Mapping it Out [Kendall]

by **Seven Xu** on May 8th, 2011, 3:05 pm

Seven took note of Ken's teary eyes and his comments on never seeing his mother again. But, once again, chose not to inquire about such seemingly private matters out of politeness. The eagerness of Ken's voice when he mentioned a drink made Seven tilt his head. He had only given in to alcohol once before, and it had not been a pleasurable experience. It was confusing as to why people enjoyed it. A rearing horse emblazoned on a worn, painted wooden sign that was simply labeled 'Tavern' caught Seven's peripherals and quickly changed the subject matter. Seven brightened, and gently grabbed Ken by the sleeve to attract his attention. "I assume that is The Rearing Stallion."

The wooden door swung shut behind the pair and the overwhelming aroma of hops and baking bread filled the half-blood's nostrils. Seven's eyes adjusted quickly, almost immediately to the darkness of the tavern from the noonday sun. The tavern was relatively empty, although it was still early in the day. A couple of Knights that likely had just gotten off of overnight duty hours before and a smattering of unfamiliar faces. Seven's fingers wrapped around the back of one worn wooden chair and he pulled it out from the table politely for Ken before taking his seat on the other side of the squat wooden table. The fire in the lantern that sat between them illuminated their faces with a soft orange glow.
A barmaid approached them with a smile and Seven gave up two silver-rimmed mizas for a gallon of ale to share between them. Seven bit his lower lip as he carefully filled his glass half-fill from the pitcher of ale. He was terrible, half of the liquid turned to foam and he blushed furiously, sliding the pitcher carefully to Ken.
Peering down at the glass, he was still unsure of whether or not he actually wanted to drink it. After a long moment of silence, Seven gathered the courage to attempt to talk about something that would not invoke negative emotion in the enchanting blond. "I have to apologize, I am usually much cleaner than I am now." He laughed nervously. "Traveling, and all."
He appeared to look fine compared to most, although Seven held his appearance in high regard.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on May 9th, 2011, 1:15 am

Kendall smiled at the sight of the tavern. Alcohol was so close. He could almost taste it. It would make all of his problems go away. "Yup, this is it." He motioned for Seven to follow him into the tavern. The thought of getting to drink was already making his spirits spike drasticly.

When Kendall sat down at the table with Seven he could barely wait until the ale came. His mouth watered at the thought. Kendall smiled kindly at Seven when he pulled his seat out for him. "Thank you." He seemed to be quite the gentleman. Kendall was convinced he was when the half blood paid for the drinks too. "Thank you for paying. It is good to see people have manners. I am willing to split the cost if you like." He smiled kindly at Seven. He looked calm and collected but in truth, he wasn't. His fingers gripped hard into his leg which was bouncing up and down. The ale needed to come quicker.

As the barmaid walked up to the table Kendall beamed at her, although not in a creepy way. It was a brighter smile than he had shown around Seven since they had met. He pried his hand off of his leg although it still seemed to bounce a bit in excitment. He somewhat listened to Seven as he talked. Sadly, he was a little more interested in his drink. He had not drank much since coming into the city. The biting liquid felt like it was freeing him from the inside out. He could not have been happier when Seven pushed the pitcher closer to him. He savored the taste on his lips and smiled as the liquid poured down his throat. He almost forgot to answer Seven when he finished talking. "Don't worry about it. It was the same for me when I came here from the Wildlands. I was quite the mess." He chuckled a bit, a small hint of a giggle playing on the edges. He was starting to feel better already. He was far from drunk though. He smiled at Seven as he ran his fingers over the smooth glass of the mug. "So what was the travel like? I imagine it was more enjoyable than mine. I got attacked by a pack of wolves. I have a traveling companion who is a wolf, well a kelvic wolf, but I was not expected for that." He was already speaking more than he had been previously. "If you need a bath, Soothing Waters is always a great place to go. That is if you don't have an issue being naked in front of other people."

Kendall took another swig of his ale, smiling down at the cup when it was nearing emptiness. It was almost time for another glass. "So Seven, do you like ale? We can always get you something else if you don't." He loved the taste of alcohol but he knew very well that many others did not. One more downing of the glass left the mug empty. His mismatched eyes looked up at Seven playfully. "No worries of course, more for me if you want to stick to water."

by **Seven Xu** on May 9th, 2011, 1:56 am

Ken looked incredible when his face was lit by little but the fire of the lantern between them, as if the fire radiated his very being. Remember not to stare.
Seven's gaze traveled down to the half-full glass he had poured for himself as Ken spoke, a smile growing wider on his lips at the blond's mood instantly changed for the better when he had a glass of ale in his hands. A musician stepped onto the dais several yards away and began to play a lofty tune on their fiddle and the tavern seemed to jump to life as quickly as Ken had. "Oh, I do not mind ale." Seven lifted the glass to his lips and let the cool liquid rush past his tongue and down his throat. The bitter drink bore into his taste buds and he had to force himself not to wince at the sharp taste, but it was indeed refreshing. Much better than the stores of stagnant water he was forced to drink on his trip across the sea.

"Wolves. Wow." Seven's brows raised and he exhaled in a low whistle before grabbing hold of the pitcher and re-filling Ken's glass. This time, his pour was on point and the ale produced a respectable head rather than a fizzy mess. There was a part of Seven that was curious to see what Ken was like when he had a few mugs of ale in his belly. He was already chatty after a few swigs of the drink. "Well as you can imagine," Seven took another small drink from his own meager amount of ale. "My journey was long. Long, but pretty uneventful for the most part. I traveled with about six merchants and a couple of hired and armed guards to the shores of the Suvan. We were supposed to meet up with another band of merchants that owned a ship but they never showed up and we were ambushed by pirates on the very docks."
Seven crossed his legs at the thigh and leaned back against the wooden chair, fingers tracing the outer rim of his glass. It felt so good to talk. "It did not end well, I ran like a coward, took what I could. I hid and slept in a sea shanty for what seemed like forever, it smelled like rotten fish."

Seven eyed Ken again, examining his face. When he laughed he nearly giggled and he was so animated in his movements. It was an endearing trait, somebody so free-spirited. Besides, he was too beautiful to look as sad as he had moments before. "Oh!" Seven blushed as he realized he had trailed off to stare rudely at the blond. "Well. I managed to get onto a ship on its way to Syliras the next morning that needed sailors. Pure luck on my part." Seven grinned and finished off his glass. Ale appeared to be an acquired taste. The last drop wasn't nearly as bad as the first.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on May 9th, 2011, 3:36 am

Almost hungrly, Kendall grabbed the second mug of ale. He smiled at Seven softly before pulling the drink up to his lips. "Come on. Even a buzz would be good." He felt relaxed at the taste of the ale. It was much different than Kelp Beer. That was what he was used to drinking. The gruff drink of Zeltiva. He liked the smoothness of the Syliran ale but it might take a bit more to get a little drunk. In truth, he shouldn't have been aiming to get drunk at all. He was in the presence of someone who barely knew him. Not only was gettin drunk with him careless, iIt was utterly stupid.

"Thank you for the refill." His fingers played on the edge of the mug as he listened to Seven. Now that he had a bit of ale in him he could listen. The initial excitment was dying down to the point where he was still warmed by the thought but it was no longer distracting him. He leaned forward on the table, resting his chin on one hand. A small smile played on his lips as he spoke. It looked almost like a smirk but what was there to smirk about? "I bet being on a boat was interesting. I lived in Zeltivs all my life and I never once got to ride out on the boats. My dad said it was too risky." His smile seemed to turn sour when he brought up his father. He glared at the table before throwing back another drink from his mug. "The man never let me do anything. He had to protect his perfect little... son from everthing." Kendall paused a bit in the middle of his sentence. He was getting buzzed but he wasn't drunk enough to let out his secret. The pause could have always been blamed on his oncoming drunkeness. "Were your parents... your dad like that?" He pulled the glass up to his lips and took a long drink. "Thats for you dad you petching jerk."

Why did Kendall have to bring up his father? It was ruining everthing. He had to fix that. He held the glass up to his lips and savored it like the warm drinks the Vantha shared in the north. It warmed him just like their drinks but in a more emotional way. Kendall eyed the pitcher with yearning eyes. He would have rather just drank out of that instead. Why pour glasses when you were going to down the entire contents anyway? Oh yeah, he was sharing. That was disapointing. He swallowed hard as he looked at the pitcher. He wanted it so badly. All of it. "I'm not drinking alone anymore. I need to share." He bit his lip as he looked at Seven. He needed to get his mind on a different subject all together. "So, what is your family like? I bet it is interesting in Lhavit." He smiled peacfully. The two questions had absolutely nothing to do with one another nor did they have anything to do with the current conversation. It was odd but it was nothing more ale couldn't fix... Or worsen. He didn't care either way. All he cared about was keeping the alcohol coming.

by **Seven Xu** on May 9th, 2011, 1:02 pm

Seven was not accustomed to the effects of alcohol on his small frame, and his head felt light after one glass. That was enough, Seven pushed the glass away and made a note to ask for water the next time a waitress passed them. If Ken continued to drink as quickly as he started, it was prudent to remain sober in order to assist him later. Yeah. That's a good enough reason.
Seven furrowed his brow at the mention of his father. "I love my father, but. He was very over-protective. I was not to leave the house without him, he home schooled me, and discouraged me from doing many things. He thought that if he let me out of his sight I would experience too much of life and... die, or something." Seven wrinkled his nose, voice carrying an obvious tone of contempt. "Before I left, we were fighting a lot. I had started sneaking out of the house while he was asleep and he started to blame my mother for the way I acted. I hated that he would say such things about her, that he dared call her the things I heard Lhavitians calling me."
Seven's mouth remained agape in a small amount of surprise at the venom that had been adopted in his tone of voice and that blush crept back up his neck and he blinked back tears that blurred his vision. Well. They shared something in common.

A barmaid dipped within proximity of their table and Seven politely raised his hand to order a water. She looked between them with a smirk and dropped off a glass of water and a second pitcher of bubbling ale, as the first was quite depleted. "Lhavit was not a terrible place to grow up. It is a beautiful city, located in the mountains and Zintila lives there. Her indigo blanket of stars are unlike anything you will ever see in all the world, I am sure of that. The population is almost exclusively human, and they hate the Symenestra due to the city being within Harvest territory. My father had good reason to shelter me as he did, but that does not mean I enjoyed it." Seven's fingers tapped against the table, then he cleared his throat and quickly added; "Well, it was home. Home is never perfect. But it is home."

Silence fell between them and was filled with the lofty notes of the fiddler and the shuffling of wooden tables and chairs on a hard floor surface. Seven lifted his glass of water off of the table and towards Ken with a lubricated smile, initiating a bold toast. "To daddy issues."

by **Kendall Saarinen** on May 9th, 2011, 6:35 pm

Half listening, half pushing himself closer to drunkenness, Kendall nodded in time to Seven's words. He could relate to the boy's story in a way. "My dad was like that. He thought everyone was out to get me. I was always a good kid you know? He just never trusted that I could take care of myself." He frowned at the thought of his dad. Somewhere in his mind he loved the man. More so he was just terribly embarassed. "My father was adamantly against the use of magic so when I got into it he disowned me. I'm hoping I can return some day though. I miss my family a lot." His fingers ran down the side of the glass collecting the droplets that had found their way to the outside. "I agree with you though. Home is home, no matter how unpleasant."

Kendall grinned at the barmaid when she dropped off another pitcher of ale. He did not pay a lot of mind to the fact his smiles at the woman might be a bit strange. Especially because no one expected him to be attracted to women even though he was. That was not saying he found the woman attractive though. His mismatched eyes wandered over to Seven after the woman walked away. He was crying! Normally Kendall would have kept his distance but the alcohol was making him more emotional. "Awwww, Seven. I didn't mean to make you cry." He looked at him with a small smile. "I think the hardest thing in life sometimes is trying to figure out our parents. I don't know how they expect us to grow up if they keep us caged in like that."

Kendall was happy to see Seven trying to find a little light in the subject. He giggled and held his glass up against Seven's cup of water. "Aye, to daddy issues." He welcomed the rest of the mugs contents into his body as he toasted to their fathers. Looking down at the empty cup his pouted. He needed to slow down a bit. He wasn't even thinking about how Seven could be judging him.

Filling up his mug once more he was starting to feel a little buzz. He liked the feeling. His father had hated drunks. It was just another way to get back at him. "My father hated people who drank. He would occasionally have a drink or two. He never got drunk though. Poor man doesn't know what he is missing" He drank again, once again to spite his dear old dad.

While on the topic of parents Kendall thought of his mother. He had always loved her more than anyone in his family. He knew one was not supposed to pick favorites in family but his mom was always his favorite. "Seven. If you need help finding your mom I would be happy to help. I am leaving town early next season but I could help until then." He wanted to help his new friend. "I love my mom so much and I would be so happy if someone helped me find her if she was lost." Rested his chin on his hands again and smiled blissfully. "My mom was the reason I fell in love with writing. She is an even better poet than I am." He seemed to search Seven over after the words left his mouth. His thoughts were not connecting well. "So, what were those papers about? They looked complicated."

by **Seven Xu** on May 9th, 2011, 7:51 pm

Seven had picked up on Ken's pattern of mentioning himself and quickly changing the subject. This time, he would make a conscious effort to turn it back around on him. "Thank you, Ken. I would love any help I can get. This city is a maze in itself, isn't it?" He flashed a delightful smile, sipping more water. Seven had a much more relaxed demeanor now, as if he was talking to a long time friend rather than someone he had just met. His voice was calmer, dialect becoming much less formal and his face no longer turned pink every time Ken opened his mouth. "Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman. I really hope that you get to see her again someday." Disdain for their fathers, and desperation to be closer to their mothers. Funny how alike people can be, Seven hummed.

The excessive drinking didn't bother Seven. Everyone had their vices. Even him -- although his laid outside the realm of mind-altering alcohol. In fact, he had recently discovered chocolate. A magnificent, sweet treat that melted in his mouth. Seven leaned forward in his chair to rest his elbows on the table, knitting slim fingers together and resting his chin between them. The pair looked almost comical, both rocking forward on their toes and eying each other like a couple of women discussing shoes.
The barmaid that had been providing them with ale nudged her co-worker and motioned towards the table as they exchanged smirks. Seven failed to notice such gestures, although he probably would not have cared regardless.

"Oh!" Seven beamed when Ken asked him about his maps. "You may find me strange for saying this, but, I am a huge fan of the night sky. The stars in Lhavit have been my first and only love, I'm afraid." The cheesiness of what Seven had just admitted made him second-guess his own sobriety. He rolled his eyes inwardly as he reached beneath the table, pulling a leather portfolio from his backpack and laying it out on the wooden tabletop. He was mindful of the ale as he pulled a chart from the portfolio to show Ken. The paper was yellowed and curled at the edges. It was obvious from the creasing that it had been rolled at one point, then flattened out again. "Here, these are our summer constellations. There are many of them, most of them are named after gods. I mapped every one over the course of three years."

"So. Uh. Is there a reason you are leaving Syliras? I don't think you mentioned it." Seven's heart sunk a little, a bit sad to learn this new friend may only a be temporary companion. Perhaps they could be pen pals.

by **Kendall Saarinen** on May 11th, 2011, 8:43 pm

With the ale settling in Kendall's blood the man was starting to feel the affects of drunkeness grab at him. He was happy for the feeling. It was what he was aiming for when he walked into the tavern. "Whenever you are ready to look I'll help. The big city can only be so big ya know?" He pondered over this. Where would a lady Symenestra be in Syliras? He did not know much about them. Seven was the first one he had ever met. He had heard once that they liked weaving. Maybe she was at the Elegant Weave. Kendall started to giggle at the thought of the store. It was by far one of his favorite places in the city. Some fantastic things had happened there.

"It is quite confusing at times. I have been in the city for about a season and I still get lost. It must be a Syliran thing." He smiled at Seven. He was starting to feel more comfortable talking around him. It was most likely because he was drunk but he liked to think it was that he was also making a friend. "I hope so too. If she will take me back."

The glances from people usually bothered Kendall. They always made his heart race in fear. He was lost in his mug of ale though. They could stare all they wanted. He drank slowly from the mug as Seven spoke. When he spoke of the sky being his love Kendall started to giggle. He wasn't laughing at Seven, he was thinking about Hadrian. It was a thought that made him happier than anything. "That is beautiful. You could be a poet. Not that what you already do isn't good enough of course." Kendall looked at the drawings. They were quite beautiful. He remembered seeing drawings similar to them in his books at the university. "These are amazing Seven! Wow." He made sure to keep the ale a good length away from the maps and charts. He could only wish he was able to draw that well. "I think my first love will always be water. Growing up next to the ocean does that to you I suppose." There were more reasons why he loved water. That was for only him to know though.

The thought of travel made Kendall smile. It would be the first time he traveled with Hadrian. "I don't really remember why I was heading away in the first place. I think I just want to keep moving. I never meant to stay in this town for so long. I got a little sidetracked though." He blatantly wore the smile of a girl with a crush. In his elated state he didn't even think to hide it. "I guess after living in Zeltiva for twenty one years I finally wanted to see what else was out there."

by **Seven Xu** on May 12th, 2011, 3:20 pm

"I do not understand why your mother would not ... take you back." Seven looked troubled for a moment before he smiled, tilting his head to the side to rest his cheek on his palm. Perhaps it was not his place to know. A change of subject was in order. "Syliras is quite confusing, but luckily I plan on mapping the city for that very purpose. It should not be too big of an undertaking." He grinned. "Then, maybe, I would never get lost within these halls."

Seven's heart skipped as Ken lavished praise upon the star chart. "My maps are amazing?" That seemed like an overstatement brought on by alcohol, although Seven would take a compliment gracefully. It was the Lhavitian way. A blush rose on his cheeks and he bowed his head briefly. "Thank you, that means a lot."
Ken's giggling made Seven smile uncontrollably. It was both strange and endearing to see a man so comfortable in acting like such ... a woman. Seven blamed it on the ale, but it eerily reminded him of the way one of his sisters acted when she had confided to Seven about her first crush on a boy. Childish and carefree. Seven inwardly decided it was not prudent to tell Ken that he reminded him of his little sister. He leaned forward to press a pale finger to the star chart he had lovingly created. "If you ever find yourself in Lhavit, I highly recommend spending a night at Iraltu's Observatory. It is on the highest peak and you get a breathtaking view of Zintila's sky there. I could even write down the locations of a few constellations, depending on the time of year."

Seven sipped his water before leaning back against his chair again, hands on his knees. "I have had enough of long travel for a lifetime, I think. And being around water, too." He wrinkled his nose, staring down at his half-empty glass of water as if it had wronged him somehow. "If I could lock myself away and never smell the Suvan Sea again it would be too soon." He could still smell it on his clothing. The salt, the weather, the complete disregard for personal hygiene from his crew mates. It clinged to his body. Seven pulled off his jacket, setting it on the back of his chair in mild disgust before smoothing out his cotton vest, and collared shirt that peeked out from beneath it. That was better. At least, his skin was tolerable.

Seven motioned to the portfolio that sat between them when he noticed Ken still eying his works. "You can have one," Seven's voice cracked. "If you would like." What was one chart, for his new friend?

by **Kendall Saarinen** on May 17th, 2011, 4:29 pm

There were reasons why Marie, Kendall's mother, would not take him back. It was a matter of pride for the family. His father had always stood firm in the fact that no one in his household would use magic. How would it look to others when his youngest daughter got caught up in it? "I'm sure she has her reasons." Kendall looked down at the table as he took another drink. His eyes flicked toward Seven when he spoke of mapping though. That was a big feat for how large the city was. "You must be one petching good map maker. I applaud the effort." He attempted to clap for the boy but in his drunken haze he was making a real muck of the effort. "I would looooove to see the map when it's finished." Everything just seemed to amazing to him right now.

Kendall's face lit up as Seven talked about his charts. "Yeah! Soooo great. One of the best I've seen." the charts were not the best he had seen. They weren't even close. He had spent a little too much of his time in the library of the university to not have seen more eleborate charts. In his current state of mind he could barely remember them though. He drank to push Zeltiva from his mind, not draw it in. He smiled dreamily as he thought about spending the night looking at stars with Hadrian. Was there anything better than finding himself in those arms? "I would love to do that. Especially with Hadri- Oops, I shouldn't say." He started giggling, clapping his hand over his mouth. "It's not good to kiss and tell." He looked slyly at Seven and mouthed the name Hadrian before starting to giggle again. What harm could it do? Out of all the people in Syliras what were the chances Seven would actually meet him?

A small frown formed on Kendall's lips when Seven spoke of never wanting to see the sea again. "I can't imagine not wanting to see the sea. Of course I grew up breathing nothing but salty air. I think the smell is beautiful." He still remembered when he and Cathan were getting ready to leave Zeltiva. It hurt to know the breaths he was taking were going to be the last of Zeltivan sea air he would breathe in a long time. "I suppose it smells like home to me. I guess you Kaleans are a little spoiled with your pure mountain air." He smiled at Seven but it came out more like a smirk. He really didn't mean anything by the comment. He just was lacking his usual language filter thanks to the ale.

Kendall's mismatched eyes lit up in excitement when Seven took off his jacket. "Oh my Gods, I love your vest. I wish I had the money to dress so nice. I went shopping earlier this season and I saw the cutest sk-shirt. Couldn't afford it though." He blushed a bit at the fact he almost brought up that he was admiring a skirt previously. "I love shopping but I don't really go much anymore."

Seven was kind. Kendall felt tears welling up in his eyes when he offered him one of his charts. "I couldn't take one of your charts. They must be important to you." Seven's generosity touched Kendall. He was convinced that no one liked him except maybe Cathan, Sondra, and Hadrian. "Maybe I could trade you for a poem of mine though." he pulled out his poetry book and thumbed through the pages. Most of the writing was either about love or Zeltiva with a few poems about Ivak. He would have to keep those to himself. "I would write you a poem buuuuut I'm drunk." Kendall was clearly stating the obvious but at least he could admit that he had a problem.