The Mercenary (Love) Life

Log Info

• Title: The Mercenary (Love) Life

• Emitter: Ravenstongue

• Characters: Ravenstongue, Stjepan, Telamon

• Place: Memorial Gardens District

• Summary: Ravenstongue and Telamon are walking in the Memorial Gardens when they bump into Stjepan together. The jotun is finally introduced directly to Telamon, and the trio talk for a while before Stjepan steps away. Some light teasing is directed at Ravenstongue before the discussion turns to Telamon and Ravenstongue's relationship--and its future.

Memorial Gardens, afternoon.

It's another hot summer day in Alexandria in what seems to be an almost endless march of them. It's gotten to the point where the pillowy cloud passing over the light of Daeus is a welcome, if fleeting, relief, although nobody exactly wants to praise the lack of Daeus in the sky for fear of sounding like a Maugrim enthusiast.

Cor'lana is dressed appropriately today, wearing a rather fetching deep violet woven hat with her hair pulled back into the braid that she used to wear more often. Her white sundress billows a little in the wind, and she looks rather unused to this as she walks arm-in-arm with a half-elven gentleman. "No one ever told me being fashionable came with feeling like I could be turned into a sail on a mast at any moment," she mutters.

Pothy pecks at some bread that's been left on the ground nearby. Some birds that the bread was surely intended for cower from him, apparently not willing to tussle with him for carb dominance.

For his part, Telamon is dressed in a light cotton tunic over trousers and simple leather shoes. The fabric is as airy as Lana's dress, and he chuckles at her complaint. "Ah, but you're comfortable, dear." He pats her arm gently. "Fashionable too, but it's a lot harder to overheat in that dress. And the hat just completes the picture nicely."

He catches sight of Pothy picking at the bread, and chuckles. "Grazing, Pothy? On the bright side, at least you don't have to try and share a fish with someone."

Stjepan is already in the gardens, tending the flowers at the war memorial. He's kneeling, concealing his size, and has a pile of weeds beside one knee. His sleeves are rolled up past his elbow, and his hands are somewhat grubby. The wind plucks at his hair, and also brings words to his ears. He settles back on his haunches, and turns, looking up and smiling. "Good day for a stroll!" he calls out, by way of a greeting.

Cor'lana flushes a little, of course. "Well, I only tried to ask myself what would be the best complement to what you wear, and I think I did well today," she says with a wide smile.

Then the greeting rings out, and Cor'lana has to blink a couple of times before she fully registers who it is that's called out to her. "Oh! Mister Stjepan!" she calls out with a smile and a nod. "It's so nice to see you out and about in the daytime! How are you?"

Pothy looks up from his grazing, as Telamon called it, and his tail wags up and down. "Snacks!" he calls out as he takes flight to land on Stjepan's shoulder.

"And I appreciate it, but I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable either." Telamon sighs. "Still, the days are speeding past, and fall is coming soon enough. I enjoy spring and summer, even with the shorter nights and longer days." He gives Lana a squeeze, and smiles back at her.

At the voice, he glances up with interest, and then his eyebrows rise. He's heard of the fellow, but never met him, and at Lana's happy response he lifts his free hand in greeting, his dark eyes dancing. "I see Pothy is old friends with the gentleman," he comments with a grin.

Stjepan rises smoothly, weight going onto his haunches as he grins, "Hey Pothy, just a second." He rises all the way up, wiping one of his hands off on his thigh before digging in a pocket to offer some nuts to the raven. "Here you go." A nod, and his hand comes halfway up to swipe through his hair before he notices the dirt on it and aborts the action. "Cor'lana! Well, I'm usually busy. Today though -- it was time to visit here. War's comin', after all." Then, he turns his gaze on Telamon. "Hey, you must be Telamon! Good to meetcha! I'm Stjepan." A rueful glance at his dirty hand, which just raises in greeting.

"Oh, hold on, I've got that," Cor'lana says with a grin. She lifts a hand and murmurs an incantation... and Stjepan's hand is clean as it can be. "Have to keep you on your toes. Still can't banish you like Madame Sandy did that one time, though."

She leans in a little into Telamon, her grin turning into a warm smile. "This is him! Telamon Atlon, eventually to be Telamon Lupecyll-Atlon. I've only told good things about either of you, I promise."

Pothy, meanwhile, is just happy as can be with the nuts. His silence is purchased.

Telamon chuckles. "It's not like I haven't gotten my own hands dirty in the garden at home. Even if I cheat a bit." He takes Stjepan's hand, shaking it firmly. "It's good to finally meet you, sir." He looks over at the memorial and the gardens around it. "It does seem like a place to visit if war is coming. And I bet the gardens are always in need of tending here."

The sorcerer looks thoughtful, his eyes glinting before he shifts tracks. "Banish him like Madame Sandy? Do I want to know?" He glances at Lana with a wry smile.

Stjepan does his best to not entirely enclose Telamon's hand with his own as he shakes it. "It's good to remember those who came before, I think, before doing stupid, stupid, stupid things for money again." A nod. "They try, but it never hurts to help more." he grins, and reaches up to pat one of Pothy's claws. It's always good to be good to one's pushers. "Extradimensional mazes are a fun challenge?" He blinks for a moment. "You know, I don't even remember why Sandy did that. Doesn't take much, mind you, on the wrong day."

"This is true," Cor'lana says with a snicker. "Madame Sandy can have an awfully short fuse. I don't remember why she did it, either--I only remember seeing her doing it and being absolutely terrified. I think it was the first substantial piece of high-level magic I'd seen since... Hmm, long story."

She looks at Stjepan's efforts before turning her attention back to the jotun. "Don't you mean the stupid, stupid things you're willing to do for money?" she asks with a smirk. "Mercenary work and all."

Telamon snorts. "I don't think I can really cast aspersions here. I've been accused quite credibly of being more than a little impulsive at times." He shrugs lightly. "If you can't do something smart, do something good. Getting paid for it doesn't hurt either."

Tel furrows his brow. "Oddly, the first time I saw someone perform something that... complex, was Mourner Verna, when we were trying to reclaim Aya. It was... more than a little intimidating for me. Hence why I try to stay on her good side, even if she's got a much more even temper."

Stjepan hooks his thumbs into the belt loops on his breeches. "Me? Sure. I hear you've been taking work too, so I'm not going to wear it all." He sighs. "But yes. Which is why I'm here now. Before the sky turns white with arcane sendings. You know, I don't think there's anyone I'd rather have sending magics downrange than Sandy. Maybe one of the archmages."

Cor'lana grins as she gives the arm of Telamon that she's been holding onto a squeeze. "Well, despite Telamon's fetching good looks, he is also a sorcerer of considerable skill like I am these days. We do most of our work together through the Guild," she says. "Leaves us plenty of time at home to pursue our hobbies. I write poetry and he brews things--magical alcohol as of late."

"And snacks," Pothy chimes in, mimicking Cor'lana. He's always quick to point out that Telamon does, in fact, provide snacks.

Stjepan grins broadly. "Magical alcohol sounds like fine snacks," he notes to Pothy. He then tilts his head, looking down towards the temple square. "Hey, it was great to meet you, Telamon; good to see you, Cor'lana." He gestures south. "I need to get on to Angorite services before I get glared at." (And maybe they'll withhold the holy body oil, too, if he's too tardy -- can't have that!)

Telamon smiles down at Lana, before looking back to Stjepan. "And then there's my membership in the Shining Chalice, which has been fairly useful from time to time. I've even found time to write some poetry as well." He chuckles. "Some days I feel busy enough for three people. And yet... it's worth it."

He raises his hand in farewell, watching Stjepan depart. "That is a lot of fellow. I'm glad I didn't have to fight him for you, dear." He looks down at the gardens, the flowers around the war memorial. "Maybe I should try to find some time in my schedule and offer to help out here. Give a little back, as it were."

Cor'lana waves in farewell to Stjepan as well, Pothy returning to her shoulder as the jotun leaves. She does offer Telamon a quizzical look at his remark. "Fight him for me? I really don't think he ever had a crush on me. Besides, he seemed happy as could be when I told him originally that you and I were courting--and even happier when we got engaged."

Pothy groans. "DENSE," he says in Addy's voice, the exasperation of Cor'lana's beloved cousin coming through.

Cor'lana pouts a little at Pothy's remark, but she turns back to Telamon and smiles. "Anyway, if you find the time, I'd be happy to come along and help. Not that I have a particularly good talent for growing things--just attracting little fey folk who will do it for me."

Telamon chuckles. "Sorry, I'm with Pothy on this one. But I will give him credit for his excellent taste." He gives Lana another squeeze. "And he seems like the sort that's happy when others are happy too -- which is good. It's a school of thought I wish more people would pursue."

"I'll talk to... well, whoever runs the city works. See if they'd like volunteers. While fey can occasionally be a nuisance, I'm sure nobody would mind too much if they confined themselves to sprucing up the gardens as needed. With supervision."

"Well, I'm glad for that," Cor'lana says, although she flushes. "I guess I can't really get used to the idea of anyone feeling a certain way around me. I mean, I barely believe every day that you really love me and that I didn't trip and fall onto my head at some point during our first meeting, and this whole thing's just been some sort of... I don't know, coma-induced dream."

She shakes her head and snickers. "Sorry, that's obviously a weird thing to think about. I have an active imagination that gets carried away."

Pothy just sighs. "Head in the clouds or in the pages," he says in Nadina's voice. It appears that might have been a commonly-made comment when she was alive, because Cor'lana just laughs.

Telamon laughs softly as well. "I didn't come to Alexandria looking for love either. I mean, I'm a charmer and I know it, but... honestly, I half-expected father to have some suggestions by the time I came home." He blushes a bit. "Hopefully not any oruch princesses."

"But then I met you, and it was like... 'wait, maybe this is where I need to go'. I didn't realize it, until I found myself there challenging Grandfather. And even then it seemed like just a foolish boy's dream." His cheeks are still a little pink. "But it wasn't."

Cor'lana grins at him. "Well, now that just gets my overly-active imagination going again. Say your father came down to Alexandria to visit you, and that we'd all gotten lunch together with you and I as friends. I wonder if he would have pushed you to me or would have run the other way to find you a normal girl to marry instead? Maybe I would have fought her for your hand!"

"Don't quit your day job," Pothy murmurs. He's trying to dissuade any and all possible fantasies of Cor'lana going into sordid romance novel writing. (It might be too late. After all, her mother's cousin is an alleged contributor to the Crimson Pen.)

Telamon arches an eyebrow. "Define 'normal' though. I mean, I'm not exactly 'normal' either -- father told me once that he was giving some thought to making inquiries with Mythwood's wizard council, see if someone had a daughter who was experienced around magic." He smiles. "I'm glad things turned out the way they did, though."

He settles his arm around Lana's shoulders, as the two begin to walk again. "'The road not taken'. I remember reading a poem about that once. Our lives, defined by the choices we've made and the roads we've taken."

"Oh, I know that poem," Cor'lana replies cheerfully. "I don't think you can call yourself a poet if you don't know that one. Truth be told, Telamon, when I read it for the first time, it was after we started living together and we took interest in poetry--and I thought to myself that coming to Alexandria was the best choice I could have made. Deciding to live and coming to Alexandria was inadvertently choosing to meet you. And fall in love with you. And have a garden full of flowers and silly pixies, and to reclaim all of my memories, and to meet strange princes and stranger flumphs... And to chase down werewolves, keep evil gods shackled down. Not mentioning the many other things we've done."

She finally pauses for breath, the excitement in her voice and sheer joy having built to a crescendo. "I'm very grateful for this road," she says. "And I intend on seeing it to its end when we come to rest together in Grandfather's home for the last time before we pass into the Halls together."

"Together," Telamon agrees. "No matter where the road takes us, we walk it together. No regrets, either." He lifts her hand to his lips. "Speaking of Grandfather, has he contacted you lately? I've been itching to show him that book, see if he has any insights." His eyes dance. "The second batch of magical liquor is almost ready, too. This one's called 'Feathered Friend' and I am quite curious as to what it does."

He glances to Pothy, "That was the stuff I needed one of your feathers for, so don't think it was sacrificed for nothing."

Cor'lana ponders the question. "Mmm, I did have a strange dream last night," she says. "Not odd enough to worry me, but I did have a dream of being back at Grandfather's house and seeing him holding that dress I wore to meet both the Wee Queen and... the other one." She's not mentioning the Queen of Air and Darkness by name. "I'll have to reach out to him later by the Conduit and see if I can get a message to him then."

She looks at Telamon for a moment and says, "You know, he gave me that dress, right? He gave it to me one day and told me only to wear it for very special occasions."

Cor'lana purses her lips in thought. "What if it belonged to his wife?" she asks aloud. "Oh goodness, what if there's been an important anniversary of some sort recently? Her birthday? The day she passed? When they got married? I imagine he'd try and crawl back into his loneliness if that's the case."

Telamon furrows his brow. "Sometimes it's hard to tell what's just a dream and what's an actual portent. If he gave it to you, it... might stand to reason that it belonged to his wife." He can't help but smile slightly. "I don't think he'd look very good in it."

He nods a bit at where Lana is going with her concerned comments. "I hope he hasn't. He knows he's welcome at our home if he needs a place to mend. If he was a mortal man I'd be worried about him developing an addiction to drink, but... well, it's Grandfather."

"You're right, plus it'd be sort of small on him," Cor'lana manages to say after a vicious fit of the giggles. She has to wipe the tears from her eyes before she can elaborate. "Actually, it fits me perfectly--'Grandmother' must have been quite the petite lady, too."

She looks back up at Telamon. "That's right, you did tell him not to bottle all of that up. Maybe we're getting it wrong and he's actually preparing something of some sort that's happier."

"Grandchildren," Pothy pipes up in Grandfather's voice. That actually makes Cor'lana almost jump.

"Pothy, how many times..." She sighs deeply.

And then she pauses. "Wait." She looks at Telamon. "Wait. What if he's going to throw me a bridal shower party? I don't know if that's a thing in fey custom or not. I can tell you right now I have no interest in a 'bachelorette' party. I don't need half-naked men dancing in front of me, thank you."

Telamon grins, enjoying the giggle-fit he just inflicted on Lana. "Possibly. Not improbable that he might've modified it for you -- he does seem to have a knack for needlework." He runs a hand through his hair. "Well, he'll either tell us or he won't. I do want him to come by if he's hurting, though."

At the prospect of a 'bachelorette' party, Tel chuckles. "Honestly, I... don't think he'd do that. He does like to tease, but he knows you well enough that is so not your thing." He pauses. "Not mine, either. Algar actually broached the subject and I told him it was a bit inappropriate, considering, well, I'm all yours. There's... certain implications to those sort of things that I don't like."

"I think Addy would probably also throttle Algar if she learned he went to one, let alone organized one," Cor'lana says with a laugh. "But I appreciate how you feel, as I feel similarly, of course. Thankfully, bridal showers, from everything I've ever read, are much tamer and... family-friendly affairs. They're to celebrate an upcoming marriage. It sounds like just an excuse to have a party before the party..."

She pauses. "Which is why it's probably something that might appeal to a former member of fey nobility. Even a recluse. I can't imagine he made his wife have a party all by their lonesome. Maybe he invited all of his birds in the woods." Cor'lana can't help but snicker again. "I really liked that one he had named after your father."

Pothy makes a grumbling noise. Cor'lana's not allowed to like other birds! He gets a little kiss on his fluffy head, however, and that quells the grumbling.

Telamon nods. "I... don't think I've ever been lonely. Yes, I'm an only child, but there are many cousins on both sides and we all saw each other so often. Then there were the friends I'd made, as a boy, before heading out with father on my apprenticeship. Maybe that makes me a little more sensitive to the idea that someone might be feeling alone -- and why I want to fix it."

He chuckles. "I'm sure some of us -- Algar, Dolan, and so on -- will get together for cards and wine at some point. Introductions as needed, for those who haven't met." Tel smirks at the mention of 'Telperius'. "I think father would be amused, too. I wrote him about it. Haven't received any word back."

"And that's why you want to 'fix' my family situation by marrying me into your family, hmm?" Cor'lana says with a grin. "I'd say that I was an only child, but... Well, Pothy is my little brother."

Speaking of Pothy. He croaks excitedly and looks over to the doors of a nearby restaurant. He takes flight from Cor'lana's shoulder and flies over to it. Cor'lana looks over to it and also looks terribly intrigued. "Oh, that looks nice," she says, pointing to the chalkboard outside that lists several elven-style specials. "Want to grab a bite to eat and then we head home?"

Telamon shrugs and smiles. "Why should you be alone? You deserve a family, Lana. And mine ... well, we have our foibles but there's a fair number of us -- and we're always happy to welcome a new member." He hugs her close again, as Pothy catches sight of the restaurant.

"Hey, I think I've heard of this place. Haven't tried it yet, but that sounds like an excellent plan to me." He winks at Lana. "Told you that you were the wiser of the two of us."