[Farson Home] Gift of Life

[Hadrian]

53rd Summer, 512 A.V. The groundsman was also the doorman -- they were trying to stay afloat with a dearth of funding -- which would explain the courtyard that was both sere and muddy in parts. Still, a couple of children were giggling and peering at Kaeson from the branches of an old apple tree that had survived decades of bonesnappers. The man led Kaeson to the door, though, scraping mud off his boots on a metal wedge kept for just such a thing, but he decided in the end that they were still too dirty and so stepped out of them and up onto the threshold in his holey socks. He eyed Kaeson's clean shoes and nodded him in. He was all right. Where the outer walls were of granite, the facade of granite and porphyry, the foyer was warmer with wooden paneling. Nothing was poorly made, but everything was old. One could see a patchwork of repairs here and there, but it would take time and money to make a concerted effort for general improvements. Hadrian had plans for this, of course, but his tenure was new and so nobody knew what to expect. The man took Kaeson up the stairs to the third floor and to the right, into the East Wing. There he knocked on the door and announced "Master Dakano", to which Hadrian's voice answered, "Send him in, please. And thank you," whereupon the man opened the door and ushered Kaeson into the spartan office, and closed the door behind him. It was as spartan as his office in the University, though in a different way. He had packed up Ethel Farson's personal effects and given the place a thorough cleaning himself, but while there was furniture, there wasn't a lot else. "You came," he noticed with a faint, not unfriendly, smile.

[Kaeson Dakano]

"Master Dakano?" A voice called out from across the barren courtyard. An elderly man, muddied from a morning working the courtyard, quickly approached the student. "Yeah...are you --," Kaeson tried to say, only to be interrupted.

"Yes, yes. I'm the groundskeeper at the Farson Home, as well as the doorman. If you'd follow me, sir." He finished, quickly turning to lead Kaeson down a stone path through the courtyard. "Master Aelius is expecting you."

Kaeson nodded as he followed the man through the courtyard, smiling awkwardly at a couple of giggling children in one of the few trees that decorated the courtyard, only resulting in more laughter. He couldn't help but notice the state of the courtyard, and of the orphanage itself. The courtyard had various, seemingly random splotches of wet mud, little foliage, and left much to be desired. Having been let in by the groundskeeper/doorman, Kaeson found the inside to be much comforting then the cold exterior. Despite the various patches of disrepair, Kaeson found the wood paneling much to his liking.

Kaeson let himself into the lifeless office, but glad to see Professor Aelius. After today, it seemed he would be working for him, after all.

"Of course," Kaeson responded, politely returning his smile. "I brought some things for the orphans." He added, pulling a toy soldier and a carved doll out of his bag. "They both walk," Kaeson paused, putting both the toy and the doll on the floor. "But, Anne's smarter," Kaeson added, gesturing to the doll, "She'll learn the layout of the orphanage soon enough."

OOCSorry about the wait

[Hadrian]

"Interesting," he said as he crouched down to peer at the animated toys that were, as yet, not doing anything very animated. But Hadrian could sense the complex swirl of auric energy around them. Even concentrating on the chavi via Eyris' gift gave him little impressions of Kaeson and of... "Did Tock help you with Anna?" he asked, then quickly followed up with, "Tell me about your process with these, both in construction and animation." He wanted to learn from Kaeson even as he intended to teach him, and of course he had to make sure the creatures were safe before he allowed the children to play with them. He knew that much about children already.