Closed Of Ranuri Bondage (Caelum)

[Lucas Crane]

55th Day of Winter, 513 AV

One of Leth's cycles had passed since Lucas had arrived in the beautiful city of Riverfall. Despite the winter cold, Lucas couldn't resist going on long walks through the city of the Akalaks, exploring it as far as he could, and he had begun to understand the layout of the city, though he was more than likely to get lost in the twisting alleyways, as he had done already, more than once. As he prepared to leave his lodgings at Atri's Place to go take in the beauty of the city, he already had a specific destination in mind. Though one was pretty much certain to find breathtaking views from any point in the city, there was one spot that was Lucas' favorite. To top it off, it was within a short walking distance from the warmth of his room, which reduced his exposure to the wintry cold.

As soon as he was out he felt it, even through his leathers and cloak, which he'd drawn tightly around himself in preparation. Still he ventured on, turning right as he exited the building and continuing on till he'd arrived at the intersection in front of the Labor Aid building, where he turned left. Snow and ice covered everything, except where effort had been put forth to clear it away. Once again Lucas thought about getting himself some proper winter furs, before the weather got any worse and the cold became intolerable. It seemed he'd become accustomed to the milder winters of Syliras, made even more so by the fact the inside of the fortress city was warmer than its outside.

Lucas snapped himself out of this train of thought as he approached his destination. He turned towards the ocean as he reached the middle of the bridge and looked out to the point where the Bluevein dropped into it, involuntarily heaving a dreamy sigh. It was an incredible sight to behold. It took Lucas a second to place his finger on the reason for his odd impression that something was off about the bridge this time: everything was absolutely quiet, bathed in the cold light of the winter morning. Lucas looked down at the waterfall, whose roaring had been silenced by the inexorable freezing of its waters, which appeared to have finaly come to pass. Lucas held his breath, eyes closed and his right ear turned towards the point where the water vanished off the steep cliff. Not even a murmur of water reached his ears, and a smile spread across his face as he opened his eyes, appreciatively taking in the sight of the river's frozen surface as it glinted in the pale sunlight.

It was the closest he'd been to feeling true peace in a long time.

[Caelum]

The bridge spanning the cliffs over the plunge of the Bluevein was not often traveled by Caelum. He did not consciously avoid Christina's Remorse, but in truth he only made his way from the Sanctuary and into the city proper perhaps once a week or so until recently. Now that he and Kavala had decided on the location of Alements, he was in town more and more often to conduct various aspects of business that went into setting up shop. They hoped to open in early spring, and there was a lot to do between then and now. Caelum had spent the morning in the market attempting to gather ideas for furnishing and decoration. He had purposefully avoided the market's busiest hours, having an innate disliking of crowds, and managed to be waylaid by the summons of his mirror-masked goddess only twice while he did his "window shopping". They were relatively minor, as most tended to be, but that was not due to luck alone, but also to his practice of meditation and the skills he had honed over the seasons. The wind bit at the ethaefal as he stepped onto the rope bridge, old but sturdy, the history of which having habit of haunting him. The skirts of his split riding jacket flapped, revealing the plain bark colored riding leathers and a comfortably worn sweater the color of a storming sky. He was tall, though not compared to the giant Akalaks. He was also composed of wiry muscle and a noble bearing despite the hunch of his shoulders against the cold. The tips of his horns glimmered a bright cold in contrast to the pallid glow of the ice, and in truth between the immortal beauty granted him by Syna and the addictive allure Nikali had coated him with, he was perhaps as breath taking a sight as the frozen falls. He would have argued with anyone who claimed it, though. The stranger on the bridge was not given much notice until by Caelum until the ethaefal's loose hipped gait brought him within a few yards of the man. The divine chains coiled within him gave an abrupt rattle, surprising Caelum so much that he drew to a halt and golden eyes shocked up to stare. Recognition burst through him with no further warning as the men's shared goddess instinctively informed Caelum -- and doubtless the stranger too -- that they were in the presence of a like soul. Like called to like. Mark knew the marked. It had been ages since Caelum had been in the presence of another ranuri. The sun shimmered and the wind clapped and all else was silent, blessedly silent, until he said, breath rushing out of him, a deceptively simple, "Hullo."

[Lucas Crane]

Lucas was suddenly jolted out of his peaceful appreciation of the frozen river as an urgent, pulsing heat began to emanate from his mark throughout his body. Instinctively, he lay his hand over it, alarmed and trying to make sense of the peculiar sensation. As though someone had just whispered it into his ear, the answer arose in his mind: another Ranuri was nearby.

When the sudden greeting was intoned from beside him, Lucas swiveled his neck around with such force and intensity he almost gave himself whiplash. The sight of the man he saw there completely immobilized him as he gazed in shocked amazement. Certainly in his own right he was a sight to behold: his skin, where it was visible, seemed to almost emanate a warm golden glow and his shocked eyes had that same quality. However, above all what drew Lucas' incredulous eyes were a pair of golden-green horns growing out of his head. His reason tried to tell him that it was simply not possible for those to truly be a part of the man; he must be an actor for the amphitheater, surely, preparing for a role, yet... As strange as they may have seemed, there was nothing incongruous about them, and even from such a short distance he could detect no sign of artifice in the way they merged with his head. The only word he could think of that could adequately describe the man was other-worldly.

As he continued to stare, breathlessly, the realization began to dawn on him that a wordless, slack-jawed gape was hardly ideal for a first impression, and he hurriedly began to recollect his scattered senses. He felt incredibly drawn to this man and in his frazzled state he couldn't tell whether it was the fact of their shared goddess, his appearance or perhaps the influence of the man's Ranuri that made him feel that way. Was this the way that people felt when drawn under the influence of his own mark? He practically scoffed internally; his own appeal was certain to pale in comparison to this person's.

"Hello", he finally replied, turning his body towards the man, while his own grey eyes settled on the man's golden ones. His left hand still clung lightly to the bridge's ropes, partly for support as the shock was still wearing out. He felt a bit relieved for the surprise he'd detected in the man earlier; he wasn't the only one at least. "You're..." he paused. "I'm..." he stopped, reconsidering the useless affirmation. "Forgive me, I've never met anyone else like... us before. Or someone quite like you either." He shifted his eyes away for a tick in embarrassment. He looked at the man again and he found himself lost for words. Truly, there was so much he wanted to say, yet his mind had drawn an utter blank. He scrambled for the basics. "My name is Lucas Crane. And yours?"

[Caelum]

The surprise lingered in Caelum's eyes, but his expression gentled with the breathless bark of a laugh. "Caelum," he said hastily and unburied his hands from his pockets. It was to flip them up, palm out, the opalescent gnosis mark of the goddess Rak'keli brilliant on the back of his right hand. "I'd shake your hand, but perhaps it would best to avoid that for now." His smile quickened, backlit with something that looked a little bit like hope as he made his study of Lucas. It was impossible not to appreciate the tumble of dark hair or the way the winter sky was reflected in grey eyes. Caelum knew his appreciation for the man's appearance was amplified by Nikali's grip, and that was likely what allowed him not to remain silent overly long. "Like me? Ah -- Right." He rubbed a hand back through golden brown hair that too would undergo transformation not just as sunset but at the dawn of spring as well. His fingers slid over the curve of one of his horns before tumbling away. "I'm an ethaefal.." He trailed off, not accustomed to explaining that. He had a habit of attracting too much attention and so tended to try and dodge uncomfortable queries. This was suddenly vastly different. "it's been a long time since I've met another marked by Nikali," he plunged ahead, his accent as alien as the rest of him, properly belonging to the Ukalas as it did. Automatically, he glanced one way and then the other down the swaying line of the bridge and he just managed to stop himself before looking both above and below as well. He was paranoid, and fought hard to keep the fact of his ranuri a secret. "Are you new in town? Or have I just managed to miss you all this while?"

[Lucas Crane]

Caelum. His sudden laugh sneaked under defenses Lucas hadn't even realised he'd set up and a sense of ease started to permeate him. He even let out a snort himself when the man humorously suggested they shake hands. He mirrored the man's gesture of greeting. "It does make you wonder what would happen though," he added with some wistful curiosity in his voice, even as he felt his heart drop a bit at the potential continuous cycle of desire that could lead to. But, so long as it was just him and not both of them that were unattached, there shouldn't really be an issue.

Lucas snapped back to the conversation at the sound of Caelum's voice, explaining that he was an ethaefal. The word meant little to nothing to Lucas, and his curious nature would have normally lead him to inquiring further, but he saw Caelum's discomfort at the topic and wondered if he'd unknowingly been rude. He didn't seem angry though and Lucas began to breathe a silent sigh of relief... which was cut short as the man mentioned their marking. His heartbeat became elevated for a few ticks and his eyes shifted uneasily to look behind the ethaefal, as he noticed the man doing on his side. You never knew who might be listening, though the bridge was likely one of the places that carried the least risk of being overheard. He noted to himself, with an appreciation of the irony, that it would normally have been the best place for it, if not for the freezing of the river which he'd been so recently admiring. Now he found that same quiet oppressive.

"Ah, no, I am new to town, as you guessed." He said, trying to get himself under control and into the conversation, though he hardly imagined that that would prove a difficult feat; after all, he really wanted to talk to him. "I arrived a few weeks ago and settled in at Atri's Place, at least for the winter. I guess you must have lived here for a lot longer than that though?" he asked, conversationally, returning his eyes to the man's face as he calmed himself from nervously scanning the area behind Caelum. "Oh," he suddenly exclaimed, "I... I hope I'm not keeping you from something. I'd really like to talk to you a bit more is all." He added, scratching the back of his head. "Maybe we could go get some tea or something... if you're not too busy that is. It just feels a bit exposed here." He suggested, feeling a peculiar blend of hope and fear gathering in his stomach.

[Caelum]

Caelum watched Lucas with a sort of reserved fascination. It had been over a year since he had conducted a conversation with another one of Nikali's marked. In the pits of Rattling Chains, Riverfall's almost clandestine slave hold, he had come into contact with one. A young woman, his torchbearer, whose eyes had laughed at him while Haev Provedan looked on. Remembering, the healer raised a hand, rubbing it over his mouth and looking away, over the frozen waters and the drop that should have been dizzying. Heights failed to bother him. He was not afraid of falling. He already had. "Yes, let's go somewhere more private," he agreed. The smile he offered Lucas was almost apologetic and he tilted his head in invitation before stepping back and ultimately turning. It was with full expectation that Lucas would follow. When he did, falling into step with Caelum to finish traversing the bridge, the ethaefal continued. "I've a place on the lowest tier of the falls. It isn't open yet, but I plan on opening it in the spring. It's a sort of club or high scale tavern where I'll be offering herbal remedies along with coffee, tea, spirits." He navigated the city easily, keeping his steps in pace with his companion's as they followed the winding roads of the cliff face and the worn steps of stone down and further down. There were other people out in the cold sunlight, going about the business of their day. Caelum managed to forge a path through and around them seamlessly, avoiding even the briefest of contacts with strangers with the grace of long practice. "I've lived in Riverfall since the end of summer," he answered Lucas after a while. "Though I've been through this city plenty of times before. I live at the Sanctuary, an animal healing clinic and breeding facility on the sea cliff. I'm a physician --" That explanation came with a wry smile as he unburied his right hand from his pocket to flash the golden opal gnosis mark of Rak'keli emblazoned there, the goddess of healing. "And an ethaefal." He had felt the curiosity in Lucas, the desire to know more about what he was. Caelum had spent a great deal of his hours honing and learning how to best try and to control his ranuri, afterall. "The sun goddess, Syna, and the moon god, Leth, draw the souls of their most devout into their conjoined realms, removing them from the cycle of life and death after they have lived and served them through numerous lives. Something happened in the Valterrian, and many of those souls began to fall back to Mizahar." His smile flashed, a shadow passing over the sun. "I'm one of them. I've been here for a decade now." He hesitated. "Why are you here? In Riverfall?"

[Lucas Crane]

A surge of joy and relief filled Lucas as Caelum accepted his proposal for a more private meeting and he quickly followed the man as he turned, leading the way. Walking next to him, he listened attentively as he spoke, turning his head to look at him. The destination that was described to him, a not-yet-open tavern, sounded ideal for their purposes, though it still sent a twinge of anxiety through him. He had known many people who would steer others to such secluded premises with the evilest of intents, so couldn't help that spasm of unease, yet he was surprised to find that he instinctively trusted this man he'd only just met. It was a novel feeling for him, but not in the least unwelcome. Was this the influence of Nikali's ranuri? Truth was, he didn't care.

"Then I guess I'm working for your rival of sorts. I'm working as a waiter at The Almond Blossom, a tea house up by the City Council." He said conversationally, as he followed Caelum through the twisting streets, noticing how he carefully avoided contact with the bustling morning crowd. He took care to follow in the path the horned man was forging, never taking his eyes off him, afraid he might lose him, though the pull on his Ranuri made that very unlikely.

He listened intently as the man began to speak again. He was surprised to see him flash what he could only assume was another gnosis mark, and since he'd shown it as way of illustrating that he was a physician... Rak'keli's, most likely. He looked over the man with a new sense of admiration. A healer on top of everything else, truly a man of many talents. As the man also explained what ethaefals were, Lucas was struck by how many gods this man was connected with. He wondered whether it was Syna or Leth. Just going by his appearance, Lucas would guess Syna; he seemed to be filled with the warm glow of the sun after all, but he didn't want to pry, remembering his earlier impression about Caelum's feelings on the subject. He felt that there was a deep well of emotion hidden behind this short description, considering the man had actually experienced a fall from a realm of the gods. It was so far out from his own realm of experience, Lucas couldn't even imagine what that might be like and he didn't want to blunder onto some open wound by delving into it more than was necessary, turning his attention instead to the question asked of him.

"Me? Well... I don't really know would probably be the most honest answer." He glanced to the side to Caelum. "I'm looking for... someone. Though I don't actually know who that is," he tried to explain, feeling a bit embarassed. "Someone with a higher goal, a goal that I would also believe in and that I would be able to pledge myself to." He continued his voice growing progressively firm. "I mean, that is what people like us need, right?" he asked, half statement, half question. "But it's becoming a bit hard to tell the difference between what it is that I want in life from what others want from me. So I want to make a choice before I don't have one anymore." He ended his answer, seriously and candidly, looking to the man beside him searchingly, hoping there might be some answers or some confirmation of the views that had dictated his choices since he'd regained the ability to make them.

[Caelum]

Caelum was peering back at Lucas with a faint smile. He appeared to be impressed, golden eyes narrowed against the light and the corner turned blind in the manner of a man who had traveled this way a thousand times before. The final sloop of the road led down to the stone stretch of Alement’s deck which, in turn, began the boat dock at the foot of the waterfall. The tavern’s front facing windows had the appearance of stained glass but in actuality were crafted from very thin, translucent stone patterned in pictured of the cycling sun and the four elements. He leaned a shoulder into the door, unlocking it with a key slipped out of an interior pocket of his coat, and gestured Lucas inside. “You’re incredibly self-aware,” he remarked. “There aren’t a great many of us marked by Nikali who are. How long have you been so? You have the sound of a man who has recently crawled out of a hell hole.” The tilt of his chin was invitation, not only to explore his tavern but to expound. He moved through the sunlit gloom, lighting a few of the copper lanterns as he went until warm light glowed through the common room. Jewel toned rugs layered the floor and mismatched wooden tables had plump settees and armchairs scattered through them. The bar lined the back wall, topped in a creamy block of marble veined in glittering gold. Bottles glittered and flowering herbs spilled from recessed planters, adding life to the place. Alements was an exterior reflection of the brighter side of Caelum’s soul. It was welcoming as hearthfires, bright and warm. It was strong and rich in spirit, its design innovative and its mission decidedly ambiguous. He did not merely serve drinks here, but solutions and cures. He dealt in information and desire and housed an infirmary in the back that was more than equipped to handle a battle with Dira should the need arise. “Can I fix you something to drink?” He wanted to know while ducking behind the bar. The array of bottles and vials was squinted at. “There’s ale and wine, tea and coffee, water, juice…” He trailed off and lifted a decanter half filled with a pale lavender concoction. He shook it lightly and it began to change color as the sediment in the bottle rose in a miniature swirl. “I’m having wine with some of this mixed in. It’ll warm you up.” A pair of glasses were pulled out, though he did not appear to be fully stocked as of it. Everything, in fact, upon closer inspection was in a state of half preparedness. “What you’re dealing with is common to us,” he muttered eventually. “Unattached, we begin to… Erode. Don’t we?”

[Ragdoll]

Fur your hard work...

Omitted lores pertaining to Lucas as he's inactive. Should you come back, Lucas-send me a PM and I'll be more than happy to grade your portion.

Caelum :

Skills

Skill	Points
Socialization	3
Hosting	1

Lores

• Using Ranuri to Identify Another Marked
• How to be an Excellent Host

Comments

Really not much to award here...ah well. It would have been incredibly interesting to watch this play out, though.

Don't forget to edit your grading request! Though I try my hardest to award you what you deserve, I may occasionally mess things up! If there's something you'd like to discuss about your grade, then please don't hesitate to send me a PM and I'll be happy to work things out with you.