double bed. All of the furniture looked expensive, most of it being composed of rich, dark colored wood and fine fabrics.

Removing his mask and setting his possessions down in one of the chairs by the table, the Veir collapsed back into the couch, took his lover's hand and pulled the smaller man into his arms. As the elf lifted off the other's mask, his expression was largely affectionate despite the anxiety underneath the surface and tension that remained in his form.

Amber eyes locked with the warm brown of his lover's for just a moment before dropping his gaze. With a short sigh of an exhale, Degare tightly embraced his partner; his left arm wrapped around Arkash's back and the right moved to grip his opposite shoulder. Burying his face in the nape of the younger man's neck, the elf took a moment to just breathe and soothe himself with the other's scent.

"...I love you. I just wish I had the political sway to protect you better…to have prevented having to run. I'm sorry, darling." His words are slow, loving, and laced with genuine guilt.

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'Thoughts'
"Common Tongue/Speech"
"Raillen Tongue/Speech"
"Silvain Tongue/Speech"

[Arkash]

“…A few hours,” Arkash answered with some level of concern. “We were just on the ship for a few hours,” he elaborated when the Veir explained they would be voyaging for a little longer than two weeks.

He swallowed hard.

The Rath wasn’t sure what had brought on his sickness back then but hoped it wouldn’t last the entire time at sea.

As it happened, Degare didn’t travel often. The Rath knew that Degare had ventured to Nivenhain on occasion, but imagined such a trip was rare for him. He nodded a little, then looked away when the urge to take his hand overtook him. “We’re not likely to be gone for long, my Veir… Please don’t worry yourself too much.”

Of course, his reassurance was a lie. They were going to be gone for some time, both in Lorien, and then the Imperial Badlands to follow. Arkash exhaled deeply, which cooled quickly against the accumulated condensation beneath his breath and soothed the skin of his cheeks marginally.

In silence, he stared in thought. It was difficult to formulate a conversation with another when the nature of their relationship was incognito. All the same, they shared a few words of surface-level talk that Arkash found worthwhile; he’d learned something about the Veir that day, even if it was minimal.

When the sailor’s voice called, Arkash blinked quickly and looked to Degare. He’d managed to recover somewhat while sitting there, but not enough to stop his sweating. The shining sun did little to help the stabilization of his internal thermometer, and he internally cursed it as he rose to stand with Degare’s invitation.

Passing most others in the queue to board was uncomfortable; the feeling of being watched wasn’t easily shaken, not until the Rath and the elf were completely obscured by the walls of the ship.

He began to breathe a little more on their way to their quarters, relaxing the tension in his form and cooling off. Removing a few layers was at the forefront of his mind, like a light at the end of the tunnel.

The moment they passed the threshold of the door, Arkash breathed a sigh of relief and immediately stripped the gloves from his clammy hands. His coat came next while he filtered the excess heat from his lungs in deep a breath that almost appeared to steam from the edges of his mask. Briefly, his eyes looked about the narrow room and lidded as he stripped the fabric from his arms and slung it over the back of the nearest chair.

Degare seemed to have the same idea as he dropped off his belongings at the table. Briefly, the Rathor dipped to collect his bag of instruments and set it on the table as Degare dropped into the depth of the couch. The young Rath was suddenly taken by the hand and guided to the couch with some gentle pull of his lover’s weight. The rath obliged and came to his in the Veir’s lap with his legs hung off to the side.

He clung to the taller man with one arm while the other held the elf’s shoulder. As his mask was removed, the Rathor’s eyes shined above his glistening cheeks with clear admiration despite how flushed he might have been.

His chin lifted a little as the elf buried his face in his neck, and the elevated thrum of his heart was apparent in his jugular. As the pace began to steady, Degare spoke his piece, and Arkash shook his head.

“No love,” he began. “Don’t; you’ve already done more than enough just coming this far with me.” In truth, Arkash knew that if he’d handled his problem with Raphael differently, neither of them would be in that situation. “It’s not your fault, Cariad,” he assured before he lifted the elf’s chin and pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

Image source.

[Salen]

Arkash

Lores
Acting: Less affectionate in public
Acting: Keep in mind the limits of mortality
Acting: Do not touch someone you're pretending to be unromantic with
Acting: Focus on mannerisms
Acting: Keep it together outside of your comfort zone
Acting: Your boundaries and your character's boundaries are different
Acting: Calm around nobles
Acting: Natural
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[PC] Degare: Bought you tickets
[PC] Degare: Quite comfortable with pretending in public
[PC] Degare: Doesn't venture far from home often
[PC] Degare: Happy to let you practice on him from the confines of your tiny boat room

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A

Points: 8

Comments: Great Thread, let me know if you have any questions about your rewards.