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Who: Soren, the Crystal Exarch, and K'rihnn.
When: Very early Feoveuer.
Where: Exarch's & K'rihnn's place.
What: A meeting between a prospective Bonding partner and a current one.
Warnings: SHADOWBRINGERS SPOILERS.

[Soren finds his way back to the rose-decked brick house tucked in the Haven. The snow had thawed back since he last rested his eyes upon it, a dusting of white instead of a blanket. A few intrepid sparrows and wrens have already traded their chirps for musical songs as though their little syrinxes had the power to stir spring from its tender sleep prematurely. They aren't the only ones with their thoughts turned to renewal, to forming and nurturing partnerships with one another. All around him, wherever he seems to go, the glow of love seems to defy the lingering chill of early Feoveuer, the recent darkness that streaked across the city and left rawness in its wake. It's anything but forgotten, though, smeared at the back of everyone's minds. As the Mirrorbound heal together, it turns out that the darkness of the attack on their kind can used as kindling for an even stronger light to shine between them.

He raps gently on the door with his staff, one of the only things he has left of Tellius, an instrument once used for magical healing but rendered inert to serve him as an agent of healing in a different way: a cane. The Crystal Exarch had invited him over the watch to come meet his Bonded at last. Too much had happened between Deceuer and now... but at last, they can hope to move forward with their lives. Soren still doesn't look to be in great condition, poor complexion and chipped horns and other such maladies, but he's much better off than the wasted, blood-messed corpse that had to be carried out of the hideout that day in Iuneuer. He waits patiently, listens for the traces of muffled life to arise before it opens.]

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[The Exarch opens the door almost as soon as Soren knocks, having expected him. G'raha's smiling face greets him, cowl down for the moment; he's wearing an apron, too, which looks hilariously out of place on top of his robes. His smile is honest however, and warm, and there's a little hint of a red tail sweeping beneath his robes if the perked ears didn't give his happiness away. It smells overwhelmingly of fresh bread, warm cookies, chicken and creamy dumpling soup... in addition to the usual scents of cat, Dragon, and Fae dust.

The house is lively.]

Soren! 'Tis good to see you. Come in, come in—lunch is nearly ready, so you may make yourself comfortable at the table if you like.

[He steps aside and holds the door open with a flourish.]

Would you like tea or water?

[K'rihnn is currently in the kitchen to keep an eye on lunch, as well as to prepare tea or water or whatever their guest wants to drink. At least the cookies and bread have been done prior to Soren's arrival. He finishes setting the table and doling out even portions of soup before peeking somewhat shyly out from behind the entrance to the kitchen.]

Um... lunch is ready. I, er, hope you like what we've prepared. Ah... the Exarch didn't... really give me much to go on.

[He doesn't even have a proper look at Soren, but he can already tell he's going to be intimidated. Oh, boy. It's a good thing G'raha is their intermediary.]

[Soren's lips form a tiny, helpless smile upon being greeted by G'raha's pleasure to see him, fading into an agreeable placidity as he dodders his way inside but not chasing the warm touch from his heart to be greeted like that and accepted into his domain as though he already belonged here.]

I think tea sounds lovely. [And as they close in on the kitchen area, he gets his first glimpse of K'rihnn peeking out from behind the entryway. He's about what he expected to find, but naturally a bit different from the initial image cultivated of him. For whatever reason, he'd been anticipating a cool lilac hair color all along, like it somehow suited a thunder dragon. The draconic features vary slightly from what he pictured. But he can definitely see that he was once full Miqo'te, just like G'raha is. And of course, he's retreating, unable to look him in the eye. Definitely shy around new people. More than he is, and in a different way.]

It should be fine. [His voice is calm, a naturally soft and airy quality pushing it, yet his tone is rather down-to-earth.] I'm not too choosy about what I eat, so your chances of disappointing me are slim. The smell is promising.

[Should he... introduce himself? It's not like it isn't obvious who he is, and who K'rihnn is. Still... after a beat, he adds, for formality's sake:]

It's nice to finally be able to meet you, Rihnn.

[🙃]

Edited 2020-02-16 09:49 (UTC)

[K'rihnn steps aside to allow both Soren and G'raha entry into the kitchen. This affords him a better look at the other Dragon, who he finds intimidating as he thought. At the same time, the younger Miqo'te will certainly acknowledge that Soren is also very pretty. He does give a small smile, at least, at the compliment paid to how the food smells.

Then he blushes bright red at the name used for him. K'rihnn looks up at G'raha with a small frown, clearly ready to gently scold the redhead.]

Exarch, you should've told him....

[Or G'raha did this on purpose. It's hard to tell when a mischievous mood decides to take over the old Seeker. K'rihnn shakes his head and smiles a little at Soren.]

'Tis likewise nice to meet you, Soren. I apologize for my better half neglecting to tell you that, in our culture as Seekers of the Sun, 'Rihnn' is a familiar name. My full name is K'rihnn Tia, but you may call me K'rihnn.

[He'll gesture over to the table.]

Please, take a seat and I'll pour some tea for us.

[He glances back at his Bonded peeking around the corner with a smile that he hopes is encouraging. K'rihnn does so poorly around new people, but it'll be fine as long as he's here. He thinks. G'raha has become something of a politician, though he finds it hard to think like one when it comes to people he cares for.

Thankfully the introductions start... but not before G'raha realizes his mistake. His ears pin as he realizes one important fact: he forgot to mention the thing about familiar names.]

Ah—m-my apologies!

[Definitely not on purpose! He clears his throat politely.]

I pray you will forgive me that misstep. It has been a long time since I was able to live as my old self. I daresay I would have forgotten my own name if the others were not so insistent on reminding the boy within. [He pulls out chairs for Soren and K'rihnn before taking a seat himself-- of course, between them.] My thanks for pouring the tea, old friend.

[And now his gaze settles on Soren again.]

Are you recovering apace?

[Ah... what an embarrassing faux pas, even though the fault ultimately did not rest at his feet. Exarch!!!! He wouldn't be nearly as ashamed if K'rihnn's flustered reaction wasn't so contagious. He keeps quiet with averted eyes as G'raha settles the matter with an apology and an explanation, props his staff somewhere it wouldn't fall over, and limps over to take the seat indicated for him.]

You're forgiven, G'raha; I will simply amend this by addressing him as K'rihnn from now on. [K'rihnn Tia... like G'raha Tia? They share the final portion of that name, which he notes to bring up later and ask what it means.] ...As for my recovery, most of my wounds have healed over. I've been sleeping more often than not. I can't seem to help it, but it's probably better for me that I rest as much as possible.

[Days on end, sometimes. He would never have been able to do that as a human. K'rihnn seems to be in a bad way, too, the most notable sign being the gauze covering his right eye. He glances past G'raha over at him, but not for long, since it might make him nervous. Recovery is perhaps the most positive spin for this rather dark topic to take, which makes it all the easier to talk about.]

You were caught up in the same mess, too, weren't you, K'rihnn? A shame, the whole debacle. How are you faring?

[K'rihnn has a gift for spreading the awkward and social anxiety around, quite honestly.

As Soren speaks of his recovery, the purple-haired Miqo'te is going to fix up mugs of tea. G'raha's is made special, otherwise he might use all of the cream. He sets the mugs down for each person, as well as the cream and sugar. At least if G'raha needs more cream, he won't have to use the whole thing.

He smiles gently and sits down as the redhead pulls out a chair for him.]

I think I would politely disagree about the 'boy' part of it, Raha.

[Now that he's gotten an indication that Soren does, indeed, know G'raha's name. The younger Seeker tries to be subtle in curling his tail across the older Miqo'te's. Just to give G'raha a silent indication that it's really fine.

K'rihnn touches the bottom of his bandaged eye out of absent-minded habit.]

I was, indeed. I was one of the ones who aided others in the first escape attempt... but I'm slowly mending. I don't have a full range of movement nor as much stamina for tasks, but 'tis getting better by the day.

[He shakes his head slightly.]

The hard part is getting Raha to not overuse his magic.

Of course. You should be resting as much as you need; even if that means more sleep than usual, the lack of sunlight is not helping, I suspect. Still, I am glad to hear that you are much recovered.

[G'raha politely does not reach for more cream when he tastes the tea, at least. His bright red eyes shift to K'rihnn's with some alarm when he's called out, however. He makes a noise and swallows, then sets the tea down. Politely disagree? If they weren't with company he would debate that further.

... Of course, K'rihnn doesn't give him much of a choice. His cheeks pinken.]

'Tis of no moment, I assure you.

[Soren keeps his tea clear of sugar and cream, leaving more for the cats to indulge in. Come on, G'raha. We all know you want more. Soren saw how much you put in last time... He tuts upon hearing that Crystal Grandpa hasn't stopped going hard.]

Still overworking ourselves, are we?

[He's being ganged up on, here... Soren lifts his cup to take a tiny preliminary sip.]

Must be a bad habit. I'm sure there is a way to put a stop to all of that. Especially with all hands on deck.

[It's not too late to call off the Bond!]

[On Soren's response, K'rihnn thinks that he'll get along with his fellow Dragon just fine. And, more importantly, G'raha will be in good hands.]

Raha, please, I swear you work harder than any Warrior of Light does.

[Which is saying a lot, really.]

'Tis... likely a habit he's picked up from certain people, myself included.

[Maybe let's not get into the kind of confusing discussion of Warriors of Light and how there are multiple different reflections here.]

But, I will say, you've been good about napping when necessary, Raha.

[They just won't mention that it's K'rihnn who has to convince him to take one. Not that it's taken much coaxing, really.]

[G'raha's ears flatten against his hair for a minute, giving away his disdain at being teased. A part of him knows that if he was better at pacing himself, he might not suffer the consequences of their concern. But he also knows he is capable of much and more if he puts his mind to it, and so he... keeps doing it. He hasn't changed his tune in a hundred years and he isn't about to start, not with so much work to do.]

I think I do not work hard enough, to be quite honest. There is plenty to be done and not nearly enough hands to do it.

[There might be some invisible tail-curling under the table so that K'rihnn knows that G'raha isn't truly upset.]

But, [he says reluctantly,] I suppose we could all use a break once in a while. I know for a fact I've fallen behind on my reading.

And something tells me there won't be many more snow days incoming to provide you a convenient enough excuse. Rest can be just as productive as work; I don't need to tell you that.

[Ike and some of the others had told him something like that before, back when he lost nights of sleep poring through books of his own, staring holes into maps, wracking his brain for the best strategies, and attending to his other various staff officer duties during the wars they fought in. There is a lot he doesn't understand about the nuances of these Miqo'tes and their world. Warrior of Light? Seekers of the Sun? He can only make guesses as to their meaning based on context alone. Of course, he could always ask, but he would be derailing many a conversation to do so. Now might be a good opportunity to ask about at least one thing as their harping on G'raha's workaholic tendencies draws to a close, for starters.]

The both of you share the same... surname, is it? 'Tia'. What does that mean? Are you family? Tied together in some way?

[K'rihnn won't chime in this time, mostly because there's nothing to add to Soren's statement. It's the unvarnished truth, though he recognizes he could stand to take the same advice at times. Still, he curls his own tail in subtle acknowledgement to G'raha. K'rihnn has a moment of relief to know that he didn't go too far with his teasing.

He blushes at the question, but it's a fair one when the other Dragon doesn't have an equivalent to Seeker culture on his world.]

Mm, no, 'tia' is more like a... title, I suppose, given to the admittedly rare men born into the tribe. Put simply, it means we are not nunhs in our tribes, which gives us freedom to leave the tribe as adventurers or scholars or such. Women, on the other hand, will take their father's name as their surname, and aren't beholden to the same 'rules' men are.

[K'rihnn will just leave explaining tribes to G'raha. He has enough just explaining the difference between tias and nunhs.]

A nunh is the father of the tribe and keeper of the tribe's lands, though very rarely the leader. He's the only one in the tribe who sires children, and he's only replaced when bested in strength by a tia from that tribe. As such, our culture tends to thrive on polyamory, though it's not unheard of for a Seeker to be monogamous.

[The purple-haired Miqo'te suddenly sighs as he's suddenly reminded of M'zhet's existence.]

And it's also not unheard of for a would-be nunh to be incredibly stupid about the whole thing. As I, sadly, know of one tia who fits that description and he isn't here, thank all that is holy.

[Soren casts unfavorable judgment upon the whole system, particularly since it sounds like a male's right to have children is founded upon a contest of strength alone. It sounds very... 'laguz' of them.]

What a primitive system. [Soren! Don't be culturally insensitive, here! You can practically hear Titania chastising him and apologizing on his behalf.] Is strength really all that matters?

Of course. [He's happy to move on from that subject, even if it means something embarrassing like their surnames being compared. He coughs lightly but lets K'rihnn explain; he recognizes the other Miqo'te is growing more brave as they sit and eat and converse like any set of friends, and he's happy to encourage that.]

For a brief moment I thought you were about to name me.

[His humor fades. Soren's disdain is near-palpable even without a Bond. He closes his eyes for a moment, thinking about how to explain this.]

No, strength is not everything. Sometimes a nunh might find ways to train the younger tias. This could be anything-- be it taking care of children, hunting with the tribe, managing resources, or coming up with ways to tackle the tribe's problems. Everyone must learn how to contribute to the tribe, and sometimes that means leaving it for a time. To grow stronger, smarter, to understand how the world works...

If a tia does not wish to challenge the nunh, he can prove himself by claiming more territory for the tribe and be named a nunh that way. The tribe has more food to eat and more hands to help-- a net gain in any case.

Whatever the result, women constitute the majority of the tribe, and they have some sway over who leads it.

[K'rihnn can't help smiling at that.]

Ah, no, he's a different redhead, I promise. He's from the M tribe.

[At Soren's disapproval, he can't help touching the bottom of his bandaged eye again. This time it seems more like a nervous habit or reminder of a bad memory.]

It isn't... a perfect system, not by any means, but I've yet to see a perfect system in all my travels, either. We are neither exorbitantly prosperous nor numerous, and... our homes are typically located in rather harsh environments, such as deserts and tundras. We each do our part to not just survive, but thrive in such places.

[Soren absorbs this information with a patient ear, relaxing his initial prejudiced grip a little bit. There is a lot he has yet to understand of the Miqo'te and the Seekers of the Sun, and like both beorc and laguz, there exist individuals who do not represent the greater whole. It's a nuanced structure belonging to a world he's never seen before, at any rate, with problems and solutions of its own. He still doesn't like the idea of it. But he can at least try to understand it. It's a big step in coming to understand who he plans on connecting to. And they are not laguz. Even if they are a race, one that likely harbors unsavory opinions of outsiders. They all do. But refreshingly, it has nothing to do with him.

...Nonetheless... how would they feel about a species like his, should the matter ever come up? Maybe they would be better off not knowing such a trivial detail that affects nobody here. They cannot even sense the 'wrongness' about him, if a trace of it even exists any longer with the incursion of scales. His mark never left.]

You're right about that. A perfect system probably doesn't exist anywhere so long as there are multiple perspectives to judge it from. ...Something else I've noticed about your names: how your familiar names differ from the full ones. [He looks over to K'rihnn at first:] You call him Raha instead of G'raha; he calls you Rihnn and omits the first portion. [Then, there was this fellow they were riffing on from the 'M' tribe.] Does that have anything to do with the tribes you belong to?

Edited 2020-02-18 07:56 (UTC)

Ah... I see.

[No doubt one of the adventures that didn't make its way into a book.

He glances at K'rihnn, following the movement, and then returns his gaze to Soren. At least no one is getting incensed about it. G'raha feels a weird sort of attachment to a society that he left behind a hundred years ago, along with his dead friends and family and tribe. It feels like it's his, and yet he'll never see it again.]

An astute observation, to be sure! We carry our tribes in the first syllable, and the rest is our given name. Mine is represented by the letter G, though it is pronounced Goo. Rihnn's is much the same, but his tribe is K or Koo-- an interesting coincidence that they rhyme. And so-- we are Goo-Raha, and Koo-Rihnn. Of course it sounds much lighter on the tongue in practice.

I should note that the other Miqo'te here come from a different clan, so their culture and experiences are much different from what we've told you.

[There's a reason for that.

K'rihnn feels a moment of panic when Soren addresses him with that question. Fortunately, G'raha answers it instead, though the bit about their tribes riming has him blushing. He plays with the ends of his fringe, trying to cover it up by taking a big bite of bread and soup.

At least he's done with that bite by the time the Exarch is done with his explanation.]

Essentially... there's a tribe for every letter. Or, rather, a letter for every tribe.

And, yes, the other Miqo'te here are what we call Keepers of the Moon, or just Keepers. As might be obvious, our cultures, experiences, and even our physiology can be as different as night and day.

I see... Do the Seekers and the Keepers get along in spite of their differences?

[All of these Mirrorbound, surrounded by others who come from the same world... and yet here he is, the only one who knows of Tellius. A distinct brand of loneliness settles over him like a mist. No matter who he bumps into, be it Mirrorbound or a native of Geardagas, someone, somewhere, has one reason or another to consider him an outsider. For this moment, he seems to fit at their table just fine, no matter what sets them apart. It's been the closest he's come to being able to feel like he can finally belong somewhere in Aefenglom.

And yet... he doesn't. Will he ever? He suspects that no matter how congenial their relations, there will always be some invisible barrier insulating them from him. When all is said and done, there is only one true place he will always belong, the side he will always return to above all others. This is immutable for him. Something he has decided long ago. All else will come and pass. For now, he is but a waif wandering through the wilderness, taking refuge with others every now and then for what is necessary. He remains quiet for a spell, listening to the explanation as he starts dipping his spoon into his bowl for a taste. His expression had already been at rest, but contentedness washes over him as the flavor fills his mouth. At a brief interlude where he's not interrupting anything, he decides it might go over well if he let K'rihhn know how he feels about it.]

It turns out that your soup does taste as good as it smells, K'rihhn.

[K'rihnn runs a hand through his hair with a small frown. That's... definitely a question.]

They... tolerate each other, as a general rule. I wish I could say otherwise, but... our two clans don't exactly like to intermingle much. Neither of them especially don't approve of a Seeker and a Keeper having a family together, in particular.

So... in a lot of ways, Raha and I are outliers amongst Seekers.

[At least the compliment made about the food gets him to brighten up. He gives Soren a small, shy smile as his tail sways happily behind him.]

Ah, thank you. 'Tis kind of you to say, and Raha deserves some praise as well. He helped quite a bit.

[He lets K'rihnn answer that, as he hasn't been on the Source recently enough to say for sure if anything has changed. He shrugs lightly.]

It helps that they tend to choose different areas to live in. Keepers are nocturnal and prefer dense woods and temperate places, whereas Seekers like us tend to hail from the more inhospitable hotter climes. Of course, Miqo'te living in cities or adventuring are the exception.

On the First, such differences are somewhat negated by the fact that the world has teetered on the brink for so long.

[He takes a bite after Soren remarks on the food and hums in agreement. His lips quirk upward.]

The credit is all Rihnn's. I chopped some vegetables and tasted the broth when his back was turned-- nothing deserving of praise.

[There is a lot he has yet to comprehend about the complexities of a world beyond Tellius, beyond Talam, one that has little to do with him or Geardagas's current problems except that it's the place that shaped his ~~is there a term for a bond fiancé~~ soon-to-be-bonded, along with quite a few others who are roaming this city. Racial differences are only one facet. It might be good to learn more about it— perhaps not all at once, but over time. He helps himself to another spoonful of homemade soup before branching his line of questioning into a different direction.]

The First?

[The Exarch's ears twitch.]

Ah...

[He sets his spoon down.]

When we spoke at length, I mentioned that each Shard of the original world is its own world, with people and cultures similar to those of the Source but not quite the same. The First is one of those shards, named so for its closeness to its sister. [He glances at K'rihnn.] I mentioned some part of my struggle so that he would understand there are... certain risks involved with my company. 'Tis difficult otherwise to explain why I still wear the cowl.

[And back to Soren, as he idly chases a dumpling around with his spoon.]

The First is where I have spent the last hundred or so years, working tirelessly to thwart Emet-Selch's plans. After some... conversing with him, I think he has given up on making our stay here more exciting than it should be. And for that I am grateful, though still uneasy. I suppose-- [He ducks his head for a moment.] -- some habits are difficult to break.

[K'rihnn tilts his head slightly, but the Exarch's explanation is good enough for him. He simply nods and takes a few more spoonfuls of lunch.

Seeing G'raha duck his head like that, he sets his spoon down to reach up and start scratching behind one of his ears. It's a habit, at this point.]

Some more than others, mayhaps, though you won't see me argue your want for secrecy with regards to him, even after your 'truce.'

[He puts his hand back down. Some things just can't be forgiven nor forgotten.]

But, getting back on the topic, all told there are a total of 13 Shards. Or... were, I suppose. One has become a nightmare-ish void, while seven have been Rejoined with the Source... with calamitous results. Fortunately, we were able to prevent the First from becoming the eighth such Shard to be Rejoined.

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finally rolls on over to this, sorry!

omg you're fine!

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soren pls stop asking for all the infodumps i beg of you

FJDKLSJFKSDLF

let the exarch Speak