| abstract
| - As dusk comes on the Aerie, and the simple cold starts trending to a more bitter version, foot traffic is nearly nonexistant - the weather of winter drives most indoors, and even the Guards here huddle close to their watchfires and curse at the chill. One young man, however, is out and about - breath misting warm on the chill air. He works just outside the leatherworker's shop, a small wagon nearby, about half-full of rough-hewn lumber. Carefully, he uses an axe, trimming away small branches from one of the pieces at his feet. A horse and rider slowly make their way into the crafters square. The rider is bundled against the cold, cloaked and hooded with a black wool scarf wrapped over nose and mouth, her breath forming a small icly spot on the material. The rider ease the horse over to the side of the road as they walk by the shops. After a moment's work, he sets aside the axe - breathing into stiff fingers to warm them. A glance back at the shop show's Kael's face, the Mark painfully obvious in the orange light of dusk - along with more than a touch of worry on his open face. The horse, though.. rather, the sound of hoofbeats, distracts him. He glances that way, offering the rider a friendly, if shivering nod, calling.. "Shoul' get ye indoors - s' goin' tae get colder yet." From Bandit's saddle, Ester draws along side that man and wagon. "Really?" she says in a light manner. "I hadn't notice. Feels like a balmy summer evening." He peers closer, for a moment, flashing a lopsided grin. "Hmph. At least y' got more sense 'n most o' th' roosters 'round 'ere." He again blows into his hands, rubbing them together. "Y' lookin' fer sommat, then? Might kin point ye th' right way." From Bandit's saddle, "Nothing in particular, just biding my time for a couple of hours," Ester replies non-chalantly. She glances around and her voice sounds like she might just be grinning under the scarf. "So...did you get over the scare the other night? Perhaps keeping your eyes a little more open?" If he's taken aback by that statement, it doesn't show - his expression stays, frankly, friendly. "Still kickin' m'self, aye. Tol' m' Alainne what that sleepin' 'n a bed woul' make m' soft." He shakes his head. "Nicely done, e'en so." He nods back at the building. "Y' want tae get yerself warm? Y' sit on that horse fer a 'couple hours' 'n yer goin' tae be frozen solid tae th' saddle." From Bandit's saddle, Ester chuckles, "True true," and glances at the building. "I suppose I shouldn't turn down hospitality so easily given." She lifts her leg over the back of the horse and lands on the ground with a thump. She leads Bandit over to a hitching post and wraps the reigns around in. "Lead away." Kael nods.. "Jus' keep yerself a bit quiet.. m' Alainne hae been ill, as o' late, 'n finally managed tae get 'erself asleep jus' a bit earlier. We kin talk in th' workshop - 'n there's a stove there what y' kin warm up with." He sets the log in the wagon, then moves to open the door, wiping his hands absently on his breeches. "Straight back - I wi' catch up wi' ye 'n a moment. Need tae get some o' this picked up, 'n kin use th' wood anyway." A gray stone chamber with a long wooden work table where theleatherworker in residence may store tools, treated hides and other necessities of their craft. A cot and chamber pot are available for rest and relief. A door leads out into the main showroom. True to his word, Kael isn't long behind, and he brings an armload of cut branches and scrap, rough pieces with him, turning to add them to the small pile near the fire. "'jus' keeps gettin' colder - 't this rate, m' goin' tae have t' move th' bed in here." Ester is standing over near the fire holding her gloved hands up in front of her. "Cold keeps the wolves at bay...of sorts," she comments through the scarf and then pulls it down revealing her face. The young man flashes that lopsided smile to her - welcoming. "Y' look better when y' show yer face, Mistress." He wraps his cloak around his hand, crouching to carefully tug the little stove open. "Yer voice, 't gives ye away, though. m'.. glad t' see ye well." Ester smiles a little, "If I wanted to hide it as well I would." She stretches, "And yes I am well enough. You?" "Worried. Little lost - goes wi' th' days, m' thinkin'." He carefully piles wood in that stove. "s' a pot behind ye, if y' set it tae warm; I hae a bit of foxglove n' mint tea. Jus' th' thing fer th' cold." Kael glances up, "'s startin'. Already. In th' little things - what y' were worried o'er." Ester turns and searches out the pot, she sets it on the stove. "Oh? Care to elaborate?" He tosses another stick of wood in, shrugging. "'s far 's I can." He looks up to her. "Th' Count Darkwater.. 'e 's much 's is forcin' a fella inta th' Mark." He stands, using his boot to carefully shut the stove door - "On th' word o' one what kin see.. whate'er y' kin see about what makes 's different. "s one what - e'en if he is Shadowed... hae no idea. Ne'er felt anythin' about 't." He sighs, adjusting the pot a bit. "Mind - 'e hae nae taken th' Mark yet, but th' threat were there, jus' th' same." Ester stares down at the fire, her mouth tightening into a line. "I see," she states and grows thoughtful. "And who would this poor fellow be?" You say, "Y'.. hae yer promises, e'en one from me." Kael actually swallows at that, and glances down reaching up, absently, to work on loosing the clasp of his cloak. "I.. t' tell ye, Mistress, woul' be t' break a different promise, y' ken?" He continues, quickly, even as he folds his cloak, carefully - "I tried t' hae him let me tell ye. I figured .. 'f /anyone/ coul' help 'm figure out what 'e is, ye woul' be th' one, o' know one what could." He sets that cloak aside, on a nearby counter - "But.. 'es been told tae ask sommat else, 'n 'e wanted t' find 's own way."" Ester nods as she looks over at Kael, "Your words are safe with me. Though now I request two names, the poor fellows and the name of the other he was told to ask. If you know it." You say, "I.." He shakes his head. "I'm nothin' without m' word, Mistress. Y' ken? I tell ye, 'n I end up nothin' more 'n fangs 'n blood." He glances back.. "Th' fellow what 'e asked, though - I hae no idea. Marked, 'e is. Sommat Th' Count Darkwater woul' respect. B'yond that, I hae no notion." Ester nods again and looks back to the fire. "Hmm," she ponders to herself, "Someone he would respect..." The sentence trails off and the next words come slowly, "Master Firelight, without taking respect from the station that the Count birthed to, I will speak frankly. Please pass this on to your friend if you consider it prudent. The Count is blinded by his own innate arrogance to what his true understanding of what the Shadow is and his place in it. He acts beyond his station so to speak. He is untrained and word of his actions are spreading to those that are above him. I would be wary of trusting whomever this person is that he has respect for..." Kael settles down to sit at the foot of that counter, for all the world looking.. raw? Lost, perhaps, a touch of irritation in that burning flicker, for the briefest of moments, that passes his eyes - and he speaks, apparently, without thinking. "'es an arrogant, dangerous man, Mistress. 'e thinks th'.. gift.. e' has 's somethin' y' tame 'n batter 'n control." He runs his hands through his hair. "'e gets frustrated easy. Gets angry when 't does nae come tae him - like a trained dog. 'es nae usin' it." The young man sighs. "'s usin' /him/. Y' ken?" Ester flashes Kael a knowing and rather gentle smile, "Yes I believe I do know Master Firelight." She pauses and says quietly, "We will be dealing with the situation. So worry not for now. What is important here is that you have come to an understanding that what the Count is doing is possible for a person. Less likely to happen to you." Kael looks up at Ester. "When 't does.. one o' ye shoul' put m' down." Thats frank, and honest. "I ken 't one day m' goin' tae lose m'self. I jus' hope no one gets hurt when I do." So ... matter of fact, really.. he stands then.. "Th' tea. Nearly forgot - goin' tae need.." He pads behind the counter. "Aye. I swore w' hae a pair.." He fishes about until he finds a mismatched set of fired, clay mugs. Ester silently watches Kael, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Tell me Master Firelight. What is it that you desire for your relationship with your gift?" He moves towards her - and that stove, and, by extension, that heating tea. "Me?" The thought catches him, for a moment - even as he holds a mug out to her. "Truth? Peace. I want.. t' do somethin' good wi' 't, Mistress. Tae learn what I kin be. T'.. understand more o' what I am. T'.. come t' an understandin' wi' /it/, afore 't runs away wi' me." Ester nods once, her expression one of satisfaction. "Then it will be Master Firelight. Your mind is right to begin," she states. "Don't fear anymore you will get the help you need. Be assured of it." Kael still holds out that mug, blinking. "M'.. huh?" It's a brilliant and witty response, it seems. The sum total of trying to process that particular idea. "M'.. nae sure I ken what y' mean, Mistress." "It is simple Master Firelight," Ester replies with a small smile as she takes the mug. "There are those of us around this realm, who for eons, have been doing just that. Helping those who need to understand who they are and what they can do and teaching." She blows on the liquid and takes a sip, "I was just as you were once. Not so very long ago, though for me it seems like a such a far away time." Kael reaches up to touch his cheek... and then, a bit dazed, it seems, reaches down to carefully pick up that battered pot, pouring a yellow, fragrant tea into Ester's mug, slowly... then about half into his own before the liquid runs out. "Yer.. y' mean, th' others, like me, what y' were talkin' about?" "Yes," Ester states, "I believe I told you this before when last we met. There are." She looks at him, "And I am offering to teach you and bring you to those who can help with what I personally cannot." Kael sets the pot down then, carefully.. before turning a look on her of.. relief. Such a strange yearning, open and honest and bare.. "Yer.. nae pullin' m' leg, aye? Yer.. real?" He absently reaches out, actually poking at her cloak-covered shoulder with a finger. Ester looks amused at the poke and answers with a small laugh, "Very". She sips the tea, "And if you are deperate for clarification you may check with Countess Sahna. Just tell her Sera Riverwind spoke with you. She will know. I believe that you were one she was concerned for and plans to arrange a meeting with me anyway." She grins slightly, "You can tell her we had already met before." Her expression grows more serious, "But you are to tell no other. For as you can see," she points at her cheek, "I am not marked." He grins, wide and warm. "S' easy, feelin' alone.." The tea has an odd flavour, like chamomile, only sweeter, with the bite of mint. "t'.. invent things, sometimes. T' lose track." He cradles his own mug, carefully. "I 'm nae one tae give away secrets. If.. " He sighs, sobering a bit. "If th' Mark is tae mean somethin' down th' way... 't cannae be somethin' anyone forces. Hae t' be a choice, 'n.. that means wi' nae be a choice fer e'eryone." Ester takes a long dreg of the tea, "My reasons for not taking it as of yet are long and complicated. I will leave the story for another time." She leans over and sets the mug down on the counter. "For now I am afraid I must be off. I am feeling the urge to go hunt someone down and have a chat." She nods at Kael, "Thank you for the tea Master Firelight. Our conversation has been quite pleasant." Kael nods, slowly - "I.. wi' be waitin', Mistress. Wi'.. hope, y' ken?" He smiles, warmly. "Y' be safe. 'n y' stay warm out there - 's goin' tae be bitter t'night. Dangerous cold." Ester nods and starts heading for the door, "I will be back soon. Light Keep Master Firelight." And with that she walks out of the door.
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