westfallcorndog: (Anna: What)
Harrowheart ([personal profile] westfallcorndog) wrote2016-08-14 06:42 am
Entry tags:

Annarchy and Ageswaps (For Viatorus)

"Are there any mages around?" a young girl shouts. Her voice already sounds hoarse; presumably she's been at this for a while now as she walks along the sidewalks of the Nexus. She's found herself at the edge of the crowded Downtown district where highrises and quirky restaurants are soon to give way to The Underbelly. At a loss for where she is or where she ought to be going, she simply goes. If she walks in a straight line long enough she's sure to find someone who'll help her. Right?

"I need a mage's help! Anybody?" she tries again. She looks to be about twelve with dusty blonde hair, tanned skin, large front teeth, and a look of utter confusion on her face. She wears a red plaid shirt rolled up to the elbows and a pair of canvas shorts stained and smudged long ago by dirt and grass. Her arms are wrapped around her tightly and she looks in all directions like a person expecting to be ambushed. 

"I– I can tip?" she tries, though not too loudly. Who knows what'll happen if she announces that she has money in the city?
heirtothearcane: (Bearded questions)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-01 09:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Both the question and Harrowheart's less than graceful reaction to it, drop Viatorus' jaw slightly as the awkwardness hits him like a train. "Uh... I'll... I'll inherit some... When my parents pass away... But I own a... home. I... I have my own property."

He looks between Harrowheart and Isidor, then, checking to see if this response is acceptable, and rubbing his phone instead of checking it, lest he draw Anna's attention to it.

"It's... part of my job to make sure he has everything he needs," Isidor elaborates. "Including his own property and income."

It's only then Viatorus glances down at his phone and tries (and fails) to hide a smile, then he returns to the conversation at hand.
heirtothearcane: (Bearded questions)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-02 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Harrowheart wasn't the only one who interpreted Anna that way, with Isidor going red and Viatorus coughing to cover up his anxious jittering. Both of them are all too happy to listen to explanations, Isidor paying particular attention, nodding her understanding as the two children speak.

As per usual, Viatorus has half slipped out of the conversation by the time it turns to him. Vague musings on robot arms from Harrowheart's mystical world are interrupted as he tries to catch up. Belatedly he replies, "Hm? Oh. It's fine. The beard's a bit itchy..."

But Isidor is already grinning at Harrowheart's line of questioning, leaning back and reaching over to scratch at the back of her brother's head. "Not quite, but it looks like it could be thinning."

"It's not!" Viatorus exclaims, shocked and defensive, he bats his sister's hand away and gently covers his head with his other hand. He huffs at Harrowheart then, wagging a finger. "I bought you cake!"

"You're never growing a beard," Isidor declares now that she's properly looking at him. "It makes you look ridiculous. Like a scruffy hermit."
heirtothearcane: (Bearded questions)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-03 05:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Anna's protest is echoed by both Durants, Viatorus' hand coming down to wave at Harrowheart to get him to stop, but Anna already has it covered. That leaves them both free to give the exceptionally important topic of Viatorus' beard their full attention.

Naturally, Viatorus is far more interested in mention of another mage, but the two children are far too fast and excitable for him to get a word in edgeways until they leave him one. By that point they've given him proposals to consider.

Isidor's quicker to share her opinions. She wrinkles up her nose and shakes her head. "Not sideburns. He'd look like an Amish pastor wearing tweed."

"Shaving all the time is a lot of hassle, though," Viatorus pipes up. "Maybe if I keep it trimmed..."

Judging by Isidor's scrunched up face, she'd undecided on that one.

The pause is enough to allow Viatorus a chance to steer the conversation himself. "Do only mages have beards in your world, Anna? Or do you think your brother would look good with one too? It might make him more dashing and masculine too."
heirtothearcane: (Beard with thinking added)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-03 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
It's with all the respect and seriousness of socio-political topics that Viatorus leans forward and nods while they work through the status of beards in Azeroth. That he manages to lead the conversation into such a sombre topic, however, makes him blanch. Harrowheart is already on it, though! Quickly turning the conversation onto... Isidor's theoretical beard. Viatorus looks over to his sister, who, at this rate, is going to have one raised eyebrow and a mildly perturbed expression fixed onto her face.

"I've never thought about it before..." She hesitates, distracted by Harrowheart's clear nervousness. With a bit of concentration, she looks away and remains composed, persisting with the topic presented to her. "If I was a man, maybe... Maybe something Italian, or Spanish. A beard, but expertly groomed. Thin, sharp lines." Her gaze roams over to her brother again and she smirks. "Nothing as lazy or scruffy as Viatorus'." She turns her smile to Anna. "What about you? Would you grow a beard?"
heirtothearcane: (Beard with thinking added)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-04 12:21 pm (UTC)(link)
The cheeky jab at the choice of topic gets a large smile from Isidor. It's not often that she gets someone to bounce of off like this, indulging in childish playfulness. To a limit, of course.

"A goatee might be nice. And you could braid it, or braid things into it," she suggests, adding a little fuel to the harmless daydream. As for Harrowheart's question, she shakes her head. "I like the age I am now. I can keep up with my brother and nobody is dismissive of me. If I could change, I would choose not to."

"She's always been a middle aged woman," Viatorus tells them, failing to hide a smile. "She started bossing people around as soon as she could talk."

"Don't say things like that!" Isidor snaps, embarrassed, before Viatorus' large smile and tilt of his head makes her realise the irony of her response. Flushing red, she holds her breath a moment, then laughs. "You'd be lost without me bossing you around."

Viatorus nods. "I would."

"I'm glad Viatorus isn't young, either," Isidor continues. "I'd never find him."
heirtothearcane: (Bearded questions)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-04 01:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Harrowheart's proud beaming is mirrored by Isidor, but Viatorus smiles sheepishly, awkwardly trying to appear humble and harmless.

"You have something in common then. Viatorus used to go up trees all the time too. He was always looking for somewhere quiet to read or sleep," Isidor tells them.

"Different places mean different feelings when you drift off, which means different dreams," Viatorus jumps into explaining. "It was interesting, and important to testing out my skills."

Isidor is all too happy to share the ordeals of being the dreamwalker's sister and patron. It's with light hearted exasperation that she continues. "As soon as I would turn away for two seconds he would tuck himself away somewhere strange and hidden and fall asleep. So he wouldn't hear me calling him." She leans closer. "One of his favourite spots was on top of bookcases. We had high ceilings and bookcases that would stretch up to them. Sometimes there was a bit of a gap between the bookcase and the ceiling. He'd use a little air magic to get up there, out of the way and hard to spot."
heirtothearcane: (Bearded questions)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-04 08:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Harrowheart's suggestion gets a full, unrestrained laugh from Isidor. It might be the first in a long time. It certainly feels like it. Buoyed by the ridiculous notion, she cheerfully replies, "I still might!"

Viatorus comes dangerously close to rolling his eyes, but doesn't quite. "It was nice. Before people found out."

Calming, Isidor stumbles a little at Anna's question. "I'm... just a patron. I don't really specialise as much as a scholar, like Viatorus, would."

Beside her, Viatorus blinks at her, confused. "But you are a specialist." It's his turn to be proud as he announces, "Isidor is one of two mages in the entire world to have mastered the art of wielding pure magic."

"I wouldn't say I've mastered it," she interjects.

He levels a look at her. "Everyone else thinks so."
heirtothearcane: (Bearded questions)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-05 10:34 am (UTC)(link)
It seems like Isidor is happy to let him do the talking while she does her best not to look embarrassed, folding and refolding her hands. The staring isn't helping. While the two children lean forward, Viatorus leans back, straightening and taking a deep breath as he works out how to explain.

"Vercor Augustus Durant, our current Archon, became an accomplished scholar by discovering how to harness pure magic. That is, using magic in it's purest, most refined form. The most refined that we know of, anyway." He shifts forward so that his elbows can rest on the table and his hands can wave as he talks. "Mostly this allows for more efficient spellcasting. Once you master it you can use more powerful magic with a fraction of the energy." He hesitates and then sobers slightly. "It can also be used by itself. Offensively it's known as dragonfire, which is why some people call the Archon 'der Drache'." He pauses to look at Anna, "It means 'the dragon'." Then he straightens again to smile at his sister. "And Isidor is the only person so far to be able to use it."

"It's new magic. After a few generations everyone will be using it," she tells them with forced certainty.

Viatorus is clearly not convinced. If anything he smile turns goofy. "I doubt that."
heirtothearcane: (Beard = age)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-05 06:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"Right!" Viatorus chirps happily at the same time Isidor says, "Not really..."

The two Durants look at each other for a split second. Viatorus starts, shrugging his shoulders, his features rolling in and out of confusion and irritation. "We're not famous."

"Yes we are," Isidor's quick to retort. She stares at her brother like he's gone mad.

Viatorus sighs, tilts his head at her and looks at her in a way that suggests she ought to recant. "Isidor, most of the world doesn't even know about magic."

"There are plenty of people who do. Important people, other mages, magical beings..." The fervour with which she speaks makes Anna's guess of her being a fire mage seem extremely fitting. "Our family has paved the way of magic casting and study for years. Our journals form the most in depth library of magical study the world knows of. Everyone who's part of our world knows it. Even as business people we own flourishing companies. We are famous. To everyone but the general populace."

Still, Viatorus shakes his head calmly. "We're not. Our family, our bloodline, is. But us? We're only known because of the Archon. The two of us are just Durants to those people. Isidor and Viatorus are the people Harrowheart and Anna know."

"'Just Durants'," she snorts and crosses her arms tightly. For a moment she looks as if she's about to make a snarky remark, but freezes and returns to looking unhappy at him instead.
heirtothearcane: (Beard with thinking added)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-05 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
When Harrowheart says that being rich is one of the worst things possible, Viatorus cringes, though he does his best not to show it. Anna's defence of them, her attack on her brother, doesn't help. He looks thoroughly uncomfortable as he listens.

As the rant unfolds, Isidor goes from looking surprised to amused. At the end of it all, she laughs. "So this is why you didn't introduce us sooner, is it?" She smirks as she lifts an eyebrow at Harrowheart. "You were afraid she'd agree with sense?"
heirtothearcane: (Bearded questions)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-07 06:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Isidor smiles and Viatorus actually chuckles gently as the two of them share this moment with them. It's undeniably sweet, and Viatorus is silently glad to see his friend repair familial bonds after enduring so much.

"Speaking of talks..." Isidor tips her head to stare down her brother. "You and I need to have one too." Viatorus sighs wearily, but Isidor ignores him, instead turning to the two children. "And we've intruded enough on your privacy today."

Viatorus can see where this is leading, so he leans forward. "It has been lovely to meet you, Anna. I hope you come and visit again."
heirtothearcane: (Beard with thinking added)

[personal profile] heirtothearcane 2016-09-07 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
In return, Anna gets a well practiced dip of Isidor's head. "I hope so too, Anna, it's been nice to meet you."

Harrowheart's hug is unexpected. That it doesn't choke the life out of him is even more unexpected. Viatorus freezes in surprise for a split second... and then laughs, patting Harrowheart's arm. "I will."

"No you won't," Isidor mutters through a smile.

It's a charming sight to see, two siblings reunited and on good terms again. Well worth the small bill for a few cakes and hot chocolates.