The Savant

Realms of Sun & Shadow

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Realms of Sun & Shadow

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Over and over again, Sunni Emberani kept reminding himself that he was not going out of his way to bother Elara. That she was a guest at the inn and needed to be served. The man felt like he was bothering her even if his rational side was telling him that he wasn’t. He could not help his eyes which wandered for a few seconds, — Where is Syraeia? — There was no sight of the Cyclops around. Did she forget about her role in the inn? Being the innkeeper. Maybe she needed a break. His eyes shut a little too hard before opening and returning to the beauty in front of him.

Everyone was beginning to fade out into murmurs since the rushing of his heartbeat echoed in his ears. There was a mixture of emotion in his amber eyes that reminded people of fireflies and candlelights.

An instantaneous feeling consumed his body as he felt like he was on a stage before the young lady. That he was the center of her attention and he could feel his ribcage tightening around his lungs with that thought. It felt like it was difficult to breathe. A dry swallow began as he repositioned his arms to fold across his chest. He forced himself to blink under the assumption that he was staring at the woman a little too long.

Her words caused his shoulders to slump, not in relaxation, but a similarity to defeat. Sunni didn’t realize it though he was bothering the woman. His face was beginning to twist with emotion though he forced a smile out of it. A smile that looked uncertain and anxious. “I apologize for bothering you Lady Elara,” He took a breath as he spoke those words and kept that unsure smile. His internal thoughts were ragging on him for going out of his way to bother her. Amber eyes fell to the floorboards for a few seconds as his grip tightened on himself in an attempt to feel smaller than he was.

Other duties? That thought rang in his head as he took a gradual look around the inn. He didn’t have any more obligations here at the inn, he didn’t believe he did, but he needed to get back to working on that roof. Sadly, his helpers were a pint or so into their enjoyment and young. They would be useless to him and the worksite. He nodded his head, “Yes, I should,” He agreed with a slight disappointment lingering in his tone.

That was when a bit of confidence took over him and he looked at Elara, looking into her ocean-blue eyes, and thinking for a split second. Not allowing any time for him to backtrack or bring up enough doubt to stop the words from leaving his mouth until he heard a familiar voice. His eyes blinked over to the smaller woman and he smiled at Syraeia who appeared beside him, “Hello Syraeia…'' There went all his plans to retrieve the item from his room that he wanted to get Elara. All that confidence ran out of his system as his nervousness began to shake and the feeling of being overwhelmed took hold of him. His eyes glanced back at Elara before he began to disappear into the background of the inn.

When Syraeia brought up that Sunni should take a break, his face neutralized, and he shook his head in disagreement. “No, I just woke up from a nap,” His voice protested with a seriousness. He couldn’t take a break. The man got off of one not that long ago. “Well, since you are back,” A smile formed on his face as he clasped his hands. Syraeia was able to take over all the obligations for the inn once again.

Taking a step backward, he was putting distance between himself and the two women. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Elara, and I appreciate the offer, Syraeia, though I really have to get back to work,” The man honestly felt so defeated inside at the moment but he didn’t let that show. Giving the two women a semi-forced and semi-genuine smile. Sunni left them to their doings and made his way back to the counter to correct everything that he had done. Catching up on orders and so on. That took less than a moment and he had disappeared from sight.

Going up to his room, he opened the door slowly and made sure he didn’t disrupt anything from falling off the walls or falling over. Carefully, he shut his door and rubbed his face before his hands combed through his hair. He needed to come up here to grab the roof plans for the building and he sat at his desk.

Sunni looked at a drawer before opening it and bringing out a small container that was made of redwood with golden decorations. The area for a lock was unlocked. Nothing to protect it from being opened and he caressed his finger over the little box. “She wouldn’t even like this anyways..” he whispered to himself.

A moonstone. They were also known as moonlites. Aurelians had no use for them and in particular, Lunarians might not either, but they were known to be rare in generality. Something that most Lunarians cherished because it was to reference their beliefs and faith in the moon and the goddess above. He had read about them in an Aurelian geology book. How people would pass them down generationally because of their rarity and what they could mean as a gift. He had no other individual in mind to give such a thing to except Elara. She might not even like it or possibly think it was a stupid little thing.

Grabbing the little wooden container that was dark velvet inside, he opened it up and smiled widely to see it was glowing. He did what he remembered from the book. You set it on your window sill for a few days before placing it in a dark area so it fully absorbs the moon's light and the power of that transition can last anywhere from a week to three months. The longer it is moon bathing the longer it lasts and so on.

Moonstones, when they are not charged are a beautiful iridescent stone. Sunni had got this one to charge with ease so it was similar to how the galaxies looked above. Upon opening that little chest with the stone that fits nicely into his palm. Colors began to dance around his room and he smiled wildly. It was nothing like he had ever seen and he loved the properties of the rock yet he felt like Elara would cherish it more than he could ever do. He enjoyed collecting rocks but there were no cultural or emotional ties to the natural object. Not like he thinks it would be for a Lunarian. Closing that little container, “She would only think I am a weirdo for giving her a rock…” he put it back into his desk drawer and opened another drawer. Grabbing the sketched blueprints for the roof, Sunni stood up and grabbed his coat. Making sure his coat was on, the blueprints were carefully placed in his pocket, and he was heading back downstairs. Not to Elara or Sya. Not to anyone in particular.

Sunni made his way out the back and quickly moved past everyone. Making his way to the building site and bringing out the blueprints. The man placed it on a flatter area while putting things on the corners to hold it down and keep it from blowing away. The Aurelian began to get back to work on the house that he was building. Building the roof alone and paces away from the inn where he would be bothered by others.

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Interactions
@Qia Elara
@PrinceAlexus Syraeia

Realms of Sun & Shadow

Redacted

Realms of Sun & Shadow

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Realms of Sun & Shadow

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Realms of Sun & Shadow

Tavern Ambience and music

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Subtle twitching of the muscles was visible as the man found himself in a peaceful sleep to a nightmare. A bad memory of him and his father. Something that he had no remembered in a while surfacing in his unconscious state. It caused his breathing to change even if he stayed asleep. The sleep that he was experiencing was becoming more uncomfortable by the second.

“I want to be apart of a happier family…”

“A happier family?” A disgusted tone came from the aging Cyrus Emberani the 4th.

Little Sunni nodded his head while his big amber eyes looked worried with his father’s tone but even at the age of eleven, he was showing rebelliousness, “Like mama Daisy’s family. They are happy.”

“Misses Puckett and her family are dirt poor, Cyrus,” The head of the Emberani household said such words with such convincing repulsion that anyone could be convinced that money was the only form of happiness.

The young boy stood there in his father’s office as if he were on a platform getting judged by a court. A nervous tick was beginning to form as he held onto his non-dominant wrist so tightly and began to scratch at it with his nails, “I.. I…” Sunni began stuttering under the intensity of his father’s eyes. “I just…” The young boy couldn’t get his words out in time.

With a belligerent tone, Cyrus spat out, “Can you not fucking speak right? Spit it out, boy,” The emphasis on the boy sounded as if it was poison on his father’s tongue. A curse word.

Sunni flinched at the sudden behavior difference from his father, he knew that anger and wrath were brewing in the man, and tears began to form in his eyes. His lips parted to say something but nothing came out as he fell silent. “And you will stop referring to Misses Puckett as mother or mama. It is quite pathetic how you hold onto a woman that isn’t even family. Betraying your mother like that.”

This caused the young boy’s brows to furrow, “Mother is dead!” He shouted at his father, beginning to mirror the same anger as the older man. “And I can speak properly! I can speak better than you can! At least I can talk about my emotions unlike you! You use mother against me even though I never met her. I only know her through paintings and stories. She’s not my mother! Naomi Emberani was NEVER my mother!” Sunni didn’t mean to explode in such a way but his father brought the worst out of him.

The room fell eerily quiet while his amber eyes locked onto his father’s amber ones. His father began to move around the desk and Sunni took steps back. With each step that was approaching him, he distanced it with at least one step of his own, and he knew he messed up. Telling his father that Naomi was not his mother. It was true. She might have been his biological mother but the only mother Sunni truly knew was Daisy Puckett. However, facts didn’t matter to Cyrus Emberani when he felt like his son was betraying the household.

A strong grip yanked on the boy’s curly red hair causing him to fall to his knees, “Let go!” Tears began to streak down his face as he grabbed onto his father’s wrist to lessen the pain. Cyrus’s eyes showed that he was not absorbing anything from his son, his cries were useless, tears meaningless, and the pain that he would cause the boy would only be seen as a learning curve to the older man. Sunni Emberani would have left his father’s office that day with welts, bruises, and small breaks in his skin from a leather belt and its buckle.

A gasping realization of coming to consciousness, Sunni groaned, as his hands were pressing up against his face. His heart was beating quicker than he would like upon waking and he felt like he got no sleep at all. “What time is it?” He mumbled to himself as his hands fell away while he looked around the room. His body twitched and ached from that dream since he could remember the pain of that memory.

Slowly sitting up and looking around, the man gave himself a few minutes until a sigh was let out. Getting to his feet without knocking anything over, Sunni quickly stripped his clothes and put on a whole new outfit. The fresh undergarments against his skin felt soothing while the clean clothes over them felt refreshing. Combining his hand through his hair for a moment, he looked down at himself and determined if everything looked fine. A faded blue shirt with puffy sleeves and a loose neck that showed a bit of his chest. His pants were a brownish-gray color that was also faded. Worn clothes. Putting his leather vest on which had a nice amount of useful accessories along with pockets and his belt that had a few things attached to it as well.

The man moved over to the door and put on his boots before looking at the small clock that was near it, “Dammit. I passed out for too long… Sya probably needs help. I need to get back to building that house with the boys,” Sunni tried to be quicker with his second boot though his speediness caused him to fall over — a tumbling crash of multiple things and something breaking? The man was in a semi-awkward position on his back, wedged up against something, with the coat stand fallen over him, and a picture off the wall. A hand went over his eyes as he thought about what he just did, “You idiot…,” He began to laugh at himself.

Sunni decided to get himself out of the situation and clean everything up. The small porcelain trinket he had somewhere by the door got knocked down and shattered. Picking up all the pieces carefully, he made his way over to his desk and placed everything neatly on the piece of furniture. “I’m sorry. I’ll try to fix you later when I have time,” He whispered to the little shattered figurine before leaving the room. Closing his door behind him, he made his way down, and he came upon a disaster.

His face looked shocked — where is Syraeia!? — and why did half the patrons look so unhappy? What was happening!? The man was not focusing on any faces in the tavern in particular but he quickly moved around the tables and people. A few patrons commented about not getting anything for the last however long while others were unbothered and didn’t even notice they hadn’t been served in quite some time. Everyone was being apologized to and orders were being brought out quickly.

That was until he got to a table with familiar faces, Jonathan and Joseph, “What is this?” Sunni sounded shocked while he looked at their table. “Have you two been drinking?” His voice raised slightly while his fingers and thumb began to rub at his brow and forehead. “Nevermind. Don’t answer that. You two enjoy the rest of your day off,” The filtering through emotions was somewhat intense as the boys had wide eyes as if they realized they messed up. Jonathan began to stutter. Joseph tried to explain. Sunni waved them off, “It’s fine. You two are fine. You don’t need to explain or apologize or anything,” Those words were clearly for reassurance though the boys didn’t look reassured at all.

Waving them off, he shook his head and walked off to the other tables. He noticed the royal guards from Lunaris and he approached them before he realized that they needed refills on their drinks and so on. Going up to the bar, he looked at the written notes and glanced at the guards as he spoke quietly to himself. Going around the bar and in the back, Sunni was able to pick up four pints of ale in one hand since they had handles along with the food tray in the other.
Moving around the place easily and quickly, he smiled at the royal guards, “I’m sorry if you have been waiting a long time for refills. Distractions happen here in Dawnhaven though we welcome you with the best hospitality that we can,” Placing the drinks down and the food. He made sure they were neatly placed in front of everyone and the platter was in the middle. “Enjoy. If you need anything or have any comments or concerns, you can come ask me,” Sunni smiled at them before moving away.

Going around and making sure a few of the last patrons had hot stew, drinks, and so on. By the time he got behind the counter, he was combing his hair with his hands in a stressful manner. Then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. “Where is Syraeia?” He whispered to himself.

As he opened his eyes, he looked around the inn and was happy that everyone seemed to get their requested items. Leaning up against the wall and crossing his arms, he was determining if he wanted to drink or not, though it was only noon-ish. He couldn’t feed into the temptation of relaxing at the moment even if he wanted to do so, so badly. Sunni covered his mouth with his one hand as he observed everyone in the inn, being quiet, and just waiting for social cues to tell him where he should go or who he should help.

That was when he noticed he missed one person in the corner and he stared at her — Elara… Why couldn’t Syraeia be here to do her job? Where was she?

An anxiety-ridden breath could be heard shakingly inhaling and exhaling behind his hand as he went into the back of the kitchen. He didn’t know what to do but he washed his hands out of something to ground him and his thoughts. Wiping them off on a towel and rubbing at his temples, “I… Shite… why does she have to be here… right now..” The man murmured to himself before opening his eyes. A huff of breath out and he came out of the back, went around to a few tables, and talked for roughly a moment. Everyone was happy with their current state.

Sunni walked up to the table where the woman who looked like a moon-touched goddess sat. “Welcome to the eye of the beholder, do you need help with anything? We have a decent amount of drink items and food at the moment,” He had said those lines way more confidently to others only moments ago along with being more of a salesman. The light underlying shake in his tone could show that he was nervous and he didn’t want to interact with the woman though he didn’t want her to be disappointed with the experience at the inn with the lack of structure that was happening. "My name is Sunni by the way," He smiled slightly goofy as he was trying to hide the storm of conflict inside of him. One hand was placed on his waist to the hip area while the other found itself in his pocket. The man was trying to not look uncomfortable by crossing his arms in front of his chest.

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Mentions/Interactions
@PrinceAlexus Lunarian Royal Guards
@Qia Elara

Realms of Sun & Shadow

Redacted

Realms of Sun & Shadow

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New faces were appearing tonight. His moon-struck eyes lingered across the whitening grounds of Dawnhaven while the cool air brushed against him. This was peaceful, unlike the little group exchange he had in the square by the inn. Glancing over to the individuals still loitering there, he snarled in distaste and moved his eyes around the grounds more. All three of the individuals that surrounded Eris were able to ruin his attempts for tonight. She didn’t seem to be keen on him being there anyway. The attempt was a dead end before it started.

A sigh left his lips while his hand supported his chin while he observed Dawnhaven from a higher point. “This is boring…” he murmured to himself. Everyone in this damn town was bored. There was barely anything to do or anyone to do for that matter. Maybe he should fly back to one of the cities and have his fun there.

It was odd seeing the guards from Lunaris arrive and then a familiar face on a horse — he was pretty sure he had seen her in the Lunarian castle before. Was that a throne agent? Pleiades had no idea if it was but he was sticking to what his gut was telling him. It was another higher up from the King under the moon. How pathetic.

Then his eyes focused on a carriage as he watched it go to the Aurelian temple. His curiosity struck while his head tilted, “Did they finally send the pathetic worshipers of the sun deity to Dawnhaven?” He spoke softly in a purring hum as his eyes sharpened towards the quickly built temple as he watched from afar at the carriage and the people wandering around it.

Tia approached the temple, hyper aware of the attention on her - villagers eyeing the ostentatious procession, vigilant attendants waiting to receive directions from her… but Tia kept her gaze on the temple. A far cry from the shining white and gold behemoth in Aurelia’s capital, it was made of simple, unfinished dark wood. Tia found herself awed by it. The capital’s temple was undeniable in its power, its presence, more force of nature than a structure crafted by tradesmen. But this wooden structure… there was something undeniably human about it. Tia let her eyes wander the tiered roof, the conchoidal patterns of the window panes, the small, intricate decorations carved into the wooden beams. Someone had designed this. Hands had mapped out the architecture, cut the wood, chiseled the small flourishes of design, erecting something beautiful when not two months ago this had been nothing but forest.

Images of her own childhood flashed in her mind of the temple she’d been raised in after her first family had given her away. It had been even smaller, though it had been the nicest building in the village. Tia lifted a hand to run her fingers over a wooden pillar at the front of the temple. The grain was still slightly rough against her skin, not yet worn smooth with age.

“Lady Priestess,” a voice called from behind her. Tia turned from the temple to see the old coachman watching her. Attendants were already beginning to unload boxes of supplies from the carriage, apparently having received their orders. “The supplies we transported - some are designated for the temple stores, but the rest are marked for distribution throughout the settlement.” The church had loaded her carriage with supplies for the winter - grains, salt, new tools, blankets… a range of goods that would no doubt be needed for the coming winter. Tia was to present them to the prince as part of her introduction, possibly garner some good will, but…

She was just so tired. She was drained physically and emotionally from the journey, she was sore, she needed a wash -

“Shall we deliver them to the prince on our way out of Dawnhaven?”

Tia blinked at him - he was giving her an out. A sudden burst of affection bloomed in her chest. She gave him a small, thankful smile, and bowed her head to him. He gave one in return.

Turning back to the temple, Tia blinked back tears again, trying to swallow around her emotions - and her growing frustration with herself. She was too frayed at the edges, exhausted from travel. She needed to get herself together. She forced a long, slow breath. Suddenly the eyes on her, the movement and activity of the attendants as they worked, became overwhelming. She needed to escape, recenter herself, if she was to conduct herself in a way befitting her station.

Another breath.

Going inside the temple was out of the question, with the workers moving about to unload the supplies. She could… walk the perimeter of the temple. Yes. See where the window were, which direction the morning light would - nope. There hadn’t been morning light for six months. Ok, then she could…

She could stop trying to justify her own actions to herself when she knew she was just trying to find an excuse to not be seen by people in case she had a breakdown.

Tia turned and began walking around the outside of the temple to do just that.

His curiosity was getting the best of him as his eyes lingered for far too long on the small group of prophets… priests… holy people… or whatever else they were called. It was pathetic in his eyes that they were building temples in Dawnhaven, though the Aurelian royal family seemed to be all about the jewels, the appearance, and not anything more. Maybe it was his hardened soul speaking from a past life. The life of when he was human. Growing up was a hardship and when the sickness appeared… not even holy people cared to keep him company. He was too ugly and far too sickly for their concerns. He could remember the grotesque whispers of why anyone would keep him alive.

With a fluid motion, Pleiades was up in the darkened but moonlit skies, and he soared over to the temple. Landing on the top as the newcomer and her entourage followed her into the temple. Stepping around the top, he was admiring the structure of it, but he sighed while dropping from the roof as if he wouldn’t catch himself.

His wings extended while he gradually descended from the roof and his feet met the ground only a few paces from the carriage. One of the individuals that seemed to come with the woman gasped upon his appearance and he grinned — probably an ugly one from their perspective though anyone with unbiased eyes would see it was out of mischievousness. Curiosity. A lingering hint of friendly demeanor, “Salutations,” The man whispered out in somewhat of a lustful tone. He had such a naturally sultry voice especially upon whispered words. “I didn’t realize such individuals were arriving in Dawnhaven so soon. I would have made a gift basket or —” His shoulders shrugged at the thought. “ — something…” The man emphasized as he circled around the carriage once before looking at the door of the temple.

Stepping a few feet closer, he stopped, and looked over his shoulder, “Do you think I would burn if I stepped foot in there?” The humorous tone of his voice would have indicated he was playing though the religious disciples might take his words as taunting evil.

“Or maybe I’ll step in and the temple will burst in flames,” Pleiades chuckled while grinning with his teeth slightly apart. It showed his slightly longer canines while he looked back at the entrance of the temple. He had seen better. Personally, he admired the water and reflectiveness of how the moon would shine down upon the Lunarian temples — he was biased. Growing up in Lunaris and everything.

The Aurelians seemed frozen as they stared at the newcomer.

“Demon,” one of the soldiers spat at Pleiades, drawing his sword. The sound of metal scraping against the scabbard seemed to break whatever startled spell the rest of the men had been under, and suddenly the air was filled with the sound of shouts, more swords being drawn.

Tia hadn’t made it three steps around the corner of the temple before the cacophony reached her ears. Panic was instant as it shot through her veins. She darted back around the temple to see the men she’d arrived with all in varying states of distress, some trying to calm their compatriots, others pointing their swords at -

A Blight-Born. His back was to her, and he was partially obscured by the wooden pillars of the temple, but there was no denying what he was. Not when his wings, huge, feathered, and inhuman flexed behind him.

Tia didn’t think. Her body moved without her command as she ran, weighed down by her priestess robes, and she nearly tripped as she placed herself between the Aurelians and the winged Blight-Born.

She glanced at him for only a moment - just long enough to see his wings, his claws, his shining eyes - and a familiar, prey-like fear shot through her. Then she looked back at the soldiers and held up a hand to them.

Tia had been told, of course, that Blight-Born lived in Dawnhaven. But knowing that and seeing it, being so close to one, was another thing entirely. She tried to fight down the panic, her breath coming out of her lips in small, white clouds. She was hyper aware of him at her back, the scars at her neck seeming to burn beneath her scarf.

She met the eyes of the soldier who’d first drawn his sword and gave a small shake of her head, begging with her eyes that he stand down. They couldn’t afford to threaten the peace of the settlement.

The sound of silver and steel shredding against leather caused his brows to knit together and his moonlit eyes to sharpen upon the soldiers that accompanied the followers of the Aurelian religion. A guttural sound could be heard as his body tensed and his face soured — everyone was just a killer tonight. Be that of boredom or be that the intention to actually kill.

Pleiades took a side step before an overly pampered religious brat stepped in between them and he stayed silent. She wasn’t talking at all. — How odd — The thought crossed his mind as he heard not one peep out of her. She placed herself in between him and the guards and he truly did not know what to think about that. Then the feeling of anger began to boil in him. Didn’t they know that blight-born take oaths to not do harm to the citizens of the town? No harm in the sense of death or truly being chaotic to just be chaotic?

Taking a few more steps back, Pleiades didn’t care to find out how sharp their swords are, and he decided to be a little more gruff with his tone. “You better be careful threatening the people of Dawnhaven. Blight-born have been living peacefully here aside you humans so I doubt you would want to ruin that,” He informed them while his eyes glanced down at the woman standing in between them. “You know… you’re overly dressed. You are probably the main cat in all of this. Didn’t you inform your fucking guards about the innerworkings of Dawnhaven?” Pleiades was slightly offended that they drew their swords so fast at him. Just for being himself…

Tia’s head whipped around to look at him upon hearing the growl of his voice, a hand still raised to the soldiers. Her hair stood on end as he gazed at her, seeming to weigh her worth. She told herself she wasn’t trembling - that blood wasn’t leaking down her neck below her robes. His fangs seemed to catch the light of the moon.

Tia forced herself to stand taller.

“My lady -”

Tia’s eyes cut to look at the soldier, stilling his words in his mouth. Then she was again looking at the Blight-Born. The quick, short clouds of air betrayed how shallow her breathing was. Tia clasped her hands tightly in front of her legs, her long sleeves hiding how they shook, and bowed her head to him.

The soldiers seemed to hold their breath. Then finally, one by one they resheathed their swords.

Pleiades did not seem to care for the act that was happening in front of him — was it an act? Maybe. He wasn’t sure he should trust the religious folk and their guard from the Aurelian capital. It made him annoyed with Prince Flynn unlike he was before — was this how his people treated others? — Even after she bowed… he was interested in the possible facade. Knowing how people were with him before he was blight-born and after, it was hard to trust, and his expression was more negative than anything. It tried to hold some kind of neutrality to it though that was a failure in the making.

“Is something wrong with you? Does a cat have your tongue?” The winged man looked down at the smaller woman with the question. His tone sounded condescending at best. His eyes would flick without pattern back towards the guards and if any of them shifted, he would, and depending on what they did. The man would step back, purposefully keeping a certain length in between him and the other individuals. Keeping enough distance so if he needed to spread his wings and fly away, he could.

Tia flinched back at his question.

“You will not-” the soldier cut himself off as Tia angled her chin back over her shoulder towards him, her eyes still downcast.

She glanced back at the winged man again, daring to meet his eyes. Her lips pressed together. She didn’t break eye contact as she raised a shaking hand to slowly loosen the scarf at her throat until she could pull it far enough away from her skin. The winter wind was sharp against her as she revealed the pink, shining scars, nearly spanning the entirety of her neck..

“Yes.”

The word was a soft, broken rasp, nearly too quiet to hear.

A huff could be heard when the soldier began to talk again. The armed men butting in was getting slightly annoying but this is what you get if you want democracy. His wings adjusted to be in a more comfortable position since they were large and heavy. The tips were dragging against the ground when he walked. His eyes seemed to focus in on the Aurelian’s eyes as she became so serious.

When she confirmed that a cat had her tongue, a raised brow could be seen, but his face went back to a neutral expression. “So you can’t talk to me then? Not like him or her?” He gestured to the guards and other individuals that were on the other side of her.

“Would you like me to get you a writing utensil and a paper?” Pleiades teased though he was being serious as he retrieved a small stick of charcoal that was wrapped in a paper peel so one could write with it and a little booklet.

Tia’s eyebrows drew together as her eyes flicked between his own and the small offering in his hand. He was… mocking her. She tightened the scarf around her neck again, hiding her scars. A new feeling buzzed through her - irritation. It was easier to deal with than overwhelming, petrifying fear, at least. But it wouldn’t do to offend him more than they already had.

After a moment of hesitation, Tia decided the diplomatic thing to do would be to simply take the gift at face-value. She raised both hands to take the notebook and charcoal, careful not to touch him, and gave another short bow of her head. She opened to the first page of the notebook and wrote a short message. Tia held it up to show him.

I apologize for their behavior. They’ll be leaving soon.

Seeing how her brows drew together along with the change in her demeanor, Pleiades understood that he must have offended her in some way, but he didn’t know if he should go about entertaining it or not. Did he want to expose that he could be nice to this individual? Then she took the notebook and charcoal writing utensil.

Looking at what she wrote once she was done, he nodded his head, “It is what it is,” He plainly spat out as if he was disinterested about this whole thing. As if there was no point in interacting with them at all.

Pleiades shrugged his shoulders, “I didn’t mean to offend you by offering a booklet and writing utensil, but I rather be able to communicate with the person in front of me instead of not at all,” He decided to clarify his actions and offer.

Tia froze, heat creeping to her cheeks. As a child she’d always been told her face was too revealing. It seemed for all the times the priests had slapped her for her insolent expressions, she’d never quite learned her lesson.

She looked back at the winged man, eyes flicking down to his wicked claws, his pale skin, his eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. The breeze picked up, blowing whisps of blonde hair around her face. She reevaluated. A small, hesitant smile curved her lips.

Tia lifted the hand holding the notebook to tap it against her chest.

“Tia.” Her name was nearly lost to the night air.

The man shrugged slightly as if he was repositioning his stance to get comfortable while he stared at her. His expressions left too much to the imagination. They were neutral at best. “Tia,” He responded with a nod of his head as if he was saving that name for later. To remember it.

A sigh left his lips which showed in his demeanor, his chest was bare, since he didn’t need as much clothing as a human did. His shirt was stuffed into his bag since he didn’t want it on right now, crossing his arms, and looking at her. “Pleiades,” He spoke more gently than the gruffness he had for the soldiers. “Pleiades James Porter, the postal master here in Dawnhaven,” He added.

Tia’s smile grew as he introduced herself - but then she paused.

The postmaster.

She was required to report to the queen when - if - she learned anything about the prince and princess’ progress. Judging by the Pleiades’ wings, he’d be much swifter than any horse. But would he be suspicious of her letters? How was she to hide her intentions here from him - from the prince, from anyone in Dawnhaven? She wasn’t a spy or a thief, she was just Tia -

She cut herself off, her blood thick with unease - and guilt. Remembering her audience, and that she needed to work on controlling her damned face, she chanced a look up at him again. She offered a smile again, if a bit weaker than before. Tia opened the notebook again to scrawl a new message below her first. After a moment, she added another line to it.

It was very nice to meet you, Pleiades.

Thank you for this book.

It was somewhat eerie, the pause, though he took no mind to it. A ton of people paused at weird times when he was around so he chalked up her behaviors to him being a blight-born more than anything else. Their eyes met when she looked up at him and his expression was unchanged. The man could be described as a statue with how he was at times.

When his eyes met the pages, barely a stance of a smile curled at his lips, and he sighed. “Yes, what a pleasure to meet you too, Tia,” The man stepped away from the priestess and the soldiers. It seemed like all the interaction tonight was ending quite quickly — when would he be able to get to the forsaken cities again to have some fun? Why did the prince bring all the stuck-up Aurelians and why did the princess bring all the depressive Lunarians? This was so unfair. His wings spread out before gusts of wind would violate the other individual's clothes, hair, and skin. With that, Pleiades was gone into the darkened sky, but Tia… if she had an eye for anything would notice that the notebook that she was handed was not completely blank. There were little notes in beautiful penmanship along with very detailed sketches of people, animals, plants, or things.

Tia watched him fly away, briefly mesmerized by the sight. He was terrifying, to be sure, but… there was something ethereal about watching his wings unfurl, and glide through the sky.

She allowed herself a moment to watch him. Then Tia turned back to the Aurelians she’d traveled with, setting back to work.

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Collab with @c3p-0h Tiagara

Realms of Sun & Shadow

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