forum Broken Betrothal (O/O Closed)

Started May 06, 2022 by @Bunty group

tune

Kené didn't waste even a second at the mention of food. "Both, and very much so at that. Our journey was a long one." It was true. Their tribe very rarely kept horses for travel, so they often walked wherever they needed to go. It usually wasn't much of a trek, particularly when it came to walking to nearby villages for trading posts, but the two Esokans had travelled for three days to make it to the coast. Sars' affinity for water made the trip much easier.

When he was young, Sars' mother used told him that even with the demons, dragons, and worst of all, necromancers, the true danger of the desert was dehydration. If Sars didn't have an affinity for water, they would've had to purchase a mule to pack gallons of water on. Chieftess' sons or no, their tribe didn't have an Esokan with a water affinity to spare. The only other was an older woman named Sheiiba, and she needed to stay with the tribe to provide water for them. His mother was hoping one of the younglings would develop an affinity for water so they could continue to rely on themselves for water rather than wedding someone into their tribe, but Sars didn't have high hopes. The Esokan bloodline has been getting watered down over the past century, and the water affinity has been getting rarer and rarer. Some other tribes that they were aligned with got much luckier, but a problem would arise one day when the Esokans would be unable to live safely in the desert. He highly doubted they would be very welcome in other regions, not that they would even move in the first place. Such a big part of Esokan culture was rooted in the dunes, it was not a place they could just up and leave without remorse.

Mori's mouth twitched into a small smile, and she nodded. "Of course. I will have a servant show you to your rooms, and we shall meet for dinner in an hour and a half." she replied. She gestured to a servant who had been standing quietly in the shadows, who bowed quickly and then came over to Sars and Kene. It was a different servant than the Kelpie woman this time; this young man was tall and rather gangly, all long limbs and angles. He had red hair and a freckled face, and was more than likely just a regular human.

"If you'll come this way." he said to the Eoiali brothers, voice accented but still clear enough to understand. "I'll show you to your rooms."

"If there are any problems with the rooms chosen for you, let us know." Markos added, eyes on the two young men.

The servant led the two from the throne room and down a corridor. Once they were in the corridor, the stone floor was now covered with a soft carpet, as they were far enough from the entrance that water would have dried by now. The young man led the two up a flight of stairs, down a second hallway, and then gestured to a pair of doors. "These'll be yer rooms." he said. "Lord 'n Lady Imber gave you sea view rooms." these, as the name suggested, were rooms that were situated against the cliff, and therefore looked out to sea. If either of them was going to be cynical about it, they were also some of the rooms further from the entrance, and more difficult to escape from. He opened the doors. "Yer rooms open t' each other. You've each go' yer own bathroom and a closet. If yah need anythin', yeh can ring one o' yer bells, and someone'll be up t' help." he stepped back so that the two could go in.

The rooms were virtually identical; one was decorated in red, and the other in blue. Other than that, they were very similar. Each had wooden furniture, a thick mattress, soft blankets. A plush carpet, to keep their feet warm. Each also had a desk and a chair, as well as an armchair, and a fireplace, along with bookshelves. Along the rooms' shared wall was a door, which was clearly the one that led between the two. On the opposite wall, a pair of doors; one for the closet, one for the bathroom. Only one wall had windows, and that was the same wall as the one that the head of the bed rested against. The windows were rectangular, and looked out to the sea. The waves crashing against the cliffs could be heard, a constant soundtrack to the goings-on within Esol'a Vera. Each room had two windows, one on either side of the bed, and light streamed in through them.

"Thank you very much," Kené said politely before they departed from the throne room. Sars didn't do so much as wave goodbye before following behind his brother swiftly. He was sure the younger male probably noticed, and probably wasn't appreciative of his less than polite behavior to his potential future wife and family, and that would have to be an apology for another time.

For now, Sars focused on the way to their rooms. Up two floors, down the hall, only so many rooms passed before they stopped… Sars took to memory the way out. Just in case. "Thank you, sir," Sars said quietly to the servant that led them here before striding into the red room and shutting the door behind him. His brother went into the blue room not a moment later, but it was no surprise when the door between the rooms opened up. He could feel his brother's presence, even more so when heat, just a smidge away from actually touching flame, flared behind him.

Sars turned with a deadpan stare to find his brother with a wide stance, remanent flames dancing along his hands. "Sarsönil," The younger Esokan said through gritted teeth, "I know you're all cranky about being here and this whole betrothal thing, but seriously? You didn't even try to be nice. You aren't even getting into an arranged marriage." Sars opened his mouth slowly to respond, but Kené's flames flared on his arms as anger leaked into his voice, "Did you even realize what family you were talking to? I know you like to live in your little bubble of 'Esokans are so perfect out on their own in the middle of nowhere and they don't need to respect anyone else', but those people are powerful whether you like it or not. You're acting out of your own mind, brother!" Sars began reaching into his pool of magic and using it to pull water up from the ocean. It was like pulling up sand with his fingertips and trying to keep it from falling out. "Moriana Imber, Sarsönil. Even though you believe you're invincible, we are on her home turf. What if she came after our tribe? What do you think would happen? Would you being willing to take that risk?" A bucket's worth of water was rising from the ocean, gaining speed with each second. Kené's flames grew with every bit of irritation and anger he was letting out. "Even if we did kill every person she sent, even if we killed the Imbers themselves, do you know what that would do to Father? Do you think he would-"

"Enough." Cold ocean water gushed through the cracks of the window, flying through the air and dousing the younger Esokan with water. The flames were immediately extinguished. The younger male's eyes flared, about to go on, but then he really saw Sars. The pain on his face, the nerve that he pressed. "I'm sorry, Kené," He said quietly, drawing in the water off of his brother's clothing into a floating orb beside them. He made sure not to get a speck on the carpet, mostly because he didn't want the servants to be blamed. "I was acting very immature in there. I didn't consider that you're trying to start good relations. You're making a sacrifice for the future of the tribe, and I let my pride and selfishness get in the way." Sars bowed his head and held out both of his wrists to his brother, the Esokan way of asking for forgiveness.

Kené was silent for a moment, his lips moving to form words but stopping before they got out. He finally settled on grabbing Sars' wrists and turning them inward against each other. Sars lifted his head. "I'm sorry too. I- I didn't mean the words I said in the way that I said them," Kené told him gently, and his sincerity shown in his dark brown eyes as he released Sars' forearms. They were both silent for a moment before Sars' hold on the water orb began to slip and he sent it back out the window to crash back down to the ocean below.

"Let's get changed into dinner clothes," Sars said softly to break the silence between them and slowly peeled away his Pillaxian cloak. He wore a simple dark brown tunic and light brown parts beneath, but he pulled a slim black pack off his back that was hidden beneath his cloak to retrieve the rest of his clothes. They were made of light material, so they packed away easily. His brother mirrored his motions, and they both changed into a fresh set of formal clothes. Kené chose a light short sleeved tan tunic that showed off his tattoo and rust pants, the color matching his leather neck wrap and the leather bracelet he always wore. The tunic had some small burn marks on the edges, but nothing too noticeable. Sars favored a simple black tunic and black pants, the tunic with sleeves that went down to his elbows, but both his arms were covered by dark brown leather wraps. He untied and retied his long hair, putting it up to a bun tight against his head. "I am going to lie down until dinner. Let me know if you need anything," Sars told his brother quietly, grabbing his pack and cloak. He was going for the blue room- the only reason he took the red was because he knew his brother wanted it.

Just before he shut the door connecting them, Kené spoke up, "Sars, I really am sorry about what I said. You're not out of your mind." Sars only nodded in response and closed the door behind him before slumping on the bed. He didn't show how much his brother's words eased his heart.

"They certainly seem like interesting young men, though I believe we'll need to keep an eye on the older one." Markos said, once the two brothers were gone. "Sarsonil, I believe his name was? He seemed none too happy to be here." he wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, then looked over at his daughter and narrowed his eyes. "Though I am disappointed that you rose to the bait and glared back at him. Don't think I didn't notice that, Everia."

Eve sighed faintly. "He started it. And I only glared for a minute." she adjusted her dress, crossing her arms and looking over at her parents.

"Eve." Mori raised her eyebrows at her daughter, giving her a look that had killed lesser men. "You will not be marrying him. Ignore that behavior and focus on the other one." she paused for a moment, considering. "But if either one is inappropriate, you are of course allowed to defend yourself."

Eve shrugged a shoulder. "I was already planning on that. Any hands in the wrong places and I'm going to get to castrate one of them." she grinned at her mother, thinking of the metal in her piercings that could so quickly turn to blades in her hands.

"Eve. Keep a civil tongue in your head, especially at dinner. If I hear you threatening either one of them, or regaling them with a tale of death at sea…" Mori trailed off, still giving her daughter a quelling look. "You will keep your conversation appropriate and correct for this dinner."

Eve sighed faintly, but nodded. "Fine, mother." she replied.

(I love Eve more and more haha)

Sars rested his eyes for nearly twenty minutes before he couldn't stop himself from getting up and opening the window. It was a long drop down to the water below, but the walls of the castle were something to consider. With proper equipment, they might be able to be scaled. If they really had to bail, jumping into the water and hoping he would be able to ease them into the ocean with his magic was the best bet. It wouldn't be ideal, but it was still possible.

A knock on the door between his room and Kené's sounded, interrupting Sars from his escape back up planning. His brother walked in a moment later, not waiting for a welcome. He looked more fidgety than usual. "How much do we tell them about us, Sars?" Kené asked, already beginning to walk back and forth in the room.

Sars turned to face his brother and hoisted himself up to sit on the window ledge. He considered the question for a moment. "The less they know the better. They must already know that we are some type of threat, they wouldn't be considering a marriage if they didn't know that. They might know about our elemental affinities. I don't think they truly know why we have our dangerous reputation." Most didn't. Only those native to Pillax had a strong knowledge of Esokans, even then it wasn't common. Sars had only met a couple of outsiders that knew the threat that Esokans were, and those people -the ones that were still alive- were not people he wished to encounter again.

"What about Everia?" Kené asked, plopping onto Sars' bed while his foot began to bounce rapidly. Was Kené truly this nervous for a simple dinner? Sars knew his brother tended to get fidgety easily, but this seemed irregular for him. They had had a meal with much more important people and Kené hadn't looked concerned in the slightest.

When the younger male didn't elaborate, Sars spoke, "What about her?" She was just another one of the Imber's, there was no reason she should know. Not until they were getting closer to an actual marriage, and even then, that was a conversation to be had in Pillax. On Esokan territory.

Kené's leg bouncing stopped as he looked at his brother. "Doesn't she deserve to know?" At the sight of Sars' continued confused expression, Kené frowned slightly. His voice was unnaturally steady like a feather dropped onto water as he said, "What about Analite?" Oh. Oh. That's what this was about. Sars' eyes drifted to the leather bracelet on his brother's wrist. Analite was someone very special to Kené. Sars had watched the two of them grow closer for many years.

Sars thought over his words very carefully before opening his mouth, "You will tell her before your marriage, but marriage isn't really a sure thing quite yet. We still need to get acquainted to the family. Everia is a pirate, Kené, not Esokanise. We all know what it's like, the possibility- you will tell Everia in due time. But until then it doesn't concern her." Kené bit his lip, and Sars put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "She won't be hurt, Kené. Let that thought slip away from your mind." Kené went through a lot surrounding Analite, and it was still a soft spot for him. No matter Sars' feelings on the betrothal, he wouldn't push that memory. They all had their broken wounds that needed stitching.

The younger Esokan stood up, and though less bouncy, he still seemed unsettled. At least until he put on that perfected smile. "Thank you, Sars. I'm starving, let's go down and find the dining room. I'm sure the Imbers would appreciate meeting the nice, respectful brother of mine," Kené told him with a new grin, and Sars couldn't tell if it was real or not. He hoped it was real as he followed his brother out the door to the room to find their way through the too-big castle of Esol'a Vera.

(:D thanks!)

They headed to dinner after a little while; Eve didn't change into a different dress, as she saw no reason to. The dining room was not as large as it could have been, and while the table could certainly have fit more people, it was not overly large. It was almost cozy, though not quite. It was just slightly too large to be cozy. Markos sat at the head of the table, with Mori to his right and Eve to his left. The two brothers would be across from each other, one beside Eve and the other beside Mori.

Eve settled herself into her chair, having to take an extra moment to arrange her skirt. It was rather irritating, to try and sit with it on, but she had had enough practice. It was fine.

With a few more unnecessary turns, only a small amount of brotherly bickering on where to go, and asking for directions from a servant, the two Esokans entered the dining room. Sars took his seat next to Moriana, leaving Kené to sit next to Everia. "Thank you for serving us this meal and providing us lodgings," Sars said as he laid his hands flat on the table, and he glanced over each Imber. His eyes were not cold, but they weren't warm either. His mother always said an apology was never complete without change, and Sars held to that.

"I second that statement, the rooms are wonderful. The view is breathtaking," Kené added with a smile, a childlike glimmer of joy and wonder flickering in his eyes as he looked around at the decor of the room.

"You are welcome." Markos replied. "And I am glad you like the view. Our sea view rooms are the nicer ones in Esol'a Vera. The ones overlooking the town have a less pleasant view." and, occasionally, an odor. In spring, when everything began to warm, the smells that wafted from the town were often less than pleasant.

Eve glanced at Kene when he sat beside her, but didn't speak or do anything over than give him a quick, faint smile. She shifted in her seat just a little bit, gaze flicking about the small group gathered around the table.

Kené hummed in agreement. "Do you all live here most of the time, or out at sea?" The younger Esokan asked as he shifted in his seat slightly to look at Everia without having to turn his head directly toward her. Sars watched the two. They didn't look like a good match, in his opinion. Kené needed someone who would go back to the deserts, start a family, and help him make wise decisions. Everia Imber… she did not look like that kind of woman. She looked like a lady who wouldn't let a thousand miles get in the way of her taking big risks and living life to its fullest, and a bit rebellious to norms and expectations if the dark lipstick meant anything. Too bold for Kené. She lived untethered, and Kené needed a tether. Sars didn't want to watch his brother slip into complete frivolity and impulse. He honestly doubted that Everia would be able to handle the weight that all Esokans carried purely because of their bloodline.

(should clarify, the lipstick isn't black, it's just darker lol)

"My husband and I divide our time relatively equally between the land holdings and our ships, but Eve prefers her ship over the land, generally." Mori replied, gesturing to a servant to begin the meal. A few servants brought out the platters, setting them on the table so that the family and the Esokans could serve themselves from the platters.

"I prefer the sea." Eve agreed, gaze moving from her mother, past Sars, and then over to Kene. "Land is stagnant. It's always been here and it always will be, and it doesn't change. The ocean is different by the hour, and there's always something new." and she loved the pirating, too, but she had told her mother she would be civil. And she did love the ocean and being out on it, so it wasn't as if her words were a lie.

(Oh whoops, my bad! More so a deep red shade? Or like a blue-ish / purple-ish colored one?)

Kené listened attentively to Everia while Sars favored to watch the food come in on platters. It didn't look to be food that he was used to, as he family often relied on raising and harvesting Pillaxian oxen, and sparsely purchasing foods from nearby towns. Esokans were blessed with a low metabolism to sustain their lifestyle in the desert, and his mother managed their tribe's funds conservatively to be prepared for the worst. There was a decent number of accidents, a significant portion caused by Sars himself, that needed covering up or a debt paid.

Distrust flashed in Kené's eyes as Sars opened his mouth, "I would agree," His eyes were focused on the food rather than the woman across the table, waiting for the Imbers to serve themselves before he would grab the food for himself. "Your land is quite stagnant." He felt Kené's foot touch his own in warning. "The desert is something else. It only takes a storm to roll through and the dunes are completely reformed. And being constantly on the move helps too, of course, with the whole desert to roam free on," Sars said, a small smile dashing over his lips as he talked about home. His eyes finally moved up from the table to look at his brother's potential bride as he asked, "What do you do while trapped on a little ship for so many days at a time?"

(like,,, you know the lipstick tones that are kind of a matte brownish tone? like that)

Eve raised an eyebrow at Sars' words, clearly taking them as a slight challenge. "What do you do while trapped in a caravan for days?" she countered. "And my ship is not little, either." sure, she was not an overly large ship, but Eve's ship was nothing to sniff at. "As for what we do aboard her…" she shrugged a shoulder. "We do whatever we like. Clearly, you have never jumped from the side of a ship and swam in the ocean. Free of land, free of anything but just you and the ocean and the currents around you." she clearly loved being aboard her ship and out on the sea, even if Sars thought it sounded like a terrible place to be.

(Oh, sort of like this?)

Sars tipped his head to the side, making himself take a breath through his nose before responding, "We do not live in caravans. We live under the stars, in tents, we travel on our own two legs from day to day," Sars would've gone on to say how she clearly never walked so far in the desert that everything looked the same until the stars blossomed in the pit black night sky, but he caught himself as he felt Kené's stare.

Any opportunity to change his mind about holding his tongue was taken away when Kené cut in, "You know, Sars would probably like that quite a bit- he has an affinity for water magic. Just as I can control fire." While Sars doubted he would like that, and his pride roared at the surrender to the challenge, he told himself it was a good thing that Kené took control of the conversation. The younger brother was much better at placidly diplomatic dialogues.

(yeah, exactly!)

"How exhausting." Eve said dryly to Sars, in response to his comment about walking on their own two legs. Then her gaze moved to Kene, taking in the younger Esokan's words. "I see." she replied. "Well, perhaps if we ever get the chance, we can go out on my ship at some point. See how well you and your brother enjoy it out on the ocean." she lifted her glass, playing with it just a little bit, though her gaze remained on Kene. The earrings in her ears flashed in the lighting, metal glinting.

"That sounds amazing," Kené said immediately, a bright smile appearing on his lips while his foot bounced beneath the table. Sars would only come to protect his brother, and that was that. Despite his brother's joyful attitude, Sars was not here for a vacation.

The older Esokan turned his attention to Moriana and Markos Imber. "Given the contexts that this arrangement goes," Sars waved his hand in a circle for a moment as he grabbed the right word, "well enough, what would be expected of my brother and his presence in your territory? Would he needed to live in your land holdings, or on your ships, would he have any leave to go back to Pillax?" He asked, his sharp eyes narrowed slightly more. He knew his brother wouldn't love the change in topic, but it was something he needed to face one day anyways.

Mori exhaled softly. "Dinner is perhaps not the best time to try and iron out all of these details." she said. "However, your brother would likely live with Eve aboard her ship, most of the time, or on one of the land holdings. He would of course be welcome to visit Pillax, but the expectation would be for him to be here the vast majority of the time."

"With all due respect," A few words added purely because Sars was trying to be a bit nicer than their first meeting with the Imbers, "I don't like to waste time." Sars pick off a bit of meat to chew on, sending a careful glance towards his brother. Kené was an adult, he could make his own decisions, Sars had to remind himself. Even if his brother's face showed no hesitation, or second thoughts, at the sound of leaving home, leaving the Esokan way of life. Sars didn't like this version of his brother. So willing to listen politely to a family from outside their tribe, so willing to admire this beautiful castle and the ocean only a short walk out the door. Sars had hardly ever been this close to water, so close to limitless uses of the magic in his veins, and he didn't feel the slightest bit inclined to stay here. Sars didn't want to die here. He doubted, if the younger Esokan actually put some thought into it, that Kené would want to die here either.

The night before his ritual, when he was about to turn twelve, Sars' mother took him out away from camp to lay down on a dune and look up at the clear night sky. It had been unusually cold that night, but his mother had just wrapped him up in a cloak and told him she had a story to tell. See, up there? The four stars, in a perfect square. She had been pointing out a constellation that most people did not know the story of. That's Tréöliz. See those stars next to him? That's his arms and his legs, and beside him that line of stars in the horns of a Pillaxian ox. The story of Tréöliz was one dear to most Esokans. Death came after his heart. But Tréöliz looked death in the eyes, and said 'no. I control you.' Then he grabbed death by the throat and put him in a little bottle. Tréöliz put that bottle in the center of his square chest, right next to his heart. Every Esokan knew the story of how Tréöliz found his lover while wandering the endless desert of Pillax. But when the time came to give each other their hearts, Tréöliz's lover could not reach into his chest, because death was guarding his heart. So you know what Tréöliz did? He set death free. He said that there was no better place to die than home, and he finally found it when he gave his heart to his love. It was said that Tréöliz didn't die for another century. Since then, death patrols these dunes, and makes sure we will only meet him while we are home. Sars would hate himself if any place but the desert was his home. Pillax was a part of him, and he knew that he would come to rest there and only there when death came for his heart.

"Of course not." Markos interjected, giving his wife a soft smile, before looking over at the two Esokans. "No one likes to waste time. However, I don't believe a meal spent getting to know each other is wasted time. It is merely time spent differently. Not all of our time needs to be spent hammering for exacting details and working out the exact proposal and plan. First we have to ensure at least some level of compatibility." Markos also knew that, at some point, they would have to ensure that Kene and Eve were actually capable of, well, reproducing together. There was the worry that the genetics would be just different enough that a child would not be possible. Of course, that was not something he was going to bring up just yet. It wasn't a good topic for dinner.

Eve sighed very faintly, shaking her head a tiny bit. Sars was already getting on her nerves.

"Sounds like something our mother would agree with," Kené said gently, cutting himself off a portion of the meat and taking a bite. Sars supposed it was true. If their mother were here right now, she'd probably be asking them all sorts of questions about the culture in Islilia, the Imber family, their governmental system… He didn't know how she could do it- be so invested in other people's lives like that. "She's a very patient woman, but that's a trait my brother didn't inherit," Kené said with a sly grin growing on his lips.

Sars rolled his eyes but kept himself focused on the food instead as he said, "Oh please. Who was it that could hardly sit still while I was summoning us water during the walk here?" Kené waved him off with his fork before cutting himself another bite, but Sars now turned toward Markos and Moriana. "If we are to talk more pleasantries, hopefully you could humor us by telling us what got your eyes pointed towards our people in the desert in the first place?" If they were to get to know each other more, Sars wanted to know why.

Markos's glance moved to his wife, so that she could answer the question. Mori exhaled faintly. "We wanted a family that had some power. Markos does not have close enough ties to any powerful Azfel, what with their being…well, very clannish. I am from Islilia to begin with, and therefore don't have many ties outside of it. We wanted a family from outside of Islilia, that had enough power for a close to equal match." she skirted around the fact that the Imbers had more power, and so all of this was slanted in their favor. "The fact that you are from the desert was not a deciding factor in our talks." Markos had been the one that had been the harder to bring around to it. He had wanted someone from Islilia, or from Azfel, rather than a stranger from another land. But he had come around to it eventually, as Mori had known that he would.

As Sars was about to ask more about what power value the Esokans had to the Imbers, nothing more than an angry dog on a leash to them, Sars assumed, Kené cut in with his own question, "Can you tell us more about Azfellians? I know my brother once met with the royal family of the elves," Sars sent his younger brother a glare- that was information he didn't like to go blabbering about, given that the elves held themselves up highly in the social ranks, "but we don't know much about Azfel and the culture, besides small bits and stories our mother taught us when we were younglings." Their mother taught them many, many different things when they were young about all the peoples of Yurul, probably because she wanted them to be as wise as she was one day, if that could ever happen. She focused most on the people of Pillax, on the dangers that some posed to them so they would be prepared when a time came to face them, but the most interesting teachings were the tales of wonder and intrigue based in the different regions.

Markos sighed faintly, taking in the question. "We are similar to elves and fae. Same genetic family, at least." he replied, cocking his head very faintly. "We tend to stick to ourselves, and we don't often leave our own holdings. My family was not pleased when I married Mori." he gave his wife a soft smile, then looked over at the two brothers again. "I am…honestly not quite sure what you want me to tell you. Abilities? Physical features? Culture?" he laughed a little. "It has been a long time since I was part of Azfel culture, but I could still tell you some of it."

Kené leaned in slightly, his eyes bouncing between Moriana and Markos as the man talked. "I've always found magic to be interesting, so pray tell," Kené said with an easy smile. Sars regarded most magic users outside of Esokans as some level of danger, even if they didn't pose a threat. Magic wasn't something that could be easily subdued, Sars knew from firsthand experience when others tried to subdue him. His water couldn't be stopped by simple knives and fists. He was blessed to be able to easily extinguish his brother's magic, but it took a great deal of fire power to evaporate his water, he would more often fail from exhaustion before it came to that.

Markos nodded, thinking for a moment. "We have the ability to use glamour, like the Fae do." he did not often use his, as it was tiring to use it long-term. It could be useful, though, when he wanted to disguise himself. "While we cannot ensorcell humans, we can influence them through magic words. We can lie, though it is more difficult than it is for humans." Azfel were more closely related to Fae than to Elves, though all three races had similarities to each other. "Magic can differ from Azfel to Azfel. It tends to be specific, though. Less broad. For instance, one Azfel might have the ability to control animals, but another might have the ability to become invisible. It often depends on the positioning of the sun, the moon, the stars, and even the child's own temperament. The abilities do not show up until puberty, either, which is why most scholars who study the patterns of our magic believe that the child's temperament has more to do with the magic than the solar sky."

The younger Esokan listened intently before glancing between Markos and Everia Imber. "So what can you two do? Or- uh, I don't know how strong -or, dominant- Azfel bloodlines are," Kené's eyes landed on Everia as he asked her, "Can you use magic?" Esokan bloodlines were quite different from most races. When an Esokan and a human had a child, the child would be an Esokan, just with insignificantly less magic and Esokan traits. Their mother had told them long ago Esokans used to be much stronger, almost impossible to stop or control, but since then their race had been mercifully diluted to become an 'average' amount of power, not entirely different from an elf or a necromancer. The Eoiali family was significantly stronger than most Esokans. Their mother was already fairly strong, but the depth of their power was inherited by their father. He came from a long line of exclusively Esokan ancestors, which had its advantages and disadvantages when it came to protecting the tribe.

Eve's mouth quirked faintly, and she glanced to her father for guidance. He gave her a quick gesture, and she nodded, before turning back to the Esokans. She reached up with her hand, and one of the piercings in her ear flew to her fingers, quickly growing and morphing into a small dagger, held delicately in her fingers. "That's my ability." she said, twirling it between her fingers as she watched the Eoiali brothers. "Metal manipulation." she smiled just a little bit. Markos did not reveal his ability; better to leave it a mystery and let Eve show off.

Kené's eyes widened with amazement. "Wow… You could kill someone with their own weapon, just by turning it in on itself- that's so cool," He said, a smile appearing on his face, but then he caught himself and quickly added, "I'm sure it would be good for blacksmithing too, and dozens of other practical uses." It was true, metal manipulation would be quite handy for a family to have. Weapons, stealing precious metals, slicing someone's neck from behind without them ever seeing it coming… It was a new threat that Sars would have to keep in mind about the girl.

Eve smiled again, nodding as the dagger shrunk and turned back into her earring, which she easily popped back into her ear. "It has quite a lot of excellent uses." she agreed, picking up her fork and taking a bite of food. "I find it more useful than some other abilities I could have had." she really did love her ability; it meant she never went anywhere unarmed, even if she didn't have a sword or dagger strapped to her side. Metal was everywhere. Even if someone took all the metal she carried on her, it was unavoidable that it would be somewhere nearby.

Sars found his eyes quickly dashing over Everia, trying to catch any bit of metal on her. It wasn't like he could do anything, but he couldn't stop himself from analysis. Kené shot him a glance, and that was his cue to go back to eating. It was a hard balance- trying to grant his brother's wishes and relax a little more, socialize, and play nice while trying to obey his chieftess' orders to protect the younger Esokan. Given Sars' nature, it was incredibly difficult to do both. He was too much like his father sometimes, unable to feel compassion and appreciation for the small things like getting to know someone. Sometimes it was simply much easier, much more efficient, to learn someone by seeing how they acted when they stared death in the face.

Eve kept eating her food, smirking very faintly. She knew that Sars was stuyding her, knew that now everything she did would be second-guessed and judged by Sars as untrustworthy. But that was fine. She didn't mind. It added a little more excitement to her days, and gods knew it would get boring soon enough. Trapped in Esol'a Vera while they discussed the marriage. She was already bored of it. "So, what abilities do you two have, again? You asked my father for information about the Azfellian, but you haven't provided any about yourselves. So, tell us about you?" she raised her eyebrows at Sars, then at Kene.

Mori cleared her throat faintly, a soft warning to her daughter to not be rude in her questioning. Sars and Kene had been well within their rights to ask for more information about the Azfel, and Eve was within hers to request the same about the Esokans. As long as Eve was being polite about it, it was fine.