Beginning Again After The End

[Aeros]

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Æros as Hilana would nod at the half-elf’s first comment. “The finer points of this certainly esoteric state still elude me, but I will offer any insight I can provide; honestly, stepping back and looking at this from a more…academic…perspective makes it, ah…a bit less heavy a burden to bear.” At points when his words would slow, he’d break eye contact, looking away at nothing in particular. His jaw would clench briefly at points, but in realizing that his sorrow was seeping out in this fashion, he’d take a breath and quiet his emotions with a bit of magic on his exhale.

Regarding the opinions of others, his immediate compulsion was to roll his eyes, but he resisted the urge, his face remaining placid. “Yes, quite so. When I sided with the Umbrian Crown, I did so confidently, but not with the faintest of inklings that I would end up…like this. I suppose I am both endlessly reassured that I made the right choice and also grateful that the other undercity senators are more likely to possess views that might impart more sympathy unto me. I do wonder, though, if my being one of the first senators to pledge to House Zalkyrion is worth anything,” the last bit was rendered a bit more thoughtfully. Part of him hoped that it would, given that his choice had been made almost right away as a deliberate statement of loyalty.

Continuing to problem solve aloud, “I would have to double check, but I would be genuinely surprised if nobody in my house chose to preserve themselves in that fashion already. And if they have, I might be able to convince them to let me borrow such a simulacrum whilst another is composed for me– in the end, their simulacrum would still be theirs. Perhaps still a bit of an ask, but it’d be an easier one than asking to use the body somebody currently inhabits, no? …and having met with my family already, many of them are sympathetic to my state.” This route seemed the most promising, should an uninhabited corpus exist within his house at all.

Brown eyes would widen for a moment, a spark of realization hitting him. "Regarding blood and which form I inhabit, would I still be Len'Sælyan, or would that change whence I acquire a form that's entirely Re'hyæen?" It was a curious thought, and though not entirely important, still did he wonder.

Æros could detect the scholar’s Symphony shifting, excitement beginning to override much of what remained of his anxiety. Though he could tell the man’s enthusiasm was in large part self serving, it was nonetheless endearing in a way that was almost cute. The Fæ-spirit had always found the sort of giddiness scholars got when their interest was piqued to be really rather adorable.

“Nevertheless, I do appreciate the sentiment behind your willingness to represent me,” he started, a subtle, yet genuine smile drawn across the girl’s lips. “I do agree, though, that representing myself is the best option.”

While many of those within the senate possessed warding or mastery of Mesmer themselves, not all possessed warding strong enough to completely negate the influence of Æros’ Mesmer quirks. Those susceptible to such a thing would be inexplicably drawn to him, whether they found his words more commanding, more charming, or merely more convincing; this empyreal aura his æther exuded made representing himself all the more the better option. Even if it didn’t work on everyone, making use of every tool at his disposal would be the wisest path.

Æros would tilt his head in consideration of Zilka’s offer to roleplay an adversary, taking a sip of his wine as he did so. He found himself hoping that whatever form he’d end up using the majority of the time had decent tolerance.

“But do go ahead. Pick a viewpoint you think I’m like to encounter; a trial run can only help.” He really did think so, but part of him just wanted to interact more with the legisperitus, cute as he was insightful.

- - -

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Arvælyn]

"I'm sure-..." Zilka halted his speech abruptly, his golden cheeks blushing to a slightly darker hue as his eyes darted deferentially to the Princeps Dracoum, "...or at least I expect that the expedience of your fealty pledge to the Draconic Crown is worth a great deal to said royal house. As to how it is perceived by other senators, well..." The scholar glanced to the high ceilings, took a breath and leaned forward a bit in his seat, looking at Hilana's face with a new and more pointed focus.

"Cogitate: One of the first lessons I learnt studying rhetoric at the Lex Academia is that, when making any argument, presume the solipsism of your audience. Assume their point of view will be selfish. Will a given senator be impressed by your audacity or jealous of it? Will they think you're close enough to the royal house that favouring your bid might ingratiate them to the Umbrian Crown? Forgive my pedantry, but consider the angles of any asset you hope to exploit and weigh the boon against the detriment in the eyes of the average Umbrian senator... if such a thing exists." He chuckled to himself. Zilka was becoming more comfortable, now that he'd spent more time in the presence of the prince and he had yet to breathe fire on him. He hazarded a glance to the Crown Prince, who swirled his goblet and glanced to a slave, who moved to approach Zilka with a cup of wine.

"I... thank you, Exalted Highness." His blush deepened. His eyes darted sharply to Æros' borrowed form, as the ex-senator mused on the possibility of an existing clone being kept by one of his relations.

"Unlikely. Do you think if such a thing were possible, let alone permissible, that we wouldn't have had the same recycled Sovereign since the Rending? An endless cycle of identical rulers would feel even more seamless than the..." Eyes darting to Arvælyn, "...so-called 'Unbroken Line'. No, you're a different breed of entity than a simple, dead shade." His eyes darkened, "Some might even make the case that you are Inmortui, and if that designation sticks you'll face a bigger problems than losing your senate seat." His expression lightened at the question of nomenclature.

"Most people who carry the Len prefix are full-blooded Re'hyæans. Unless you plan to assume an entirely new identity, you're still considered the same person and your parentage is what it was when you were alive. The idea of using the form of a full-blooded Re'hyæan is, in all honesty, the exploitation of a loophole in the legal code. One of the benefits of being unprecedented, that. What it won't do, however, is change your actual identity in the eyes of the law."

Zilka nodded,

"As much as I would love to insert myself into the narrative and see my name written in legal history, it's better for your case. Besides, my position here at court would recuse me from representing you anyway. Unless His Exalted Highness wishes to make a very clear statement?"

"I do not. All our efforts thus far have been about granting autonomy to the Umbrian Senate. It would spit in the face of good faith if we were to micromanage their affairs."

"There you have it!" Zilka said, shifting his wide eyes back to meet Hilana's. "Hmm, let us see." The scholar scanned through the arguments that had occurred to him thus far. He took a lingering pause, then cleared his throat, rose from his seat and paced away a few steps, before pivoting and taking on a much straighter-spined posture and adopting the affectations of a more aristocratic figure:

"Ex-Senator Len'Sælyan, when everyone else in this august body is accorded one lifetime during which to serve, why are you deserving of a greater privilege than the rest of us get? When one of us dies, they are replaced by a suitable relation. Is the stock of Gens Sælyan so weak as to have no viable alternative amongst the living? We must resort to unearthing the dead to legislate?" Zilka arched his eyebrow as high as half-humanly possible, doing his level best to appear imperious and condescending. An effort which came off rather cartoonish, and brought a smirk to Arvælyn's lips as he observed.

[Aeros]

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Æros would nod as Zilka spoke of rhetoric; he’d been revisiting the subject of late with his uncle, per part of both his preparation to take on his role as a senator and then continued thereafter. The other’s comment at the end was, really, the rub; that being imagining what exactly the ‘average umbrian senator’ would think.

“Therein lies the problem. While, of course, many of the Umbrian Senate are of similar minds on many topics, each one is an individual with their own motives, and due the fact that there’s not an overwhelming number of senators, finding the pulse of ‘average’ amongst them is what will prove difficult,” he would pause here to drink from his wine.

“...and if an ‘average’ cannot be discerned, one would then have to decide which particular individuals or subgroups to appeal to, those whose opinions perhaps carry more weight, or mayhap are easier to sway, so on.” He resisted the urge to sigh; though he did typically enjoy the art of argumentation, he did so previously under much different circumstances.

When the conversation shifted in the direction of clones, then to the notion of his potential immortality, Æros shook his head. “Truth be told I cannot say for certain, but as it stands, I was tethered to this plane by the hands of gods– to be more specific, by Shæoth’s will under a deal composed by Him and the Twins. And for whatever reason, Shæoth tethered my spirit to this body,” he would gesture to the flesh he wore as he said this.

“As far as I understand, if she were to die, that tether would break and my spirit would be unable to hang onto the material realm without an anchor. And thus, I am, at present, not immortal. I cannot stray far from her when I am incorporeal, but I will note that the detriments of doing so are mitigated entirely when I am possessing something. At best, if Hilana were to die and I were possessing a body, I’d have that body’s lifespan left, for if I were to leave it, I, too, would meet my true end. Might it be possible for me to acquire other miasmatic tethers to this mortal plane? Maybe, but on that, I’ve not the faintest idea.”

As if he’d forgotten something, he would quickly add on: “The other caveat to that is that Shæoth did grant me a path back to life. The specifics of that notwithstanding, in the event that I succeed, I would still return as a mortal man.” As far as Æros could tell, his soul was still mortal– but his fate, ultimately, was patently unpredictable.

On the subject of his name and identity, he almost appeared relieved at the answer. “There’s something genuinely reassuring about being legally recognized as, well, myself. I…to lose more pieces of my identity would be…further strain I’ve little desire for.”

Much as Æros would like to have any others of repute vouch for him on this matter, he did know that, ultimately, he’d be better off were he to succeed on his own. Because as nice as it would be to have the princeps state bias on his side, part of him genuinely wanted to stand more on his own merit as opposed to simply maintaining his seat by word of royalty.

When Zilka stood to begin his adversarial act, the man’s more aristocratic, yet at the same time exaggerated, affectations pulled a shadow of a smile to the possessed body’s lips. But here he was a participant, not a spectator, and as such, he couldn’t linger long on his own amusement.

“First and foremost, our current customs exist assuming that we are only granted one life– it is therefore farcical to imply that, were it commonplace for spirits to roam among us, we’d follow the same lines of succession as we do at present.

“Second, I reject the notion that I was ‘unearthed’ because my kin lacked an alternative– no, it was not by their will that I returned. The procession of my death was halted instead by the will of Deus Aværys and Mother Midnight– it was through Their divine machinations that I am as yet still present. And in possession of full intent to honor the blessing They’ve bestowed upon me, I’ve returned to Solunarium, to my House, and then before you with but only one goal: to serve the Umbrian Crown, and thus Them.” Much as there was the urge to wax theatrical himself, he kept his tone and mannerisms serious yet confident, adding further force and conviction for emphasis when speaking about divinity and his intent.

- - -

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Arvælyn]

"Indeed." Zilka nodded, at the musings on the mercurial tenor of the Umbrian Senate. "So, in an argument that will be decided by the votes of a number of people, you are best served appealing to as many as possible. Finding a thread that is common enough to pervade a simple majority or, if you are an orator of particular aplomb, conjuring such a thread or the perception thereof with your rhetoric." He chuckled, "I sound like such a legisperitus sometimes." Glancing over to find his amusement was not ostensibly shared by the flat affect worn by the prince, he straightened his back and pursed his lips.

"You would also do well to exploit any personal relationships you and your uncle have forged. If he isn't enthusiastically approving of this plan, the whole thing is rather hopeless as the paterfamilias of the Gens would be within his rights to replace you regardless of your, um... aliveness?" He shook his head and waved his hand dismissively, as if eager to move past that mental hiccough as promptly as possible.

"Whatever the case, you should start making your case privately to friendly senators before you ever set foot, or um... miasma into the Curia."

Zilka listened, at first intently and soon bemusedly, as Æros elaborated upon the logistics of his particular situation as it pertained to the divine origins of his current state of being. Slowly, Zilka's face fell slack and his Symphony sang with utter shock at what was being related to him. Wide eyed he started forward until, all at once, Arvælyn's eyes shot to him and he froze.

"Nothing to glean there, Zilka." He urged Dissonance into the specific Melodies pertaining to any Divine intervention, "Cryptic nonsense soon to be forgotten." He introduced a Note of calm to quell the hackles raised in his shock and into Æros' Symphony he sent a warning,

Be cautious with whom you share the affairs of Our Founders. They prefer to make Their own entrances, and that time has not yet come for most.

Zilka shivered, as if coming off a chill and shook his head.

"Yeah, that's all beyond my bailiwick. If it's useful to your case, I'd make sure to dumb down the explanation and hit the important beats that may be helpful to your argument. If there's anything useful there, it doesn't leap out at me."

"Of course you're yourself! One thing death doesn't take away is a person's identity. It's not like we stopped calling my Aunt Eurydice by her name after she died. My grandparents were still her parents, her life was still her life, she was just..." He gestured broadly, "Dead." He winced, "Not helpful. Anyway, yes. It would take a lot more than death to un-you you."

As the defendant countered his case, Zilka smiled, relishing the role. After the whole counterargument was laid out, he dropped the haughty façade and clapped his hands together.

"Religious argument- Interesting! Harrowing, of course..." He turned to bow to Arvælyn, "Blessings and Peace Be Upon Your Storied Ancestors..." Back to Æros, he added: "Also risky. There are bound to be some real Radiant Chronicle-thumpers in that room, and senators do love to bloviate about their own piety. It seemed, for all intents and purposes, as though Zilka took the religious references to be allegorical statements, rather than literal ones.

"I digress. Let's get back to the roleplay." He reassumed his prior posture, and supercilious sneer.

"In point of fact, sirrah, it is not commonplace for spirits to walk amongst us for good reason. Should we compromise the laws of our Sacred Senatus for every eldritch aberration that springs forth from our deceased members? Are you suggesting that you are the vanguard presaging more spectral senators aspirant who will soon be pleading for places in our midst? Perhaps we should build an addendum to the Curia and give the ghosts their own chamber: a Senatus Spectrum." Senator Zilka paced toward Arvælyn, smirking.

"Our Founders Imperial bless us all with boons, Ex-Senator Len'Sælyan. One of the gifts They have granted unto the senate since its founding in remote antiquity is the freedom to govern our own chambers as we see fit. If the Deus Imperator would see you seated amongst us, I have no doubt He will make His Radiant Will known to us all in no uncertain terms. You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it, but I shall be certain to broach the matter in want of Their guidance during my Waning Prayers." Zilka clasped his hands together piously and touched them to his chest, as he shut his eyes like the very picture of Varværyn devotion.

[Aeros]

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Æros rose a brow at Zilka’s amusement born of himself, a breath of a laugh escaping him when he saw the legisperitus look toward a stone-faced Arvælyn and that quick adjustment to his demeanor thereafter. “A true legisperitus you are,” was all the deceased patrician would respond with, tone somewhat nebulous.

“Good point. It’s been a whirlwind, but in the coming days as my, er…unlife? …stabilizes, I do intend to speak with my uncle about which ties in our family’s possession would be most useful.” That was one of many things that had been on an ever-growing list of subjects he needed to broach with the older elf. “...and I do hope I am not to walk into the Curia in a form more miasmatic; I doubt that’d render well.” For his reputation or his sanity. There was notable stability in flesh, so he was discovering.

Then, it would seem that the heart of the situation could not be broached; the machinations of the divine were cryptic and often mercurial, and ‘twould seem that word of this particular affair was as yet beyond Æros’ ability to recount. It did make his mind wander towards how, then, the Vigilia would feel about his lack of warding and proximity to their affairs with the lost demi-god, Lykos, but that was a conversation for a different setting. However, to Arvælyn, he would nod in understanding.

Parts of what Zilka said next regarding one’s personhood and identity were reassuring, but at the same time, it made him think about what he knew was the inevitable fate of shades: that, eventually, their minds would unravel. Ghosts were mostly characters in stories or legends, but that trait was a common one; spirits left to wander the material plane oft went insane– and it was that, beyond all else, that Æros would consider to be true damnation. But of that he wouldn’t verbalize– no need to be morbid. Instead, he gave Zilka an amiable sort of smile, then let the conversation shift subjects.

Æros still intended to roll with the religious argument, full well knowing he couldn’t quite grace the other senators with the truth of the matter. He did consider himself blessed to continue his existence, and he would say so with zealous conviction, bending his words intentionally more charismatic than delusional, difficult as that balance could be to strike. And toward the comment regarding ‘Radiant Chronicle-thumpers’ the possessed Vastiana would roll her eyes, though his response was overall nonverbal, letting Zilka proceed apace with his response.

“Our laws are not meant to be immutable– per point of fact, if that were the case, then the senate, and the Crowns, wouldn’t have split in twain, and I, for one, am ever grateful for that mutability. But unlike that monumental change, I am not a harbinger of a new era; I am a singular anomaly, and I am here to argue for myself, not for the case of any further spirit– and forward, I believe that, should further spirits make themselves known, they, too, should be dealt with on a case by case basis. Make no mistake– there is no reason to expect more of my circumstance to arise.”

Æros did, desperately, wish that the Founders would’ve graced him with something that would serve as a marker his return had been a gift from Them– but alas.

Nevertheless: “They may grant us all gifts, but how many prior have been granted a resumption of existence? Deus Imperator did see the ardor with which my ambition burned, and thus did He offer me a path forward; per perusal of the senate’s history since its founding, a boon such as this has never before been granted. My word may be my own, but the unprecedented nature of this blessing speaks for itself; it is a statement of Their Empyreal Wills– for how else, aside from Their grace, would I bear a soul nigh untouched to how I was in life? I was returned such that I may continue to serve Them, and it is for that purpose that I petition to retain my seat. With this blessing, I seek naught else besides the betterment of this august body.”

He delivered his words with sincerity, his voice alight radiant faith; Æros' devotion to both the Founders and the Umbrian Senate he would wear plain, and though he came across confident, he toed the line enough to avoid arrogance. He was speaking as a vessel of his gods, not for them.

- - -

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Arvælyn]

Zilka, still in character, paced casually across the floor as he replied with a smooth demeanour he did not seem to naturally possess. He lost himself in the role and even his Symphony seemed to shift with his adjusted posture. Arvælyn smiled to himself, seeing the natural actor in him.

"Reductive and misleading! A rule shifted to suit a singular anomaly sets a precedent that extends far beyond that inaugural instance. Who amongst us could have anticipated the split of the Crowns and the Senate that you just referenced? Who amongst us can prognosticate whether or not this precedent you seek to set could, like the very spectre standing here today, come back to haunt us?"

The prince chuckled at the 'haunting' pun, which elicited a smile from Zilka, as he launched into his next counter-argument.

"Every soul revived from the brink of the Hereafter asserts, and perhaps rightly so, that they have been favoured by the Founders. The claim you make is far from unique in these halls, though what you seek to use it to justify is wholly unprecedented. Why, just last week Senator Æsclepius invoked the Founders' favour to request a zoning exemption for an, as he put it, 'especially ambitious addition' he'd like constructed onto his Aurecine estate. I will tell you, as I told him, that the Founders' favour is not a universal blank check. What you stand here demanding of this august body is beyond brazen. If you are so favoured of the gods, why not stride into the Palatium Umbrarum and let The Crownwyrm know he should vacate your throne?" Senator Zilka seemed very proud of this sally, until his eyes met those of the Crown Prince and Scholar Zilka blinked back into existence, clearing his throat nervously before shifting back into character and turning to face Hilana's form.

"I find it ironic that moments ago, you argued that you were 'Not a harbinger of a new era' and suddenly you are, to paraphrase, burning with His ardent ambition like some crusading agent of change. So which is it, Ex-Senator? Do you return to us to be a faithful servant of the Crown or a firebrand seeking to topple our oldest institutions to serve your personal ambitions?"

"Wrap it up, gentlemen. The hour grows late, and there is another matter I would broach with Æros ere he quits our presence. Make your final arguments." Arvælyn willed a servus to approach each of them with a flagon to refill any cups that wanted for wine.

[Aeros]

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Senator’ Zilka was a markedly amusing sort of parody; much as Æros was fond of many of those that occupied seats of the Umbrian Senate, there were others who did near levels of pretentiousness rivaling those being displayed by the acting legisperitus.

To the first point, “And who amongst us can accurately prognosticate what will happen in the future? There is wisdom in thinking with the future in mind, yes, but to mire oneself overmuch in 'what ifs' or every potential branching path is folly– it leads naught to anything aside from an endless, and paralytic, array of theorycrafting; but that’s precisely the point; I am asking you to look at the present and the past. I present here to be judged as for whether I am to return to my family’s seat, not to set law immovable for any stray shade.”

To the second, “I very much doubt you’ve spent much time speaking to ghosts, senator. Nevertheless, your comparisons are composed of straw. I am not asking for an exemption to expand something so petty and personal as property, and what metric did he use to justify his claim of the Founders’ favor? Had he, too, been pulled from the fringes of existence and back to the material realm? Nay; that equivalence is false. And further, I am not demanding anything so extreme as to overthrow or overtake anyone else’s position– I am merely asking to resume a role that was mine, a role I’ve served dutifully since I acquired it.”

To the last, “Having ambition for myself and for our nation, irregardless of voracity, in no way implies I’ve any desire to ‘topple’ any further institution,” at this moment, at least, “I can be fervent with my ambition and, at the same time, keep the focused goal of servitude to the Crown– it need not be an ‘either/or’ as you suggest, for in serving the Crown, do we not all gain, even as individuals? Do you, senator, mean to suggest that you are either lacking in ambition or that your ambitions would drive you to stand against the Crown? Why else do you think that we, as civil servants, cannot be ambitious in our servitude? Do you mean to imply that to embody ambition is to stand against the Crown?”

And to Arvælyns interjection, he would nod. “ If I were brought back by the Founders’ brilliance, would it not ingratiate you further with Them to allow my continued servitude? ...but I digress. Regardless of what one may think of the veracity of my claims, my presence alone is supernal, and my soul thus far unfrayed; to preserve a spirit this well is evidence enough that my sustained existence was orchestrated by hands divine. Further, at present, I am here to discuss merely my resumption of duty, not some inane or ridiculous favor. If nothing else, through this experience, my loyalty unto Solunarium and the Umbrian Crown have been galvanized far further than ever before– and my prior devotion was already a seemingly bottomless wellspring. Ask yourselves, truly, who does it benefit to deny both They and the Crown my continued servitude?”

- - -

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Arvælyn]

"Prognostication is unlawful in the eyes of the Crown, Senator. We do not dabble in the Orkish customs. Rather we use our wisdom and pragmatism to anticipate. It is our duty as legislators to look to the future and account for problems. To dismiss our most intrinsic duties so blithely to serve your personal goals is to call into greater question your place in this august body, irrespective of your spectral state." The faux-Senator retorted.

"The claims of Senator Æsclepius beggar no more belief to my ears than do your claims that the Founders are responsible for your current state. And you do not speak to my point that, even if they were, that involvement would not speak to your right as a ghost to sit amongst this congregation of Elves..." Zilka seemed keen to argue on, but the prince's urging echoed loudly in his ears, even when it wasn't enhanced by his Craft.

"I think we can leave it at that. I hope I've served to embody the more severe end of the opposing argument aptly enough to be helpful. You may walk into that and worse, but you'll be better shielded against their slings and arrows if you're able to assemble a support system of sitting senators. Because another thing to consider is that no matter how sound or compelling your arguments may be, they will always seem self-serving coming from your lips. The testimony of your supporters is like to hold more sway. There are more senators who like to follow trends than senators who like to set them. Will there be anything further, Your Exalted Highness?"

"That will do for the nonce, Zilka. I thank you."

The legal scholar nodded to Æros, then bowed low to Arvælyn and backed toward the door, handing his wine cup to a slave and only turning his back on the royal presence once he was out in the corridor, hustling away in all haste.

"Now, then, Æros, while you have my attention, I wanted to follow up about something we discussed some time ago." Arvælyn sat upright in his chair, taking a small sip of wine before relaxing his grip and allowing it to glide down to rest at the table at his side.

"I do not know if it is still on your list of priorities, now that things have shifted so starkly in your lif-..." He winced at his phrasing, "...in your existence. If you still have interest, however, the Sentinels were able to locate some information in the archives about a certain Winter Fæ who visited Solunarium in the hundredth year of the Age of Steel and departed in the hundred and first."

[Aeros]

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Æros would listen with careful consideration to the wisdom imparted unto him by the legisperitus. He did, indeed, intend to meet with his uncle and request that they host some sort of event wherein there was a chance to speak to the members of the Umbrian Senate prior to the vote being held.

“Yes– I do hope to make as much use of my connections as I can,” he'd say in reply. When Zilka was dismissed, "I thank you for your counsel."

The initial notion that Arvælyn had something further he wished to discuss had initially confused Æros, though he was amply intrigued. His curiosity was piqued yet more when the other mentioned it was something they’d discussed previously. With all that was percolating within the mind of the spirit, he wasn’t sure to what the princeps could be referring.

Therefore, it served as a bit of a surprise to hear that the other had remembered that request and gone ahead to have those records searched, though Æros was pleased that he had– much as he wished the circumstances were different to be having this conversation. “I…do." He'd pause, and dropping the guard he'd held over his emotions slightly, it'd be clear enough from his hesitation, the furrow to his vessel's brow and the look in her eyes that conflict dwelt within. "Though I no longer bear his blood, I am still his son; progeny born of his æther– my curiosity persists. What did you find?"

Much as there were, perhaps, more pertinent things to be worrying about regarding his immediate present, who his father was had always been a source of great intrigue. Just who was the man? What sort of life did he lead? And why had he never bothered to return to Solunarium at all? Because even if he knew not that he'd sired a son, did the sands themselves really draw his interest so little, or what? Curiosity was writ plain upon the possessed Vastiana's features.

- - -

"Vallenor Tongue/Speech"

"Vastien Tongue/Speech"

"Valasren Tongue/Speech"

"Common Tongue/Speech"

[Arvælyn]

Arvælyn sighed and extended the hand that had, until recently, been clutching the stem of his wine goblet. A Vigil who had been standing sentinel stepped forth, producing a document which floated into the prince’s grasp. He pressed his hand to the front of the envelope, causing the wax seal to glow and cleanly part from the parchment so he could open it. He scanned the page, reviewing the information once more, before synopsising.

“Well, it seems he was a member of a rather eclectic troupe of travelling artisans and entertainers. They crossed the Crystal Sea from Auris by way of Cathena and arrived at Port Tertium in Glade of Year 100. The troupe was primarily human, with a few Rathari, three Siltori, one Dratori who was detained and rejected entry and one Fæ’ethalan. He was logged as being 23 years of age, and described as ‘Possessing of a deep, amethyst complexion marked by perpetually whirling starlike freckles born not of any runic Craft but of his natural Fæ ancestry. His hair is a shade of white after a fashion that might, on a Re’hyæan, be perceived to be Platinum. Upon his crown he bears two symmetrical protrusions reminiscent of the antlers that may be found on certain herbivorous members of Family Cervidæ.’

“He was Sembled to be a Master of Masquerade and a dabbler in the Animistic Craft. He was marked down as ‘A peregrine mage of some promise’ and ‘one to be held in scrutiny by the Order.’ His Aura was tagged by the Semblers, and there are a few additional documents that log times and places he was seen by Sentinels in heavily policed areas.

“His company rented a loft space in the Port Vasta District of the Luxium to serve as their communal housing. They opened a stall in the Forum to peddle wares and the performers in their midst filed for licenses to perform music and theatre in the Forum and the Noctis Æternæ neighbourhood of the Umbrium.” Arvælyn leafed through a few more papers.

“I’m seeing a few flyers here for plays and concerts presented, all of which were advertised to be ‘enhanced by arcane arts to dazzle and inspire awe’.

“Ultimately, the troupe ran afoul of the law. I’m seeing there was a complaint filed by…” He arched a brow and glanced up to Hilana’s face.

“Senator Val’Sælyan, which was taken up by the Sentinels and later a Golden Guard Century was delegated the task of escorting the group out of the realm. The Senator’s complaint is classified, but he seems to have sought no greater punishment than exile for whatever infraction took place.” Arvælyn released the document and floated it over to Æros.

“His name and other particulars are noted therein. If you’ve questions about the classified bits, you’d be better served asking your uncle. The Sentinels are bounden to be discreet. I am likely pressing the limits of that in noting his involvement at all but, well… Princely privilege, innit?”