A Lesson in Forgiveness
Log Info
- Title: A Lesson in Forgiveness
- Emitter: Telamon
- Place: Ravenstongue and Telamon's house
The Lupecyll-Atlon home, midday
The weather is not as good as it could be, with gray skies and a steady light rain falling. Still, rain is good for crops and gardens, and Telamon stands at the backyard door of his house with a satisfied expression, watching his gardens soak up the steady rainfall.
Taking a sip from his cup of tea, the sorcerer closes the door, turning back to his kitchen where a large pot sits on the stove. A casual gesture lifts the lid, and a spoon stirs the soup inside of its own volition. He sniffs at what's being mixed within, nodding to himself with approval. Silently sending his thoughts out, before grinning unreservedly. A soft chuckle comes from him, and he glances around before walking back out to the living area. He's dressed in a white linen tunic, deep blue trousers, and simple house slippers -- hardly the garb one would expect from an magician of such skill. Seating himself, he picks up the book he's been reading -- his much loved copy of Stefanson's 'Traveling At Night'. "Now, where was I..." he muses, paging through to the relevant chapter on divinations.
Outside the home of the Lupecyll-Atlon's, Karasu has been silent since retrieving his familiar from Cor'ethil's mother and the raven sits equally quietly on his shoulder. Wuya keeps peeking over at Corey, as if to ask for assistance in this moment of too-quiet solitude that his master has fallen into, but Karasu has lapsed into a state that he has not been seen in nor felt since before he even met the familiar.
He knocks on the door to the Lupecyll-Atlon home, and the sound is a stern but not angry sound. Empty of emotion.
Not unlike Karasu himself.
Corey is traveling with Karasu, of course, and the man gently reaches out and touches Wuya as they reach the front step of the Lupecyll-Atlon home. "It's okay. We're here for guidance and support. It'll be okay." Even if the words sound somewhat like Corey's trying to convince himself that it will, in fact, be the case.
Faphinae Cari'thana trails shortly behind the boys. She's dressed appropriately for a visit to the stylish archmage's house, a dark silk gown trailing down to her shoes with high-heeled points adding to her height. The rapier is, of course, still dangling from the weapon belt on her hips, and a collar of dark feathers gives her almost the appearance of having the shaggy throat-feathers that so many ravens have. "I wonder," she says softly, her glowing silver eyes taking in the place as she looks over its defenses. "Is it that Atlon..."
Telamon had just gotten back to where he was reading last time. At the knock, his brow furrows. "Really?" he says quietly, but then he sighs, tucks a cloth bookmark into his tome, and lays it on the table. Getting to his feet, he turns, focusing. "Keep the soup stirred," he addresses the empty air calmly, before straightening his tunic.
As he approaches the door, though, his annoyance fades, replaced by curiousity. It's always interesting when people come knocking on his door. He unlatches the lock, and swings it open a little ways to see... "Ah, Cor'ethil! And your partner, Karasu -- looking much better than he did the last time we met." Telamon swings the door wide. "What brings you to my humble abode?"
Then his eyes alight on the third member of the group, and his eyebrows rise considerably. "...Well. This is an unexpected meeting. Lady Faphinae, it's been a few years, since we met when I was trailing along in my father's wake."
Karasu blinks at the greeting slowly. His eyes flickering to Cor'ethil for a moment. Almost he starts to say something, but then he holds his tongue as the mage addresses Faphinae. Someone that he had not known that the archmage knew. An interesting fact to be sure, but one that Karasu had not come here to address. Still, rather than interject and be rude he simply offers the archmage a nod and allows Cor'ethil to address the man as he will.
The fact that Telamon does know his mother is a surprise to Corey, who blinks and looks over his shoulder at his mother, who simply smiles in her usual unsettling manner (at least, unsettling to most people). "You know the Archmage, Mother?"
"When he was naught but a boy trailing in the footsteps of his father, yes," Faphinae responds, before turning the full weight of her gaze onto Telamon. "My, but have you changed. How is your father's leg?" There's a wry source of dark amusement there in Faphinae's feminine-deep voice.
Corey shakes his head after a moment. "Please, Mother, we're not... quite here on a social call," he says, before looking at Telamon and offering him an expression that speaks of the world wearing down on a man. "We need guidance. Ni'essa's guidance. Prophecy and the like are her domain, and... Maybe you can be of help. May we trouble you to come in and discuss our needs?"
"It was years ago," Telamon remarks. "When I was learning my father's trade and doing the 'grand tour' of Myrddion." He lifts an eyebrow at Faphinae. "It doesn't bother him. I'm sure he'll be pleased to know your elbow was mended properly."
Corey's words draw his eyes, though, and the starry fathomless gaze fixes on the paladin and his paramour with a calm regard. After a few moments, he nods. "If one comes seeking Ni'essa's guidance, I can hardly turn them away -- though my talents are different from Her anointed Seers. But please, come inside."
Suddenly it's Telamon the happy host, taking cloaks, and ushering the trio into his house out of the light rain. Inside, there are flowering vines growing from pots here and there, twining around support beams (and occasionally, the furniture). The scent of chicken and vegetables wafts from the kitchen, where the pot is being stirred by a spoon working on its own. "Please, sit down. The tea will be ready in a moment, and if you desire lunch I have a pot of chicken soup on the stove."
Karasu has a coat that he allows to be taken from him, and he sets his pack beneath it. Wuya disembarks his shoulder after a moment's croak and no reply from Karasu at all. He alights upon the table and looks around almost hopefully for Pothy, but there's no sign of the other bird at the moment. His flight is a little unsteady, but his one missing feather is hardly noticeable unless one is very familiar indeed with ravens.
"I would not entrust a Seer so easily." Karasu says at last, his voice a bit rough at the beginning simply due to having gone so long without having said anything. He takes a seat after a moment of hesitation, choosing one where he can see the exits easily. A clear line to an exit is something to be desired in seating after all. Wuya makes a soft sound and Karasu looks at the bird with what can only be described as disapproval.
"All here save Faphinae know, but then... It seems likely that she knew at more than I. Have done with the secrecy then. Speak for yourself." The words are a harshness that one would not normally associate with Karasu, and Wuya seems to withdraw from it.
"I am sorry Karasu." The raven says, his voice that of a young boy, slightly accented with a xian tint. He sounds for all the world like a young Karasu.
"Apologies do not mend that which is broken." Karasu says, his words a dismissal that has Wuya ducking his head sadly.
Faphinae seems incredibly amused by Telamon's elbow remark--if the further twist of her lips in that unsettling smile means that, that is--but any remark she might have is quiet as Corey goes to take a seat next to Karasu, her eyes watching Wuya in flight and the way that Wuya interacts with Karasu.
Corey frowns at the interaction between his beloved and Wuya. "We should... probably start from the beginning," he says. "This has to do with Karasu's family and the man who trained Karasu into what he is today. Karasu... was brought up by Akimitsu Sori in the ways of being an assassin. It is not my story to tell, but suffice to say, Sori is--was--a cruel man. Cruel enough to have killed Karasu's brother, the sole survivor of what Karasu did to the rest of their family, as they were planning a massacre."
He frowns deeply. "Wuya, Karasu's familiar... is Karasu's brother, Raiden. I was told this fact, and Wuya was told to keep it secret. There is talk of prophecy that Raiden would end Karasu's life. And... I have reason to believe that something might be wrong with that prophecy, or that something might be going unseen that could be seen."
A tray carrying a kettle, and four cups, comes floating out, and Telamon deftly slides his book off the table to make room for it. His eyes flick back and forth, gauging the interactions between Corey, Karasu, Faphinae, and even Wuya. Studying the angles, as it were, while he pours tea for all who desire it.
"A grim tale, and one where the best one might hope for is to escape alive." He strokes his chin. "I am... bemused that Raiden has become a familiar. Though I admit I am not well versed in the particulars, to have a mortal soul reincarnated into one is... new. At least to me." His perceptive gaze flicks back and forth between Karasu and Corey. "And of course, because you were told something in confidence, you were bound to hold it. An unpleasant state of affairs."
Telamon continues, "However, we come to the crux, this prophecy. First, do you know it is true?" He holds up a finger. "Before you answer, know that prophecy can be misinterpreted. And there are those who will bear falsehood while wrapping it in prophectic vision. I've seen it. Make sure it is true before you take action."
Wuya is the one that answers first. "I know that what I was told is truth, but... I could have mistaken what was intended from the words." The bird looks uncomfortable, and here Karasu shakes his head.
"I had not intended to circumvent fate. I was given a prophecy by the Witch who trained me and whom helped me find W-Raiden." Karasu's jaw clenches for a moment at the mistake. "I never thought to question it. Perhaps all I have known these last years is lies."
Karasu doesn't take the offered tea, but rather watches Telamon with careful eyes, his expression offering little of his thoughts, but Telamon is a man who is familiar with the emotions of others and reading displeasure in Karasu now is not a difficult task.
Corey frowns deeply at Karasu's words and expression, familiar enough with his beloved that he can glean from Karasu's dark eyes the emotions that Karasu so often claims he does not have. "I was not sworn to confidence in the telling, but... I knew that Raiden would not want me to relay a secret given such as that. It was, and is, a difficult place to be." The wound in his eyes and voice is palpable. Unlike Karasu, Corey wears his emotions quite openly. A paladin is, in many ways, light, and it is hard to stop that light from shining.
Faphinae's unsettling smile has long disappeared, taking a seat separate from the men. "Fate, in my experience, is not fixed," she says. "A prophecy may be given, but it is not the certain noose that so many believe it to be. How many times have we heard of a man who has been given prophecy of good fortune, only to do nothing for that good fortune to come into his life?"
"Prophecy is inexact at best. Sometimes, one must take an active hand, accounting for the branching paths of fate. A rock thrown at a window -- but a second rock thrown to intercept it. A third to strike the second stone away from a child. Patterns within patterns." Telamon's eyes are thoughtful. "It is always a mistake to blindly follow, and never question."
The half-sil picks up his cup of tea, sipping from it. "What -specifically- was the wording of this prophecy? I don't want to hear an interpretation -- I want the exact text. And who did you hear it from, Raiden? Do you know? I dislike prophecies of doom, and I would entreat Ni'essa to shed light on this -- but I must have the precise wording."
The raven shifts from foot to foot for a moment before answering. "I can not tell Karasu what was said. But I can tell you mage." Here he moves to Telamon's shoulder and lowers his voice so that only the man can hear him. "When I awoke as a raven - I heard a voice. A woman's voice. It said to me, 'Raiden, from this day forward you must take the name Wuya, and be your brothers companion. In time, you will lead him to Vardama, and the Gray Halls. You must never reveal your true name to him; trust is a fragile thread that you must build. Your path will be treacherous, but have faith; all will be as it is meant to be."
Raiden hops away from Telamon's shoulder then and looks at Karasu then. "Can I have some tea?" He looks particularly rejected when Karasu merely looks at him and nods once without pouring tea for him or tasting it as Karasu would normally do.
Instead Karasu turns his full attention on Telamon. "I am curious as to how it measures against that which I was told. Which I do not remember word-for word." He frowns here. "I did not write it down at the time. I know only that I was told that Raiden would lead me to Vardama, and the Gray Halls. That... I would have an honorable death." There's a flicker of pain there at the end in Karasu's eyes.
"And you were not told of Wuya's--Raiden's--truth as your brother." Corey frowns, unable to hear that which Wuya tells Telamon. "An honorable death... And yet I have pointed out to Karasu that people come back from death and the Gray Halls all the time. I am capable of bringing back the recently-slain, myself. Others are capable of resurrecting so long as they have a body. And even greater are those who can resurrect without one."
He sighs softly. "There has to be a way forward that I'm not seeing. That none of us are seeing."
Faphinae is silent, but she's clearly thinking about something that's not sitting well with her, judging by the severe expression that's on her face.
"Dying is overrated. I don't recommend it." Telamon's voice is casual, but there's a sharp edge under it. "Living is harder. Learning to deal with others, to find common ground, to unite against foes." A twitch of his finger, and another teacup floats out to the living room, settling in front of Wuya. The kettle rises, and pours a measure of tea for the familiar.
"There are two issues at play here. One is the prophecy, which may or may not apply and may already be a broken thread thanks to certain events. That... will require an entreaty to Ni'essa to resolve." His eyes grow stern. "The more immediate issue is the tension and emotions roiling between the three of you -- Raiden, Karasu, and Corey. No offense, Lady Faphinae, but you are secondary to this problem. You three -must- find it within yourselves to reunite once again. Bind up your wounds, and start over if need be -- together."
"And how would you suggest that this happen?" Karasu says sternly, even as Wuya meekly tries the tea himself. His tailfeathers wiggle a little, but he seems utterly unhappy even with the tea to perk up his spirits. "I do not offer my trust easily archmage, and I do not know where to begin in trusting again with that trust broken."
Wuya seems to shirk a little at this proclamation, sighing softly. "It is my fault Karasu. I am the one who kept it a secret. Corey was just trying to help." He looks at Karasu entreatingly. "I should have told you from the beginning... whatever I was told."
Corey looks at Karasu... And he has a serious, solemn look on his face. "I can offer an oath," he says. "If it would renew your trust in me, and your trust in Wuya--"
"Cor'ethil Cari'thana." Faphinae's voice is raised, and it's clear that makes Corey already on edge as it is, even before she stands up, glaring at him like the mother that she is. "We do not make oaths. Not unless we are prepared to die for them and by them. You know this."
The Warden of Gilead looks up at his mother and blinks several times. "I know," he says finally. "I made oath to Gilead as a Warden. And I was already prepared to make oath to Karasu. Why not another to the man who I love?" His eyes are sad things. "He deserves the commitment. He deserves someone who would do the work to fix this."
Telamon's eyes flash. "That is up to you, Karasu. But I would point out that by being so unbending, so unforgiving of mortal frailties and flaws and errors, you are following the path laid out by Akimitsu Sori. Life is not some polished, immaculate arrangement. There are stains, and chips, and dents, the result of a life lived."
He flicks his eyes to Corey. "Oaths given in haste are rarely good ones, Cor'ethil. Too easy to find oneself hung on the hook of responsibility." He exhales. "You must both make the steps -- to atone, and to accept that atonement. Or this is all for naught."
Karasu meets Telamon's eyes with his own dark gaze without flinching. "It has never been a simple thing for me to offer trust. In the world I was raised in; you trusted only at your own peril. When I left that life behind I found those I trusted, who I knew would not use my trust against me. I find it a deep wound within myself to find that that trust broken." He looks at Wuya and then Corey. "I do not wish an oath, for there is none that I can think of which would repair that damage. But I do not know the path to atonement save through noble sacrifice. And even now I can not wish harm upon either of you."
Wuya looks at Corey then and hops-hops over to him. "I can't tell Karasu what I can't tell him, but I have never kept another secret from him. Nor will I. Are you not the same Corey?... except maybe small surprises for joy." The bird offers no oath; only the truth.
"I have told Karasu everything before this," Corey says, as vulnerable as everything, the truth aching in his voice and his eyes as he looks at Karasu. "Even that which, in a way, brought us together, if only many, many years down the line. That is a truth I tell very, very few--a truth that I barely remember. For I was little then."
Faphinae's lips press together into a small line, nodding for a moment before she speaks. "I understand Karasu's position," she says. "I was raised in a world that was exceedingly cruel, and worse yet was the world I engaged in after I became an adult. Yet... Over time I have learned trust is best given to those who would be so foolish as to enter positions that would harm themselves to win back your trust. My son has never known hardships like you and I have endured, Karasu. He has never known what it is like to be a broken child. He has never known what it is like to be so continually disappointed by every adult that should have cared for him."
She looks at Karasu seriously. "That is why I killed Akimitsu Sori. For every atrocity I have ever committed: I try to kill the tyrants of this world, that I might balance out the scales. That someone might learn peace as I have learned. There is retirement for assassins... If you're good, you're lucky, and you find someone and someplace that is your anchor, home, and hearth. So many of us die well before we ever find such. Find it with my son, Karasu."
Telamon manages to restrain what springs to his mind, instead reaching down to take a sip of his tea. A glance back to the kitchen to make sure the pot is simmering, not boiling over, and it helps him focus. Simmer, cook, don't boil and burn.
"While I never endured such a life, I've known those who did. My father... has never spoken of his work, years past; though every time I took his hand I knew he was no soft popinjay. You don't develop calluses like that on your fingers from a quill." Tel's lips quirk. "Or walk away from an encounter with the Lady Faphinae here."
"To be fair, if anything, you should be angry with whoever did this to your brother. Placed him in this position. And then by extension, Corey, since he felt obligated to keep the secret." Telamon looks up at his ceiling, the fresco there. "If you can't forgive them, how can you forgive yourself?"
His eyebrow rises as Faphinae states she killed Akimitsu Sori. "Ah. Well, that's one less loose end. Good riddance to rubbish."
Karasu looks at Telamon. "I have never forgiven myself. Not for a single act which I have done. It is why I had hoped that the words spoken to me were truth; and that in life or death I could atone." Here he looks at Faphinae. "I owe you a debt for killing him, that he ended my brothers life is something that I myself should have repaid in kind."
It isn't until then that he turns his dark eyes on Corey, but Wuya interjects instead. "The only words were did not speak until now are the ones forbidden us. There is no other secret waiting to be untold, and neither of us wishes to lie to you again Karasu." Wuya waddles toward Karasu. "You can not forgive yourself, but I forgive you Karasu. I have never held against you the things you did."
Karasu looks stricken then, looking at his familiar. "But... I..." Wuya shakes his little raven head, repeating the words again, but more firmly this time.
"I forgive you Karasu. If I had known it was something you held onto, I would have told you long ago that I never thought ill of you at all." Raiden looks at his brother with dark raven eyes and Karasu holds his had out to Raiden, and the bird hops onto his wrist.
"If you can forgive me Raiden, then perhaps I can learn from your example." The words are soft things, but they're a beginning.
Corey smiles, and there's tears welling up in his eyes for the display between brother-raven and brother-human. "A bridge," he says softly. "Sometimes it can be as simple as a hand held out to another. Or kind words given to another."
Something in Cor'ethil's words resonate in Faphinae, who gives a soft chuckle. "Kind words are confusing and yet precious things to us," she says, gesturing roughly to both herself and Karasu. "Yet once you let them in... They turn you into something different. They rewrite you from the core. You felt set ablaze as they run and skitter over the scars of your heart and your soul. You fear it. You try to resist it. You don't know any other life than survival. But then you come out the other side of the fire... And you know things now. You know there are things to fight for. There are emotions. There are joys. There are loves."
She grins broadly (and in that unsettling manner) as she watches Corey go to pet Wuya, adding onto the circuit. "Now, I do hope this means the wedding's back on," she teases.
"It was never off for a second in my mind," Corey responds with a little huff. "Except for the parts where I doubted myself, and felt awful for my role in this. Can you forgive me, Karasu?"
The expression on Telamon's face says it all: 'finally'. Finally, these two are knitting back together. Hopefully, stronger for the break. "Better," he says calmly, leaning over to refill everyone's tea as needed.
"Now, there is the question of said prophecy. I will request Her guidance in this, that I might not lead you astray. But the more I consider it, the more I think... you have misunderstood it. Ni'essa does not lay dooms upon us, nor does She tolerate those who speak falsehood and claim it truth. How quickly would you desire the answer?" He looks innocently at Faphinae. "And just out of curiosity, would you like me to pass along any messages to my father?"
Karasu lifts his gaze to Cor'ethil and offers a nod. "I can try." It is not a promise of perfection that he could not keep, but one of hope that he believes to be true. He will try to learn how to trust again. Even if it means that they must begin from the beginning. (Though that seems an unlikely to be necessary step.) He pets Wuya's head and if his fingers brush against Corey's... so be it.
"There is no rush upon it Archmage." Karasu says. "Take the time that is necessary to determine the truth of it. I do not wish to live with false prophecy upon us. Better to wait some time and have the fullness of it." He nods once then to Telamon, a wordless note of gratitude.
Telamon smiles broadly, nodding. "Hold onto this, Karasu. The world can be hard and cruel, but it's the people we surround ourselves with that make it all worthwhile." He inclines his head at Karasu's request. "I have something else to deal with as well, a question to be posed. I see no reason why I should not combine these two errands." His eyes twinkle. "It's much more efficient that way."
He claps his hands together. "Now, perhaps you would care for lunch? I've prepared one of my wife's favorite dishes -- she won't mind if I share it with you. It's chicken and noodle soup." His smile is oddly impish. "I would be happy to share the recipe as well, if you want."
The mention of lunch makes Corey's eyes light up. "Chicken and noodle soup? I'd love that! Father used to make it all the time for us when we were sick."
Here he looks to Karasu. "Although... I'd appreciate it if you would test it first?" Corey flushes, oddly. "I always liked that you cared so much to taste-test for me."
Faphinae can't help but laugh. "I doubt that Telamon would kill you," she says, before those eyes of hers look out a nearby window. "But perhaps one of them might."
A nearby pixie--in this case, Lily-of-the-Valley--practically screams as she flaps away, and then Faphinae claps her hands together, like she's getting the dust off of them. "Shall I go take care of our little interloper?" Her silver eyes glow a little brighter in her zeal for another hunt.
"Please don't, Mother," Corey says with a frown. "We don't need blood spilled over our soup."
"Holy shit that was close!" Lily-of-the-Valley is breathing hard, practically in hysterics as she's being propped up by her pixie-sister, Mirabilis. "I can't believe that was really her! Sil'morian herself!"
"Don't say her name," Mirabilis reprimands, patting Lily-of-the-Valley. "What were you wanting to see in there that nearly got you killed anyway?"
Lily-of-the-Valley sniffles, looking at Mirabilis with those large dark eyes of hers. "Pretty boys... in love... with each other." She sobs. "They were so BEAUTIFUL."
Mirabilis stares. "You're fucking hopeless," she concludes, before patting Lily again. "But you're my hopeless sister."
So the day goes, a lesson in forgiveness--and a lesson in mercy.