seaside soiree

[Talon]

T A L O N

16 Searing 125

To the far east of Silfanore, on the coast and away from any settlements a battle raged. Lightning streaked across a sunlit sky and thunder boomed where no storm clouds gathered.

Smoke trailed up from the palm of Talon's outstretched hand as sparks of electricity danced around his forearm. Thirty feet in front of him the sands of the beach were still falling in a waterfall of debris when the sands in the air shifted. Suspended in the air the sand suddenly spiraled before igniting into a ball of molten glass and fire that rocketed toward him. Stirring the aether flux into motion, Talon punched a hole into the aethereal pathways in front of him creating a vacuum that drew the flames into it. The ball of molten glass however, warped. A hole formed in its center as glowing tendrils shot out from the ring that passed over the kinetic hole unimpeded.

At his feet, Talon felt the sand shift, the earth wrapping around his ankles to hold him in place as sharp molten glass javelins speared toward him. He did not panic as he reached into the aetheric structure of the glass javelins headed his way. With a clench of his fist he shattered their internal structure. Before they had even crumbled to dust, he felt the air beside him shift. Talon's pact blade was in his hand as soon as the thought entered his mind. With a pulse of kinetic force the earth binding his feet was blasted apart. Arcane steel met arcane steel with a resounding ring that echoed across the beach.

Talon's muscles strained as he held his stance for just a moment before shoving forward and launching into a flurry of blows. Staring into the volcanic eyes of his opponent, he matched blow for blow, engaging in a duel that was as much a battle of wills as it was of swordsmanship and physical prowess. Talon parried a thrust toward his abdomen only for his attacker to suddenly swipe a large black feathered wing toward him. Out of the corner of his eye, Talon caught the wisp of aether wrapped around the feathers of the wing that cut toward him. Sharp, biting, and threaded with shadowy essence were the things that immediately stood out to him through Semblance. Talon fanned out his wings and with a forceful downward sweep, launched himself backwards. He watched as that black feathered wing slammed into the ground sending sand flying into the air.

The sands ignited, becoming volley of glass arrows that launched themselves toward him. Swiftly, he parried each of the glass arrows that came his way, catching a glimpse of one burning eye before his assailant was airborne. He ascended higher into the air, narrowly missing a swipe of dark shadow-touched blades as he did so. He was mid-ascension when he was forced to twist around, blocking a blow with his pact blade. As he stared into the eyes of his opponent, he smirked. Grasping the flux of aether around them he sent a kinetic pulse outward that saw his attacker blasted backwards and toward the ground.

Accelerating the aetheric flow of the flux around him, Talon ignited the pathways to create kinetic fire that coalesced in a ring around him. Raising his hand he took hold of the kinetic fire, sending it cascading toward the man who now stood on the sandy beach. The azure blue flames were met with a surge of shadow-touched fire. Talon dove out of the air, sweeping under the clash of flames to glide toward his opponent. Before he could reach him, the man suddenly vanished. Between one breath and the next, Talon both felt and saw the air ripple beside him.

What came next was a series of blinks as Talon and his opponent both popped in and out of the Slipspace, dodging each other and occasionally matching blows that sent shockwaves rippling out from where their swords met.

Talon parried a swipe toward his thigh, angling his sword and in a feat of dexterity disarmed his opponent. With a forceful kick, he sent the dark winged figure flying back. He watched as his assailant fanned out those black wings as he went into a mid-air spiral. As he did, Talon saw the water of the sea gather around his form creating a cyclone of water. In short order, a veritable tidal wave was tumbling toward him. Standing his ground, Talon reached out with his kinetics to take hold of the aether flux threaded throughout the water cascading toward him. With a mental shove he ground the flow to a complete halt. Ice formed rapidly, freezing over the wave entirely.

Feeling the air shift around him, Talon prepared himself for another onslaught only to find his face being grabbed followed by the warm press of a mouth against his own. He blinked in surprise before chuckling.

“Gotcha.” A deep voice rumbled softly. Bringing up his free hand, he cupped Aoren's face as he returned the kiss before pressing the flat of his palm against a sweat and water slicked stomach. He gave Aoren a playful shove.

“Cheater.” He smiled at his husband, chest rising and falling as he worked to catch his breath from their duel. Aoren ran a hand through his red hair before grinning unapologetically. Extending a hand, Aoren recalled his sword. His husband's blade flew from where it rest in the sand to his outstretched hand.

“I thought it best to end our duel before we further endanger our guests.” Aoren nodded toward the far end of the beach. Talon looked to where his partner indicated. Standing there he saw none other than Akantha and what looked to be a small entourage.

“Ah.” He waved to the princess, inviting her and her entourage closer before turning to Aoren. With a nod, the two of them began going through a series of meditative stances as they enacted a Reaver's sanctuary to lessen the trauma of returning their pact weaponry to their runes.

[Hekatos]

Seaside Police Action

The winged Hytori who had been flying with the princess royal had felt the titanic magical forces being tossed about with impunity and advised retreat. She had declined. They stood about her on the white sands; they were uncomfortable having gone to ground when they were strongest in the air, but again, they weren't ready to countermand the eldest child of the Dream King.

"Just two," the ranking officer noted. They weren't close enough to scan the threat properly, but they relaxed when portal after portal appeared in a succession of magical bursts in the air.

Through some, black-clad members of the Harbinger Company ran from paved ground onto the sand on the other side of the culprits from the princess. Above the sea, more winged Hytori flew in to investigate. From the portals also came a strange, droning alarum: similar alarms from the Harbinger barracks and those of the flight of aerial combatants, and from various apertures. It was strange and ... alarming.

The wards around the realm kept them safe, but the armies of the Court of Princes stood ready to deal with threats that sneaked into it as well.

The combatants were now hemmed in: between cliffs and sea, between Harbingers and the Princess' squad, the flying Hytori soon to cross from sea to circle over them on the sand.

[Akantha SolEilran]

It was a beautiful day and her social calendar had some space, and the young princess elected to take advantage of it. A page made the request to the winged Hytori unit, and with a few guards on hand, Akantha was off to the Nook.

Flying lessons had started years ago in the garden of Eilranoikos, and when she had been comfortable with that, Ionsōra had told her to go to the mountains. There was space, there was wind, and if she could fly in that environment, she would be able to fly just about anywhere. Besides, it wasn’t so far off of the osprey’s natural environment. The fishing eagle thrived on the coast, and even if the weather was soggy, they were made for it.

She had disrobed and taken her time with the transformation. It was not a pretty, but it was not particularly painful - mass was lost, her bones becoming hollow, beautifully painted nails vanishing as the skeleton in her arms changed completely to become wings. Feathers erupted from her skin as full lips became a razor sharp black beak, and blue eyes turned gold. The process took several minutes, and she was still compressing herself down into a form that was far less than her own. Perhaps a larger raptor would be another totem, but all in good time. She was young, she had plenty of time to take on a thousand and more totems like Ionsōra had.

With the transformation complete, she hopped along the carved balcony, past the furniture and tables, and looked over to the guards who would fly with her, giving one a nod. He nodded back to her, and waited as the dark brown wings unfurled, beginning to flap and lift off. She landed on the rail, and soon took to the air. The currents were different here amongst the mountains; the flow was less steady and simple. One of the Avialae stayed close, though he didn't crowd her, and the other stayed below. There were more, but two was usually plenty for her flights.

After nearly an hour, when she was finishing riding the currents, she saw lightning in the distance. There were no clouds, and around her, she felt a kinetic protective sphere forming around her - it didn't impede her flight, and they knew as well as she did that something was going on. She focused her Sembling sight on the guard beside her, and he indicated the direction of the Nook, suggesting that they retreat and get out of the way of whatever was going on. It would be smarter to do so, but she was watching the aether expenditures in the distance, and they were substantial. She turned her own focus towards the beach. If the primary combatants were going to be in the sky, then ground may well be safer for them.

But as they descended towards the beach, she watched intently. Her vision was much stronger than those with her, and that allowed her to see further than they could with Semblance. She was able to follow the arcs and flows of the two, the way their sparring session was a powerful dance of a different kind. It wasn't the waltz of the those who stepped easily together on the dance floor at her ball, but it was no less beautiful. By the time they landed on the beach, she could knew who it was: Prince Talon and Lord Aoren. They may not have expected anyone to be here, but this sort of fight would draw attention. They may not have been prepared for how much of it they would garner.

Once she was on the ground, she began the process of transforming once again, still safely ensconced in her kinetic bubble. She knew the winged Hytori didn't like this sort of thing - being on the ground was a lot less secure for them than being in the air. Bones filled and grew, feathers sinking back into her skin, and joints cracked and reformed in the proper alignment. She was calm throughout, watching the Northern couple as she grew. Once she had vocal cords, she could offer a more clear identification than that which had been conveyed through Semblance. "It is Prince Talon Novalys and Lord Aoren Novalys," she advised. Outstretched wings preserved the princess's modesty until she was handed one of her emergency lodestones, and she brought it to life with a brush of aether. The Masquerade within provided her with the proper illusion of clothing, a silvery beaded gown. It would do until she returned to her Nook or to Eilranoikos.

She watched as the portals formed, and soldiers arrived on the scene, and the Prince of Dragons waved at her. She, in turn, raised her hand to wave back, starting in their direction. The light fabric fluttered just off of the sands, and beads clinked softly in her hair with each step. Akantha would not have been shocked if she was intercepted on her way there, but she would see what she could do to mitigate and deescalate now that things were calm. She would either need to invite them to Eilranoikos, or to the Nook... but that would be managed in time.

"There is no rose without a thorn."

[Talon]

T A L O N

Talon watched as the land, sky, and sea filled in with soldiers in numbers that shocked him. Beside him, he heard Aoren sigh before his partner reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“And here I thought we wouldn't be causing a scene.” Reaching out, Talon brushed a hand over Aoren's nearest wing. The feathers were ruffled in agitation. He watched as numerous armed warriors took up positions around them. A show of force that, in any other circumstance, would have concerned him.

“This is feeling like Solunarium all over again.” Talon muttered. He ran a hand through his hair, a habitual sign of mild irritation or exasperation. Some of the loose strands fluttered in the seaside breeze. Aoren shook his head, folding his arms over his chest, waiting for Talon's signal on how to proceed.

After waving to Akantha, Talon watched as she began making her way over to them. The two of them were hardly dressed to engage in any sort of formal exchange. Aoren wore a pair of shorts that only went down to the mid-thigh. The rest of his body bare. Talon, was clad only in a pair of loose fitting linen pants with wraps around his feet and ankles. The full extent of his Siltori heritage was evident in the witchmarks that decorated his body. Sweeping markings that covered the sides of his torso, winding down the crests of his hips, likely spiraling over his legs. From the deltoids of his shoulders all the way down to his wrists, those similar markings wrapped around his arms. Interspersed within them were the many Cardinal Runes of Magic that he bore. Both of them were slicked with the sweat of their exertions and the mist of the sea.

Talon was not as broad as Aoren, nor as tall, but compared to the majority of those who walked Ransera, he was still a giant. A fact made more evident in an environment where he was less garbed in robes of office or interacting with high society.

“Come. We best explain ourselves.” He tossed his husband a smile. This incident made him wonder if there would ever be a place where he could fully be himself again. In Kalzasi, a city that was rife with magic and teeming with bustling activities, he was still forced to pull back. There was a mask he had to wear and careful lines he could not cross if he did not want to upset the tenuous balance so early in Karam's reign. The slightest word from him could shatter the delicate peace in his homeland and there were scores who would rally to him if he wished it.

In the Imperium, the only collateral they had was the continued safety of his son. In Solunarium, it was only the delicate accord he had between their patrons that prevented the barely restrained conflict that broke out whenever he went there. Now, in Sol'Valen, he and his husband sparring in a place they thought had been far enough removed from civilization had inadvertently summoned an entire battalion.

Across the Bond, he felt a cord of sympathy wrap around his soul from his husband.

“Your Royal Highness. Apologies, it seems our sparring has…drawn attention.” He bowed apologetically. “We thought we had traveled far enough away to not cause a scene.”

[Akantha SolEilran]

No detail of their forms escaped the Hytori's keenly enhanced eye. It was at least evened the score in that Akantha was not dressed the way she might have liked to have been. But Masquerade helped, and she was sure that the Avialae prince would likely pull a similar trick out of his hat. But until he did, she could casually enjoy what was in front of her without leering. That would be rude, of course, and they were married, even if Kalzasi practiced polygamy. All the same, physical fitness was quite important in both of their cultures, and these two had that in droves, and there was nothing wrong with admiring that.

"Attention is paid to such strength inside the borders," Akantha smiled at Talon and Aoren. "In some ways, coming this far out is likely part of your problem - I was able to see your match from my Flight Nook," she made a vague gesture in the direction that she had come from. Judging by the winged Hytori with her, the firstborn child of the Phoenix King did not fly alone, and that was understandable. Precautions had to be taken - these wings that she was using were not the magical sort. As an officer approached, Akantha raised a hand to wave to her. "It's quite alright, Captain. Prince Talon and Lord Aoren were sparring, and were not aware of the attention they would summon. There is no danger here, and those assembled can stand down."

"Your Royal Highness," the short-haired offered a bow. "Understood." She turned on her heel, going back to the troops to begin dispersing them. Akantha nodded in turn, and returned her attention to the northerners who remained with her.

"I do imagine that after that, you might like a breather before returning to Silfanore. Would you care to accompany me to the Nook? The views are delightful from there, and I can have refreshments brought from Eilranoikos." She hadn't anticipated guests today, or she might have made those arrangements earlier, but Akantha was an experienced hostess, and her Nook was cozy enough to have guests. Besides, it was intimate and peaceful enough that they may be able to enjoy the afternoon, and she could hopefully soothe any ruffled feathers.

"There is no rose without a thorn."