@Fukurou Verik huffed out a sigh as he leaned back against his dragon's flank, glaring around at the people who bustled past. Of course he wasn't really
glaring- his brow was slightly furrowed and his lips drawn a little tight, but to those who knew him it was an intense expression of irritation or displeasure.
He didn't really want to be annoyed with the world, he was just uncomfortable. It was unsettling enough that he and Ban had been off their game lately, unable to operate as the cohesive unit they'd once been, but now he was stuck waiting on a
mage.
Fine, he was probably a perfectly nice mage. But magic gave him the shivers, and he'd certainly been less than thrilled when a friend in his unit recommended he contact the man about his problem. But of course things could never be that easy, and the man had told him he had a
contact who might be able to help, and that they should plan to meet in one of the lower districts of the city in a week.
And here it was, a week later, and no magic man. Of course.
Quincey muttered nervously to himself as he scuttled through the streets of Ketra, his wide hazel eyes darting about in search for the man who had hired him. His contact was nowhere to be found and surely the hulking warrior would be quite cross with him right about now. Perhaps if he had contacted him with any other issue, he would have been able to help. But cursed objects? Demons? Spirits? Quincey refused to so much as think about these topics, at least, not with his luck. No, this was a job for someone with a little more background in such subjects. Someone who's just as ill-tempered as the man who was hired. Someone who happened to be late and was nowhere to be found.
Just as the halfling turned the corner, he spotted a very displeased Verik and his dragon scanning the crowd in search for the mage.
"Uh-hem," Quincey said as he tentatively approached the man, rubbing his hands together and keeping his head low so that his shaggy brown hair just barely reached the top of his eyes. "I'm... very sorry, Mr. Verik. I'm sure my contact will be here soon. I--I went looking for him. Maybe he got lost or... had an accident or something. But I'm sure he's on his way and that he'll be arriving soon... I'm very sorry... I'll--" he gulped. "I'll shut up now..."
Bane saw their contact first and snorted to alert his rider. Verik looked around at the small man and sighed as he started shuffling and making apologies.
Great. Just great.
"Oh- lift your head, would you? It's not like I'm about to eat you." He had to bit his tongue and take a breath. Relax. Not his fault you're irritable. "Just...stop apologizing. Does your friend normally show up late?"
Quincey peered up at the man with his wide, nervous eyes. "Oh, yes I'm sorry. Oh shoot! You told me to stop apologizing! Sorry! Shoot..." He frantically swung his head in each direction, looking for any sign of the mage before he settled his eyes back on Verik. "Master Rylzyr, uh, he... comes when he pleases." A sheepish smile cracked across the Halfling's face as he rubbed his hands together nervously. "He, uh... He'll be here! I promise, he's just--"
"Quincey." A voice rang out as towering figure stepped through the crowd and up to the two men. As the he rested a hand on the top of the Halfling's head, Quincey jumped and quickly turned to meet the mage's scowling face. "Shut up."
Verik started and Bane jerked his head back with a growl, tail lashing and almost knocking over a passer-by, who scurried away nervously.
The corporal suddenly narrowed his eyes at the newcomer, instinctively wary. "You." His eyes flicked to Quincey, then back. "You're Rylzyr?" He snorted. "No one told me you were a...whatever you are."
"X'zyi," he answered dryly, eyeing the dragon before settling his cold gaze onto Verik. "Well, I'm here. What now?"
"Oh, um..." Quincey squirmed under Rylzyr's hand before finally breaking free and scuttling between the two men. "This is Rylzyr, but you already know that... Uh, Rylzyr, this is Verik and Bane. They have a, well..."
"This." Verik held his left hand out before the poor halfling could babble more. On his wrist was a simple enough bracelet- gold chain with a few red and black stones set along its length. The damn thing had been a gift from his sister, though of course he assumed she didn't know what she'd given him.
"No one seems keen to tell me what exactly it is, but once I put it on I couldn't get it off. And it's..." He looked at Bane with a frown. The dragon huffed and shifted his bulk uncomfortably, a low rumble that wasn't quite yet a growl echoing in his chest.
"It's fu- screwing with us," he grumbled with a shrug. He didn't have any concrete evidence to that fact, but ever since he'd put the bracelet on things had been...strained between he and his partner. Cues were misunderstood, tempers were shorter than ever, even once or twice they hadn't been able to communicate at all.
Rylzyr stepped over the Halfling and up to Verik. He inched his face up close to the bracelet, peering at it with narrowed eyes.
"Did your sister say where she got this?" Rylzyr reached out to grab the bracelet, feeling a surge of dark magical energy creep up his arm.
Verik hissed quietly in surprise and tried to jerk his arm back. He wasn't used to people getting so close, touching him so easily.
Scowling and trying to hide his discomfort, he muttered, "No. Well- I don't think it would help. Said she got it from one of those novelty traders in the market district. Y'know, traveler, his goods' cart doubles as a stall. By the time I figured out the thing was screwy and tried to find him he'd moved on."
"Hm..." As Verik jerked his hand away, Rylzry took a step back. "That's too bad..." he said as he continued to examine the bracelet while rubbing his chin. Rylzyr looked up at the dragon, then to the warrior before him. "Tell me... What exactly has been the problem?"
"I'm..not sure If I can be exact," Verik admitted reluctantly after a moment. "It's complicated, unless you're familiar with how this works." He gestured between himself and Bane. "Dragonriders, I mean. And our dragons. That...bond."
"I see..." Rylzyr muttered. "Could I, perchance, speak with this sister of yours?"
That got a real growl out of Bane, but Verik quickly laid a hand on his shoulder in a silent command to calm down.
"That depends." His eyes were narrowed slightly, flicking over the other man. "I don't know you. I don't really trust you. Give me a reason to."
"Well, I could just go home," Rylzyr said as he crossed his arms.
"M-Master Rylzyr!" Quincey stammered as he stepped forward. "Please, there's not need!" He laughed nervously as he turned his attention to Verik. "Master Rylzyr means no harm, sir! I'm sure he really wants to help, it's just--"
"I don't really care," Rylzyr interjected with an air of apathy to his voice.
"S-Sir!" Quincey practically jumped in the air and spun to face the towering mage. He whipped back around to face Verik. "What he means is--"
"Ugh, shut up, Quincey," Rylzyr growled. "I swear, you are so irritating!" Rylzyr turned his attention back to Verik, irritation painting his eyes as a slight scowl lay across his face. "Look. I only want to talk to you sister about where she obtained that bracelet. Trust me, I don't want anything else from her. But, as I said, I don't really care and I can just go home."
This time Verik didn't stop Bane's growling, and as the dragon lashed his tail he nearly took out a nearby storefront.
"Excuse me for being cautious," the corporal snapped, "but I'm hardly in love with the idea of showing some strange, irritable mage to my sister's home."
But...he really did need the help, and no one else seemed able to do it.
Folding his arms, Verik huffed and leaned back against Bane's shoulder. "You make one wrong move and I swear to gods I will take you down."
Rylzyr rolled his eyes at the growling dragon and waved a hand dismissively. "Yes, yes. Whatever you say." He turned to his colleague and gave him a curt nod. "Thank you Quincey. You may go now."
"Y-Yes." Quicey bowed to both Rylzyr and Verik. He smiled at the warrior and said, "If you're in need of my assistance, please feel free to contact me. Oh, and, Rylzyr, your payment...."
"I'll send Bryn over to pick it up later."
"Y-yes. Young Mistress Bryn. That'll do just fine. A-anyway, I must get back to my studies. Have a good day, gentlemen." With another bow, Quincey bolted off, tripping slightly over his feat before disappearing into the crowd.
Rylzyr turned to Verik and looked at him expectantly.
Verik arched an eyebrow. "You're awfully sharp with him for someone who's supposed to be your friend," he noted wryly.
With a growling sort of sigh he ran a hand over his close cropped hair and glanced at Bane. The dragon blinked back at him, impassive.
"Fine then." He huffed and looked back to Rylzyr. "So...you're coming with us?"
"You don't understand," Rylzyr said with a mix of exhaustion and exasperation. "This is the fifth time he's called me down here within these last two months." He ran a hand through his thick, wavy hair as he let out a long sigh. "Last time, his basement was 'haunted.' It ended up being a group of snot-nosed children with too much time on their hands and not enough adult supervision. Tsch. If anything I'm too nice..." Ryzlry slowly shook his head and sighed once more. "Anyway, yes. I'm coming."
"Hmph." Verik didn't really address that- though he couldn't say he was surprised, the little man had seemed the nervous type.
"Fine. Get on." He swung himself up onto Bane's back with the ease of long practice and held his hand down to the mage as the dragon dipped to make mounting easier.
Rylzyr hesitated as he watched the man jump onto the back of the dragon. "Is that necessary?" A frown formed across his face as he shifted his weight onto one leg. "Surely she lives within walking distance."
Verik quirked an eyebrow. "You ever tried to walk a dragon through the streets? Trust me, it's not pleasant for anyone." Bane felt cramped and people were usually annoyed they had to move out of his way. "Besides, this is faster. Now are you coming or not?"
Rylzyr held Verik's steady gaze, being sure to keep his expression unreadable. He would much rather walk to their destination, but his pride ultimately kept him from admitting his terrible fear of heights. "Fine," Rylzyr said as he moved up to the dragon's flank. He looked up at the warrior, hesitated, and clasped onto Verik's hand.
"Up you get," he grunted, pulling the other man up onto Bane's back behind him. "Hold on. And mind the spikes- quick way to rip yourself another hole if you're not careful."
He smirked and cued Bane to take off. There was a moment, just a flash of hesitation- probably indiscernible to anyone but the two of them, but enough that both Verik and Bane winced slightly at the jarring break in their connection.
"Got it," he said tentatively as he clasped on to the man in front of him. Rylzyr silently prayed that Verik would be unable to feel how frantically the mage's heart was beating in his chest.
Just... don't think about it, he told himself. And for fuck's sake, don't forget to breath. Rylzyr took in a deep, shaky breath, but as he did so, the dragon launched into the air. In a fit of panic, Rylzyr spat out a flurry of cuss word--both common and X'zyrian-- while his grip around the man tightened like a constrictor.
He couldn't help it- he laughed. Glancing back over his shoulder, Verik smirked at him and quipped, "Not a fan of flying, huh?"
Bane gave a rumbled sort of chuckle as he climbed higher with a few massive beats of his wings, then banked just a tad sharply to the left to circle out over the east side of the city. They were high enough that the buildings below looked like elaborate playthings- it would only take a few minutes before they were at his sister's door, and most of that would be landing.
In the midst off all the stress, Rylzyr instinctively replied in his native tongue. Realizing that Verik had no idea what he was saying, he shook his head and took another deep breath. "Aaah, I mean," he sputtered. "I'm just not used to it! It's fine! It's... fine!"
Verik chuckled again and shook his head. "Sure it is."
It only took a few wingbeats before he chef Bane to come in to land. "Here, hold on." In an effort to be a little politer than he hand been, he sort of hesitantly gripped the other man's wrist, offering an anchor as Bane went into a shallow dive.
As Verik gripped Rylzyr's wrist, he in turned clamped onto the warrior's hand with a death-grip with a strength that would seem rather surprising for a tall, gangly mage such as himself. As they went down into the dive, Rylzyr let out yet another flurry of profanities in a variety of languages.
A little startled by the fact that Rylzyr had grabbed his hand at all- he'd sort of expected him to be offended- much less by how tight the grip was, Verik tossed a look back at the mage over his shoulder, resisting the urge to laugh.
He may not speak all those languages, but he got the gist.
Bane may have been a hulking, surly creature, but he wasn't cruel. He landed as gently as possible in front of a smallish house on the outskirts of the city in an effort to spare their guest. Verik paused a moment, then extracted his hand with an awkard pat to Rylzyr's arm as he turned to face him.
"Okay, we're here. You...alright?"
Dazed, Rylzyr instinctively hugged his own torso, rubbing his hands along his ribs as he glanced about with wide eyes. After a moment, his eyes shot back to meet Verik. "We're on the ground," he softly, with an air of surprise to his voice. A strange smile spread across Rylzyr's lips as he let out a chuckle. "We're on the ground!"
Bane had craned his head back to see what was taking so long and he and Verik exchanged a look]. "Er...yeah. That tends to happen when one lands," the rider said slowly, cocking his head to the side a bit. "You sure you're alright, mate?"
Suddenly the relative quiet was shattered by a high, childish squeal and Verik whipped his head around to see his nieces and nephew had thrown open the door of the house and were racing toward them. Bane crooned and lowered his head to nuzzle the children, who laughed and petted him delightedly.
Rylzyr coughed awkwardly as he regained composure. "Ah, yes, I'm fine." Luckily for him, the feeling of embarrassment that hung thick in the air was cut by the sound of children bursting into the yard. A warm smile flashed across his face as he watched the children run about.
He turned his attention back to Verik, his smile vanishing in place of his usual stony, albeit somewhat awkward expression. "Ah, this must be you sisters, house, no?"
"Ah, right." Verik cleared his throat and jumped down to the ground. Immediately he was swarmed by the children, chuckling as he boosted little Mika onto his hip and ruffled Verrin's hair. He eyed Rylzyr a little warily, his stance making it clear that he would protect his family if he needed to.
"Come on then. Tali, can you fetch your mother?"
Rylzyr nodded to Verik in reassurance before sliding off of Bane. As he landed, the children stopped to look at the towering mage with apprehension in their eyes. A warm smile overcame Rylzyr's face as he stooped down to one knee and held out a hand, offering it to the smallest child. With a swirl of gold and purple, a vibrant azalea flower blossomed in his hand and as the child reached out to touch one of its petals, hundreds of butterflies filled the air, their intricate laced wings reflecting off of the sun and bathing the area in a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns.
Even Verik had to admit he was impressed by the trick, and Verrin laughed and clapped delightedly, his sisters staring with wide eyes and open mouths before Tali remembered she was soup posed to be fetching Ilya and ran off.
Verik gave Rylzyr a small nod and Bane shifted behind him, snapping lazily at a few of the butterflies while the tip of his tail twitch playfully.
Rylzyr smiled warmly as he watched the children run around after the butterflies. He pushed himself off the ground and met Verik's eyes.
"Children always seem to love that trick," he said.
"I don't think it would impress just children." He snorted and rocked back on his heels with a smirk. "You must have your pick of the ladies."
He alsmot added, "Even with the horns," but luckily thought better of it. Fortunately perhaps, at that moment Tali reappeared, dragging a woman who could have been Verik's twin by her arm and babbling about colorful butterflies.
Rylzyr rubbed the back of his neck as he chuckled uncomfortably at Verik's comment.
"I, uh, well, yeah, I supposed..." He coughed nervously, his eyes darting about the area before landing on Tali. "Ah," he said with a newly found air of confidence as he straightened himself up and smoothed his hair back into place. "You must be the lady of the house. The name's Rylzyr: scholar of the arcane." He made a small bowing motion before offering a hand to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh." She looked between her brother and the stranger, then took his hand and shook it with a quick smile. "Ilia, it's a pleasure. Are you a...friend of Verik's?" she asked curiously.
As per X'zyri custom, Rylzyr kissed the back of Tali's hand before gently releasing it. "Pardon me, my lady, but I am simply here on a bit of business on behalf of your dear brother. If you would, I would like to ask you a few questions about the bracelet you had acquired for your brother."
"The bracelet?" Ilia frowned and looked at Verik. "Is something wrong?"
He winced. "It's...not a big deal, Ili, it's just-"
She punched his shoulder, hard, and he huffed out a breath. "Damnit, Verik, why don't you ever tell me about stuff like this?!" She turned her glare on Rylzyr, though it was clear her brother was the one she was angry with. "What do you need to know?"
The mage stood silently as he watched the siblings' interactions take place. "I assure you, my lady, that this is only a minor issue and one that can be easily solved." He nodded, his expression remaining gentle and patienthe against the woman'should glare. "Fist, where did you acquire this piece of jewelry?"
Ilia glanced back and forth between them. "A vendor in the lower markets. He was only in the city for a week or so."
"What was he like? And did you happen to catch his name?"
She frowned. "He was... I don't know, a merchant. Connloathian maybe, or Serenian. I think his name was Marcus or Marco or something."
"Hm...." Rylzyr looked off thoughtfully into the distance as he rubbed the bottom of his chin with his hand. "Well," he began slowly, bringing his attention back to the woman. "Did you happen to notice anything... off about him? And do you happen to remember what his other wares were?"
"Mostly jewelry." Ilia shrugged. "I'm sorry, I didn't really think much of him. I just saw the bracelet and thought it would be a nice gift."
She frowned, looking to her brother. "What's wrong, Rik?"