Bread and Feathers

Log Info

• Title: Bread and Feathers
• Emitter: Ravenstongue
• Characters: Ravenstongue, Telamon
• Place: A12 - Memorial Gardens District
• Summary: Ravenstongue is enjoying some end-of-the-day discount bread from Pothy's favorite baker (as Pothy's opinion matters the most when it comes to food) in the gardens. Telamon spots the duo and they sit down to chat. The conversation turns to the Feathered One and Ravenstongue's father as Ravenstongue answers, to the best of her ability, all of Telamon's questions about the strange pact that her paternal family line has been in for centuries. Telamon pledges that he'll be there to support Ravenstongue at the final confrontation with the Feathered One, and Ravenstongue expresses her gratitude for his friendship.

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=-<* A12: Memorial Gardens District *>-=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

Among the gardens, scents mingle: green, loam and subtle sweetness, wafting from the meticulously groomed grounds. The lawns are richly green, dense and close-cropped, bordered with polished pale marble stones the size of a human man's fist. The pathways are smoothly cobbled in muted tones that subtly echo and contrast with the surrounding greenery, shaded by the lush canopies of tall, straight trees whose branches arch over the walkways to form open, airy tunnels. Elegantly ornate, tall mana-lamps of wrought black iron keep the paths softly lit in the evenings; they are often situated near benches of matching material and style. It is peaceful, here. Somber. It is also curiously warm and green no matter the time of year; leaves do change color in fall but remain on the trees until spring comes again.

At the heart of the park where the paths converge are large marble pedestals supporting bronze or marble statuary, chiseled letters upon the heavy bases naming the subject of each piece. The previous sculpture celebrating the union of Alexandros with Myrddion has been removed from the center of the garden and replaced with a gorgeous statue of the Crown Princess Lianna Rena and a marble walkway that leads to the Monument of Heroes - a newly-raised edifice celebrating those who fought and died on behalf of others. Tribute is still given to the friendship between Myrddion and Alexandros in the form of the paired standards mounted above the entrance to the Monument of Heroes: one from each nation. The flagstaffs are crossed and held by a Myrrish Knight and an Old-Alexandros Miner. -=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=- Dramatis Personae =--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-
Ravenstongue    Short half-elf girl with violet eyes and black hair.
Telamon         A platinum-blond half-sil man with dancing dark eyes
-=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=--=-

The chill of a winter evening wind attempts to blows through the Memorial Gardens tonight, but that doesn't seem to bother Ravenstongue too much, nor the white raven Pothy on her shoulder as they sit at on a bench within the park. Ravenstongue sets down a bag of what smells to be freshly baked bread, and Pothy hops off her shoulder, immediately sticking his beak into the bag. "Snack!" he says.

"Patient, Pothy, patient!" Ravenstongue says, taking out a small croissant from the bag and breaking it apart into two halves. She holds one out to Pothy, who snatches it from her and begins to tear it apart. It appears it is dinnertime for sorcerer and familiar as Ravenstongue eats her own half, taking care not to get crumbs onto her dress.

For his part, Telamon is wrapped up in a heavy hooded fur coat. A bit battered, but it keeps the chill out, as he walks the gardens. Catching sight of Raven and her familiar, he smiles within the hood, ambling towards her. "A bit brisk for spending time in the park, at least by my reckoning," he remarks. "

"Mind if I join you?" he inquires, his dark eyes glinting within his hood. "I promise not to steal anything from Pothy."

Ravenstongue smiles at Telamon as he approaches and greets them. "It's a little chilly, but the park is always a bit warm. I think they have the place enchanted or something--either way, it's a nice place to eat discounted breads from Pothy's favorite baker! They close up shop earlier than others, but they only sell freshly made bread every day, so they discount everything in the last hour they're open. And I always get too much--so come and sit!"

The bench, thankfully, has more than enough room for two half-elf sorcerers and one raven to sit. Pothy looks up from the last of his croissant and croaks at Telamon. "Snack! Hello!"

Telamon takes a seat next to Raven and Pothy, chuckling. "Ask Raven, my feathered friend. I've naught but this today and I don't think it'd be to your liking." He reaches into his cloak, removing a worked silver-plated flask, removing the cap and taking a swig. "Elven cordial," he explains. "Something to take the bite out of the air." He takes a breath, and politely offers Raven the flask. "How are you holding up?" he asks. "I... admit I didn't expect your father to be so..." He pauses, trying to find the best words.

"Well, have some bread! There's small croissants and there's also this delicious berry loaf that I really like." Raven does take the offered cordial and has a polite, small sip of it, although she coughs soon afterward, burrowing her face politely into the crook of her arm. Clearly, she's not used to drinking much. But she soon recovers and holds out the bag of breads for Telamon to peruse.

At the mention of her father, though, Ravenstongue rolls her eyes. "You should see the lady he married," she says, a rather delicate emphasis on the word 'lady' to imply she was very much not so ladylike in manner. "Seems like they're a perfect match for each other."

Telamon just shakes his head in disbelief. "I know the world takes all kinds but... gods. Father would be furious. Mother would just kill him. She's always been the pragmatist." He caps the cordial, putting it away for the moment before picking out a croissant. "It just seems... alien to me. Like one of those dark places the sages write about that nobody sane goes looking for."

"Judging by my father's description of what happened when I was born, it sounds like my mother might have killed him when she attacked him to save me from the Feathered One if she wasn't still recovering from delivering me," Ravenstongue says with a small snort. "That's why I slapped him at the end. I felt like it's what Mother would have wanted me to do."

She sighs and reaches into the bag for a berry bread loaf, breaking off a piece to hand to Pothy. "I suppose I'm not surprised. It sounds like everything my mother did was to protect me. Even the loss of some of my memories--I think she was trying to protect me from my father and the Feathered One."

Telamon chews on his bread contemplatively. "Which would have definitely put your father on the hook to the Feathered One. If he can't deliver..." He makes a face. "Instead of trying to figure out how to get out from under this pact, he sires a child that would be expendable. At least, that was what I got out of his little rant." He growls under his breath. "Alright. We spent some time researching in the library. I assume you have some ideas."

"The conclusion I arrived to was to finish what my father started on me as a baby: the family curuchuil. I have the instructions for that. Once I do that, it will be much easier to summon the Feathered One so we all can talk to him--and we have to do that in the Mythwood. He's one of the nobility--it's difficult to just summon someone like him unless you have a direct tie to him like the curuchuil apparently is." Raven pauses for a moment to munch on her berry bread.

"Then again, he apparently has demanded 'sacrifices' from my father's family for generations. I just wonder how it began..."

Pothy, meanwhile, makes beggy-raven eyes at Ravenstongue for her bread. She breaks off a piece for him, and the corvid happily croaks as he takes the bit, swallowing it down in one oddly fluid motion.

"A worrisome thought." Telamon tears a bit off his croissant to offer to Pothy. "Father once said pacts with such entities... even benign ones from the Gods of Light... were perilous, because you didn't KNOW what might be asked. And the price could be stiff indeed." He sits back. "There was a story in the library of one magician who called forth a powerful lord of the Light -- an angel, perhaps, or an archon prince -- and wound up having to give it five years of service in return for its assistance. A hard bargain, though I suppose it worked out in the end."

Pothy's eyes dilate as Telamon offers him the bread bit. He takes it with a merry croak and also downs it in yet another disgustingly smooth motion. It's truly like a black hole--well, maybe a white hole, considering his plumage.

"I know it's risky," Ravenstongue says with a sigh. "But honestly, I want to negotiate with him. If I can negotiate my freedom--or even the freedom of future generations, because I don't know what my life will bring--I'm willing to try."

She pauses for another bite of berry loaf. "Besides, he's waited twenty years for me. For me. I'm sure there are other relatives with children and he could have changed his mind to take any of them instead. I think I'm a pretty powerful bargaining chip."

Telamon furrows his brow. "Did your father have the specifics of this... pact, deal, whatever? Maybe it had to be the firstborn child of a specific lineage? Or one possessing arcane ability?" He raises his eyebrows. "That could be part of it. Magic would make you more valuable, perhaps."

Ravenstongue nods. "Both he and his wife said it was 'the firstborn's firstborn'. His father is the head of the family, and my father is his firstborn child... And I'm his firstborn child. So it's me. It's apparently the decree that has been handed down for centuries. Once the child is taken, they are never seen again, and it's quite some time before the Feathered One asks for another child. Apparently my father didn't have me just to satisfy the decree, because he thought it'd be a generation or more until the Feathered One came calling."

Pothy finally has had enough waiting on scraps. He is a bird who controls his own destiny... So he steals a little croissant from the bag and begins ripping it apart. Ravenstongue doesn't seem to mind, patting the corvid on the head as he eats.

"I doubt he would have been a good father to me, anyway. Apparently my mother was one of two girlfriends he had--his now-wife was the other woman. I think she mentioned something about being unable to be together 'officially' at the time, and she was livid to find out I'm apparently the reason she can't have kids with my father until this situation is sorted out."

Telamon just shakes his head. "What kind of pact did your father's ancestors make? Such a deal is... appalling." He looks thoughtful. "So the Feathered One collects a child, but doesn't come every generation. Which suggests it might be doing something a bit beyond having them for dinner -- though with the fae, it can be hard to tell." He reaches into his coat for his flask again. "I admit I'm less concerned about your family's internal tensions, and more concerned with helping you get out of this jam."

Ravenstongue snickers a little. "Honestly, I don't blame you. I was only concerned about the family turmoils because his wife grabbed me by the collar of my dress and started shaking me while screaming at me about all of it. Pothy flew in and started clawing at her face to get her to let me go."

Ah, no wonder why Pothy was getting so spoiled lately. The alabaster savior even looks awfully proud of himself as the story is recounted, puffing up his chest feathers. "My hero!" he says, mimicking Ravenstongue's voice. This earns him a giggle and another berry loaf piece from Ravenstongue.

"I wish I knew what sort of pact they made, too. Apparently, it's been so long that they've forgotten. At the very least, my father didn't know why, and I'm sure he's done his research to try and get out of it since he couldn't find me for so long." Ravenstongue finishes the berry loaf and reaches into the bag for another one.

Telamon chuckles at Pothy. "Well done. Don't ever let someone manhandle her like that." He takes a pull from his flask, before putting it down again, capped. "Forgotten? Good gods, who forgets something like that?" He sighs. "Never mind. This must go back a long ways indeed. But here's my question: what is your family getting out of this deal? I mean, where's the benefit? Power? Fame? Wealth? It seems like there's not a lot of goods exchanging hands here."

Pothy beams as he's complimented by Telamon. "Yessir!" he says, mimicking what sounds like could be a guard responding to a commander in how prompt and military he sounds. He even marches on the bench for a moment, his talons tapping in a rhythmic fashion, before he resumes eating snacks.

"Now he's letting it get to his head," Ravenstongue says as she rolls her eyes and smiles. But she looks back to Telamon. "Honestly, I'm not sure if they're getting any benefit from it. It sounds like my father is an accomplished magician, so perhaps that's it, but I don't know enough about the family history to say for certain."

Telamon shrugs. "It might be worth finding out. Granted, the price might be high indeed if this Feathered One has been benefiting your family with some form of patronage, though what that might take, well... might as well ask the gods, 'cause I sure don't know." He sits back. "What will this family... curuchuil be? How do you fit into it?"

"My father showed me his. It's going to be the mark of a feather on my chest, right where my heart is." Ravenstongue gestures to where her heart is in her chest. "Some people with arcane sight said that they can see a feather mark on my heart--my father had begun the curuchuil on me when I was a baby and was interrupted when my mother attacked him, so the magic was never finished. I doubt my mother wanted to mess with it either, considering where the magic is. It's weird--most elven families with a curuchuil make it a form of art like a painting or a statue that's added onto by generations. I guess for my father's family, it's drawing it onto the bodies of the firstborns."

Telamon nods. "Alright. That makes sense... I was wondering. Father's family had a mural. Damn thing's thirty feet long and they're trying to decide if they want to start a new one or extend the wall somehow." He rolls his eyes and grins. "You realize, of course, this sounds a lot like some sort of binding mark, and it might make it harder to get away from the Feathered One if he opts to get pushy, right?"

Ravenstongue brightens a little at the mention of Telamon's family mural. "That sounds like a curuchuil to me from the descriptions I've seen. Like a proper one, not... whatever odd thing my family's doing. I'd love to see it sometime--I have zero interest in meeting the rest of my father's family now, but I still want to engage in the culture."

She does sigh and nod a little at Telamon's second point. "I'm sure it will. He's harassed me before anyway by sending flocks of birds to stare at me, so it's just another way for him to get to me. I just think it's my best option. I don't want to think about what killing a fae noble would involve, especially at my skill level, and I don't want to think about how the rest of Quelynos might react to one of their own dying, even if he's apparently a recluse who doesn't talk to anyone else much."

Telamon hehs. "Even with help we might not be able to kill him here. I mean, sure, we could gather some of the established champions and stomp him, but that just puts the problem off. And then if he does have a legitimate pact... well, the stories are full of entities that exist solely to enforce those blasted things. Might be better off trying to negotiate instead."

Pothy has tired of all of this talk about negotiations and elven rituals. He does what a bored Pothy does best--menace the people. And he does this by hopping into Telamon's lap, staring up at him. "Snack," he says, urgently.

Ravenstongue rolls her eyes. "Pothy, you big bird ham, all he has is cordial. I don't think you want that. ...Then again, he wanted to eat a jellified corpse the other day because it looked like a gummy snack, so what do I know."

Pothy's attention snaps back to Ravenstongue. "Gummy snack!" he says, imitating Ravenstongue's voice.

Telamon just shakes his head. "You don't want this, Pothy. It's got alcohol and I don't think that's good for birds." He lightly pets the mouthy little bird. "Alright. But I'm in, Raven. I want to help. I don't know how much I CAN help, but I do want to help. So don't forget me when it's time to start the dance."

Ravenstongue smiles warmly at Telamon's sentiment. "Even if all you do is come for moral support, I think that's enough for me," she says. "It's just been really nice to have someone who is like me to talk to about this. Being a half-elf is... Well, you know how it is. It's not always easy to talk about it. So thank you for being there for me, Telamon."