Two Ravens for the New Year

Log Info

• Title: Two Ravens for the New Year

• Emitter: Ravenstongue

• Characters: Lucius, Ravenstongue

• Place: Northern Gates, Alexandria

• Summary: Ravenstongue goes to the Northern Gates of Alexandria to see her fey ancestor, Grandfather, off for the evening. There, she encounters the new adventurer Lucius, and they chat about whether Ravenstongue is related to Pothy by blood (sort of?) and what adventurers should prepare for (sewer missions!).

Northern Gates, evening.

Eluna's light in the evening sky is full and bright enough to pierce through the dark clouds that try to obscure the moon's light on this winter evening. She looks down on a world that is full of revelry, as the people of Alexandria are on the cusp of saying goodbye to one year and hello to the next. At the Northern Gates, the people amble to and from the various taverns and inns established there with good cheer, even despite the cold wind that blows in from the west.

There's a woman that walks along the roads by the gates, with a rather curious sight indeed--a violet-eyed raven on one shoulder, his feathers as black as the clouds in the sky, and a blue-eyed raven on the other shoulder with feathers the color of cream. After some time, she turns, stops, and drops the hood of her cloak, letting her waves of dark hair free. She peers at the dark-feathered raven with matching violet eyes. "Well, usual spot," she says brightly. "Have a safe flight home, Grandfather."

"I will, child, do not worry," the violet-eyed raven replies in a deep tone that echoes like the tolling of bells, and he takes flight from her shoulder, off into the night sky above.

Another cloaked figure is heading in the opposite direction. With resolute strides, Lucius weaves through the passerby, his cloak floating behind him in the brisk wind. He finds the half-sil standing in his path and makes to move around her. As he does so, he hears the exchange of goodbyes and sees the violet-eyed raven take flight. The incident immediately stops Lucius in his tracks. He opens his mouth, as if about to release a flood of questions, before managing to compose himself and dipping his head. "Good evening," he greets. He can't resist a glance backwards at the departing raven, as if to confirm he hadn't imagined what he had just seen — and heard.

The half-sil woman smiles. "Good evening," she replies in turn. "Sorry about that, was just seeing my relative off for the evening." You know. Her relative. Who appears to be a bird with the same violet eyes she has. She says it like it's a completely normal thing.

The white raven on her shoulder, however, proves to be an excellent diversion tactic, albeit not helping the unusual situation any. "Snacks?" he asks.

That gets a roll of the violet eyes. "Pothy, you didn't agree to walk out to the gates with us just so I could get you something to eat, did you?" the woman asks with a sigh.

Well. She's not giving him snacks, so Pothy instead hops down from her shoulder and lands right in front of Lucius. "Snacks?" His blue eyes are full of hope.

Lucius nods, very slowly. "I understand," he states in a matter-of-fact tone, mindful of his staring. His apparent nonchalance is short-lived, however, and Lucius does a double take as the other raven begins speaking as well. "Sorry, I don't think - oh." His eyes light up as one hand emerges from within the cloak holding a sugar cube. Leaning forward slightly as he peers intently at the white raven, Lucius offers him the cube in his hand.

A sugar cube! A snack! Pothy flies up and gently snatches it from Lucius's hand, returning to the half-sil's shoulders and swallowing it whole in one fluid motion.

"Pothy, say thank you, at least," the woman says, sighing. She looks back to Lucius and smiles. "I can say it, at least. Thank you for feeding my familiar." Her eyes catch the golden clasp on Lucius's cloak, and she smiles. "You wouldn't happen to be an adventurer, would you? If so, you must be new to the city. I am called Cor'lana Lúpecyll-Atlon--or sometimes 'Ravenstongue'."

"Thank you," Pothy says, far too late after the fact. He mimics his mistress's voice flawlessly.

Cor'lana rolls her eyes again. "And this is Apotheosis. Pothy for short. He's a sweetheart, but he's... very fixated on food. Sometimes to his own detriment."

"My pleasure," Lucius replies, removing his gaze from Pothy to meet the half-sil's violet eyes. "My name is Lucius, but I usually go by Luke. If I could say so, Ravenstongue sounds like a very fitting name for someone like yourself. It's nice to meet you both." He steals another inquisitive glance at Pothy. "Everything you said about me is correct. I'm a new adventurer, arrived in the city just a few days ago. The songs and legends of this city were far from wrong, were they? Alexandria is everything I expected and more." Briefly, Luke turns his head to one side and ponders for a moment. "And how long have you been adventuring?" he asks of Cor'lana, with an enthusiastic smile.

"Nice to meet you as well, Luke," Cor'lana says with a small nod, as though committing the name and nickname to memory. Pothy makes a small noise, like a whimper, and she reaches into something underneath her cloak, eventually bringing out a palmful of dried berries. The white raven happily snacks on them, plucking them out of her hand one-by-one with a diligent and gentle manner.

Cor'lana looks contemplative for a moment. "I arrived here on the evening of my twentieth birthday, which was... nearly two years ago now," she says with a light smile. "I signed up for jobs through the Guild not long after that, and... things sort of took flight from there, to borrow my Grandfather's penchant for bird puns. This city has its problems, but I'm happy to live here compared to the little village in Rune where I grew up. My life has transformed entirely for the better since coming here. Even if the gossip rags seem to have taken an interest in my husband and I lately." The last is said in good humor, albeit with an air of irritation.

Luke listens earnestly as Cor'lana explains her origins, although his eyes widen slightly upon hearing one line. "Your grandfather," he quietly repeats to himself. "By any chance, would you and Pothy happen to be relatives?" he blurts out, as if expecting Cor'lana herself to transform into a raven at any moment. "Uh, you don't have to answer that," he stammers. "I'm glad to hear about the good things you've found from living in this city. Just as happy to be an adventurer myself, even though I haven't really done anything yet," he concludes with an awkward smile.

Cor'lana snickers a little, a twinkle in her violet eyes. "No, no, it's okay," she reassures Lucius. "Grandfather is from my father's side of the family. Pothy is a familiar passed down through my maternal bloodline. He was my mother's before I got him, so... I did grow up with him, and I do call him my little brother, even if he's older than I am."

"Pothy is a good boy," Pothy says, mimicking Cor'lana's voice. That gets him a little headpat. It appears Cor'lana does say nice things about him.

"It's a bit of a long story," Cor'lana admits, "but considering where it's led, I can hardly complain. My advice to you: you're probably going to end up in the sewers in this city at some point on a job sooner rather than later. Get something to help you cope with the smell, and take advantage of any laundering services the Guild offers as compensation."

"Practical advice from an experienced adventurer is something I can't afford to ever turn down." Luke gives a gracious nod as he reflects upon Cor'lana's words. "I'll do my best to remember." It's apparent from his blithe tone, however, that such a prospect intrigues him more than it terrifies him. "The small details are often the most important," he concedes. "I'll be sure to take care of myself, if anything, out of consideration for others. It wouldn't do to have adventurers walking around these fine streets, dripping ... " He stifles a snort at the image this conjures in his mind.

Cor'lana grins widely. "Yet it happens anyway," she says. "Usually when that happens, the victorious adventurers are given quite a wide berth as they make their way back to the Guild for a report. I should know; I've done a handful of jobs in the sewers. There's all manner of strange creatures that live down there, and sometimes, when they start causing problems for the people who live above... They need to be taken out."

She looks up at the night sky and seems to realize something, judging by the change in expression on her face. "It is late, so I shouldn't keep you much longer," Cor'lana says. "It was nice to meet you, Lucius, and I hope this coming year is good for you."

"Thank you, Cor'lana," Luke carefully replies, pronouncing the elvish name to the best of his ability. "A happy new year to you and to Pothy as well. Until we meet again." He offers a brief smile before departing, and his cloak trails behind him as he resumes walking down the street in his original bearing.

"Snacks," Pothy says in firm agreement with Lucius's greeting, before Cor'lana can even reply. The half-sil laughs and pats Pothy's feathers down.

"Good luck out there!" Cor'lana calls after Lucius. The sorceress turns to depart...

And then a reveler up ahead on the street who's had a bit too much to drink drops what looks like a skewer of vegetables and meat. "Snacks!" Pothy cries out as he goes for the dropped food. The three second rule doesn't apply to magic familiars.

Cor'lana rolls her eyes a little. "Pothy, you're incorrigible," she says, following after him to make sure he doesn't try to eat the skewer, too.

Eventually, they find their way home in time to ring in the new year.