[Stone Gardens] A Peaceful Morning [Octavius]

[Amarhyl]

Amarhyl turned slightly so she could look at the man without craning her neck. She watched as he adopted a rather thoughtful position, then listened as he spoke of the Knights. She nodded. She understood that it took a long time to become a fully trained Syliran Knight, to 'prove yourself worthy', as Octavius had said. She absently wondered what happened to those who didn't make the grade. Did they go back to the normal life of a commoner? She glanced down at his shield as he pointed it out to her, examining the crest that was engraved there. She nodded slowly as he continued to speak. The best education... Amarhyl dreamed of finding out all that she could about the world. She viewed it as her life goal of sorts. Aside from gaining Priskil's second mark that is. She absently stroked the palm of her left hand, tracing the faintly glowing golden swirls. She felt a hint of jealousy, she had never been to school, having been brought up and taught by her foster mother. Not that she minded of course, she just longed for a thorough education. Amarhyl smiled up at Octavius. "I'm sure I'll soon settle in. It's nice to know that someone else has been through the same thing." Well, most of the people who came to Syliras probably experienced it too, but she wasn't talking to them at this particular moment. By other cities, she supposed he meant Sunberth, the place he had mentioned earlier. She caught a hint of something in his voice, resentment perhaps? In any case, she tried to lighten his tone again. "You'll have to give me some titles to read sometime." She smiled again. "Learning is what I love to do, and I've never had access to a library before." It excited her that there such a vast load of knowledge right at her fingertips, hidden in books, ready to have their pages turned, ready for their secrets to be discovered. Her eyes shone at the thought of it all.

[Octavius Fellguarde]

Octavius frowned for a few seconds after speaking, suddenly realizing that he was sounding disturbingly similar to someone trying to defend the Knighthood against some sort of perceived attack. His mind flashed back to his childhood, and he was instantly reminded of how much he used to resent the zealotry of the Knights. Fortunately, he did not read any indignation or offense in the face of Amarhyl. Instead, she looked wide-eyed and interested; though he could tell that she was thinking far more than she was saying. She didn't seem particularly agitated by his rant, but he was still relieved that she decided to change the subject to books. “The libraries are fine really, though they tend to have the same books as anywhere else.” Octavius admitted with a shrug. “If you're looking for something a little more interesting, then you should instead visit the book shop ran by old Dominac. There's no better source for rare books and forgotten knowledge in the city, though it does tend to attract an...eccentric crowd.” The young squire grinned as he thought about some of the odd encounters he'd had in the dusty old shop. “If I may be honest with you, there are few in the city with your appreciation for knowledge. Far too many people make their way to the Syliras, only to board themselves up and forget that there's an entire world out there. It’s almost as if they are terrified to learn about what’s happening beyond the walls of the city.”

[Amarhyl]

"Well, I haven't exactly been anywhere else yet, so the book will all be new to me." She smiled. And then listened carefully as Octavius told her of a rare book shop. Her eyes lit up. Forgotten knowledge... It sounded extremely inviting. Knowing things that nobody else - or at the very least a select few - knew, now that was something that Amarhyl could quite happily attempt. She tilted her head slightly and raised her brow when he mentioned an eccentric crowd, but, from his grin, she decided it would be best not to ask. "Well from what I've heard...which admittedly is not a lot, the wilds beyond the city are quite frightening. So I suppose I can see why some would rather not know." She paused for a moment, thinking back to her journey to the city. It was uneventful and she was actually rather grateful for that. "Well I uh, didn't exactly have what you would call an education." She smiled sheepishly. Compared to the man, who had been taught by the finest in the city, Amarhyl probably knew nothing at all. "So it was really the one thing that I wanted." She gave a light shrug. "After all, you don't get far without knowing anything." She was going to ask him where this bookshop was, but curiosity got the better of her. "What do they teach you in the Knights?" She imagined that they might know everything about everything. She was expecting him to tell her that he had studied magics and other fantastic pursuits.

[Templar]

Amarhyl: Drawing: 3 – Storytelling: 2 – Observation: 3 – Rhetorics: 2 Lore: Octavius: Rhetorics: 3 – Observation: 2 – Interogation: 2 – Storytelling: 2 Lore: Additional notes: A shame the thread was abandoned, it was very interesting! If you feel I wasn’t generous enough in my grading, my inbox is always open for complaints