Closed A Peculiar Connection (Cryktos Ellios)

[Vernadel]

Some kind of force crept between Cryktos' eyes and hers, as Vernadel lingered in the doorway, and she went rigid, as if his gaze had paralyzed her. But he was telling her that it was alright, even though he remained silent. What kind of a man was this, she wondered, who could make things move without touching them, and speak to her without uttering a sound?

Then, Cryktos made his way back to her and held out his hand. She peered down at his slender fingers, watching them waggle, and a small smile formed on her lips. Visibly relaxing, the little Akvatari stretched her own hand out and placed it into his palm. His skin was cool to the touch and she tightened her grip as she flopped forward.

"Oh, no," she told him. "You do not have to carry me, you are too weak for that." She regretted the words as soon as she'd said them. He was evidently not weak, judging by his muscles, but he had barely been able to stand earlier. "Have you been ill, recently?" she asked, as she shuffled forward as carefully as she could. Her shoulder hit one stack of books midway to the chair and she cringed as the column wobbled. The top two books shifted off the top, one falling on the opposite side of the stack, while the other came tumbling down toward her. She let go of Cryktos to try and catch it, but it hit her forearm and landed on the floor before she could get her fingers around it. Uttering a surprised squeak, she clapped her hand on the small red mark on her arm where the book had hit it.

"I'm sorry," Vern spluttered. She bent to pick up the tome and, since she couldn't reach the top of the stack it had just come from, she set it down on the top of a shorter column of books. Then, she reached for the hand of Cryktos once again and made her way to the chair painstakingly slowly, letting go when she finally was able to sink down into it. As she thanked Cryktos for his assistance, she could not help but ponder how she would ever get back out of there, especially if she had to do it quickly for some reason.

[Cryktos Ellios]

Cryktos chuckled to himself, the first person to have ever been in his house showing more courtesy than anyone outside, or even in the entire city. When she picked up the book that had fallen, it brought a kind smile to his face. When she sat down, he offered her the other cup of tea, and a small piece of cheese covered bread. He began to speak, telling her of his career, first as a guide to get ships into the port, then as an archaeologist, and then as a translator of ancient texts. He told her of his wild and outrageous, yet true, stories. He spoke of adventures to faraway lands, and deep dungeons, dedicated to the long deceased. He spoke of his "father", or the man that had raised him, and of the one person he considered his brother, a guard that got him out of many situations back in his old, tiny town.

He wanted to tell her of his real parents, but he could not, for he had never even seen their faces. As far as he knew, they were long dead, left to rot in some bandit camp. Nobody cared for mages, for they were insane, and unstable. Yet he managed to control his lust for knowledge, to a certain extent, so he was more or less normal. He told her of the book he held dear to him, and revealed its name to be "A connection of the Elements", a book about all of the elemental combinations of reimancy. He showed her the signature inside, of one of the most famous of the Ancient Wizards. He was one who had mastered being a Nuit, and yet, could also control fire as if it were himself.

"And so, this is my life. My soul purpose is to be as strong as I can, in every form of magic I can learn." He said, a smile coming to his lips, a glint in his eye, as bright as if they themselves were stars. He took a sip of his tea, his throat becoming wet as he relubricated his dry vocals. His voice took a turn from raspy and dry to soft and deep, as if he were a new person. He stood up, and took off his robes. Underneath, his muscular upper body was revealed, his lower body covered by a simple pair of trousers, and he sat back down. Having one shirt, he never wore it, because it was torn at all sides and in the back as well. His body decieved his weak nature. One, at first glance, would see a feeble, and incapable man, weak and weary. Yet, in deeper inspection, they would see the massive musculature and physical force he contained hidden underneath a small layer of clothes. "And so, I am a reimancer." He spoke, finishing his long story.

[Vernadel]

Sipping her tea, Vernadel listened to Cryktos describe his previous occupations. How fascinating it would be to travel the land in search of treasures. Then, he showed her a book with a flourishing signature and described the owner, who could control fire. The Akvatari shuddered at the thought, but then promptly decided that controlling fire would be much better than being controlled by it.

Vern nibbled her bread just to be polite, though she was a creature that fed off the sea. The dry crumbs caught in her throat more than once and she coughed a little. The tea was definitely very good and she drank the last of hers to wash the crumbs down. It seemed to be having a magical effect on Cryktos, too, for his voice grew much richer and his face took on some color.

When he took off his robes, Vernadel was amazed at the defined torso and muscular shoulders and arms that appeared. She realized she was staring and quickly looked away. Bodies of flesh usually did not even gain her notice, since she herself barely wore anything at all but the band of fabric around her chest. However, the sight of young, shirtless men, had lately begun to make her feel strange.

Cryktos explained his goals and though Vern did not know exactly what a reimancer was, it sounded rather interesting. The man looked at her expectantly and she thought he wanted to hear from her next. "I am an artist," she told him. "I paint pictures, write poetry, and make jewelry," she added, indicating all the bangles in her hair, around her neck and on her wrists and fingers. "I'm a student at the University, too." She wanted to tell him how he had been one of the kindest people in the city to her so far, but she refrained. Instead, she forced her eyes to move over his exposed torso and focus on his face. Smiling a little, she tilted her head to the side, still wary of the fire that crackled a few feet away.