Fell is going to Fukeru Ukuure.
Feres is going to Darkling Dawn
Vaesai is standing at Lantessama.
Both of them had matured greatly from the small, slight children that he had taken under his wing almost ten years ago. Now they stood almost as tall as he did, their bodies sculpted by the training he had put them through when it became obvious that they wanted to become mercenaries.
Selesst watched them with the careful eye of a weaponsmaster, noting how they moved and stood… and found himself pleased with what he saw.
“There is nothing more that I alone can teach you,” he turned and made his way to one side of the training room, stopping in front of a chest and kneeling before it. Behind him, he could hear the twins approaching, to stop a few feet from him and watch with curiosity.
“Master…”
Ignoring Tirnavor for the time, Selesst carefully unlocked the chest, then reached into it, his hands gripping the sheathes of two swords…
It is time for me to give these to them… time to send them on their way. How I wish I could keep them close, shelter them from the world… but it is not to be. By all that I hold dear… damn you, Fadornen, for making it so obvious to me how important these two are.
And damn the knowledge that tells me that those who are so important do not live very safe lives.
Forcing back a sigh – along with the desire to just slam the chest closed again and ignore everything in it – he rose, a sheathed sword gripped in either hand. For a long moment, he contemplated the identical looking sheathes and blades, before finally turning to face the twins once more.
“Here. It is the tradition of my country for each teacher to present his pupils with their first true weapon when they are ready to leave on their own.”
The twins stared at him in surprise, and even ever-talkative Tirnavor seemed at a loss for words.
Not that it lasted long.
“Master… where did you get these blades?” Tirnavor asked as he took the proffered weapon from Selesst, a frown of puzzlement crossing his face as he felt the balance, “And… how is this so well balanced to me?”
Selesst simply smiled, “My country has many secrets, Tir, as you should know by now.”
The young man grimaced, giving his mentor a disgusted look, “And I wish that you’d stop being so mysterious. You’re as unreadable as everyone else in this place, and Fell is the only one that actually gives a straight answer! It’s just not –fair-.”
“Fair? Tirnavor, life is never fair,” Selesst’s lips thinned as he considered some of what he had been through, before pushing it all aside once more, “I suggest that you get used to it.”
Sorthion finally looked up from his sword and spoke, “Master, what do you suggest we do? Where should we go? And… when?”
“Whatever, and whenever, you want. You’re both free to come and go as you wish, now. So, go, shoo,” he smiled to take any sting out of his words, “talk it over between the two of you, and decide what, where, and when as you see fit.”
Silver eyes watched the two identical twins as they turned and walked slowly out of the room, talking softly between themselves.
Gods… gods… what now? I just sent my only students out into the world, to live or die as life decides… Now what? None will take me as a mercenary anymore, they’d declare that I’m too old, unknowing that I’ve got over a hundred more years stretching before me.
I have… nothing. Nothing at all. There are so few people around here that want training like I could give them, or would even think of accepting training from a homeless foreigner…
I feel so… alone. So weary of all of this. There is nothing left for me here! Nothing! Gods… nothing…
Spinning on his heel, Selesst bolted from the echoingly empty room, making sure to take the lesser used corridors, in order to avoid running into either Vaesai or the twins, or, worse yet, Feres.
The man confused him, greatly. It was as if Feres felt it his duty to just… be there. Always. As if he felt that, without his presence, Selesst would do something stupid.
And he could not decide whether he truly hated the attention, or was merely attempting to fool himself into believing that he did.
He didn’t want to think of what it could mean if he actually desired – craved perhaps – the attention.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Feres paused at the doorway that led out onto the balcony, dark eyes focused completely on the mostly still form of the one he had come to respect and admire and, perhaps, even love to some extent. Behind him, he could feel Vaesai depart in her typical silent manner, leaving the two of them alone in the darkness. His sister was elsewhere, practicing her skills on the poor of the city for free, and he could sense no impending danger for her.
He was free to focus on this complex little puzzle that Vaesai had dropped into his lap without even a by-your-leave.
Selesst shifted slightly, moving enough that part of his body was illuminated by the faint moonlight, enough to show that he was leaning heavily against the railing, head down and silver eyes dark with some emotion, as he apparently contemplated the ground far below.
Feres' lips thinned and compressed into a frown as he caught sight of the swirling possible futures about Selesst, for once blessing his gift instead of cursing it, for what it revealed to him, though vague in meaning, was that this was a keystone in the man's life. What was said and done now would open the doors wide to death - the most common of the possibilities that he saw - or life... and it was disturbing how slight of a chance it seemed life had.
He crossed swiftly to Selesst's side, leaning comfortably on the high railing, facing the other, "Courting death is one thing, you know, but to throw yourself blindly into his arms..."
"And what would you know of it?"
Feres suppressed a frown at the almost dead sound of the other's voice, "Plenty. Death has been my lover for most of my life... I've courted him since my birth. You've lost everything you care for, so you see no reason to continue living, despite the years that should stretch wide before you."
"Because of them!" Selesst snapped sharply.
A small smile, "So, you've still got some of that bite left, good. I was beginning to wonder."
A dark growl reached Feres' ears, as one of Selesst's hands fisted around the edge of the railing, knuckles white from the pressure, "What matter it to you, death bringer, whether I live or not?"
He had to laugh at that, and shook his head in amusement, "Death bringer? Heh, my dear man, you're the one trained in the assassin's arts, not I. I am merely enchanted, enthralled perhaps, by all that death is. And perhaps..." Feres reached out a hand lightening quick, grabbing Selesst's chin and forcing the man to look up at him, "Perhaps you misjudge how much you mean to those around you."
Selesst's silver eyes narrowed dangerously, one hand coming up to grip Feres' wrist in a hold almost strong enough to fracture bones, yet he had misjudged the taller man's strength, and could not free himself, "Release me, whelp! Or do you wish to finally meet your 'lover' face to face for the rest of eternity?"
Feres blinked, feeling, suddenly, like a fly caught in a web, despite the fact that he should have held the upper hand easily. He was taller, stronger, faster... yet when faced with the suddenly blazing anger that had risen up unexpectedly from the man that, only a few seconds before, had sounded like death was merely two breaths away, all of his advantages seemed to crumble away like paper into ash.
Yet at the same time, he felt... compelled almost, to not back down from the challenge that Selesst had thrown at him, "I think not, old man," he smiled in amusement, skillfully hiding his shiver of fear at the red-hot rage that blazed up suddenly in Selesst's eyes, "I really don't want you doing anything stupid, you know... for both of our sakes."
Selesst opened his mouth once more, intending on giving the younger man a verbal lashing that he would never forget...
And Feres, acting on some inner prompting that even he didn't quite understand, moved just enough to put their faces centimeters from the other, whispering softly, "Don't do something insane like throwing everything away... before you know what it is that you're throwing away." And proceeded to press his lips to Selesst's in a soft, rather chaste kiss.
He could feel the older man stiffen, and felt the shock radiating off in waves, mixed with flat out confusion. Almost reluctantly, he broke the kiss off, and released his grip on Selesst's chin as he backed away a few steps, sharply aware of Selesst's still-strong grip on his right wrist as he met the other's eyes. Rage no longer blazed within the silver orbs, as confusion and slight shock now darkened them, tinged with a sharp edge of troubled thoughts that made his face rigid and rather cold.
"What... the hell... do you think you’re doing?"
Feres smiled faintly, "It's called kissing, you old stick-in-the-mud. It's what people do, you know... and I -do- mean what I said before."
Selesst struggled to collect himself enough to formulate a reply, settling for a hissing, scathing tone of voice, "I know what kissing is, whelp. I was married for almost two decades, if you'll recall."
"You know," Feres smiled, twisting his right hand just enough to grab Selesst's wrist in turn, subtly bringing the man's attention back to the fact that he was the one still clinging to Feres, "we really aren't that far apart in age. Only, what, a three year difference?"
Silver eyes flickered down to glance at their wrists, before darting back up to hold Feres' eyes once more, "And your point would be, whelp?"
He laughed softly, releasing Selesst's wrist as he did, and wondered whether it was disappointment that he felt when the other let go only a few seconds later, "Nothing, of course. Just keep in mind what I said, Selesst. Think this over before you decide."
The response he received was nothing more than a dark growl, as Selesst turned back to the railing and resumed his original position, body still stiff with confusion.
Feres merely smiled faintly as he stopped fighting against his innate shadow magic, and allowed the shadows to swallow him whole once more.