Where the Air Is Rarefied [Talon]

[Finn]

1 Ash 121
Palace of the First Wind

Dreams of being the court bard, this was a last resort.

Finn had attempted to call upon the Shinsei at the Skyforge, prepared to lend a hand with the bellows or the simple tasks he could do without risking the integrity of the masterful creations that came out of it. But it seemed politics and godhead didn't leave the prince much time to create anymore. Sylas, Pyrra, and Velkan all knew him by now; he had the sinking feeling that Velkan assumed he was infatuated with Talon Novalys. While the prince was certainly an attractive man, if he was anything like Hyoga naked, Finn wasn't sure he was man enough for that.

Sylas had told him to just make an appointment via the proper channels. Finn wasn't aware that the Palace was open even to tourists, and so he made an appointment. Today was the day. He dressed in his finest, which wasn't all that fine. It was enough to play in venues above his station, but even the best bits were worn if one looked hard at him. House Zatrian paid for his schooling, but he still had to busk and work part-time for Lyra in order to make ends meet. He would invest in nicer clothes when they were absolutely necessary, or if he came into a windfall.

He caught a ferry up to the Cloudhaven District and then walked to the Palace proper. Hike might have been a better word for it. The avian powers that be likely felt more at home up here—at least the men—but it wasn't built for those whose feet stayed on the ground. Thankfully, magic and technology allowed for airships and such. And the views as he climbed were certainly inspiring. If he had the time, he could have sat in the gardens all day, just picking music out of the air and his lute strings. Perhaps he ought to; his capstone project would be a fuller version of the song he had begun seasons ago, a show of gratitude for the prince taking the time to save him from a drunken lordling and offer him some guidance and encouragement. Perhaps he had already been a god even then. His words had been like a prophecy, and Finn hadn't been able to make such headway until the Shinsei decreed it could be so.

Finn didn't know how all that worked, though. He had been raised in the home of a smith, venerating Fyraea. As he had chosen his own path, he made sure to pay attention to altars to Syren, Suion, and Nuenna, but he didn't have a personal relationship with any of them. He wasn't Orkhan for the first; the second might have sent him Arry; he probably would have to travel a great deal more in order to learn the stories of the last.

The palace was, of course, impressive.

Not sure where to go, he followed the flow of foot traffic until he came to someone who looked official and introduced himself. When his name checked out, he was led inside. He tentatively opened his senses through his rune to get a sense of the symphonies of the Palace. He wasn't scared, but this was new, and he wanted a little bit of context for the situation to prepare himself. He didn't want to embarrass himself or irritate the Shinsei or his people.

[Talon]

Where the Air is Rarefied

1 Ash 121

"Master Finn?” The attendant that entered the waiting room was a Siltori woman. She wore the armor of a royal guard. Her hair was long and black, braided tightly so as to not impede her movements. Her eyes surveyed Finn from head to toe with the sharp assessment of someone accustomed to looking for threats. She gave a curt nod of her head before making a sweeping gesture indicating that Finn should follow her. Stepping into the hall, the palace was active however there was a quiet solemnity to the activity that occurred. The people gathered spoke in hushed whispers. The servants went about their business quietly and with a dutiful reverence. Finn was walked to a further section of the palace, to a more private area away from the busier and more public wings. He was brought to a spacious garden wherein a gathering of members of House Novalys seemed to be taking place. The three wives of the Shokaze and indeed, the Shokaze himself sat speaking with each other around a table.

A pond within which swam various koi fish, accompanied by a cloud of fluffy Minova bats darting between the branches of lightly swaying trees, served as the center of attention. Children of House Novalys played with one another. The younger girls were tossing a ball between each other while some of the younger boys, swooped through the air to catch it and return it. The game did not seem to have any clear rules but the children were enjoying it well enough. Finn’s attendant did not interrupt the festivities of what was clearly a bit of family time. She guided the man to a raised platform at which stood four guards. Once Finn was on the platform, she gave a nod. One of the guards pressed a device on his gauntlet and the two of them were enveloped in a field of aether. It wrapped around them and from one breath to the next, the guide and Finn stood elsewhere.

A floating chunk of Astralar rock, upon which had been made what was clearly an area of private training. Ahead of them, on a platform of what looked to be polished black marble lined with white veins, stood Talon who was in the midst of sparring with his younger brother, Rien.

---

Talon spread his wings behind him, raising them out of the reach of his brother. He raised an arm to block the blow of his brother’s fist as it collided with his forearm. Talon leaned into the punch, knocking aside his brother’s fist to strike out with his own assault. The two of them exchanged blows, practicing the motions that had been handed down to them since the time they were boys. He wove in the sweep of a wing in order to knock his brother off his balance only for Rien to roll out of the way and launch back into a series of attacks that pushed him on the defensive. Talon continued to study his brother’s movements, matching quick action with careful observation to the best of his ability. He narrowly dodged a blow to his jaw by dropping low and sweeping out with his leg. Rien jumped up then extended his wings in order to hover there in the air momentarily.

“Forgive the intrusion, my princes.” Talon looked up from his sparring to see Xeera, one of their family guards, escorting a welcome face. He rose to his feet, extending a hand to his brother. The two of them clasped arms for a moment before Talon raised a hand. One of the nearby attendants tossed him a towel so that he might wipe away the sweat from his form. Talon was bare chested. Around his forearms and hands were cloth wraps that matched wrappings around his feet and calves. He wore a pair of comfortable linen pants that allowed him to maneuver easily during sparring matches.

“Finn! Apologies. The day must have slipped away from me.” The witchmarks and runes upon Talon’s body were not the usual violet-blue. In the safety of Kalzasi, there within the privacy of the palace, Talon let the veil of mortality fall away. Silver-white was the color of his markings now, a color that matched the soft radiance within his eyes. A faint halo of light lingered around Talon’s hair, even as he ran his fingers through it to remedy errant strands and return them to his ponytail.

“Come. There is a small spring here. I can rinse away some of this sweat and we can speak.” Talon nodded his thanks to Finn’s escort before gesturing for the bard to follow him. He folded his wings at his back comfortably, leading them to a spring with crystal clear water. Above the spring hovered a circle of blue aqualyth dragonshards, within the center of that, glowed a warm pyrolyth. From the water crystals flowed a steady stream of clear water. Mist and steam rose up from the spring, heated by the fire crystal and perhaps other enchantments.

“It is good to see you, Finn. Are you well? What can I do for you?”

"Justice. Light."

[Finn]

Finn looked up with a reflexive smile as his name was called. The woman was impressive, but her presence actually calmed him somewhat. There was a steadiness to the tempo of her symphony. He got the impression that she was capable and trustworthy and that he was safe in her presence so long as he didn't threaten the royal family, which of course he wouldn't. He nodded and followed her, though he didn't speak, not wanting to bore her with his trivialities.

There was a grandeur to the music in these halls, echoing the people who walked through them. There were enough servants, though, to ground him more in what he knew. Some notes were subliminal, hinting at deep secrets that weren't for him. He listened to all this as he took in the sights, and was careful not to gawk at the luxury of the gardens. New songs came to him: familiar songs of children, and the more complex chords and melodies of the royal family. For a moment, he felt guilty—was it high treason to listen to the symphony of the Shokaze? That was definitely the Shokaze and his wives from how he had heard them all described and from the pictures he had seen.

Thankfully, perhaps, the woman led him in another direction.

Not entirely sure what was happening, he stood upon the platform, and then everything blinked. He staggered a bit, but not because of the magical translocation. Suddenly, his senses were flooded with something operatic and he had to narrow everything down to the barest thread of aether through his rune so his senses weren't overwhelmed. Talon Novalys' symphony was not entirely new. It wasn't unrecognizable from the man he had known. But it was deeper, broader, and more complex. He recognized Rien sparring with him, and his symphony whispered a sort of related music that harmonized well, but was subsumed by the grander music.

As they approached, he wondered if the spats he had had with his siblings might ever have evolved into this martial dance. Everything moved so quickly and even that which he could see flowed like water from one form into the next. It was too much to even begin to learn from, though he imagined they could both show him what his sword could really do. Of course, he hadn't brought it to the palace. That might also have been treasonous somehow, though he made a habit of carrying it with him most of the time ever since that first dive down into the Warrens. The Mists came to Kalzasi and he wanted to believe he had some agency to protect himself.

Finn bowed to the princes as he was announced.

"Shinsei," he said respectfully, and to Rien, "Your Highness." He would call him Talon as the man had bid him, but not when surrounded by others. He thanked Xeera by name for leading him here, and then followed the demigod to his ablutions. He could hardly marvel at the sculpted magical spring, the divine music still playing quietly through his rune. It was going to change so much about the music he was writing, which was why he had come.

"It is good to see you too, Talon. I'm fine, of course. I keep busy between the Academy, playing for my supper, and I have been doing some research projects for Lyra at Ale'Ephirium... Everything sort of overlaps otherwise I don't know how I would manage, but I'm not quite burning the candle at both ends." He managed a smile, self-effacing and true.

"From what I have heard, you have been through a lot. I'm glad you returned to us from Zaichaer. Much of the news is probably exaggerated, but... Are congratulations in order? I suppose you must be sick of kowtowing but I could sing you orisons if you're building yourself a religion." He smiled again, gently teasing. "Anyway, I don't want to bother you, but at the end of Ash term, I'll be conducting the full version of that song I played for you months ago. The, ah... your song. Turns out I might be a prophet. Before you ascended or whatever, I already realized it was going to need a full orchestra and so I won't even be singing or playing, just making sure all the instruments and voices do what they must... I will send you an actual invitation, but I wanted to invite you in person to come to the Pyrecaeon for the performance. It's for you, after all.

"But if not, I suppose I can light a candle and some incense, murmur a prayer and you'll hear it anyway?" He grinned.

[Talon]

Where the Air is Rarefied

1 Ash 121

Talon opened his senses to the thrum of Finn’s soul. He peered through the veil of the bard’s flesh and beheld the burning white flame that pulsed at the heart of all beings in his sight. Not for the first time, Talon was grateful for his experience with the rune of Semblance. It helped him in navigating some of the things that he saw there, reflected in the light of what he perceived to be Finn’s soul.

“Working for Lyra? I am certain that her projects alone are enough to keep a clever mind such as yours deeply fascinated.” If there was one person that Talon knew who could marvel even gods themselves, it was Lyra. She certainly baffled him often enough. He did his best to keep up but there were some arcane concepts that she wove that were simply beyond him.

“I am surprised that my brother has not hired you to be on-call full time. He has certainly praised the work that you have done in High Hopes, often enough.” He regretted not being able to spend more time there simply being around people and enjoying everything that his brother had established in the tavern. Talon went over to the spring, he knelt down, dipping his hands into the warm water and began washing himself. He started with splashing the warm water on his face to cleanse away the layer of sweat that had built up across his brow. At Finn’s mention of the powers of prophecy, he chuckled.

“You are an insightful man, Finn. That much was clear to me when I first met you.” He remained quiet, washing away the dirt and sweat of his exertions steadily.

“I would love to attend. You are doing me a great honor. It would be unacceptable for me to dismiss the invitation.” Talon splashed a bit more water on his face, running his hands through his hair. He caught the leather strap that he used to keep his hair in a ponytail and unwound it. Carefully he began threading his fingers through his hair in order to get out any knots.

“You are not a bother to me, by the way.” He glanced over at Finn as he was finishing up rinsing his hair. Slowly he began the work of weaving his ponytail into a braid. “In truth, I am glad to be able to speak with you.”

Talon looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking further.

“I can hear them. Every person who reaches out to me in an act of true faith. At first there were people who just cried out for help. The need for something or someone to respond to their need for Justice called to me. When it became clear that there were those who were calling not for what I claim as mine but for me specifically, it was an awakening of its own, in a way.” Talon heard the prayers of all of those whom he had marked or who carried a mark granted by one of his prior incarnations. He knew where they were down to the exact location and if he let his gaze go unfocused, he could see them. It was one thing to be called upon by name by those people, it had been another to realize that he was being prayed to by an attorney about to enter the courts. It had been another awakening to realize that his name had begun to spread among the Sky Guard not just as the heir to the Great House that patroned them but as a divine patron as well.

“Besides, there is already a religious order dedicated to me.” He turned his gaze to the south where he could sense a number of them moving. It would only be a matter of days. “Some of them are already here. More are on the way.”

Talon was apprehensive about their arrival. He had been happy to speak with and engage with Pahoran and his family. They were people he had known. They were a family that had been infinitely kind and part of the community of Kalzasi. He did not yet know what to expect from those who were soon to present themselves to the city.

“I do not know whether I should meet them or to remain more of an idea to them.” He gave Finn a lopsided smile.

"Justice. Light."

[Finn]

While he knew Talon was only too happy to dispense with formalities, it didn't feel right to have his head higher than the crown prince's, let alone a demigod's. He knelt comfortably, watching Talon wash himself as he answered. There were works of art, paintings of deities attended at their baths. He supposed some of it was artistic license, using the deity as a metaphor to elevate the beauty of the mortal form. It was probably best Finn wasn't divine; he would have wanted the pretty bath attendants.

There was a lot of talk going around, but things Talon said seemed to support at least some of what was said. Talon was Arcas, the son of the Highfather. It was a good thing he wasn't standing up. Of course, the Dawnmartyrs would be mustering toward their patron, a man already overwhelmed by the exigencies of royalty and now he had to contend with those of divinity, as well.

Finn felt a pang for him. They said 'no good deed goes unpunished,' but it seemed as though no good man went unpunished either. For all his herculean shoulders, the weight he bore must be impossible. So he just smiled, thinking briefly about Lyra, about talking to Prince Rien about more time on his stage, about the easy compliments. But he responded directly to fewer things.

"Thank you. I will be sure your invitation comes promptly so whoever's in charge of your schedule has time to work around it." His own business now seen to, he tried to offer something to the man who had everything.

"If my insight is worth anything at all," he said by way of caveat, "then I would say you should follow your heart. If you are the incarnation of justice, then you can choose whether to adhere to the letter of the law, to be some unknowable ideal, or you can temper justice with mercy and compassion, and share your mortal experience with those who follow you."

He shrugged, uncomfortable with offering advice to someone so far above him.

"I cannot claim to know the mind of the Lord of Light, but you were born a prince. That puts you in a unique position between the common folk and the Shokaze. Perhaps it was training for the unique position between mortal folk and the high divine. People might expect you to be perfect, infallible, but I don't think you are. If you could never be wrong, then you will never have the opportunity to grow. In a sense, you're like all of us, someone on a bridge over a deep chasm, trying to get from who you were to who you will become, but we're always becoming ourselves. There is no endpoint, not even in death, I suppose."

[Talon]

Where the Air is Rarefied

1 Ash 121

“I will make time for it.” Though he spoke kindly, Talon also spoke with authority. He would not miss the opportunity to show his appreciation for the work that Finn must be putting into this endeavor. He finished braiding his ponytail, letting it rest lightly over his shoulder as Finn spoke.

“I believe in being lawful, I do not know if that means I support every form of the Law. There are times when the law is wrong.” His thoughts went to Zaichaer. Not everything the City of Brass professed was terrible. He had seen parts of the city and its people where there was genuine prosperity and benefit to all. There were other things however that he just could not abide by. Had he not been a royal delegation, Talon was certain that his treatment during his time there would have been remarkably different from what it was.

“Are you certain you are not one of Galetira’s disciples?” He tossed Finn a teasing smile. Talon rose from where he was crouched, toweling himself off where he was yet still damp. He came to seat himself next to Finn, spreading his wings out comfortably.

“I have heard it said that ‘Justice is blind’.” Talon thought on those words as he reclined next to Finn. “I think that is dumb.”

“Justice should never be blind to the suffering of the people who need it.” He shook his head thinking on the road ahead. With a sigh, Talon let himself let go of the weight of the subject at hand. It was as he was exhaling that he was struck with a sudden realization. He sat upright.

“Finn!” His head swiveled in the bard’s direction. “By the gods, I am more glad you are here than you realize!”

Talon’s wings fidgeted in excitement as he smiled at the man.

“It just so happens that I am in need of your skills. I…” Talon cleared his throat. “I need help. I…well…you see…I am…I want to…”

The words stuck in his throat. A warmth built up inside of Talon as he thought on the subject at the forefront of his mind. He was being careful to keep those thoughts carefully walled off from one of his bondmates.

“You must swear to tell no one. Not until I announce it. Can you promise me that?” He peered at Finn in earnest. His silver eyes searched the man’s face, practically pleading for him to agree.

"Justice. Light."

[Finn]

"I mean, not that I'm aware of...?" He smiled dubiously, replying with something akin to a question. He supposed Talon would be a better judge of divinity than him at this point. Finn was certainly curious about what it felt like, how it had changed him, but he wasn't writing the demigod's biography so it seemed unseemly to ask too pointed, too personal of questions.

The minstrel was going to make a joke about justice being dumb—that is, mute. To his mind, justice should see and call out injustice, though he knew the blindness of justice was supposed to be a level of impartiality, that if, perhaps, someone of Talon's stature were to injure someone of Finn's, Finn's worth would be equal to Talon's, and his redress ought not to be dependent on his wealth or rank within society. But Talon was suddenly excited and Finn could only widen his eyes and nod.

He held up his hand. "I swear upon Talon Novalys to keep his secrets until such time as they are no longer secrets."

Oaths were funny things. According to Lyra, if he mastered Mesmer and Scrivening, he could write unbreakable contracts. He didn't understand either discipline well enough to know how that would work, but the thought crossed his mind as he waited for Talon to elaborate. He wondered if such a contract could hold a God. He didn't think he would need one if Talon ever swore something to him, and that made him feel warm. He didn't know if that was what the faithful felt when they had the attention of their deity or if it was just a small acknowledgement that, even if he wasn't a huge part of Talon's life, there was a friendship there.

"How can I help you?" he prompted.

[Talon]

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Time Stamp

Talon took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.

“I am going to ask for my bondmate’s hand. Aoren.” Talon turned his gaze back toward where Rien and the rest of the attendants still remained at the sparring ring. His brother was once again in the middle of a sparring match. This time he was facing off against the very man whom Talon intended to ask to become his consort.

“I would like a song composed that honors him.” Music was one of the purest forms of expression. At least that was what he believed. “I am not a poet. I am not a musician. You, however, are. Would you be willing to write it for me?”

Recognizing, perhaps, that he was laying a considerable amount at Finn’s feet after confessing to working on a masterful composition in his own honor, Talon hurriedly added.

“Of course, I will compensate you for your work. I will help however I must. I just…I can think of no one better suited to create a work dedicated to him.” He offered the bard a hopeful smile. He would pay whatever price the bard asked. He would assist him however he could. Having never embarked upon this manner of undertaking he had no real grasp on what things Finn would need. He would have asked his brother Rien to compose the piece but he had another request in mind for his brother.

"Justice. Light."

[Finn]

Finn's eye widened. He didn't know what he had expected, but it wasn't that. But a genuine smile spread across his face.

"First, congratulations." From what he understood of such things, there was little doubt a bonded companion would turn down such an offer. And Talon Novalys was a prince and a demigod; what mortal could withstand his charms? He was handsome and good, and Aoren was a fortunate man.

"Second, yes, of course, but I have questions." He took a deep breath to organize his thoughts. He had taken commissions before, but none from so august a personage. Of course, he was more inclined to do it as a favor for a friend, but he knew Talon wouldn't stand for that. He was glad the man—the demigod—wanted to collaborate because Finn didn't really know the subject. Of course, this would be a different sort of collaboration than the song he had written with Arry.

"All right, I'm going to need you to tell me more about him... ahh, in such detail as you would like to be in the song. I don't know if this is meant for public consumption or private, so that's another question. Do you think perhaps I could stay a while and watch your sparring? Then I could listen to his symphony for a while and get a feeling for who he is. Oh." He paused, chagrinned. "I have the Rune of Mesmer, but I promise I only use it to gauge people, crowds, and perhaps to nudge my audience toward enjoying themselves more. I'm not trying to fleece anyone out of their gold.

"Ah... Do you sing? Do you play? Could you be incorporated into this performance somehow? Or, going back to whether this is meant to be public or private, do you want it performed at all or just sheet music on fine parchment to present to him?

"Timing! When do you plan to propose? Would you like to bring him to the performance with you and then... this could be an encore?" He didn't know if Talon would want to propose in public or if he could somehow use the public performance to put his bondmate in the proper mindset to make another oath on top of the bond they already shared.

Finally, Finn shut up so Talon could answer.

[Talon]

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Time Stamp

"Thank you.” Talon looked from Finn to where the man in question was currently sparring with his brother. He felt a welling of warmth as he regarded his bondmate. Before he could linger too long on the thoughts, he turned his attention back to Finn. When the bard revealed to him that he carried the Rune of Mesmer, Talon only quirked his head.

“Finn, my mother is a practitioner. So is my brother. Even if I were not an Avialae, I have grown up with the notion of people in my head the entirety of my life.” He offered Finn a smile of reassurance. “If I have learned anything from my mother, it is that magic is the tool through which we sharpen our truest selves. If the weave of your aura rings true, you are not the kind of man to abuse your gifts.”

Talon left it at that. He listened to the next few questions answering them with a shake of his head in the negative.

“I have never really tried to sing. Between the duties of my House and my work at the forge, it is not something I have ever truly pursued. I do not know how to play any instruments, either.” A slight blush of embarrassment crossed his cheeks. The feathers of his wings fluffed lightly as he admitted to this area of weakness. It was silly to feel such a thing, Finn would not judge him for it but it was hard to overcome the notion and sometimes the expectation, that he be competent in all things.

“I am hoping it can be ready to present to him the night of our wedding. I am already working to have the event take place in Frost. Likely between the 65th and the 70th. I would…I would enjoy it if it is something that can be played for him and I. Just the two of us.” It was a romantic notion but Talon could not help himself. As an afterthought he added, "Along with whomever you need to play the piece. However it turns out."

“I will be asking for his hand within the next few days. With all of the preparations to be made, especially some of the formal dances for the evening, I will be certain to invite you. You can observe him and of course listen to the symphony of both of our thoughts. Would that be helpful?”

"Justice. Light."