[Malevin - Ford] Entwined Fate and A long journey ahead.

[Gloomcrest]

31st of Glade, 4623

It has been about two months since the thief was bombarded by the revelations of being a child of Saren. But, of course, it didn’t help that all these events had heavily affected his identity as a whole. Once a mortal, he is now a demigod attempting to nurture his divine spark as best as possible.

For a time, Jared needed to collect his thoughts outside of Daravin; the dread that constantly lingers at the back of his head of people possibly coming to get him or cull him for other nefarious deeds was something and escaping that fear. For that reason alone, the young Draedan decided to pack up his bags just so he could travel and clear his thoughts, as being in enemy territory wasn’t helping Jared come to terms with his identity and change.

With enough rations packed to travel a long distance away and relatively sufficient gear to assist in travelling, the thief decided that moving to another country entire would be best, a new experience to understand further who he is and will be.

With that in mind, the young Alistian thief had spent some time travelling by foot by essentially stowing away or providing excellent cooking services for the long road ahead. Of course, it was nice to cook for people; the remnants of cooking for people such as Miki, Alistair, Taelian, Ford, Moop, and Arkash were one of the most enjoyable moments that the thief could ever cherish.

In some way, those moments of being with another person where no one had to be on guard; made the Draedan realise that he was relatively alone in the extensive world and more so now since his revelation further distanced himself from the common folk. For all he knew, Taelian and himself were the only Draedans present in Atharen, and while it would be ignorant to say that was the case, there hasn’t been any evidence of other Draedans present so far.

Nevertheless, the journey from Daravin to Radenor was filled with pondering questions about himself and his purpose, still left in the dark. Still, that journey of self-discovery would take time, and the realisation of his goal will reveal itself in time.

For now, Jared was making his way over to the Kyngdom of Jorikford; Apparently, from what he managed to gather over the period of travelling on the road with various strangers and eavesdropping that despite Radenor being at war with Daravin, people could still slip through though it would be difficult to blend in with the native if they were using their language.

But what was more critical about heading over to Jorikford was the abundance of resources that were present in the beautiful land, littered with mountains, evergreen pine and sequined valleys of grass. In all honesty, this was the kind of environment in that Jared wanted to rest his weary head for a time and rest after all of the bullshit that had happened in his 30 years of living.

With that in mind, Jared was currently on the road heading towards Malevin with no plan other than to settle down for a few days and conduct his usual routine of being a petty thief of casing and stealing. But, in some ways, the thief hoped that fate would have something installed for him, at the very least.

[Ford Edevane]

It had been an interesting couple of months since everyone returned to their lives after the incident. Taelian and Ford had returned home and attempted to get back on with life as it were. There were bumps in the beginning, adjusting to things, but it had not taken them long to get back into the rut of their normal day-to-day lives. With Taelian and Ford going back and forth to Lorien for business, as well as different parts of Radenor, especially Jorikford, for other things, it was often times they had to spend some time apart. One of those times apart was present. Ford had not been sleeping through the nights on some nights. Aside from the typical reasons for waking up, his dreams had been plagued with certain... Images. What had begun as dreams had become full-blown hallucinations in his waking times. They did not happen often. And the few times they had occurred, Ford had deduced the reasoning as to why. Having a firm understanding of Sociology and being versed in etiquette and typical interactions with people from all walks of life, considering his life before Radenor, his ability to grasp what was happening to him was quite good.

At first, he had thought they were simply dreams and nightmares, or he ate something that had not agreed with him and caused him to have a vivid, imaginary scene depicted before him. But what he had thought a fluke happened twice more, and each time was different. The falsehoods behind them had been identified, but he had not narrowed down the connection entirely, not yet. That was still to come for the Griscian. Thoughts of these, as well as general everyday thoughts, were running through his mind as he was walking along a road. He enjoyed walking the roads, seeing the sights, and occasionally being intermingled among the people. The people of Radenor were hearty people, and he both enjoyed speaking with them as well as watching them in their daily routines. On his travels away from home, he had also begun to look into some things and attempt to teach himself about what was happening with his own mind and body.

As his mind lingered on those thoughts, the sound of someone else walking in the opposite direction of him caught his attention. Lifting his gaze up, initially, he did not recognize the other. Without realizing it, his feet had slowed just a fraction in their speed in the direction they were going. The man was dressed simply for the day. A pair of tanned trousers were on his wider, muscular hips and thicker legs. On his torso, he wore a button-down flannel shirt colored in red and black that was left unbuttoned a partial way down the front of his chest, revealing portions of the tanned, built frame. Strapped to his back was a burlap-covered, nearly domelike shape that remained over parts of his upper and middle back. Brown booted feet continued to carry him in the opposite direction of the man as they came closer to pass one another, and the pinker flesh, tanning in the sun, could be seen under the rolled-up portions of the shirt that rested just above his elbows.

As he came closer, he did not think anything of it, especially with his mind showing him random things. In fact, he glanced to the other side, looking to see if he could, in fact, see anything else happening that would have caused a random hallucination. As he was closer to him, he stepped to the side to allow the other to continue on their path, uninterrupted. That was until he was close enough that they were about to pass one another. It wasn't until Ford was seeing the side profile of the other's face that something snapped into place. His feet paused, and his blue eyes looked forward momentarily as he knew that side profile. He did not know it intimately well, but enough that he had spent the majority of time looking at the face in that fashion.

"...Jared?"

Why was Jared in Radenor on a random road and path that had him crossing paths with Ford? His heart skipped a beat, not because anything romanticized in his mind, but because he had a flashback to their ordeals with Bel, and he turned his head to look back to see if the man would respond.

[Gloomcrest]

31st of Glade, 4623

It was hard enough for Jared to travel to a foreign land still considered the enemy of the Empire of Rust, but how could the young Draedan call Daravin his home when the constant fear of being outed to the world loomed so closely? His heart which beats, and the soul that sings the most genuine nature of who he is as a being, couldn’t stand being in constant danger, and the need to spread one’s wings was necessary for now.

It was evident that Jared was distracted, lost in his mindscape and thinking of the next moves. To foster his divine spark whilst attempting to avoid the desires of others, In truth, Jared or Vendrel feared the worse that has yet to come. In the grand scheme, the thief was merely a weave in the tapestry that Saren once cared for, yet the unknown was frightening. The amber-eyed petty thief had no one to do; Once everyone had left after the entire debacle, that was the trip into another realm of existence.

Jared tried to get back into his usual routine of being a thief on the run; in his honest opinion, he could not see life as he used to see it. But, instead, it was one revelation after another that sums up his entire purpose; even now, that purpose was as vague as the directions of the wind itself.

The Draedan in question wasn’t wearing anything too fancy; he could easily be mistaken for a peasant with his pale green tunic that was slightly loose around his body, sandy beige linen pants and dark brown, tanned pair of boots. His hair had changed somewhat, growing a little longer with a more wavy, raven-black hue but it seemed to have a light shimmer, which was hard to explain at times.

Lastly, a rucksack on the thief’s back looked filled to the brim with all sorts of equipment, tools and oddities, such as a table leg… If it weren’t for his divinity correcting the majority or all of his imperfections physically, The thief would have been able to keep a low profile, but that was not meant to be.

But besides all the turmoil going through the Alistian cook’s head, the mark of Lucence was also influencing his thoughts, albeit to a lesser degree if the thief could say it that way. It was hard not to resist these so-called ‘visions’. The only way that Jared could describe them was how intense the emotions were, the conflict that ran through his veins and staving off these bouts of righteousness.

The young Alistian thief couldn’t resonate with those ideals; one core tenets he has always followed was using violence when there was no other choice. The excuse was mostly being a thief doesn’t get paid for violence, but in truth, it was an excuse for the thief to avoid conflict due to his innate few things going awry.

Still lost in his thoughts, the thief continued to move forward on the made road; It was far better than going through a mountainous path or heavy woodlands, but still, the journey itself could be at least more comforting other than the beautiful environment that was bestowed to Jorikford. Only then would a voice call out, quickly stopping the thief in his tracks; the tone and quality of this mysterious voice were familiar but also distant.

Turning his gaze back slightly, the amber-eyed male couldn’t help but notice a blonde-haired male with stunning blue eyes wearing clothing that he had never seen before, from the red & black button-downed flannel to the well-maintained tanned trousers. Of course, the thief could have sworn that this person would be from another country since he gathered from serving on the roads that Radenor’s clothing style was much more straightforward, but I guess that could be wrong.

Rubbing his eyes for a moment, the thief couldn’t help but visibly drop his shoulders as if it was carrying the world on his back; a brief moment of joy swept through the thief’s body, which caused him to quiver for a moment. The intense emotion of joy and comfort became too much as Jared’s voice cracked slightly.

“Ford…. Is that you???....”

The thief couldn’t control himself and quickly moved to the familiar figure’s position. However, as the Draedan extends his arms wide open, his thoughts immediately pull the brakes as the sudden fear of potentially hurting someone due to the lack of control over his divinity could inflict causes the thief to retract what was an open hug, his arms quickly laying to the side of his frame as he attempts to control himself. At this moment, his eyes and parts of his skin would glow rather softly as his divinity was reacting to his raw emotions.

"I can’t believe it… What are you doing here??? What have you been doing? You must wonder why I am here??? There is a lot that needs to catch up... So much has changed over the past few months, and it is nice to see a familiar face again."

The quiver in Jared’s slightly gravelly voice was very much apparent, and it would seem that the thief had a lot on his mind and no outlet to go to; his thoughts started to fester, but Jared was attempting to hold his composure as best he could but was showing it rather terribly.

[Ford Edevane]

Ford had to do a double and triple take to make sure what he was seeing was, in fact, what he was seeing. He knew, or at least had known Jared briefly, and his home was not in Radenor. In fact, he had figured he would never see him again unless something unique to the event they were linked to had a resurgence of some kind. Instead, when he caught that side profile, he was quite shocked. Jared had filled out and did not look as wounded or sickly as he had the last time he had seen him. It was also fair to say they were not in nearly as stressful of a situation as they had last been in before going their separate ways. Jared immediately went for a hug which Ford was about to openly receive when he saw the other pull back. Arms went down, features softened and even fell, and the quickness that Jared had withdrawn had been noted. Ford's bright blue eyes slid over the thief's frame, taking in what he could see in that instant, and gave a sigh. It was good to see him. Ford's dealings mostly dealt with the people of Radenor, trying to convince them to at least take a step toward the future while also working over the people of Lorien. Most of the people he spoke with he had to try and influence, so seeing a friendly face that he did not have to work at persuading made him feel at ease.

The cracking of the voice pulled at a heartstring of Ford's, not because he had been so close to Jared, but because he knew a little bit about him to know that something was off. The way he almost recoiled away, to control himself rather than allowing himself to portray his emotions, was what pulled at Ford's heartstrings. He had known what it was like to act that way in The Commonwealth, and regardless of Jared's pulling back and attempting to be proper, a kind smile creased the Griscian's lips, and soon whiter teeth were flashed. There was no need to speak other than having confirmed it was indeed Jared. So rather than allowing Jared to remain there, in the awkward and almost pained stance of controlling himself, Ford did something that he had done in his first meeting with Jared when they had talked in that kitchen all those months ago. Lifting his right hand, the Griscian rested his hand atop the Alistian's shimmering raven-black-haired head and let it rest there. Ford was not afraid of a hug from a friend, least of all someone as sweet as Jared had been.

As the pads of his fingers pulled inward slightly against Jared's scalp, the hand slid to the back of the other's head and pulled him forward with a gentle force. Jared, of course, had the ability to step out of it, rip off Ford's arm, or attempt to anyhow. But if he did not, the blonde pulled his darker-haired friend forward until Jared was brought in against the tall, solidly built Griscian's frame and an arm draped around him. "It is good to see you, my friend. This is the last place I figured I would see you." The hug may have looked awkward, especially as it seemed to have been two strangers walking their own paths. "I live in Jorikford... What are you doing here? Do you have somewhere to stay?" Ford had already thought of a few different responses. None of which allowed Jared to be on his own for the next couple of hours. And only when Jared was no longer quivering in voice and body would Ford release the hug on his friend.

He was also partially annoyed, not that it showed on his face, not yet anyways. It meant things had not improved for Jared after everyone went their own ways. And that did not sit well with Ford. He could only assume things had happened, but he wanted to know. "If not, we can find you somewhere, or we can camp out."

Ford really did enjoy camping if it boiled down to it.

[Gloomcrest]

31st pf Glade, 4623

The thief couldn’t help but smile at Ford momentarily, who seemed to know of Jared’s situation. Whether the problem was the same, similar or not was still to be determined; In any case, it was nice to see a familiar face that tense shoulders relaxed in the other’s presence.

Slightly caught off-guard by the gesture of the larger blonde male’s hand resting gently over his wavy, jet-black head, the motion was very familiar from all those months ago. The thief couldn’t help but chuckle for a moment letting out a sigh of relief.

Feeling instead at ease and away from the source of stress plaguing the Alistian cook’s wellbeing, Jared didn’t step away from Ford’s affectionate gesture. Instead, it was something that the thief had missed in his life for all this time. Living in the dens of the streets and shadows where the light could not touch, seeking comfort outside of substance abuse or indulging in certain manias was not uncommon. Moreover, the thief had a psychological habit of collecting trinkets which Jared knew was a way to recall minor or intense events.

Nevertheless, Jared had a lot that needed to be unpacked, and this faithful encounter will assist the Draedan in navigating through the turbulent waters ahead of his future. A sigh of relief exhales from the Alistian Draedan’s breath as his more petite frame is pulled closer to Ford’s build.

“It is good to see you again; I will admit a lot has happened, and still kind of lost. However, fate loves to toil with the world's designs, so meeting you again must have been planned some way or somehow.”

The amber-eyed male couldn’t help but laugh despite all that had happened a season ago, yet trying to move forward in a positive light takes a lot of effort and courage, or so Jared thinks, at least. Confidence in knowing your abilities but being humble enough not to step beyond’s one reach essential and something that the thief is constantly trying to understand now as a demigod.

“Really? I thought you would have lived in Lorien with Taelian, but I guess I am wrong, but I guess you can’t assume everything… As for myself, I just needed to get away from Daravin for a short bit… It has been extremely stressful, constantly looking behind you and ensuring you don’t make a mistake… Especially with the hand that I was dealt with. As for staying… Honestly, I was planning to stow away or crash on the streets as I had always had before having a home. But, being a street urchin in the past does make you a bit resilient to what the urban environment has to throw at you, and it is easier to disappear when you need to. Sounds harsh, but that was the kind of life I had grown up with; comfort itself was a luxury…. I could also find work as a cook, but that might draw a lot more attention than I would like, so better to continue to work in the shadows, haha.”

The thief took a moment to step after what he felt was a long hug, and it was evident that physical gestures such as a hug proved to be a bit difficult for the thief to digest as he moved his right hand over to his left elbow. As if he was giving himself a reassuring self-hug that everything was going smoothly, which was in itself inducing a little bit of paranoia. In the Empire of Rust, your status meant so much, and those left in the dust were bound to be forgotten, the mountain of bodies acting as the pillar for those standing at the top of the world.

[Ford Edevane]

Ford was a kind soul, gentle even. It was infrequent that Ford turned to violence. Ford lost his composure only two times in recent memory, and something much darker had come to light in those times. That was neither here nor there, and with Jared accepting the embrace, the more prominent male let out his breath of relief. The embrace was held, and the thicker arms squeezed. His biceps and forearms flexed, as did his pecs, and Ford hugged Jared tight enough that he felt it properly. When Jared mentioned fat, Ford let a single breath out of his nose, keeping the smile on his features. Fate was an interesting thing; Ford was learning that more than almost anyone in recent times.

As Jared began to speak, he allowed him space, released his arms from around him, and continued to smile up through the mention of Taelian. "I have not been to Daravin in a long time. It almost seems a lifetime ago that I was last there." Ford did not usually offer much about his past, aside from being from the Commonwealth or even things about recent seasons in Radenor. Anything else, he typically kept to himself. "Daravin, I feel, tries to be beautiful. It tries to show its prettiest side, but even then, there is a bed of lies beneath that, and keeping that facade going all the time is hard. It is very tiring to try and keep up." it was a bit sad, though, hearing Jared speak of how he ought to return to his typical lifestyle, and Ford refused to let that happen, at least while he was in Ford's presence. "I will tell you what, Jared. How about I buy you a meal, give you a place to rest for a bit, and then if you want to get up and do your own thing, I will not stop you?"

"Where are we?"

Lifting his gaze, the blonde's head rose from stooping over in his walk, and the rest of his face could finally be lit up. Ford's eyes looked tired but not too terribly. He was working on it. It was just taking time to get used to. Looking in one direction, then the next, he was contemplating what was closer. Given their location, he had two options but frowned at one of them. It would not do him nor Jared well to waltz into that place. Too much had changed. Instead, he had a different idea. "How do you feel about tavern food?" No answer was going to change the blonde's mind. "Come." A muscular arm lifted to curl around Jared's frame in a hovering motion to corral the other in the direction he'd want to go.

It would not be long, perhaps a ten to twenty-minute walk to get to the town he had been aiming for. There was a much larger, almost ominous building that Ford did not even bother to look in the direction of. Instead, as they began walking into the town, passing vendors, homes, and the like, they eventually came to a tavern, one he had used when he was working on a research project of his for Sociological reasons for his previous... Or current employer. It was complicated and confusing if he was still tied to the Covenant. Once at the tavern door, Ford pulled it open, allowing Jared to enter first, followed by the muscular man. It was darker inside, a bit less out in the open, and Ford gestured to a table towards a corner. "What do you want? It is on me. It probably won't be anything as good as you can good, but it's a warm meal and a fresh drink that you didn't have to make." The smile was genuine, and Ford, even if he heard what Jared wanted, would not leave the table until Jared was seated. The table Ford had picked was decently out of the way and would allow the pair to talk without interruption.

[Gloomcrest]

31st of Glade, 4623

It was nice to travel alongside a familiar face, one that could be described as a gentle giant. It was apparent that the thief was physically attracted to those who were fit and tall. Still, the thief had never acted on those possible romantic interests, for he believed them to be rather complicated and messy, which was a childish view of romance, but that was his view of it nonetheless.

“Daravin hasn’t changed from my view of things; You were either a role model citizen if you were a magus or a rat if you did not possess the abilities to use magic. However, recent events have made many waves among the low and highborn people.

Beyond all the flair and beauty, it is pretty apparent that once you live through the most challenging moments, you come to terms with how bad Daravin could be, and yet as a collective, we believe that the sacrifice of one for the many still rings true in that sense. Hell, I have been to some of the Entente's social gatherings, and I am pretty repulsed by the indulgent nature they have succumbed to themselves and the manipulation and layers of deceit. It makes my skin crawl just thinking about everything and what they are willing to do to keep power within.”

Jared couldn’t help but clench and bury his fingers into his arm, it was a painful experience to be raised from nothing and still be nothing essentially, but it was only recently that a purpose was given other than trying to live beyond anything necessary.

As the two men continue to walk along the road, seconds become minutes and like the sands of time; it moves so quickly when one is unaware of the time spent. So it was pleasing not to feel like someone could assault you at any moment or have to fight for table scraps. Instead, if Jared could start a new page in his book of life, he would, but also, the path of theft was something akin to his identity, which he could not abandon any time soon.

“Dunno, you tell me. I am just a stray cat you pick off the road.”

The thief couldn’t help but chuckle at the quip as he has always described himself as a stray cat or a fledgling sparrow. Two themes that come with the thief as one of the many trinkets the thief was currently holding was a crudely carved-out block of wood resembling a small bird mid-flight.

“I don’t mind tavern food. I have cooked at a few taverns on my way here to Radenor to pay for my stay for the night. It was hard to slip out as the owners of each inn and tavern wanted me to stay, saying that my cooking was fit for a noble, but I don’t think that is the case, haha.”

The Draedan of Saren couldn’t help but blush slightly as Ford’s muscular arm curled around his more petite frame, ushering him inside the rustic tavern before asking for some kind of meal the thief would enjoy. Of course, there were a couple of meals, but one that has always been a staple for his diet and has the added benefit of nostalgia was a simple stew and soup with stale bread.

A bit surprising for someone who prides themselves in their cooking skills, but humble beginnings were where it all started and something that the thief intends to remain as best as he can.

“You are far too kind… Just some soup and bread will do, nothing too fancy and just a heart and soul to the cooking if that makes any sense.”

Jared couldn’t help but chuckle as he was escorted into the establishment, briefly letting his amber-eyed gaze soak up all the information it could as new places tend to have things that the thief would have never seen before or something of potential value. It was only then that Jared was offered a seat with Ford, who was willing to pay for the meal; the gesture itself was rather heartfelt and easily shown on the Alistian cook’s face that a soft smile crept up on him.

“You make the term ‘Take Heart’ feel true, and I appreciate it more than anyone could ever know.”

With that, the thief took his seat, planting his bag on the ground beside the table and letting out a loud thud. From the sounds of it, it would seem that the rucksack that the thief was carrying would hurt most people’s backs if they tried to carry it, but in some sense, the thief was out of touch as to how strong he was due to his recent change in his morphology as a demigod.

[Ford Edevane]

Ford could not help himself. When someone seemed to need a kind soul or a firm hand, he always wanted to be the first to leap into action. He had wanted to help Taelia every step of his journey, and in turn, Taelian was helping him. It was peculiar how well the pair seemed to find each other's grooved and help each other continue on. When Ford had met Jared, the poor guy could barely stand and serve a glorified meatball and some soup without wanting to fall over. The blonde did now know how to help the other, other than giving him an ear to listen to his words and a kind smile with the occasional pat of his hand on the shorter of the pair's head. Once he had made sure Jared would stay seated, Ford turned to head to the bar to order directly rather than wait for someone to come to them. As his booted feet carried him toward the bar, he heard the sack hit the floor, and a smirk creased his bearded features. Ordering the food, there was glance over his shoulder toward Jared, keeping an eye on him before looking back to the keep. Reaching into his pocket, Ford pulled out some money, paid, and tipped for services. Waiting for a moment, he was given three drinks, two of which he carried in one hand and the third in his other.

Crossing the space quickly, the Griscian placed two in front of Jared. One was water, mainly because it seemed he had been walking for a while, and Ford did not know when he'd had water to drink. The other was an ale. Nothing expensive, but strong enough and tasted well enough to give them a proper drink with the meal. Ford's own drink was large and an ale as well. "Don't move." Ford offered as he turned back and waited for the food at the bar. He could have had it delivered, but he didn't want Jared to be forced to be social if he did not want to. It was only a few minutes of waiting before Ford returned with a massive stew. It had plenty of root vegetables and a thicker broth, and it seemed to be some form of beef. It smelt okay, and on the other was a plate with an entire loaf of stale bread, quartered. Placing both before Jared, Ford shrugged his shoulders, removing the burlap-covered item on his back, setting it to the edge of where they sat, lowering himself to a seat across from the thief, and scooting himself until he was seated properly across from him.

Taking up most of his side of the table, Ford leaned back in his seat and studied Jared for some time. "You know, you make it difficult for people not to like you or to make you not feel welcome. You are kind, at least when I am around, and you make delicious food. You put a piece of yourself into everything you make. Don't think I've forgotten the food you made for Taelian and me." Letting out a chuckle, he motioned to the food. "Eat up."

Silence would fall over the Griscian for a moment, allowing Jared a polite moment to enjoy his food, even if it would only be a few spoonfuls or a few chunks of bread. As long as Jared ate and drank something, Ford would not hold it against him. And only after he had food in his belly would the blonde have something to say. Taking in a deep breath, the kind smile remained on his features as he spoke softly, "How are you?" Ford was not interested in the topical hellos or the small talk. Jared had something life-changing happen to him, and to see him alone, getting away from home, raised a few questions for the Griscian. Some of which he was curious to know if he could help with or at least help talk about it.

[Gloomcrest]

31st of Glade, 4623

As the slightly muscular yet petite thief made himself comfortable in Ford’s presence, It was true that Jared was rather sickly to the point of possibly meeting death at his door—the whispers of one’s ending and beginning. The amber-eyed thief couldn’t help but mutter to himself as he was again lost in his thoughts, essentially a corridor of questions or possibly a tower that continues to climb high into the Muid itself.

Yet despite all of this, the thief couldn’t help but feel some innate pull, a sense of darkness that is confided within himself. The inherent corruption that spread from his core needed to escape in its own right, and it manifesting itself in various ways was hard on the young Draedan’s psyche. The tendency for malicious intent grew so slightly, nudging at the corners of these thoughts but staving off those thoughts was exhausting.

Briefly looking at his own hands for a moment, sparks of his divinity would trickle down from his fingertips, briefly brushing themselves against the wooden surface of the table, which invokes a very subtle change as rot embeds itself. A sense of concern and fear could be seen on the thief’s face for just a moment, attempting to control his breath as best as he could.

The thief would often ponder why Saren decided to awaken his divine spark when it would have hurt his being as a whole. What did his divine father say within him to make that gambit, and to what end was Jared supposed to meet? From interpretations of Saren from his own independent research through sources of folklore and tales, his personality was somewhat distant, vague and neutral, which felt very different from his own, which was somewhat flighty, cautious and concerned about too many things about how to interact with the world.

What did Saren see in Jared that was worth it in his eyes was something that Jared might never know, for all he knew was that his father, whom he barely knew, was laid to rest. Barely able to hold himself together. The thief’s attention would be drawn back to Ford’s presence which set two large wooden mugs, one of water and another of ale; the brief smell of ale causes the thief to wince slightly before chuckling, realising that this was no place to dwell on his woes and confusion about who he is as a person.

Hearing Ford’s voice mentioning not to move, Jared couldn’t help but nod and attempt to recompose himself. He couldn’t put so much of his issues to another when they themselves could be dealing with something far more critical to themselves.

In any case, once Ford returns with what seems to be a large bowl of stew, the brief lingering scent of boiled vegetables, savoury flesh and a visually appealing thick stock causes the thief’s stomach to grow slightly, which earns a bit of a flustered response from the thief. But, despite being sort of different, the Draedan still needed to eat, which felt normal.

Briefly watching as Ford made himself comfortable by sitting across from him, Jared couldn’t help but smile as he listened to what the other had to say.

“I guess? I don’t think I have many welcoming qualities other than cooking a good meal and being small for a guy; It is hard not to impart something when creating something, even if it is fleeting, like a meal itself.

But I am glad you could enjoy a welcoming meal with Taelian at the Eternity Priory. I find it funny how I was so close to death and came out of it as a different man. Woman? It is kind of hard to explain….”

The thief couldn’t help but scratch the back of his head before diving deep into his meal as Ford exclaimed to eat, which the Draedan would do so without hesitation. Enjoying the moment of silence between the two for what was happening now was the most crucial aspect of living, not the past or future but the present.

“Could be better, I guess. I have many questions about myself and whys, but I think that would come in time more than anything else. Honestly, I have never felt this alone and scared, and that is saying a lot from a street rat like myself, haha.”

The thief takes a moment to pick up his spoon, briefly channelling his divinity to change the wooden texture into akin to silver; the brief glow and warmest hue of golden divinity would then fade, returning the silver spoon into a plain wooden one.

“Guess I can’t consider being called ‘normal’ anymore… It is rather lonely, and I thought that becoming among the mass was my destiny, but not… All of this is quite heavy, and I am surprised I am keeping myself together when everything I know is quivering on shaky ground.”

[Ford Edevane]

The blonde's brows furrowed in confusion at Jared's words, that he did not have many welcoming qualities aside from cooking and some other small things. That annoyed the Griscian, but it was not worth raising the point to argue with the other. Besides, he was enjoying his company and they could talk about Jared's self-worth later, after the thief got some food in his belly. For now though, the conversation that they were having continued and Jared was questioning things about himself and he could not help but tilt his head just the slightest at the mention of it being difficult to explain. "You, my friend... Are Jared. No matter what changes come to you and set your life on a completely different path. You are the only person that gets to define who you are. And you owe no explanations to anyone." Ford had his own dealings with a Draedan, perhaps in a different light, but he had been there when Taelian's secret was offered to the world by a selfish Kyng.

Leaning forward, resting his muscular forearms on the table in front of him, he leaned in Jared's direction and spoke softer. "And anything that changes with you..." There was a raised brow as he looked down to the table in Jared's direction, then back up to his face, doing his best to illustrate his intention of his words. "...You can choose to embrace or keep secret. I, personally think it adds to your charm." Ford had his own feelings about it, aside from the kindness he was showing. That was for a different conversation for another time.

As Jared continued on about having questions, Ford gave a quiet chuckle and looked down. "I've not been through what you are going through, but if you need to talk or ask, I can try to help. And you are not alone. You have me on your side. And that bowl of stew. With food and at least one person in your corner, you're one step further than you were when all of this began."

What caught Ford's attention though was when Jared picked up the spoon and changed the properties of it and he smirked. That was something. It was a gift that could come in handy. For a moment, he allowed his blue eyes to linger on the spoon, thinking about the applications of it as well as the implications if it were to ever be found out. Though, in Jared's comments and looking at the spoon, Ford was reminded of the first conversation they had and he smiled for a moment, his gaze lingering just a moment longer on the spoon before sliding back up to Jared's eyes. "Do you remember our conversation about blending in with a crowd, and coming across certain people that stood out? Like a shining star in the sky or a bird that dared to fly in a different direction from the rest. Now that I think about it, you are that bird flying in a different direction. I feel fate has plans for you. And I think you are stronger than you know. You have made it this far, and you aren't falling apart. It's okay to take moments to stop and catch your breath. It's okay to lean on someone when you need to. I know we do not know each other too entirely well, but I make a good crutch or a wall to lean against if you ever need it."