[The Lyceum]Late Night Readings (Open)

[Xelhes]

Fall 17, 511 A.V. Since Xelhes had arrived in this settlement and become familiar with the individuals of the place, he had been spending much of his free time looking for new sources of knowledge. He knew that his current knowledge was insufficient, like the mind of a young child. Outside of this settlement, he would not last, something or someone would kill him, or he would run out of resources. It was for those reasons that he studied, for knowledge was his key to leaving this place, and beginning his travels to the other places of the world. Taking a book from one of the shelves, he carefully read the first few pages of the book, trying his best to handle the literature with care. Almost all of the books in the settlement were very old, the covers faded, and sometimes even pages missing. After believing that the book was indeed what he wanted, a brief, basic recording of various plants that existed around Denval, or once existed. It was not often a book actually yielded the desired knowledge Xelhes wanted however, for as often as he saw one book claim something, another would state a completely opposite view. It showed him just how often humans seemed to try and prove others wrong, books simply being one of the many signs he had observed. Walking towards one of the windows, he gazed out onto the settlement, or what he could see. It was a rather nice place, with the people being kind, despite his seeming indifference to them. As unjust as Xelhes' treatment to the people looked, he was truly grateful to everyone who had taken him in, however showing such feelings were difficult. Rudeness was not something he was trying to express, but he simply did not want to have others inserted into his affairs, or to apart of theirs. No, the company of others was something he did not seek of his own accord, not when the chance was always there that he would be abandoned, or used. With the moonlight gently brushing his skin, the organ seemed to glow, a faint luminescence radiating from his pale, marble skin. To be an Ethaefal apparently meant that he was a being of beauty, but Xelhes could not come to terms with that. Flawless skin and a seemingly well designed body were not enough, for every time he saw an image of himself, he did not see beauty. All that could be seen was a faint light of the radiance he once possessed, before his fall. The only part he now liked were the horns protruding from his head, snow white and glowing even brighter than his skin, acting almost as small lamps. Taking a leaning position against the wall, he began to read a book he had picked before, one that contain various basic cryptograms and puzzles, each one having the cipher written beside the puzzle with the answer. After many readings, he had learned to ignore these until he had completed the cryptograms himself, or got stuck. Still a novice at understanding the puzzles, more often than not he was forced to look at the answers, and even then think hard before the answer made sense to him. Yet it was for that very reason that he enjoyed the puzzles so much, along with Botany. Different from a puzzle, the sheer amount of plants was uncountable, and while many look similar, if one simply had a different hue, it would be enough to indicate if the plant was edible or poisonous. Slowly flipping through the pages of the cryptogram book, Xelhes' mind began to focus solely on the puzzles, removing the outside world from his senses. No longer could he hear the wind or sounds of the building, and in this celestial form his body would not disturb him for nourishment. In this place he could read and solve to his hearts content, to the point where there was nothing to learn, or he got kicked out. This place was almost like his second home, the company of the books helping to ease the solitude of his life. After countless minutes he set down the book, reaching for another that he grabbed and began to read it. A book on some of the myths surrounding the Gods of this world, Mizahar, telling of various tales kept alive through generations, along with the myth of the Gods blessing the mortals of this land with fragments of their power. It was a book that entranced Xelhes, for the subject of the deities of the world had always made him wonder, for he knew only of Leth and Syna. There were tellings of the power to heal wounds, the occurrence of random events, manipulation of the body, and one that caught his attention more than the others, divination. Beside one of the myths regarding it was a small scribbled statement, almost illegible, but not to the point that Xelhes could not understand it. ...Augury? It seemed like an interesting ability indeed, and the Goddess who bestowed the power just as interesting.

[Vanos Strongarm]

Vanos wasn't sure why clothes were so weak; the stitching that held the fabric together was easily ripped apart. All Vanos had to do was try and push his head through the opening at the top and the seams along the sides and the bottom hem tore in his hands like it was tissue paper. He wasn't sure if Syllke had intentionally done this or not, as he had to go to the Vantha for repairs. As much as he thought that the Vantha was doing this intentionally, he knew better than to think such paranoid thoughts; tailoring was far different from blacksmithing. When Vanos made something, it stuck. It didn't break. It didn't shatter or dent (at least, not easily.) Maybe this was a sign that Vanos was meant to wear nothing but hard, metal armour? With the tatters of his shirt in hand and nothing on his torso, Vanos made his way to the Lyceum with the hopes that he would be able to catch Syllke and have him fix the shirt again. It had been a "funny" lesson of Syllke, at one time, trying to show Vanos how to make his own tiny repairs to shirts with a simple thread and needle. The Isur's fingers and his dexterity was not up to par for such a task that required precision, and small fingers to get the needled threaded to begin with. Syllke had giggled at Vanos, and once that teaching lesson was given up, he said that it would be hard for Vanos to do that as it was like the Vantha trying to thread a needle with thick, fluffy gloves on. When he got to the front doors of the Lyceum he didn't hear any telltale signs that Syllke was inside; his never ending stream of words, either to himself or someone that was the recipient of one of his many stories, or the very distinct humming and singing of the Vantha as he worked away at the Lyceum for whatever reason he was there. Every time Vanos would visit him, he would never catch a glimpse of what the Vantha was up to as he always dropped whatever he was doing to focus his attention on the Isur. Vanos poked his head inside as he stepped in and looked around for the Vantha and didn't see anyone. It wasn't until he heard the flipping of pages that he thought that the Vantha, for a change, was being silent as he was reading some book therein. "Shirt vipped again, how I do not know." Vanos said with a growl as he stepped into the room where he thought the Vantha was studying. When he saw the man standing against the wall, his eyes focused on the book in his hands, Vanos stopped cold in his tracks as he looked up to the stranger. He hadn't seen him before, but there were many faces that the Isur hadn't gotten to know as he was mainly focused on his work with Jerzy. "Uh - sorry." Vanos said as he awkwardly held the shirt in his hands, making it look like he was contemplating putting it on. While he wasn't ashamed of his body (and the very slight, barely noticeable, non-muscle weight that hung around his stomach), he knew that other Denvali didn't share his thoughts on clothing the upper part of his body. His large hands unfolded the shirt that was snug under his arm as he got into the room and looked at it, and the giant rips along the sides, as if it was the first time he had ever noticed it was ripped. "Is Syllke here? Vantha - tall, talks a lot, enjoy stories..."

[Xelhes]

Fall 17, 511 A.V. The random intrusion did surprise Xelhes slightly. It was not often someone was expanding their knowledge through books at this hour of night, however it was also possible he had simply arrived at times when others were occupied with another endeavor. Surprise was not what Xelhes' face showed however. It showed indifference. After some time he had become quite proficient at keeping his face from giving away his feelings of being unpleasant, shocked, or surprised. A face that did not give away emotion seemed to be a useful guard against manipulative individuals. He had seen, and remembered, how humans acted, and it was not beyond their capability to try manipulating someone who showed fear or shock. Having a guard against such people did have consequences however, for a face of marble, while beautiful, was cold and in that sense, made others wary or distant from him. A disadvantage that was a small price to pay for someone who had no method of protection. Hearing the man talk, Xelhes was for a brief moment confused on what he was trying to say. Vipped? It took a few moments before he realized the man had meant to say ripped. Maybe it was a slip of the tongue, or the man lacked the ability to pronounce the letter r, Xelhes did not know. In fact, for all he knew, it could h ave been a flaw on his end, and he had simply not heard correctly. Either way, it mattered not, though it did prove an interesting detail. The man being shirtless did not faze Xelhes at all, it was not an important thing. Flesh was flesh. This man had it, and so did he himself. Xelhes did notice the awkward action the man performed after apologizing, though Xelhes only shook his head. "There is no need to apologize, you have not done anything wrong. If you wish to put your shirt on or keep it off it is your choice, I do not care myself. Flesh is flesh, nothing more." After saying those words, Xelhes realized how cryptic he may have sounded. In fact, he knew if even a quarter of the people residing in the settlement had heard him speak such words, they would think him evil. Demented. Oh well, what has been said is done. Removing himself from the wall, Xelhes walked back over to the bookshelf, replacing the books he had removed from it in almost the exact place they had been removed. Celestial being or not, his memory was not full proof. Though he knew it rude to not put them back properly, this was the best he could do. Next time he would have to bring something to mark where he removed books so they could be placed back properly. Two books he did not return to the shelves however; the book of cryptograms and a small book that covered some of the rarer plants that once existed in the area. Though most plant life was hidden and crushed by wreckage, Xelhes knew that nature was not something that easily died. The plants that were believed to have been vanquished could have easily survived, or had their seeds migrate to another region. Knowledge on nature was never useless, it always had purpose. After hearing the man's second question, Xelhes shook his head once more before turning to the man once more. "I have not seen or heard anyone with such description, however, that does not mean they are not in the area. I have not been here for that long, and not anywhere but this room. Sadly I do not have a decent reply to your question. However, should you need help, I could offer some aid in that area. I have no qualms with furthering your search." It was true, he saw nothing wrong with helping this man, and maybe it would be better to actually move about, taking a break from all these texts. There was still plenty of time before the night ended, horns and skin showing this, as they gave off a light much like the moon itself. Yes, the only thing he found to be beautiful on his body, those horns. It was their light that seemed to shine brightest to him, brighter than even Leth's light, and it was because of that, that those horns were so important to him.

[Vanos Strongarm]

Vanos was relived to hear that the man didn't care in what condition Vanos was standing there in as he talked to him. The shreds of the shirt, however, were not easy to place back over his body as it would look like nothing more than rags held on his body and hanging from his shoulders and around his arms; it would be better to go without it than looking like some ragtag ruffian who appeared that he may or may not have just been attacked by some clawed beast. The words that the man spoke were odd, but Vanos thought everything Common was odd so thought nothing more of the obvious "flesh is flesh" remark. Of course it was just flesh, what else would it be? He had heard comparisons that his flesh felt like rock, but it never felt that way to Vanos. It was grey, yes, but was far from being as hard and impenetrable as stone. "No, no search," Vanos said as he remembered just what this place was about, a place to learn and to educate the mind. Vanos felt that everything that he needed he learned already by the time that he left Sultros. Yes, there were things that his mind was lacking but Vanos didn't see it as a huge priority that he would have to dedicate his whole day to sitting in front of a book and deciphering the silly Common letters of their alphabet. "Vas just look for a friend. Syllke. If he is not here, he vill be somevhere close by and I vill find him vhen he is around." Vanos was about to turn and leave and thought twice about it; the man was just new around here and Vanos knew how 'othered' he felt when he arrived into Denval. The man in front of him had the advantage of at least appearing more human than Vanos did, along with his ability to speak Common like everyone else. "Who are you? I am Vanos Strongarm, from Sultros. I vork over at Swords and Plowshares with Jerzy. Blacksmith." Vanos said with a grin as he caught just the faintest of soot on the back of his hand. He chuckled as he held it out for the man to see as proof of his profession. Vanos stood there awkwardly for a couple seconds before he took a step forward and held out his right hand to the man that pushed himself away from the wall, his hand being held out in that human gesture he had seen on many occasions as a greeting. "How long you been in Denval for? Do you vork here then, reading to learn?"

[Xelhes]

Fall 17, 511 A.V. "No search? Very well..." It seemed slightly to Xelhes that the hulking man would simply give up on finding this man just like that. Apparently locating the individual called Syllke was not as high a priority as Xelhes had originally thought. Still, Xelhes himself was now interested in meeting the man. From how the man had described him, there was the possibility he knew some very interesting tales, and Xelhes was always interesting in learning about other places and cultures. Who knew, maybe if the man seemed trust worthy and skilled in magic, he may be able to help Xelhes develop his skills. True, he knew the basic of his Morphing magic, but that was it, and performing any form of change upon his body was an extremely uncomfortable thought. The changes that could be brought about morphing were amazing, but the damage that could occur was lethal. With one mistake he could lose his vision, senses, or life. It was a very fickle magic indeed. Oh, so the man would be close by if he was not here. It appeared that the man had a tie to the Lyceum, or maybe studied her frequently. Yes, he probably would be a great source of knowledge. "Your friend sounds like he would be quite the scholar if he spends as much time in this place as you seem to indicate. It might be nice to meet him, I always have been fond of stories." Xelhes tried to give the man a small smile, though it probably would have looked rather awkward. It always did take effort for him to try and smile now, for he had not smiled based on pure emotion for a very long time. The fall had taken most of his happiness away, and while he knew he should move on, it was a slow process. Maybe that was why he wanted to learn so much, to travel. It would help him forgot the past, and learn to accept the new world he was in. Though of course, obstacles did bar his path, for he could not even leave the settlement, for he not only lacked a weapon, but combat training as well. If he left, he would die, that was absolute. Vanos Strongarm? To Xelhes it seemed a rather odd name, though he could not really say such a thing, for his own name was not all that common itself. A blacksmith? If the man made weapons, the chance was always there that he knew how to wield them as well. It was a thought to keep in the back of his mind. Who knew, maybe this man could be a mentor or ally to him, though all Xelhes was certain of was that he did not want the man as an enemy. Imagination was not something one needed to easily picture Vanos snapping him in half, or tearing off his beloved horns. Seeing the man step forward with his hand outstretched, Xelhes gave it a slightly confused look. It was true, a handshake was a formal way of meeting someone, however it was something he had only encountered on a few occasions. As well, the obvious awkwardness the man was showing made Xelhes himself slightly nervous. For what reason did the man have to be awkward? Xelhes was not intimidating, and he did not see anything awkward about the situation...but he would be lying if he said he did not feel the same way. He doubted the man could even tell. Emotions were not something he liked showing, they made him vulnerable, and vulnerable was not something he wanted to express in front of someone as intimidating as Vanos. Xelhes took a step forward himself, taking Vanos hand into his and shaking it slightly, a very weak grip keeping the two together. "My name is Xelhes, an Ethaefal. I have been here for a few seasons, though I have no idea how many. I have lost a grasp on time since I arrived here. I was busy just trying to adjust to this new world." Releasing Vanos' hand, Xelhes took a step back, looking out the window once again to view the moon. It was odd, before he would have felt a connection, a desire to simply stare at it and enjoy the rays of Leth. Now though, he felt nothing. The bond, it had left him, just as Leth's voice and presence had. Even in this form, he could not sense the God, could not feel him, and it was those lost feelings that made him believe he had been abandoned. What God would throw away his children? Even if Leth had not wanted the Ethaefal to fall, why did he not maintain contact with him? Why simply leave them with nothing. "No, I do not really work, though I will most likely have to find a stable source of income. The second part is right though, I am reading in order to learn. Knowledge is something I always look for, as I do not have very much of it myself. I someday wish to travel to other places to learn about other cultures and races, though currently that is not possible. Not until I come up with the skills to survive outside of the settlement, and learn how to defend myself." It was then that it dawned on Xelhes what exactly Vanos had said moment ago. This man was not from Denval, but a place called Sultros. He, if he allowed it, could tell Xelhes about it. Xelhes knew nothing of the outside world, for despite his appearance, he was in the end nothing more than a child. Vanos had probably lived Xelhes' lifetime five times or more. "If it is not too much trouble, or personal, would you mind telling me about....Sultros? I am very interested in learning what kind of place it is." Xelhes gave Vanos another smile, this one far more genuine than the previous one. He did not go to sit down, or grab a chair for Vanos. No, he would wait for an answer before making any quick movements. Doing any of those things would seem pushy, and Xelhes was not about to act that way with this man. "Of course, I will try to answer any questions you want to ask as well. I should tell you now though, I may not be able to answer as many as you would like to think, but I shall try my best." Xelhes, while loving to learn things, also did enjoy answering others. Sharing knowledge was something he enjoyed, despite having a limited amount of it at his disposal.

[Vanos Strongarm]

Vanos smiled at the thought of introducing Syllke to the man, though it was odd how he hadn't heard of the Vantha - it wasn't like Syllke kept his presence low key or anything. Vanos could remember how he would introduce himself to anyone and everyone that he could see, very much unlike the way Vanos approached a social situation. "Yes, Syllke is good for stories and good for teaching. Have learned much from him about many things about vorld and Vantha, particular." He nodded his head as he remembered the stories upon stories that he was told about the Vantha's past and the people that lived up in the land of snow and ice. It was a place that Vanos couldn't quite comprehend living in peacefully and enjoying it as much as Syllke had spoken about it; Vanos understood that Sultros wasn't as comfortable as, say, Denval, but a place that was perpetually cold and frozen over didn't sound like a place that Vanos would like to call his home for very long. "Adjusting to new vorld, yes. I am too, little bit, for being outside of Sultros for first time. Very different than my home. Humans tall. Human customs, veird. Very much miss home, but very much enjoying and learning about others as they seem to enjoy learning about Sultros and Isurians from me." Vanos slipped his one hand into his pocket while the other hand held onto the shirt awkwardly, as if he was holding a baby and had no idea how to care for it. Though in truth Vanos was intrigued by someone who, like him, was also new to this world. The only difference was that the Ethaefal had been on this plane before but they simply had a hard time remembering it, or so Vanos thought. "Perhaps you find job vhere you do nothing but search for knowledge? I do not know if there is place here in Denval that you can do this search for vhat you seek, though it vould be better to learn these things as you travel around, yes?" Vanos looked to the rows upon rows of books curiously. He never thought about trying to learn everything that he knew simply by reading a book and learning the theory of what he was trying to learn instead of doing it with his hands. He looked back up to Corvus with a smile. "You go out, you learn. Sitting in room vith books teaches you how to read, not how culture or things you see in pictures and vords." Vanos wished that he was able to offer his services as a fighter to protect the Ethaefal, but his skills fighting weren't as strong as he wished they were. While he would be able to protect Corvus to a certain degree, he wouldn't be able to take on anything serious. Also the thought of trying to stay along out there with just two people against the wilds seemed like a very bad idea. There was a reason why people clustered in cities instead of small encampments scattered around the land. "You learn fight, you keep me safe and ve go travel, yes?" Vanos said with a chuckle. "I am not good fighter, though I should be - something I can learn, perhaps, but not from a book." Vanos raised his ridged brow at the question of Sultros - surely there had been a book about it that the Ethaefal had already read? Maybe he wanted to learn something more from a first hand account of the city in the mountains that very few visitors ever had the privilege of seeing. "Sultros is city in mountain, very cold. Surrounded by rocks and protected by strong Isur - stronger than me and very, very good at fighting. Sultros has five parts that make up big city, sort of like different families form the different five parts of the city." Vanos paused for a moment as he watched the man stand there in front of him. He looked around to see two rather comfortable looking chairs over by the window and he motioned to them with his left hand. "Perhaps ve sit?" He moved over to the chairs and sat in the one closest to him and tried to get comfortable in the chair that was meant for someone far thinner and taller than Vanos was. He struggled to keep the scowl from forming on his face. "I have been told that Sultros is a place vhere there is good building, strong. Humans look to Isur architecture and enjoy it. Buildings last for long time. If Valterrain did not destroy first home, it vould still be strong even after vorld shook. Very strong, vhat ve make." Vanos tilted his head curiously as he thought of question to ask the man that couldn't produce any answers. Would there be any point in trying to query him other than the material that he has read from the books? "Vhy can you not remember not much? I thought Ethaefal could start remembering things. Slowly. But remember eventually."

[Xelhes]

Fall 17, 511 A.V. "Good at telling stories, and also a capable teacher...Yes, it probably would be best if I met him sometime. Learning something through stories rather than ink on paper seems like time well spent as well." It was true, he had not spent much time talking to people, despite the fact that he should. Books, as amazing as they were, did not provide the perfect company, and loneliness was normally always to be found. But normally when he did speak to others, they could not help but stare, or act differently around him, because he was not human. Being an Ethaefal, a creature that had fallen from the realm of god's, also put funny ideas in the heads of others. Some had developed the idea that he was divine, and perfect, though they could not be further from the truth. Xelhes had assumed Vanos was still adjusting to being somewhere else, it showed a little based on his mannerism, and possibly even the awkward way he was acting. At this point, Xelhes could only hope he was adapting better than Vanos, but he also may have had more time to adjust compared to the far larger man. "I do not think I will ever fully adjust to living as a mortal once again. Things are different to me, now that I have seen a world past this one...even if my mind is unable to fully comprehend it all." No matter how hard he did try, remembering the divine realm in full detail was impossible. Some of the things simply had no visual equivalent, for a mortal body, the same applied to sounds, which he learned the moment he arrived. There is nothing worse than losing the ability to say ones name. However, some memories were clearer, the things he loved most, and while he could not put them to proper words, he could substitute. Just like his name. A job where he did nothing but search for knowledge? The idea was an interesting one, but also something Xelhes did not deem to exist. There were few people who would pay another to experience and collect knowledge for them, unless the payer themselves lacked the physical ability to do so. "I like the idea of such a job, but I doubt it would exist here. The only real place I have thought about working at here in Denval is the clinic. I know a small amount about the plants of this region, and with some training, could easily learn about what plants have restorative properties." Yes, a healer was one of the few jobs he had considered. Just because he did not openly pursue social interactions did not mean he had no feelings for other living individuals. He did care, he wanted to help them, and healing was an amazing way to do so. So, Vanos was not a natural combatant. The idea was somewhat surprising for Xelhes, considering the man's body type, but then again, the world consisted of every kind of individual. "Fighting is not something I believe I shall ever be adept at. Not wanting to fight also helps as well. If combat can be avoided, than it should be. Needless fighting is a pointless thing." He believed everything he said, and more. It was one of the reasons he had considered healing, for healing someone was never pointless, friend or foe. A life was a life, and there was no way to create a scale of worth. The raised brow did not go past Xelhes' observation, though he said nothing of it. Yes, there were books to read, but hearing about places from a person who had been there was a completely different experience. It was something a book could not match, and never would be able to. It was the same as reading a joke, and someone effectively telling the joke. It could be funny either way, but the feeling behind the results would differ if it was said by a human, or simply read. Xelhes listened to every detail Vanos told him about Sultros, trying to commit it to memory, repeating it in his head shortly after it was said. His focus on committing the details to memory also delayed his response to Vanos' question, making Xelhes feel slightly awkward and foolish. Yes, sitting may be comfortable. I only I do not get to comfortable and refuse to remove myself from the seat." Despite what his appearance was in this form, he was mentally tired. It had been a long day, and now possibly a long night, and even if the moon sustained this form, it did not restore say much mental power as one would believe. Waiting until Vanos moved first, Xelhes went and took the remaining seat, noticing how awkward the man was in his. The chair was obviously not meant for someone as large as Vanos, though for Xelhes, it was perfect, but then again, he was rather slender. When Vanos began speaking again, Xelhes did his best to listen once more, but as he had thought, sitting was comfortable, and his mind was not focusing the way he would have liked. So, humans replicated the architecture of the Isur. He had no doubt that it was not exactly the same now, that it would have branched out from the original Isur architecture, but it was still an interesting fact, one he was not aware of. When he was done, Xelhes noticed the look on Vanos' face. The man wanted to ask him something, but did not have a specific question in mind. Maybe he believed Xelhes lacked the ability to answer a question, or simply did not wish to know much about Xelhes, or the Ethaefal. Then the question came about. For a moment, Xelhes thought about it. The question was partially a true statement, he could not remember as much as he would like, and never meeting another Ethaefal made it so he could only speculate. Memories were there, of a life with the divine, and of lives before, of the different people he once was, though only the strongest of memories came through for that, and it seemed only in this form that he could remember them all. "I do have some memories, just not as many as I would like. Most of it is fragmented, scattered with no real continuity. I remember small things about the divine realm, and things about the lives I once led, though it is only in this form that the memories are actually anything close to clear. When I am mortal, most of them become to distorted to even recall correctly. I believe I am remembering things, but simply at a pace slower than that of most Ethaefal. While we came to this world different than most, we are still all very different, and very unique. I eventually may remember, I may not. I have no true answer." It felt like a bad answer, but it was all he could give. Speculation was all he could turn to at this point, as he had no comparison points, and no way to test it. He wanted his memories restored, but from the pieces he had about his past lives, he also did not. There were some memories in there he did not wish to have, ones that he wished had stayed distorted and cracked, but they were there. "You said you worked at a blacksmith, correct? I was wondering, based on my body type, what kind of weapon would most suit me...or, what do people with my type of body normally buy at the blacksmith? Or do you not normally take part in the distribution process of the trade?" The man may not be a great combatant, but if he worked at the blacksmiths, he may have seen what others that have his body type might wield. It was not really a subject Xelhes wanted to bring about, as combat was not a pleasant thought, but it was best to have some idea on what kind of weapon to use. Someday he could need to wield one, though he simply hoped it would only be for defensive purposes.

[Vanos Strongarm]

Vanos smiled at his wanting to meet Syllke. The Vantha was interesting, smart, funny, handsome ... He was a good person for someone to meet that wanted more knowledge of anything, as Syllke seemed to know a little bit about every damn thing in the world. He nodded his head and made a note in his mind to tell Syllke about meeting this new person, and also tell him to tell Xelhes a bunch of new stories... That would keep the man interested for a while. Syllke had a certain way with crafting a story and retelling a story that kept Vanos' attention fully on him and nothing else. "Mortal not bad, plenty of people to keep company?" Vanos said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I do not know of vhere you came from, or vhat it looked like, but here is not bad. Here is nice. Here is ... Uh." Vanos reached behind his head and scratched behind his head. "Real?" He wasn't sure how else to word that response other than that one word that would, hopefully, convey what Vanos intended; that what was here, right now, was as real as it was going to get for most of the mortal people that live and breath the air around him. "Clinic? Clinic good. Veldrys vorks there - he could teach you something about that place. Perhaps show you more about plants than you know now. He taught me good information about plants around Denval. Useful, Veldrys." Vanos said with a warm smile. Despite the Symenestra looking a little frail and thin, Vanos didn't see anything wrong with the man. He was more than helpful when Vanos came to him with a hurt hand and whatever the paste was that was given to Vanos, based on some concoction of plants and other things, it helped repair the damage and made Vanos's hand as good as new. "Never have enough people to do that sort of thing. Denval people, strong, yes, but also get hurt. Vould be velcome job for you to do. And meet more people, hm?" Vanos remained silent about Xelhe's views of fighting. He essentially dismissed everything that Vanos' clan stood for by saying it was all pointless. Thankfully for most of the non-Isurs that Vanos spoke with, they didn't know that much about the different clans within Sultros and probably assumed that they were all part of the same thing. While Vanos didn't embody the pure fighting still of the Coglias clan, he still felt a certain bond to his kinsmen who took up sword and armour to defend his home. With his limited access to Common, it would be pointless for Vanos to try and defend himself and his clan to Xelhes - he would end up getting frustrated and just dropping the topic altogether. The Isur was also silent as Xelhes spoke of the memories and of the place that he was torn from before landing back on this land. Vanos had no idea what it was like, what it could be like to be taken away from everything you've known against your desires. Vanos had no qualms with leaving Sultros and knew that he could always return him if he wanted to, but Xelhes couldn't simply pack up and return to where he belonged. All Vanos thought he could do for Xelhes was offer him a comforting smile, and if the man was closer perhaps a large Isur hand over his own, but Vanos kept to his chair and listened to the man without judgement. "Yes, blacksmith. Though veapon and body type do not matter. Just because someone is strong and can carry var hammer, does not mean they fight with var hammer. People come and ask for veapons made, yes. Plenty of Denval vant veapons made by Isur, and I am happy to make." Vanos blinked over at Xelhes and took a moment to exhale slowly as he narrowed his gaze over to the man seated across from him. "Fighting pointless, so vhy get veapon? If you cannot fight, a veapon in your hand vill not save you."

[Xelhes]

Fall 17th, 511 A.V.

Hearing Vanos talk of plenty of people being around to keep him company made the Ethaefal unhappy inside. What good was a world with plenty of people to keep you company if in the end those people would just abandon you? Then when you were left alone, what sort of company did you have? Your own loneliness? Your own sorrow and hatred? Yes this world was real, but sometimes reality was not the thing Xelhes wanted. Sometimes the only thing the Ethaefal wanted to live in a world of dreams, away from the truths of reality.

Talk of the clinic and a man named Veldrys sparked Xelhes' attention, the thought of being able to not only become more knowledgeable in herbalism but also making a job out of it exciting him. He would probably have to go see this man in time, but for now Xelhes was unsure on how he would even approach someone who worked at the clinic and leave a good impression. Smiling lightly Xelhes said, " Yes, the people of Denval are strong, to the point that sometimes it worries me a little. Strength is good, but too much can lead to carelessness." Xelhes himself knew he was not strong, yet even so he still had enough strength to support others, even if it was only in minor ways. He would never be as strong as the Denvali, but he would always be there to support them when needed.

Vanos' silence made Xelhes worry, as so far the man had talked about almost every comment the Ethaefal had made. Had he said something offensive by accident? Maybe Vanos was simply thinking on Xelhes' words, pondering them with his own logic. The Isur's words made sense to him after he thought on them for a moment. Of course, why would body type matter? The Ethaefal felt foolish for even bringing such a thing up. One wielded a certain weapon because it was what they were most comfortable with, not because they were lean or burly.

The Isur's narrow gaze made Xelhes blink, and the words he spoke made him look down. Xelhes had thought about Vanos' words the moment he had even spoke of fighting being pointless, and had hoped the man would not ask the question. Taking a breath of his own, Xelhes said, "It is true that I say fighting is pointless...yet I feel that if my life came down to it, I would probably fight to survive, or protect something important to me. I know it sounds hypocritical, but while I view fighting to be a pointless thing now, in this mind frame, I am more than aware of the possibility that in the heat of a moment, I will hardly care about fighting and not fighting; survival is probably what will be my goal at that time, nothing more."

Xelhes did not want to think of himself as a hypocrite, and was worried that Vanos' opinion of him would lower because of his words, yet he had been completely honest with the Isur. Right now Xelhes would avoid conflict if possible, but if his life was in danger and there was no way to resolve peacefully, he was almost certain that in the end he would fight to survive, regardless of the fact that he might have to take another life to do so. Being Ethaefal did not mean one did not still have basic instinct, and survival was the most basic instinct of all.