Fantasy Enter the Kaelzon ~fantasy~

[Mikotsuhime]

Anya shrugged her shoulders, and Erik sighed.

"We don't really know, is the thing. We can only judge the jungle from the outside, after all. It's difficult to get answers without getting a good look at it," Anya said, and Erik nodded.

"It's frustrating, and hard to know how it works," he agreed. He had been studying it for two years, and didn't feel any closer to an answer now than he did when he started.

Hector and Anya shared a look at Rowan's question, before they both shrugged their shoulders.

"That's another tough one," Anya said. "But we think it was for defense. Say, if somebody found a way to trick past the jungle's defenses, if the way in and out were they same, they could just hop back over to the North and tell all their buddies, and then we'd just be invaded again."

"You have to understand, that war was a dark spot on our history," Hector continued. "We lost a lot. Many people thought that our country wouldn't survive. The jungle was a last-ditch effort to save us and start rebuilding. It worked, but they had no way of knowing if it would at the time. It was very much an act of desperation."

 

[Reynarda]

Azrael nodded, more than a little disappointed. She supposed she should not be surprised that they did not know much about a jungle they could not enter, but she had hoped to get a lot more information on the nature of this barrier. Still, she knew far more about it than she had previously and had had several hypotheses confirmed. It had been a profitable questioning session.

Rowan nodded, worried he had sounded insensitive. He was supposed to be the one good at people and he had just been careless with his questions. This is why he didn't like asking questions. They were either stupid or insensitive, regardless of what Azrael claimed.

"Yes, of course," Rowan said quietly. "That's an entirely understandable reaction."

He was also a little concerned that he had never really heard about this ancient war. He hadn't even known people lived across the jungle. Granted, his schooling was not exactly... the best. He was from a working-class family in a small village. The schools hadn't exactly covered anything in that much detail. As long as he could read, write, and do sums, he had gotten something of an education in the eyes of the village. Azrael had probably heard of it, having actually been educated--though, she seemed to have done most of the educating herself.

Said vampire yawned and stretched.

"Az? Azrael." His friend was stretching herself across the two chairs and Rowan like she was going to go to sleep right then and there. Rowan groaned, trying to push her back into more of a seated position. They were in public, dang it. Sometimes he regretted trying to teach her that physical touch was a healthy thing instead of a confusing thing. Well, false, he didn't regret that at all. Besides, he was the only one she was touchy with.

"You made me drink all that blood," she countered, her tone grumbly.

Rowan offered a small smile to their hosts. "Sorry, she's right. Large amounts of blood make her drowsy." He paused, wondering if that sounded weird. He wasn't sure if it were a vampire thing or just an Azrael thing. He added, "Like if you have a big meal on a feast day. So I guess this is a little my fault." He huffed at his friend. "Well, don't lie down at the table, that's rude."

Azrael sighed and grumbled about "niceties", but sat up and shifted around until she was resting with her back against Rowan's side. That wasn't exactly what he meant, but she was sitting up, so he would take it.

"The meal was amazing, thank you," Rowan said.

"Yes, very good," Azrael echoed.

Rowan paused, realizing these people were opening their house without knowing hardly anything about them. "Do you... have any questions for us? We would understand if you did considering you have invited us into your home."

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Anya grinned.

"Oh, you should have seen Erik the first time he drank blood over here," she said, and Erik groaned loudly.

"You don't have to tell that story," he whined, but Anya laughed.

"It was like he'd drunk two bottles of ale, or something. He was singing and laughing, and then passed out in the middle of his plate. We figured out how much he needed after that," Hector explained. Talia couldn't help but chuckle, and Erik glared at her.

"It's - I didn't know it would be that strong," he grumbled, then glanced at Azrael. "At least you're full for now. It'll give you some time to get used to life here before you need to try it yourself."

It sounded ominous, but Talia figured he was just overreacting.

"Yes, we're happy to answer any questions you have," she added. "You've been very kind to us so far."

Anya smirked, leaning against the table.

"You think we're a bit dumb, huh?" She asked, and Talia quickly shook her head.

"No, not at--"

"If you came from the city, we never would have trusted you this much," she explained. "But the jungle wouldn't let somebody through who had intentions to harm us, or the land. Even if you were criminals or something, we at least know that you don't want to hurt us. So if you want to tell us your story, you can, but you don't need to. We certainly aren't going to pry.

 

[Reynarda]

Rowan felt a little bad for Erik, but it was pretty funny. Though, he didn't even want to know how Azrael acted on too much of their blood. He really couldn't decide if she'd be the sullen drunk or if what little filter she had would be erased entirely. Rowan was not sure he wanted to find out, to be honest.

Azrael, who Rowan had been nearly sure was asleep, hummed. "I'm sure I can figure out the right amount with little trouble."

Rowan would have told her pride came before a fall, but she was probably right. She would be able to tell how much energy it had in it or something and do math. She had gone off on a tirade one time about how cow blood wasn't enough and why, and Rowan had stopped listening after numbers had gotten involved.

"No! No, of course not!" Rowan said quickly when Anya asked if they thought they were dumb.

Azrael would have said not dumb but trusting, but she guessed no one would appreciate her analysis and she was too lazy to open her mouth again. Their hosts were sort of right, anyway. She didn't think any of their party intended anyone harm. But Azrael appreciated that they wouldn't pry.

"Well, there's not much to tell," Rowan said with a small shrug. He felt the need to prove they deserved these people's trust. "Azrael and I travel around helping out people in need--running brigands out of towns and the like. That's pretty much who we are."

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Anya didn't seem offended at all, and neither did Hector.

"I just wanted you to know why we trust you," she said. "Otherwise, our kindness could come across as suspicious, or stupid. I'm not offended."

Erik listened to Rowan with obvious interest.

"Hm. So you're like a mercenary then?" he asked curiously. Talia sighed, because she could recognize the look on his face.

"He probably wants you to teach him some sword tricks, too," she teased, and Erik's face went red.

"No! I mean, maybe, if you're cool with it. I'm kind of rusty. I could never be a knight or anything like that, but I've always thought that sort of thing was kind of cool. Fighting off bandits to protect people, and stuff," he said, rubbing the back of his head.

"We don't get too many bandits around here," Hector mused. "Though some pretty nasty wild animals sometimes. We were thinking of giving you folks the house at the edge of town, since it's a bit tight in here with everyone. Are you all fine living together? Nowhere else is unoccupied at the moment, but if you're willing to put in the work, we could start building another place."

Talia frowned, trying not to scrunch up her nose. She had no issue with hard work, but building had never been her forte, and she didn't really want to rank up a debt by taking materials and labor.

"I'm fine with staying together, if you two are," she said with a shrug. "I'm pretty good at keeping to myself."

 

[Reynarda]

Rowan breathed out a sigh of relief. Good, they weren't offended.

Rowan bristled a little bit. "No! Not mercenaries!"

Azrael snickered. "While you are correct, that word offends Rowan."

"It implies we are just doing it for the money!" Rowan groaned.

"I'm just doing it for the money."

"No you aren't, or you wouldn't be refusing money from poorer villages," Rowan said, and Azrael slid one eye open to give him a displeased look. "That's right, I know you refused the money from the village before last."

Azrael made a face and muttered something about having too much to carry anyway and feeling bad about about that barn.

Rowan flushed. Being entirely self-taught, Rowan always felt warm when someone complemented his skills. No one had ever asked him to teach them before. "I could show you some moves."

Rowan looked at Talia and then Azrael and then back to Talia. He didn't mind at all, but he would probably have to give Talia some heads-up about Azrael's habits just so the woman wouldn't be confused or alarmed. Azrael's morning routine--which, to be fair, was more of an afternoon routine--had weirded him out the first few times he witnessed it.

"Yes, that sounds good," Rowan said. "Az?"

Azrael was thinking she should warn Talia about Rowan's weird habits. The man whistled while he did mindless tasks and was very bossy about cleanliness. And, weirdest of all, he was prone to talking and walking in his sleep. His talking rarely made sense, and Azrael had held entire conversations with him. Luckily Azrael was a light sleeper because he had once decided he needed to go swimming while still asleep. Talia might find those traits alarming.

"Fine by me," Azrael agreed.

"And Azrael and I don't mind sharing a room if you would like your own," Rowan added. He supposed that was further putting to death his single status in the opinions of all present, but he had gotten over feeling weird about sharing rooms after Azrael refused to produce the money pouch with enough money for two rooms the first time they had spent the night in an inn. He should have known the vampire was a miser that very day, but he hadn't picked up on it until later.

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Anya raised her eyebrows, then shrugged. She didn't really understand why he would be offended, but she wasn't really going to press.

"Well, we don't really use money much here. Gold is coveted by some folks because of ancestral leanings, so it can fetch you a good trade if you know who to hock it to, but in general folks don't usually need it. But don't think you can be a cheapskate either. We help each other out, but people don't work for free. You can haggle over what a favour is worth, but if you need something from somebody else, you need to have something of equal value. Of course, everyone has a different idea of what things are worth, so half the fun is trying to figure out what somebody needs if they have something you want."

"It's... really hard to get used to," Erik warned with a grimace. "Especially with the merchants. Everyone values different things in different ways, and you have to sort of figure out what people like to know how to get a good deal. Sometimes merchants will be cagey about what they want and how bad they want it to avoid giving you a good deal. It's... weird."

"It's no weirder than exchanging coins that mean nothing," Anya snorted, and Hector chuckled.

"You get used to it after a while. I imagine we'd be no good in a society with coin value either," he said.

Talia hummed, because it did sound quite strange, honestly. She felt like having a currency made things easier, but also it wasn't her place to really comment on it, so...

"Hm, if that's so, then I would appreciate it," she said. She had no problem sharing a house, but she'd always had her own space and quarters, and she imagined it would be good to keep that. "I also know how to cook and hunt, so we can share household responsibilities, of course."

 

[Reynarda]

Rowan nodded. "That sounds like how we do it in the smaller towns and villages. Though, trading with the caravans seems a little complex. I guess that's the nice thing about having a money system. Things tend to have a set value."

Azrael considered this. She could see how figuring out what the merchants wanted or needed could be fun. Especially if they were cagey about it. But she did wrinkle her nose slightly. Seemed like she would not be able to hoard favors like a grumpy dragon--which was her usual modus operandi with money. She also wasn't really sure what skills she could use to trade in. Perhaps her healing skills? She'd been minimally good at healing--just average for a blood mage--but meeting Rowan and his habit of putting himself between danger and others had honed those skills real quick. Healing was difficult and dangerous with blood magic, but she wasn't entirely sure what else she had to offer.

"Of course," Rowan agreed with Talia. "I don't see that being an issue."

"He'll make us a chore list," Azrael muttered.

Rowan flushed. "No! I won't!"

"You gave me a 'to-do' list every day we were in Terbus. Which was twenty-eight days."

"That was different!" Rowan insisted. "And anyway, Talia isn't a child! One of the things on your 'to-do' list was to eat, Azrael. Another was to get out in the sunshine for thirty minutes--honestly, I don't know how you survived this many years on your own."

Azrael slit an eye open to give him a look. "We were vacationing."

Rowan took a breath to tell her researching without moving for forty-eight hours was not a vacation, but he just let it out. Azrael just liked to argue, and the argument was a stupid one to have in front of people they barely knew. Sighing, he tugged the tip of his friend's ear, which earned him a small hiss. Rowan shook his head, a small fond smile tugging at his mouth. "You're going to make Talia regret agreeing to share a house with us."

"If she didn't regret it, I'd be concerned for her sanity."

Rowan rolled his eyes, still smiling. Azrael had an inflated opinion on how off-putting she was. He turned his attention back to Anya and Hector. "We really do appreciate your kindness. Please let us know if there's anything we can ever do in return."

 

[Mikotsuhime]

Talia snorted, enjoying their bickering. It was clear that they cared about each other, and that was nice to see.

"A chore list sounds nice," she said with a little smirk. "Child or no, keeping track of things is important. I used to have one for the boys back in the barracks."

They had complained about it, but she had quickly found out as a trainee herself that with a majority of men living together in a small space, unless tasks were spread out and assigned, it got pretty disgusting pretty quickly. When the captain was on their back about doing the dishes, at least the dishes got done.

"I'm sure it can't be much worse than living with Fenrir," she added. Erik wrinkled his nose and groaned.

"He leaves his dirty socks all over the place," he agreed. Anya raised her eyebrows, tilting her head to the side.

"Your cousin?" she guessed, and Erik nodded.

"He's a part of the guard, so I only got to see him maybe a few times a month. But he's..."

"he's a man," Talia said wisely, before glancing at Rowan with a little smirk. "Although at least I can assume Rowan doesn't leave his laundry all over the place for me to wash, so that's an improvement."

 

[Reynarda]

Azrael groaned. "Don't encourage him, Talia."

Rowan had flushed darker. "Well, anyway, considering you're... you know... captain of the guard maybe you should be making the list."

Or if he had to make it, he should probably dictate it to Azrael because her handwriting was much more refined and he didn't want Talia thinking a five-year-old had written it. Azrael insisted that his self-consciousness was silly and she liked his handwriting, but of course she said stuff like that because she was his friend. Even though she was pretty vocal when she didn't like something--like his beard--still. It wasn't like the son of a blacksmith had had much time to perfect his penmanship.

"Ew," Azrael muttered when Erik mentioned his cousin's habits of leaving dirty socks everywhere. Wasn't his cousin a vampire? Was his nose broken or something?

Rowan sighed. He wished Azrael leaving dirty clothes everywhere was the height of his concerns, but she was actually fairly neat. No, he was trying to figure out a way to ease Talia into life with a blood mage. Azrael would probably insist on warding the house, and that meant drawing her spooky geometric designs everywhere with her own blood--and possibly his and Talia's if she wanted to overdo it in the name of caution. He would have to make sure he didn't do that.

But his concerns evaporated when Talia suggested he might do something like leave clothing all over for a captain of the guard to wash.

"Men," Azrael agreed sympathetically.

Rowan flushed. "I would never!"

"She's teasing you, Rowan," Azrael chuckled.

"I know that! But I wouldn't! I'm good at laundry. I even do Azrael's when I can get her clothes off her." Rowan stopped himself, realizing how that sounded.

Luckily, Azrael came to his rescue. Sort of. "Vampires don't smell as bad as humans. I don't need to change as often."

"Because you just sit around reading. And anyway, you don't have to live with you during the summer months. I bet it gets hotter down here." Rowan sighed. "Though, if you want blood out of something, give it to Azrael. She's a wizard when it comes to that."

"Salt and cold water," Azrael said. "Or saliva if it's a tough one. Rub in some herbs for the smell. Honestly, it's really easy."

Rowan chuckled, shaking his head. He had once asked her why she didn't just use her magic to get it out, and she had looked offended and said the ability to get blood out of anything was a pride of all vampires. He wasn't sure that was true, but she was always delighted when he came to her with a bloody piece of clothing that had defeated him.

Azrael flicked her eyes to Talia and smirked. "The most anything about living with Rowan is his incessant need to mother you into being a better person."

"I don't mother!" Rowan protested. Though, he figured it was at least partly true.