Lore of Leyuna RPG (FRPG)

[C S]

Solaurn was not entirely pleased with the answer. A dwarf without a fortress she was, but she was a dwarf still. While it was true she had come to terms with dragons in a more reasonable manner than the majority of her people did, Solaurn continued to err on the side of caution when it came to strange strangers, who carried a fright wherever they went. Anyone who could scare Gwenviere like this might be prone to kicking puppies and kitties, and Solaurn would not settle for that.

Patting Gwen on her maned head, Solaurn replied, Okay, then. As long as Desrium keeps our fearsome wanderer in check with his own fearsomeness...

[Hopeflower]

Word is they've tangled once, Viho replied, starting to make his rounds between the desks. He touched Firel's shoulder in silent reminder to loosen up. The younger psychomancer seemed to have locked his neck in an attempt to keep from turning to watch them curiously, and that would be an unintended painful lesson if he didn't relax. I would suggest asking Evisa for details. She tells the story with a lot of enthusiasm. It would also give them a perspective other than his own on the whole thing.

[C S]

That news was taken in limbo between reassuring and not for Solaurn. If things hadn't changed for the worse since, then that should have meant that all was as well as it always had been. But the fact there was fighting at all -- it did not tax Solaurn's mind at all to piece together the aftermath of the climactic duel with the duel itself -- was disconcerting. And this was someone who lived over an active magma pit for most of her life.

Solaurn pondered if this implied Desrium and those like him were akin to volcanoes as she led Gwenviere to her desk, and took her own seat thereafter. Oh. Okay, was all she could convey to Viho while her thoughts were where they were.

[Hopeflower]

While they settled in, Viho finished checking in with the rest of the students. The air practically hummed with their collective magic, not quite harmonious in the way it buzzed against his skin. There was no denying that it was pride that warmed him when he considered the progress they'd made in a relatively short amount of time. Pride, and a certain sense of wonder at watching them take the same steps he'd taken decades before.

He would later blame that for the softening of his defenses, the curiosity he allowed himself to indulge in. It was with the dual goal of getting Gwen to think about something else and settling his own inquisitiveness that he suggested, If it helps you to shake these thoughts off for the moment, why don't you tell me more about what you showed me first? It seemed like quite the tale.

[C S]

The vaun nodded pensively to Viho before she reached up and over her shoulders to pull her feather free from her dress. She made a warbling sort of sound, her cheeks twitching as she did so. "The Chiurem's feather," Gwenviere told her teacher, "given to me so that I may find friends on fast feet. There was one far away that it knew of, and it sought its help. But the friend in the dirt was not interested. I had to find other friends, to stop the bad times from coming."

[Hopeflower]

Viho cocked his head. The bad times? he echoed, puzzled.

[C S]

Gwen nodded again, this time bringing a tuft of blonde to fall over her eyes. She smoothed her hair back and explained, chittering along the way, "It was some time ago, in the summer. A great rift in the world was bleeding, and old powers had been reawakened because of it. Their unrest drove some of them up to our world, and more would follow if friends did not cure the ache. One city in another kingdom was badly damaged. There were other places affected by the coming bad, but that city was the worst of it."

[Hopeflower]

The instructor hummed, intrigue and quiet contemplation combined. Quite a tale indeed. Sounds...problematic, he commented, half to himself.

[C S]

"The friend in the dirt thought so too, and did not agree with the Chiurem," Gwenviere replied. Her ears drooped, the memory of an argument that spanned hours coming to her. The giant bird and the giant beetle exchanging words unheard, but felt, back and forth as the sky darkened and Gwen's stomach grew empty, and she grew tired. "It left to go home, and I had to find other friends. I was lucky. I found the dragon, Septimus. I didn't know he was a dragon at the time, though. He had a nice lady with him, and they let me get some sleep while they went to speak to the Chiurem."

[Hopeflower]

Connections to the name fired off quickly, and Viho carefully kept his reaction from being more than a brief press of his lips. His skin crawled a little at the realization that he'd been in close proximity to two dragons earlier. Brodudika was turning out to be a magnet for the creatures. Bearing in mind that he needed to be as aware of his own magic as he was of his students', he did his best to flick his unease aside. Nothing to be done about that now, though he'd certainly take greater care to keep his distance in the future. Before he could get lost in his own thoughts, he motioned for Gwen to continue.

[C S]

"Septimus was helpful. The friend in the dirt wanted to fight, the friend in the sky did not. That was when the dirt-friend went away; they could not agree. But Septimus and the Chiurem agreed. They went flying across land and sea to fix the world, and stop the bad times from happening," Gwen obliged. "And after that, the bad times weren't coming anymore. They were just the 'times'. Septimus, the nice lady and their elf-friend went on with their lives. I tried going on with mine in the Evershade, but I couldn't. I left to see all the things the Chiurem saw from atop the mountain, and more."

[Hopeflower]

Viho hummed again, settling himself comfortably back on his desk. It is hard to go back to life as you know it, once you realize how much of the world you've missed out on, he said quietly. Small wonder that Desrium was managing to build a city for would-be heroes and adventurers. Leyuna was full to bursting with them.

[C S]

Gwenviere nodded with vigor, and did not bother to fix her mane after it fluffed up and blinded her. Her snout set tightly, she added, "They tried to take my feather away. I did not let them."

[Hopeflower]

The elf inclined his head toward Gwen. He could respect a willingness to stand one's ground. Courageous, he remarked. Few could claim to have the strength to walk away from everything they know. He did not count himself among those few - could not.

[C S]

"They couldn't understand the things I did. They did not want to. So I didn't want to stay there." Gwenviere drooped, setting her chin on her desk. "Those were my bad times, I think. I wanted to know more, but did not know enough, and I was all alone so I had to do it all by myself, until I found Solaurn. I think she was in the same place. That is why we started walking together, even though we could not speak to one another. The company was enough."

[Hopeflower]

You're fortunate to have found each other. The corner of Viho's mouth pulled up into a half-smile that wasn't quite sad, but that didn't reach his eyes either. Having to make due with one's own company...it wasn't his favorite way to live. And it's here that your travels have brought you.

[C S]

Gwenviere rolled her head from side to side, the closest thing to nodding she could pull off in her current status. "I want to tell her these things, but there is more learning to be done. And that means more teaching to do. And that means more learning for me," she conveyed, on the verge of trapping herself in a loop.

[Hopeflower]

Viho's chuckle was quiet, but warm. We never really stop being students, on some level, but you'll get there, he assured her. It's my job to make sure that all of you do.

[C S]

Her heart free of its constricting fear, Gwenviere was able to fully appreciate Viho's dedication. Helpful. Like the dragon the school was named after. Appropriate naming, that.

[The Kingpin]

It was a short while before the Scholar found himself standing outside city hall. With Beshayir safely in the school and no other nagging responsibilities present that could claim priority, he finally made to meet with his brother-in-spirit. Ceridwen had come along, feeling restless and uncomfortable being in one place, alone, for too long. The Scholar figured that was alright, with Beshayir's class due to run for quite a while, and so, three of the four made their way here.

Septimus stepped forward and pushed open the door into the crowded hallway where he had once exchanged heads for coin. Darker times. Less responsible times.

It gave him some small measure of comfort to know that that was not why he was here this time. Nor would it ever be again.