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Post by Sharei on Sept 26, 2023 20:27:39 GMT -6
Atol, former master of the Soundless and archmagus of extreme power, stared helplessly down at the television remote and tried to remember which buttons turned up the volume. Koji had shown him, but there were so many little black squares, and more than a handful of arrows in a variety of different directions. He was loathe to press any of them without being sure for fear that he'd do something like change the channel and not be able to get his show, The Roman Empire, back.
That had already happened this morning when he'd been watching Greatest Events of WWII. He'd had to get Koji to fix it for him and doing it a second time in the same day was simply too much embarrassment to bear. Besides, Koji was outside tending to his garden, and Atol didn't like to disturb him when he was out harvesting.
The modern language - English - written on the device would probably tell him, but he still couldn't read it. Koji had been very thorough about walking him through all of the appliances in the house, and he could be an exacting teacher when it came to academics, but a few days wasn't long enough for even Atol to master a language. It was only down to the translation spell he'd woven on the television that meant he could understand it at all.
A boon, considering he'd been glued to the History Channel since he'd discovered its existence.
Atol glanced at the window and considered the sun's position. Kanagi would be here soon enough anyway, he didn't really need the volume, he decided. Atol hunkered down on the sofa, a cup of hot cocoa in his hands and a blanket around his shoulders, and settled in to wait.
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Post by MP on Sept 26, 2023 23:50:05 GMT -6
For someone who had once worked with the fabric of time itself, Sarkany rarely gave exact times for anything. He would arrive "later," or "soon," or even "very soon," if he was feeling precise. Today, he hadn't guaranteed a time at all. The shadows stretched, swallowing the light of the forest floor fleck by fleck. When the air had taken on the golden haze of evening, the seraph finally came through the door. There was dirt in his hair and a long scratch down the side of his cheek. But he was his usual good-humored self as he craned in through the doorway.
[ A little late, but I'm here. Still ready for a trip up the mountain, Atol? ]
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Post by Sharei on Sept 27, 2023 16:58:38 GMT -6
The boy, who hadn't moved much from his spot on the sofa, turned his head to regard Sarkany from across the room. If his absence had upset Atol, it wasn't obvious. In truth, Atol had used the downtime to nap and rest after Koji had stuffed him full of food. Sarkany hadn't missed much. He nodded.
[ Saved you dessert ] Koji called into the house. The genasi was out on the balcony scraping down the grill now that it was cool. He wouldn't normally have waited, but when Koji had put his hand to the hot metal Atol had made a sound in the back of his throat that had startled them both. Koji pointed at the kitchen counter with the grill's brush. [ Take it with you. ]
[ It's 'pumpkin pie', ] Atol supplied, pointing to where a slice had been carefully set aside. [ Koji says its traditional. ]
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Post by MP on Sept 28, 2023 21:33:23 GMT -6
Sarkany looked up from the fridge, sliding empty hands behind his back. He quietly nudged the door closed as he spoke.
[ Yes. 'Pie,' ] he said. [ I assume we have two extra servings to bring along? ]
It was no idle hike, after all. Now that Atol was stronger, a little better oriented in his new surroundings, Sarkany planned to introduce him to his sons, still staying up at the dragon's den. Given Atol's wary nature, they'd all thought it best to ease Atol into pack life slowly, giving him time to adjust to a few trusted persons at a time.
[ I suppose we can always make them work for it. A flight down the mountain would do them some good. ]
Sarkany wouldn't be bringing his own pie. Downing the slice in quick, impressive bites that only beasts or competitive speed eaters ever seemed to manage, he was already brushing crumbs into the sink by the time Atol had puzzled out how to turn off the television.
[ All set. Don't forget water. ] Sarkany strode out from the kitchen area, a small plastic bottle upheld. He tossed lightly to Atol as he passed. [ You don't want to drink from ground sources these days. ]
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Post by Sharei on Sept 29, 2023 15:03:18 GMT -6
[ I've got them in my bag, ] Atol said, sliding off the sofa. Despite the fact that he'd had the cabin's fire going and a blanket around his shoulders, the boy's feet were bare, and he winced slightly when he put them on the floor. No matter how much Atol turned up the heat it always seemed chilly.
Koji, who was used to Sarkany's pie antics by now, watched the grey-haired man with a squint. Looked like he hadn't seen the Key Lime in the back of the fridge. The genasi sighed in relief and stepped back into the cabin, his work with the grill complete. He dusted off his hands and picked up a bag that had been sitting by the sofa. Handing it off to Atol, who slid his new bottle of water into the side pouch, Koji tipped his head at his friend.
[ Anything to be concerned about? ] he asked, tapping his own cheek to indicate the scratch on Sarkany's. There was no worry in Koji's orange eyes, only a mild curiosity. If it were serious, he reasoned, Sarkany would have said.
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Post by MP on Sept 29, 2023 17:43:46 GMT -6
He fluttered a hand as if to brush the question off.
[ A few clever ones came sniffing after Strid's trail. They're gone now. ]
Far enough gone that he imagined it would take Zramek a fair few weeks to pick up the proper trail, if at all. He might have lost a few steps over the years, but considering the impromptu job, Sarkany was rather proud of this one.
[ You should try socks, ] he said to Atol, pointing down at his own mismatched pair. [ They're very useful in this climate. ]
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Post by Sharei on Oct 1, 2023 11:18:38 GMT -6
Koji hummed and didn't answer Sarkany, but it was clear from his altered body language that he would be out soon enough conducting his own investigation into clever ones come sniffing around. Atol didn't know what that meant, or who this Strid was, but he knew enough of his housemate's body language by now to know that he was not pleased by the news.
Regardless, Koji helped Atol put on his backpack and even ruffled the blonde's hair good naturedly. Atol looked back at him as the two stepped out of the cabin, and although he was leaving with Kanagi, there was an unexpected ping of emotion to see Koji standing in the doorway. No one had ever stood around to watch him go - no one had ever cared enough to bother.
The trek up the mountain was slow going. Atol, who had been born and raised in the desert, seemed to find every single stick and root to trip on. If the boy and the Raven had once been the same man, the boy had inherited none of the Raven's finer finesse.
That seemed not to bother him, though. He didn't complain about the hike, nor about the soreness in his legs. His attention was elsewhere - the back of Sarkany's head, specifically, and a pregnant silence heavy with questions lingered unspoken.
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Post by MP on Oct 1, 2023 15:41:38 GMT -6
Sarkany could feel that stare on his back, clear as a voice. The hike would be good for more than just introductions. Between the healing and the official visits and the settling in, there hadn’t been room for other matters. He glanced over his shoulder, matching his pace to Atol’s.
[ You don’t need to walk behind. ] A small smile. [ I shouldn’t make a habit of comparing the letter to a memory. But for lack of an accurate way of saying it: you never did before. ]
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Post by Sharei on Oct 1, 2023 17:47:37 GMT -6
Atol's head rose in surprise, a silent 'oh' passing over his lips. He quickened his pace to meet Sarkany and fell into step beside him, an awkward slant to his shoulders.
[ I didn't know where we stood... ]
The boy cast a sideways glance at his companion before returning his gaze to the woods around them. It was silent beyond the hiking trails, the only noise aside from their own footsteps the distant birdsong and the sway of the brush. The leaves were changing color and the first few had begun to fall. Atol curled into his sweater with a shiver.
[ We haven't had a chance to talk.]
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Post by MP on Oct 1, 2023 18:22:36 GMT -6
[ No, ] Sarkany agreed. [ But we have now. As much time as there’s mountain. ]
He shot Atol a sideways glance - the friendly, open expression so often seen in the letter. Sarkany seemed genuinely at ease, here in the presence of a boy he’d never truly met.
[ I know I’m a little different from the man you ‘remember.’ But we’re hardly strangers either. There’s no harm acting like it. I’d like it if you did. ]
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Post by Sharei on Oct 1, 2023 19:27:55 GMT -6
[ It's not that you're different. A little less sad, maybe, but you're still Kanagi inside. ]
Atol fidgeted with the hem of his sleeve and had turned his gaze down. Because of it, he missed Sarkany's expression, though it hardly seemed to matter. The way he hunched his shoulders was reminiscent of the boy that Sarkany had first met, still deeply under the thumb of his father and fearful of rejection or correction. It was a far cry from the one who had turned on Aldin in a desperate bid for freedom.
[ But the events we remember never actually happened. We've never met, never talked, never - flown together. All of those things, those precious moments, were an illusion.]
The boy hesitated. Picked his words, discarding one thought for another. When finally he spoke it was with an uncomfortable lilt to it.
[ A convincing illusion, but still just an illusion. So should I treat it like it was real? Do I have a right to act like it was? I want to - desperately - but I'm not sure. ]
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Post by MP on Oct 1, 2023 20:06:16 GMT -6
[ Not an illusion - a vision. What would have happened, if I’d come to the Nile instead of this mountain. ]
The set of Atol’s shoulders was one Sarkany recognized. Not a failing, not a disappointment, but a landmark of a kind. By these familiar signs, he could navigate the silence, guessing at things the youth wasn’t ready to show.
[ You’re right; I never did, and we can't mistake a vanished chance for truth. But- ] The smile warmed his voice, audible if not visible to Atol’s averted eyes. [ The men we grew to know, their hopes, their burdens, their confided thoughts, are real. I would have gladly found a packmate in that Atol. That is still true. ]
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Post by Sharei on Oct 1, 2023 20:34:14 GMT -6
It was the sound of his smile, so familiar it made Atol's heart ache, that hit the boy hardest. A thousand nights beneath the stars, a thousand shared moments, and it was the sound of his companion's laughter in all of them. There was not a more familiar, nor cherished noise.
Atol's red eyes rose to Sarkany's face. He examined it for a long moment, and whatever he found there seemed to satisfy something because the hard line of his shoulders began to relax.
[ Maybe, ] he said, but when he turned his eyes back to the woods the air was more companionable, if still a little stiff. [ But how much is it okay to lean on that? Is it alright to just... pick up as if nothing has changed? Everything has changed. ]
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Post by MP on Oct 1, 2023 22:53:49 GMT -6
[ It has. ] Sarkany leaned over conspiratorially. [ For the better, I hope. ]
He slipped his hands into his pocket as he walked, a temporary reprieve from the cool autumn air.
[ For me. it’s been - oh, nearly ten years since I fell here, or since I would’ve fallen at the Nile. And for you - well. Things are changing now, I imagine. ]
There was no sadness in those words. Sarkany only looked at him, curious.
[ But I think we can at least be comfortable being comfortable. Following what feels natural. Sharing the changes as they come. There will be future flights and memories to replace the old. ]
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Post by Sharei on Oct 1, 2023 23:17:57 GMT -6
[ I want that, but are you really alright with it? ]
Atol spread his hands helplessly. There was something self-defeatest in his posture, something too close to the way he always curled his shoulders when he'd spoken of his life as the herald, as if the circumstances were unavoidable and something to be tolerated.
[ I'm not that Atol, and with the way time travel theoretically diverges, I might never be that Atol that you would have been packmates with. What if I can't cut it? What if...? ]
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