It was only belatedly that he recalled Aurora had a houseguest. He'd met her only once, and in rather hurried circumstances at that, but he hoped she would not mind the intrusion overmuch. The conversation of several years ago now was playing back in his memory with startling clarity, and he thought perhaps he owed the young mage a visitāthis time, bearing gifts. Well, a gift, in the singular, but it was one he thought might be appreciated. Tucking it under his arm, he wound his way back through the slightly-dingier side of Lowtown, until he reached the faƧade he recognized. There was something about it that seemed a little sturdier than the surrounding hovels, and somehow, he got the impression that it might be a little harder to break into this one than the others on the street. Not that he had much experience breaking and enteringāthat was assuredly more Rilienās area of expertise than his own.
Raising an arm, he knocked a few times on the wooden door. Then, because he figured it was the polite thing to do when the mailed fist on your friendās door could always be something much less pleasant than you over for a visit, he called out. āAurora? Itās Lucien. Are you in?ā
There was a moment of silence before the shuffle of feet echoed from within. The door knob twisted and the door cracked open enough to reveal-- not Aurora, but Milly answering the door. "Lucien?" Milly asked rhetorically. She knew of the man, and what little she did know other than what their initial cursory meeting revealed, Aurora had told her. Even so, Lucien was not a man easily forgotten, a tall man encased in a aegis of armor. All of the armor he wore was a shock and had cause for her to stumble over her words. "Uh, A-Aurora's out for the moment," She replied, unable to not see the shapes of templars in his shadow.
Still, she was not ungracious, and it was Aurora's friend. "But!" She caught herself rather forcefully, "She should be back at any moment. If you wish, you can come inside and wait for her," she added and opened the door wider for him to enter-- though she believed it would never open wide enough for him to enter comfortably. The interior of Aurora's home had undergone a metamorphosis since the last time Lucien had been inside, solely due to the elven mage that now took up residence. The two roomed hovel now sported a layer of fresh eggshell white paint, the floors immaculately swept, and even the placement of furniture seemed to be better.
Milly left the entry room for a moment, slipping into the back room and returning with a pair of chairs, setting both in the middle of the floor. "Please," she offered, taking a seat on the nearby bed. In the other room, the edge of a cot was visible past the threshold.
He wasnāt exactly sure what about him made her uncomfortable, but in his experience, it was usually either his size or his armor, possibly both. So as he took the proffered seat, he smiled. There wasnāt much of anything he could do about his height except sit down, and the armor was a force of habit. So he made himself as disarming as he could; he had no wish to cause unnecessary anxiety. āYour home is looking very cheerful,ā he told her truthfully, without the faintest hint of condescension. āAlas, the same cannot be said for my own.ā Remembering the parcel under his arm, he removed it and set it upon a nearby end table.
āRemembering a conversation Aurora and I had quite some years ago, I managed to track down an Antivan vintage this time. I thought perhaps a little taste of home would not go awryāthough I apologize for not knowing whether you imbibe, Milian.ā He at least removed his gauntlets, considering they would be of little help in the handling of glasses, if indeed Aurora found herself wanting to uncork the thing upon her arrival. These, he set carefully over his knee, then turned back to his current hostess. āMay I ask how you are finding Kirkwall? It is not always the easiest place to live in, perhaps especially for those who face your challenges. Still, I imagine itās nice to have a friend to help.ā
"The change is... different I'll admit, but not unwelcome. It's nice to know there's something on the outside," Milly answered. Taking a curious glance at the parcel Lucien was carrying, she couldn't help but chuckle at. "If I didn't, then I would've dehydrated a long time ago. Io sono Antivan," She said, slipping into a bit of her Antivan tongue. Though the wine the Circle always served was a dulled diluted type, there were moments were some of the Senior enchanters brought a few real bottles that they shared with the best pupils. Still, the gift was for Aurora and she was not so rude as to expect the package to be opened for her sake alone.
Turning back to the earlier conversation, she thought about the city she found herself calling home. "Kirkwall is... It's no fairy tale, and it wasn't like the stories Rosy told me of the outside world, but then again, I didn't expect it to be. I'm just happy there's a roof over my head and Templars not watching my every move," She said, biting her lip as she spoke. "Though I couldn't help but have hoped her home would have been a smidge bigger," She said with a smile, holding her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.
"How about you Lucien? Was Kirkwall as you expected?"
Lucienās smile grew a little wider, and he chuckled softly, shrugging a shoulder in a helpless gesture. Even his own home was not very spacious, but he was so rarely in it that it never really bothered him. He wasnāt too sure whether heād be keeping it or simply moving into the barracks and allowing his own present houseguests to keep it. It was more theirs than his by now, anyway. His reply, he gave some thought to, and when he did speak, it was clear that heād contemplated similar questions at length. āYes, and no,ā he admitted thoughtfully, reclining back slightly in the chair and crossing one ankle over the opposite knee. āI supposeā¦ I did not expect it to be as disparate as it is; not because Iām unused to that, but because I thought that other places were less so than where Iād come from. I also did not expect to enjoy my time here, and yet for all that, I believe I have.ā
His thoughts on Kirkwall as a place were rather complicated, but he supposed in the end, he still wasnāt quite settled on the question, and perhaps that explained it somewhat. āThere are good people here, and assuredly less-good ones as well. I am fortunate to spend much more of my time with the former than the latter. I think, in the end, that matters more than where I find myself on a map, thoughā¦ I will admit to some homesickness, from time to time.ā
"You aren't the only one," A voice replied as its owner entered through the door. Aurora shut the door behind her with one hand as the other held a loaf of bread and a few fruits. "I find myself thinking about Bastion in quiet moments," She continued. If she seemed surprised to see Lucien, she didn't show it, but perhaps surprised was the wrong word. She was pleased she entered her home and found Lucien taking up most of their floor space. She moved past him, placing a hand on his armored shoulder as she went and spoke as she entered the other room to put the groceries down. "Do you ever peel that armor off?" Because at that point, she was certain that if the armor was to be removed, then a peeling sound it would make. "Anyone who'd come after you at this point is just stupid."
āAnd yet they come still,ā he replied with a close-lipped smile.
Returning to the entry room, Aurora took the second chair and sat. "So what brings you to our humble abode?" Aurora asked, having missed the answer to Milly's question and curious as to what brought him their way.
āNostalgia, mostly,ā he admitted ruefully, but then gestured to the bottle on the end table. āAnd perhaps also the desire to share it with someone who seems to understand. I was of a mind to ask you a question, Aurora; I was hoping your answer might illuminate mine a little.ā It was rare that he sought other people for advice anymoreāsomehow, he usually found himself giving it. This, he attributed simply to having a relatively large amount of life experience packed into the years heād lived. But as he was presently without his own answer, he thought perhaps hers might be helpful to him. Rilien was very good at thinking logically and removed from emotional consideration, but that simply wasnāt the way Lucien needed to make this choice. His emotions, such as they were, would figure into it importantly.
āIf you could go back, without having to worry about Templars or Circles or any of itā¦ would you?ā
Now that surprised her. Aurora's eyes grew for a moment before she turned to Milly, who simply shrugged and gave her a he asked you look. Aurora interlocked her fingers and placed her elbows on her knees, resting her chin on her knuckles as she turned pensive. It was a question she asked herself many times. Amalia and her teachings had instilled in her logic, practical thinking, and gave her the tools to form her own philosphy, but home was home and that was no illusion. It was an answer based in emotion, and she had learned to compartmentalize that. She allowed it to show when there was no harm in it, but kept it tied down when it would prove an issue.
"The logical answer would be yes, but I feel like you're not searching for logic," She said. If he had wanted a logical answer, then he had many more friends who could answer with that. She left it at that for the time being searching her own feelings for her own answer. "You know," She began, "Back before this," she said, raising her calloused hands, "Before I know how to fight, how to stay in control of myself, there was a word-- a name I used to tell myself to find my center." her back straightened as she leaned back against the chair and crossed her arms. "Rosaline," She said. The only person who knew of that was Amalia, yet she didn't find a reason to keep it secret among friends.
"She was my mother, I was named after her and I was fortunate enough to favor her as I grew. Rosaline and Rosabella. The last time I saw my mother she broke down sobbing as I was dragged away by a team of Templars," She spoke about it in a matter-of-factly way, but it was clear by the emotions playing across her face that it was anything but. "But would I go back if I had nothing to worry about?" She repeated for herself, mulling it over again.
It was a time before she found her answer, and perhaps it wasn't the one she was expecting, but it was one she felt right. "I don't think I would," She answered, much to Milly's surprise. "I mean, I'd like to visit at least. I don't want the last memory of my family be one in tears, I want it to be all their smiles. But would I go back to stay? No, no I don't think I would. I've found a place here. I have friends, I have a home, and most importantly I feel that I have a purpose. I've changed in my time here, and I feel that I have a great many things to change yet."
He supposed, in the end, that heād rather expected her to say something like that. Perhaps it was why heād asked her the question, and not someone else. Sitting as far back as his chair would allow, Lucien propped his elbows on the wooden arms of the thing and steepled his fingers beneath his chin, giving the answer the consideration it deserved. It made a fair amount of good sense, reallyāand it echoed some things heād been thinking himself. But there was still a very big difference, and that was the position heād be returning to if he did return. He supposed it came down to a simple-enough question, then: was the potential good he could do if he took up his old peerage and titles outweighed by everything in this life of his that he valued, and the good he could do here? It was hard to say what a friendship was against a political reform, or rather a potential reform years down the line, because they were just very dissimilar things, completely different in kind and almost incommensurable.
He didnāt know if there was really a wrong choice, but he began to suspect that there might be a right one. The corner of his mouth slanted upwards, and he nodded slightly. āThank you, Aurora. That wasā¦ helpful.ā He relaxed a bit. āNow, perhaps the two of you would consent to uncork this bottle and regale me with tales of Antiva? I think it a fortuitous day for sharing such things, perhaps.ā
A smile found it's way to Aurora's lip as she flicked her wrist and extended the blade hidden in her bracer. "Hand me the bottle and I'll pop it," She answered as Milly rose from her own seat. "And I'll fetch a few glasses," She explained as she skipped into the other room.
Raising an arm, he knocked a few times on the wooden door. Then, because he figured it was the polite thing to do when the mailed fist on your friendās door could always be something much less pleasant than you over for a visit, he called out. āAurora? Itās Lucien. Are you in?ā
There was a moment of silence before the shuffle of feet echoed from within. The door knob twisted and the door cracked open enough to reveal-- not Aurora, but Milly answering the door. "Lucien?" Milly asked rhetorically. She knew of the man, and what little she did know other than what their initial cursory meeting revealed, Aurora had told her. Even so, Lucien was not a man easily forgotten, a tall man encased in a aegis of armor. All of the armor he wore was a shock and had cause for her to stumble over her words. "Uh, A-Aurora's out for the moment," She replied, unable to not see the shapes of templars in his shadow.
Still, she was not ungracious, and it was Aurora's friend. "But!" She caught herself rather forcefully, "She should be back at any moment. If you wish, you can come inside and wait for her," she added and opened the door wider for him to enter-- though she believed it would never open wide enough for him to enter comfortably. The interior of Aurora's home had undergone a metamorphosis since the last time Lucien had been inside, solely due to the elven mage that now took up residence. The two roomed hovel now sported a layer of fresh eggshell white paint, the floors immaculately swept, and even the placement of furniture seemed to be better.
Milly left the entry room for a moment, slipping into the back room and returning with a pair of chairs, setting both in the middle of the floor. "Please," she offered, taking a seat on the nearby bed. In the other room, the edge of a cot was visible past the threshold.
He wasnāt exactly sure what about him made her uncomfortable, but in his experience, it was usually either his size or his armor, possibly both. So as he took the proffered seat, he smiled. There wasnāt much of anything he could do about his height except sit down, and the armor was a force of habit. So he made himself as disarming as he could; he had no wish to cause unnecessary anxiety. āYour home is looking very cheerful,ā he told her truthfully, without the faintest hint of condescension. āAlas, the same cannot be said for my own.ā Remembering the parcel under his arm, he removed it and set it upon a nearby end table.
āRemembering a conversation Aurora and I had quite some years ago, I managed to track down an Antivan vintage this time. I thought perhaps a little taste of home would not go awryāthough I apologize for not knowing whether you imbibe, Milian.ā He at least removed his gauntlets, considering they would be of little help in the handling of glasses, if indeed Aurora found herself wanting to uncork the thing upon her arrival. These, he set carefully over his knee, then turned back to his current hostess. āMay I ask how you are finding Kirkwall? It is not always the easiest place to live in, perhaps especially for those who face your challenges. Still, I imagine itās nice to have a friend to help.ā
"The change is... different I'll admit, but not unwelcome. It's nice to know there's something on the outside," Milly answered. Taking a curious glance at the parcel Lucien was carrying, she couldn't help but chuckle at. "If I didn't, then I would've dehydrated a long time ago. Io sono Antivan," She said, slipping into a bit of her Antivan tongue. Though the wine the Circle always served was a dulled diluted type, there were moments were some of the Senior enchanters brought a few real bottles that they shared with the best pupils. Still, the gift was for Aurora and she was not so rude as to expect the package to be opened for her sake alone.
Turning back to the earlier conversation, she thought about the city she found herself calling home. "Kirkwall is... It's no fairy tale, and it wasn't like the stories Rosy told me of the outside world, but then again, I didn't expect it to be. I'm just happy there's a roof over my head and Templars not watching my every move," She said, biting her lip as she spoke. "Though I couldn't help but have hoped her home would have been a smidge bigger," She said with a smile, holding her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.
"How about you Lucien? Was Kirkwall as you expected?"
Lucienās smile grew a little wider, and he chuckled softly, shrugging a shoulder in a helpless gesture. Even his own home was not very spacious, but he was so rarely in it that it never really bothered him. He wasnāt too sure whether heād be keeping it or simply moving into the barracks and allowing his own present houseguests to keep it. It was more theirs than his by now, anyway. His reply, he gave some thought to, and when he did speak, it was clear that heād contemplated similar questions at length. āYes, and no,ā he admitted thoughtfully, reclining back slightly in the chair and crossing one ankle over the opposite knee. āI supposeā¦ I did not expect it to be as disparate as it is; not because Iām unused to that, but because I thought that other places were less so than where Iād come from. I also did not expect to enjoy my time here, and yet for all that, I believe I have.ā
His thoughts on Kirkwall as a place were rather complicated, but he supposed in the end, he still wasnāt quite settled on the question, and perhaps that explained it somewhat. āThere are good people here, and assuredly less-good ones as well. I am fortunate to spend much more of my time with the former than the latter. I think, in the end, that matters more than where I find myself on a map, thoughā¦ I will admit to some homesickness, from time to time.ā
"You aren't the only one," A voice replied as its owner entered through the door. Aurora shut the door behind her with one hand as the other held a loaf of bread and a few fruits. "I find myself thinking about Bastion in quiet moments," She continued. If she seemed surprised to see Lucien, she didn't show it, but perhaps surprised was the wrong word. She was pleased she entered her home and found Lucien taking up most of their floor space. She moved past him, placing a hand on his armored shoulder as she went and spoke as she entered the other room to put the groceries down. "Do you ever peel that armor off?" Because at that point, she was certain that if the armor was to be removed, then a peeling sound it would make. "Anyone who'd come after you at this point is just stupid."
āAnd yet they come still,ā he replied with a close-lipped smile.
Returning to the entry room, Aurora took the second chair and sat. "So what brings you to our humble abode?" Aurora asked, having missed the answer to Milly's question and curious as to what brought him their way.
āNostalgia, mostly,ā he admitted ruefully, but then gestured to the bottle on the end table. āAnd perhaps also the desire to share it with someone who seems to understand. I was of a mind to ask you a question, Aurora; I was hoping your answer might illuminate mine a little.ā It was rare that he sought other people for advice anymoreāsomehow, he usually found himself giving it. This, he attributed simply to having a relatively large amount of life experience packed into the years heād lived. But as he was presently without his own answer, he thought perhaps hers might be helpful to him. Rilien was very good at thinking logically and removed from emotional consideration, but that simply wasnāt the way Lucien needed to make this choice. His emotions, such as they were, would figure into it importantly.
āIf you could go back, without having to worry about Templars or Circles or any of itā¦ would you?ā
Now that surprised her. Aurora's eyes grew for a moment before she turned to Milly, who simply shrugged and gave her a he asked you look. Aurora interlocked her fingers and placed her elbows on her knees, resting her chin on her knuckles as she turned pensive. It was a question she asked herself many times. Amalia and her teachings had instilled in her logic, practical thinking, and gave her the tools to form her own philosphy, but home was home and that was no illusion. It was an answer based in emotion, and she had learned to compartmentalize that. She allowed it to show when there was no harm in it, but kept it tied down when it would prove an issue.
"The logical answer would be yes, but I feel like you're not searching for logic," She said. If he had wanted a logical answer, then he had many more friends who could answer with that. She left it at that for the time being searching her own feelings for her own answer. "You know," She began, "Back before this," she said, raising her calloused hands, "Before I know how to fight, how to stay in control of myself, there was a word-- a name I used to tell myself to find my center." her back straightened as she leaned back against the chair and crossed her arms. "Rosaline," She said. The only person who knew of that was Amalia, yet she didn't find a reason to keep it secret among friends.
"She was my mother, I was named after her and I was fortunate enough to favor her as I grew. Rosaline and Rosabella. The last time I saw my mother she broke down sobbing as I was dragged away by a team of Templars," She spoke about it in a matter-of-factly way, but it was clear by the emotions playing across her face that it was anything but. "But would I go back if I had nothing to worry about?" She repeated for herself, mulling it over again.
It was a time before she found her answer, and perhaps it wasn't the one she was expecting, but it was one she felt right. "I don't think I would," She answered, much to Milly's surprise. "I mean, I'd like to visit at least. I don't want the last memory of my family be one in tears, I want it to be all their smiles. But would I go back to stay? No, no I don't think I would. I've found a place here. I have friends, I have a home, and most importantly I feel that I have a purpose. I've changed in my time here, and I feel that I have a great many things to change yet."
He supposed, in the end, that heād rather expected her to say something like that. Perhaps it was why heād asked her the question, and not someone else. Sitting as far back as his chair would allow, Lucien propped his elbows on the wooden arms of the thing and steepled his fingers beneath his chin, giving the answer the consideration it deserved. It made a fair amount of good sense, reallyāand it echoed some things heād been thinking himself. But there was still a very big difference, and that was the position heād be returning to if he did return. He supposed it came down to a simple-enough question, then: was the potential good he could do if he took up his old peerage and titles outweighed by everything in this life of his that he valued, and the good he could do here? It was hard to say what a friendship was against a political reform, or rather a potential reform years down the line, because they were just very dissimilar things, completely different in kind and almost incommensurable.
He didnāt know if there was really a wrong choice, but he began to suspect that there might be a right one. The corner of his mouth slanted upwards, and he nodded slightly. āThank you, Aurora. That wasā¦ helpful.ā He relaxed a bit. āNow, perhaps the two of you would consent to uncork this bottle and regale me with tales of Antiva? I think it a fortuitous day for sharing such things, perhaps.ā
A smile found it's way to Aurora's lip as she flicked her wrist and extended the blade hidden in her bracer. "Hand me the bottle and I'll pop it," She answered as Milly rose from her own seat. "And I'll fetch a few glasses," She explained as she skipped into the other room.