rp log - Chry and Ilthus (Jell's brother)
Chryseth sits with the hatchling in his hair, a sketchbook on his lap. He's talking quietly, words too soft to make out, and Soot peeps back in response now and again.
Ilthus intentionally kicks a stone or two on his way up the hill to alert the mage to his presence. He's being good, see?
Chryseth earquirks but doesn't turn to look. He does, however, flip to a blank page in his notebook and set his pen down. The hatchling peers up at the stranger, mantling slightly, wings spread. Threatening or protective of his nest?
Ilthus tilts his head at it, quietly crunching an apple. "Heh.." is his entire response.
Chryseth reaches up to steady his passenger as he turns to look at the visitor. "Evening," he says. "How's it g-going?"
Ilthus smirks. "Not so well as I had hoped. From the tavern door I thought it was a girl sitting up here alone." His voice is lightly teasing. He settles himself down beside Chry. "Nice bird."
Chryseth frowns, looks away. "M n-not a girl," he mumbles. The hatchling hops down to the mage's arm, leaning over to look at the stranger more closely. Peep PEEP?
Ilthus idly offers the remains of the apple to the pipping hatchling, still grinning at Chry. "Heh.. I see you're quick to correct -that- mistaken impression at least. For a moment I thought you might just let me keep blathering on about it like a fool for the rest of the evening."
Chryseth glances at him, ears quirking again. Soot eagerly takes the apple, nibbling bits off and scarfing them down. "What d'you m-mean? I'm not a girl, and I don't like when people think I am. Though usually s' orcs or trolls or t-tauren that can't tell the difference between an elf-man and an elf-woman. D'you need glasses?"
Ilthus laughs, slowly lowering the fruit to the ground and wiping his hand on his pant leg. "Bought a pair once from a goblin. Won't make that mistake again."
Chryseth grins a little. "Better a g-goblin's than the gnomish everyone's naked ones."
Ilthus says: Wouldn't be so bad if it didn't make them all naked -gnomes-, though I could do without seeing most of our reluctant allies without their nickers on as well.
Chryseth giggles. Soot turns and stares at the mage, peeping softly again. "Well you w-want to see naked, hm. Ogres, yeah!"
Ilthus snerks. "They wander around practically naked already I can't say it would be much of a system shock." His brow suddenly furrows. "Y'know.. now I come to think of it.. I don't think I've ever seen a female ogre."
Ilthus says: I mean... clearly they must exist but..
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Maybe you have. Looked under the loincloth of each an' every one?
Ilthus shudders theatrically. "Pass."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] G-gotta test it with science if you really want to know!
Ilthus says: You can test it if ya like, Mr Scientist. I'll be over here with a blade handy in case they take offense. Or take it as an invitation.
Chryseth laughs again. "N-never underestimate the value of a good bodyguard while doing science. Maybe I'll hire you for it someday." A brief almost-anxiety flashes across his face, but it's gone almost before it can register.
Ilthus shrugs. "Wouldn't be the worst job I've had. And beats taking my orders from an orc."
Chryseth makes a sympathetic face. "Little elf, b-b-big... whatever you've got. Knives? Swords? I dunno. They're so bossy."
Ilthus says: No sense of humor either. Course.. plenty of elves with that problem too.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Eh, they're n-no fun either. Might as well be a kaldorei if you're gonna be like that, I figure.
Ilthus says: Almost feel like I am some days. On a boat, with my sister calling all the shots. But.. could be worse.
Chryseth gives him a puzzled look -- then understanding. "Probably w-worse people to take orders from, too. Though I guess I dunno what she's like when she's being all official. Or with family." He thinks this over -- and Soot notices that he is not the center of
Chryseth | anyone's attention. After a moment's careful hatchling-consideration, he hops over to Ilthus's leg and looks pitiful. Poor neglected birdy.
Ilthus glances down at the warm weight and smiles, a genuine smile this time, not the usual smirk. "It depends on which family member she's dealing with.." He murmurs, stroking under the bird's chin with one finger.
Chryseth watches, fond, as Soot thoroughly enjoys the petting. "She's m-mentioned another to me, but doesn't want us to meet," he says, not sounding too concerned. "I guess she wouldn't want him on her boat either?"
Ilthus ' eyes flick to the 'pendant' around Chry's neck. "She doesn't, eh? That's interesting."
Chryseth shakes his head, ears flicking back. "Is that -- d-does it say something bad about me? I thought it was something bad about him..." His voice trails off and he reaches up to touch the 'pendant', then close his fingers around it briefly.
Ilthus sighs. "I think it means she hates him. Not just resentment or irritation like I thought it was. I think she may really hate him, and it's a shame."
Chryseth frowns, releasing the metal shard to reach out and stroke one of Soot's wings with his finger. "I dunno if it'd be something I could understand," he says quietly. "I was an only child."
Ilthus shifts a bit to look at the mage. "Was?"
Chryseth keeps his head lowered. "Well, my parents are dead. It's all I'll ever be."
Ilthus picks up a small stone and flicks it out toward the sea. "Middle child, myself. And it was a peach lemme tell ya."
Chryseth glances up, curious. He hesitates -- but it's too much to not ask. "What's it really like?"
Ilthus shrugs. "You're not the first to have or to do anything y'know? And you still have to set an example for and be nice to the babies. Not that that part was hard. Most of the time. But.. never first. In anything."
Chryseth hmms, going back to petting Soot, who's still settled comfortably on Ilthus's leg. "I'd have d-done crazy stuff," he decides. "Just to be the first. At least find a bone nobody else'd broken yet..." He grins faintly, maybe joking.
Ilthus smirks. "Or seen what trouble you could get into that the 'good kids' hadn't thought of?" His gaze drops back to the hatchling, smile softening again, scritch scritch. "Yeah.."
Chryseth nods, smiling. "Yeah, bet I could've thought of p-plenty, specially if my elders were good kids. S'pose that'd be bad for the littler ones though." Sigh, earwilt.
Ilthus laughs. "I -did- drag poor Netha into a lot of trouble over the years. And she was the one who would get caught, trying to repeat our past adventures."
Chryseth smiles. "Except for the trouble, I bet she loved every minute of it. D'you jump off stuff with her?"
Ilthus nods, wistful smile playing across his face. "Used to. We'd try and find places where the water was deep enough and a nice branch that stretched out far enough. Almost got us both drowned a couple of times." He chuckles, shaking his head.
Chryseth laughs. Soot glowers at him -- the mage has committed the unforgiveable sin of stopping petting, and he hasn't even noticed yet! The shame! "Well, I'm g-glad you didn't manage to kill yourselves. And, you know, the water around Teldrassil's deep enough."
Ilthus says: Bit beyond our means as kids. Fel.. don't think the thing even existed yet.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Well, it's there n-now.
Chryseth gives Ilthy a friendly jostle.
Ilthus leans back, watching the dark clouds drift past. "So it is. And we have some time to make up for." A lengthy pause and then he sits up again, hand returning to the scritching. "So tell me something?"
Chryseth mms agreeably, ears quirked. Soot makes happy noises at levels of attention returning to acceptable levels.
Ilthus says: How long have known my sister?
Chryseth doesn't answer right away. He taps the fingers of of his right hand on his knee, maybe counting. Then he shrugs.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] A few months, I guess?
Chryseth ...doesn't sound remotely certain.
Ilthus tilts his head, eyes narrowed a bit. "But less than a year?"
Chryseth nods, looking away. "D-definitely."
Ilthus seems satisfied with that answer, the tension in his shoulders relaxing a bit. "Has she told you? What that is?" He gestures toward Chry's chest. "What it means?"
Chryseth reaches up to touch the 'pendant,' cupping it almost like he would the hatchling. He shakes his head. "Not -- not exactly," he hedges. "Only I know it's n-not cursed or nothin'. I checked."
Ilthus studies the mage's face intently as he speaks. "S'a dagger tip. Blade I gave her. She passed it along to a friend as a sort of ritual. An adoption, I guess.."
Chryseth blushes faintly, eyes dropping away again. "She said she w-wants to keep me around," he says softly. "An' won't drive me away. Don't worry, I'm n-not... not gonna..." His voice trails off and he shrugs.
Ilthus says: She trusts you.
Ilthus is making a statement.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] And I t-trust her.
Ilthus sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Never met the man she gave the blade to. Too late now. Rest of the blade is in the ground, in it's sheath, at his hip." A dry, bitter chuckle. "And I wouldn't know about any of it if Midna didn't talk so muchb when she drinks."
Chryseth glances back at him, sidelong. "Remind me to n-never get drunk around you, in case it's just your winning w-way with interrogations," he says, voice dry.
Ilthus waves that off. "Point is that she doesn't tell me things. Doesn't trust me. Not like she used to. My own idiot fault I suppose, though I honestly didn't know I was picking sides at the time."
Chryseth frowns, reaches over to pet Soot. "Picking sides in what?"
Ilthus says: Her and Torian. He can be a thoughtless, insensitive prat sometimes. Treats everyone that way but its been different with Netha. Fine for -me- to run around like a scalawag, rascalling my way from town to town. Different story when it's his sister.
Ilthus chuckles. "Turned into a war while I was off fooling around, not paying attention."
Chryseth nods, but doesn't really seem to get it. "Still, you're still siblings. S'n-not like you're," vague gesture. "Some blue-eyed and some g-green. Surely the differences aren't unassailable?"
Ilthus says: Might have been.. but then Jessian got involved. Not intentionally mind. He was just trying to do things the right way.
Chryseth ...really doesn't look like he gets it. He picks nervously at a loose thread on his trousers and nibbles his lip. "But you all still -- d-depend on each other?"
Ilthus ' eyes go flat. "I didn't know. Six weeks, Midna tells me. Six weeks at the mercy of the bastard whose ashes she pulled that out of." He gestures at the dagger tip. "And none of us knew. She'd cut us off and I was angry but I still should have tried to
Ilthus says: make it right. I should have known.. I.."
Ilthus says: I should have been there.
Chryseth touches the 'pendant' again, eyes going distant. Thoughtful. "There was n-no way you could have known, from what she told me. So yeah, maybe if the Light were merciful and showed you, or whatever, you could have done something. I dunno this is something you c-can blame yourself for."
Ilthus sighs heavily, hands in hair again. "I know. I -know- and I don't. I blame Torian. Since I found out I've wanted to go and just.. slap him in the face with it but I think it might have the opposite effect from what I'd intend."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Mmh, if he's not -- not -nice-, he might find some way to use it against her. Or some w-way she wouldn't like.
Ilthus says flatly. "I'd kill him." A little huff of breath, shake of the head. "Or.. well.. maim him at least. Show him why he doesn't ever want to fight with me for real."
Chryseth hmphs. "Sometimes people do the wrong thing an' think they're being h-helpful, you know. S'why you can never be too careful about who you tell the truth, depending on what the t-truth is." He gives Ilthus another sidelong glance at that.
Ilthus laughs aloud. "Light, I must be slipping! Getting lessons in subtlety and tact from a bloody Magister."
Chryseth visibly flinches, hands clenching into fists. He forces himself to relax. "I'm no magister."
Chryseth ...says that the same way he earlier protested his lack of girliness.
Ilthus quirks a brow, eyes moving down to the hatchling and then back up to the mage. He says, "I see." with the sort of tone one would use while checking off a list. Sore spot? Check.
Chryseth slouches, making a face again. "Academy d-dropout. Phoenix hatchling f-foster parent. Not a magister, never will be."
Ilthus stretches, indolence a bit overdone, mostly for show. "Best way if ya ask me. All the power, none of the rules. And you seem to have gotten out before they could implant the stick. Smart tactic, that."
Chryseth relaxes, starting to smile again. "Well, I wasn't gonna let them put -that- -there-," he says. "Do they offer stick implantation in your l-line of work? Or do you just learn how to kill people with em?"
Ilthus smirks at that. "One of the reasons I chose this job, no pretension needed. Could do with a bit of a screening process on applicants though. Weed out the 'I am the living shadow, the silent death..' types. Give me the creeps."
Chryseth giggles and reaches out to stroke the still-dozing hatchling. "Yeah, s' probably what they w-want. And they think it helps em pick up the girls." Petpet scritch. "You know, I'm surprised I'm n-not scared of you. Rogues an' me, we don't... get on."
Ilthus flashes a wicked grin, the unscarred half of which is very familiar. "Clearly I'll have to be scarier in the future. Lurk in the shadows for no good reason, act like a spoiled adolescent someone let play with knives." Another head shake.
Chryseth shakes his head. "N-no, that sort doesn't scare me so much, you burn em an' they run like the scared kids they are. Or maybe he is, I dunno." He sags closer for a moment, then straightens with an apologetic look.
Ilthus says: Job attracts a lot of people who weren't too stable to start with and then trains em to kill quickly and quietly. I can understand a bit of reticence when dealing with the sneaky sort.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] It's not sneakiness that bugs me so much, it's...
Chryseth pets Soot, and the sleepy hatchling rouses enough to look around, then tucks his head under one wing.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Cruelty.
Ilthus nods. "Get those too. People who don't understand what the job -is- or why it's needed." A hand drifts to the hilt of his dagger, unconscious gesture, maybe just making sure it's still there.
Ilthus says: And for the record. I prefer scout. Was a soldier after all. For a while anyway.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] During the -- the w-war?
Ilthus nods. "And after. On Quel'danas. In Northrend. Missed the final push though. Tossed out before it got underway."
Chryseth gestures -- maybe an aborted salute. "I am thankful for your service," he says. It's not rote words, there's something behind them, and he squeezes his eyes shut. "I'm g-glad you lived."
Ilthus waves a hand, a dismissive gesture. "Wasn't city defense. Scout, like I said. Torian, Jessian and I stuck together, found clear paths for the refugees. Or cleared paths for them if we had to."
Chryseth shakes his head. "Service is service," he says. "I w-was one of those refugees."
Ilthus shrugs. "Just seemed like the wiser course. Didn't have the numbers. Tried to convince my father of that but he was a wall. S'where Torian gets it from. I'm convinced."
Chryseth draws in a deep breath, lets it out shakily. "N-never had the numbers. It w-was a lost cause, we all shoulda been out. Except maybe those who stayed bought the rest of us time, an' I c-can't ever let go of the feeling that if it did, the life I have right n-now was bought with the blood and suffering of others, and I -- it's not a good feeling."
Ilthus pats the younger man's knee. "Well fel, that's all of us isn't it? Every creature on this or any other world. History is a blood soaked thing and every one of us owes our current life to those who came before us and clawed at the world to build us a place in it."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] I guess. Except my b-best friend died defending the city gates, and my parents stayed behind to fight, and you c-could have easily been eaten by something off in Eversong, and... it's n-n-not the same as theoreticals.
Ilthus says: We all get our chance to stand on History's shield wall eventually, and fall so that others can press on. Your chance'll come eventually. And then there'll be some other kid sitting on the beach, wondering if it maybe should have been him instead.
Chryseth shakes his head. "Nah, I'll d-die in some pointless explosion when some other engineer m-makes an idiot mistake." He tries to laugh. "Or in a stupid m-mistake of my own, like this little fellow's m-master."
Ilthus grins. "Not I. I plan to die an old old man, in a big bed filled with women half my age."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Well, you can plan all you want, but... but first you better start honing your w-woman finding skills.
Ilthus laughs again. "Knew it was you before I ever came up here. Just wanted a bit of revenge for you letting me blather on like an idiot about a fictional relationship the first time we met."
Chryseth lets out a soft laugh too. "I didn't know if she'd l-led you to believe it, and I wasn't about to say otherwise just in case. Anyway," and now there's more than a hint of mischief in his voice...
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] We do sleep together, sometimes.
Ilthus lifts a brow. "So did we. When we were kids. Camped out in the woods for thrilling adventures." Head tilt. "That -is- the sort of sleeping together you're implying, yes?"
Chryseth grins. "Yeah, only in my hawkstrider's stall. C-comforting an' cozy, you know?" A moment's thought, and he frowns. "I g-gave my camping kit away. Never got it back."
Ilthus says: Well.. s'not like you need flint and tinder. And a strider can double as a pillow pretty easily. Less reliable about keeping the rain off though. They seem to resent it and feel you should be suffering too.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] I know. We l-lived rough after -- after the city...
Chryseth waves a hand.
Ilthus nods. "We all did." His eyes go dark for a moment before he shakes it off. "Except Netha of course. She had it -easy-"
Chryseth grins, shrugs. "An' now she has a ship to call home, and the luxury to decide when she wants a break from it. I can't get too envious, though."
Ilthus says: Prefer the open road do we?
Ilthus asks with just a bit too much innocence.
Chryseth snorts. "Time w-was I'd have decked you for even asking that. Time was, I'd have had an easy answer to that too. Now? I dunno."
Ilthus grins wickedly. "You could try. Course.. I'm not so well known here. You might have some help after I'd bashed you about a bit."
Chryseth grins back. "And once N-Netha hears you've hurt me? I wonder how that conversation would g-go."
Ilthus says: Just doing my fraternal duty. Toughening you up before you have to meet Torian. And you will one of these days, whether she likes it or not.
Chryseth shakes his head. "No r-reason I do. He's in Silvermoon, right? Back there, n-nobody knows me from any other scruffy failed m-magister."
Ilthus eyes Chryseth up and down, perhaps trying to fit scruffy into the description somewhere. "And Dalaran, from time to time. And recently in Booty Bay. He's begun 'taking an interest' you see. Though Torian attempting to employ standard elven negotiating tactics on the goblins is something I would pay good coin to watch."
Chryseth throws his head back and laughs. "Oh L-Light, that'd be precious. Maybe I'll run into him an' eavesdrop. Still, why would he notice me?"
Ilthus shakes his head. "Not notice. Track down. Unless you're taking some pains to keep your relationship with Netha a secret.. I sincerely doubt I'm the only person he's instructed to 'keep an eye on her.' Never does things half way."
Chryseth frowns and thinks this over. "Well, she's been here to see me a few times. And rented me a workshop in the Bay. So yeah, I imagine he could f-find out about it. How much of an interest can I expect him to take in me?"
Ilthus shrugs. "Depends on whether he makes the same mistake I did at first. That would get you a fair bit of interest. Otherwise.. may just be curious to figure out -why- she'd be hiding you in the first place."
Chryseth bites his lip. "B-because I'm a crazy person, obviously?"
Ilthus laughs. "And that's my brother's own brand of crazy. He would never think for a second that it might just be an attempt to spare you his.. well.. him."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Well... l-long as I don't feel like I gotta be nice to him on her account...
Ilthus grins again. "Now that I -would- pay a rather substantial sum to watch. You should consider selling tickets."
Chryseth grins. "Well, I'm not that hard up for gold. M-maybe I could do a charity auction for the orphans in Shattrath or somethin'. That and go off on him in Goblin."
Ilthus says: What do goblin swear words entail? It's always an interesting cultural study, finding out what one race considers an insult. Do the goblins simply imply that you've no business sense?
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Sometimes. Or that you're w-worthless. There's, uh, specific forms of that -- sometimes you act as if you're bargaining over them an'... it's pretty funny, really, when they g-go at it, two ganging up on one. Auctioneer an' reluctant bidder, like.
Ilthus says: More funny to the audience than the victim I'd imagine.
Chryseth nods firmly. "Oh yeah, certainly. It's bullying, depending on the c-context. Sometimes it's just, uh -- friendly ribbing sort of? When the tables can g-get turned especially. Elves have n-nothing on goblins, so far as shifting alliances go."
Ilthus says: Ah.. but the goblins don't pretend that those alliances are eternal bonds. More noble, really, in its own way.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Yeah, one of the r-reasons I took up with em, I guess. They might lie, but not -- not like that, you know?
Ilthus nods. "Sometimes it's safer to just assume that evryone you meet is lying to you about something."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Of course. An' to take steps to ensure that they can't hurt you too much with it. But you know all about that already.
Ilthus nods again, eyeing Chry up and down critically. "Haven't gotten you quite figured yet. But any secrets kept by a mage, even a scruffy one, should probably be filed under extremely hazardous."
Chryseth reaches out to scoop the hatchling up one-handed; it protests but quiets as soon as he has it cupped to his chest. "As to that, for whatever it's worth, I try not to hurt people needlessly. Specially not when I like them."
Ilthus , no longer having to double as a nest, rises into a stretch. "Oh.. that much I figured out quickly enough. If I thought you were that type I'd have already put a blade in you." A glance at the mage over his shoulder. "No offense."
Chryseth shakes his head. "None taken," he says. "And actually if I w-were that type, I hope you wouldn't hesitate to do it. Just no lying to Netha about it, hm?"
Ilthus says: I never lie to family. Just sometimes leave out sizable chunks of the truth.
Chryseth grins up at him and slowly rises, minding his passenger. "Just tell her the truth about me, whatever that ends up being. C-consider it a favor to us both."
Ilthus holds a hand out. "Deal."
Chryseth holds out his non-hatchling-nest hand to shake, expression serious. "And now I owe you, of course."
Ilthus meets his gaze evenly. "Don't fuck it up. And we'll call it even."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] I've lived with g-goblins. And need to keep my rep here. No can do.
Ilthus grins. "Alright kid. Alright. We can haggle. So what's the going rate for fraternal honesty these days?"
Chryseth shrugs. "I dunno. Told you, only child. Never had any to buy or sell before so lemme think." He drops his hand down to pet his swordhilt. "S'pose it d-depends on the time limit. I'm asking for unlimited, so it's complicated."
Ilthus's grin stays firmly locked on. "Get the feeling most thingw with you will tend to run that way."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] It's part of my charm?
Ilthus says: Perhaps.
Ilthus pauses. "Don;t suppose I could just have you quietly kill a few people for me?"
Chryseth takes that seriously. His eyes narrow and he pets his swordhilt again. "You're asking me here, so it c-can't be too quiet."
Ilthus says: Or I'm just setting you up to take the fall when half a House in Silvermoon mysteriously drops dead.
Chryseth tenses. "If you d-do that, have the kindness of making me drop dead too, safely blamed. Yeah?"
Ilthus stokes his chin. "Could arrange that. But you'd owe me another favor."
Chryseth shrugs. "If I'm still around to be asked favors then, we'll see. C-can't promise."
Ilthus leans back on his heels. "Alright. Homicide being off the table for the moment.. what do you have to offer? A bit in the dark here as to the resources I'm bargaining against."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] I'm an engineer, an arcanist. I've g-got some contacts in various places in the Cartel and Northrend. I'm good with fixing things that go boom. Oh, an' explosives.
Ilthus pauses, voice serious again when he speaks. "Think you could throw a lead into some honest work my way every once in a while. Playing pirate is all well and good but it's not the work I do best, y'know?"
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Course. Though that may or may n-not pay off my debt, but it's a start.
Ilthus says: Well.. I suppose it depends on how often I'm forced to be honest. And how costly that honesty proves to be.
Ilthus intentionally kicks a stone or two on his way up the hill to alert the mage to his presence. He's being good, see?
Chryseth earquirks but doesn't turn to look. He does, however, flip to a blank page in his notebook and set his pen down. The hatchling peers up at the stranger, mantling slightly, wings spread. Threatening or protective of his nest?
Ilthus tilts his head at it, quietly crunching an apple. "Heh.." is his entire response.
Chryseth reaches up to steady his passenger as he turns to look at the visitor. "Evening," he says. "How's it g-going?"
Ilthus smirks. "Not so well as I had hoped. From the tavern door I thought it was a girl sitting up here alone." His voice is lightly teasing. He settles himself down beside Chry. "Nice bird."
Chryseth frowns, looks away. "M n-not a girl," he mumbles. The hatchling hops down to the mage's arm, leaning over to look at the stranger more closely. Peep PEEP?
Ilthus idly offers the remains of the apple to the pipping hatchling, still grinning at Chry. "Heh.. I see you're quick to correct -that- mistaken impression at least. For a moment I thought you might just let me keep blathering on about it like a fool for the rest of the evening."
Chryseth glances at him, ears quirking again. Soot eagerly takes the apple, nibbling bits off and scarfing them down. "What d'you m-mean? I'm not a girl, and I don't like when people think I am. Though usually s' orcs or trolls or t-tauren that can't tell the difference between an elf-man and an elf-woman. D'you need glasses?"
Ilthus laughs, slowly lowering the fruit to the ground and wiping his hand on his pant leg. "Bought a pair once from a goblin. Won't make that mistake again."
Chryseth grins a little. "Better a g-goblin's than the gnomish everyone's naked ones."
Ilthus says: Wouldn't be so bad if it didn't make them all naked -gnomes-, though I could do without seeing most of our reluctant allies without their nickers on as well.
Chryseth giggles. Soot turns and stares at the mage, peeping softly again. "Well you w-want to see naked, hm. Ogres, yeah!"
Ilthus snerks. "They wander around practically naked already I can't say it would be much of a system shock." His brow suddenly furrows. "Y'know.. now I come to think of it.. I don't think I've ever seen a female ogre."
Ilthus says: I mean... clearly they must exist but..
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Maybe you have. Looked under the loincloth of each an' every one?
Ilthus shudders theatrically. "Pass."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] G-gotta test it with science if you really want to know!
Ilthus says: You can test it if ya like, Mr Scientist. I'll be over here with a blade handy in case they take offense. Or take it as an invitation.
Chryseth laughs again. "N-never underestimate the value of a good bodyguard while doing science. Maybe I'll hire you for it someday." A brief almost-anxiety flashes across his face, but it's gone almost before it can register.
Ilthus shrugs. "Wouldn't be the worst job I've had. And beats taking my orders from an orc."
Chryseth makes a sympathetic face. "Little elf, b-b-big... whatever you've got. Knives? Swords? I dunno. They're so bossy."
Ilthus says: No sense of humor either. Course.. plenty of elves with that problem too.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Eh, they're n-no fun either. Might as well be a kaldorei if you're gonna be like that, I figure.
Ilthus says: Almost feel like I am some days. On a boat, with my sister calling all the shots. But.. could be worse.
Chryseth gives him a puzzled look -- then understanding. "Probably w-worse people to take orders from, too. Though I guess I dunno what she's like when she's being all official. Or with family." He thinks this over -- and Soot notices that he is not the center of
Chryseth | anyone's attention. After a moment's careful hatchling-consideration, he hops over to Ilthus's leg and looks pitiful. Poor neglected birdy.
Ilthus glances down at the warm weight and smiles, a genuine smile this time, not the usual smirk. "It depends on which family member she's dealing with.." He murmurs, stroking under the bird's chin with one finger.
Chryseth watches, fond, as Soot thoroughly enjoys the petting. "She's m-mentioned another to me, but doesn't want us to meet," he says, not sounding too concerned. "I guess she wouldn't want him on her boat either?"
Ilthus ' eyes flick to the 'pendant' around Chry's neck. "She doesn't, eh? That's interesting."
Chryseth shakes his head, ears flicking back. "Is that -- d-does it say something bad about me? I thought it was something bad about him..." His voice trails off and he reaches up to touch the 'pendant', then close his fingers around it briefly.
Ilthus sighs. "I think it means she hates him. Not just resentment or irritation like I thought it was. I think she may really hate him, and it's a shame."
Chryseth frowns, releasing the metal shard to reach out and stroke one of Soot's wings with his finger. "I dunno if it'd be something I could understand," he says quietly. "I was an only child."
Ilthus shifts a bit to look at the mage. "Was?"
Chryseth keeps his head lowered. "Well, my parents are dead. It's all I'll ever be."
Ilthus picks up a small stone and flicks it out toward the sea. "Middle child, myself. And it was a peach lemme tell ya."
Chryseth glances up, curious. He hesitates -- but it's too much to not ask. "What's it really like?"
Ilthus shrugs. "You're not the first to have or to do anything y'know? And you still have to set an example for and be nice to the babies. Not that that part was hard. Most of the time. But.. never first. In anything."
Chryseth hmms, going back to petting Soot, who's still settled comfortably on Ilthus's leg. "I'd have d-done crazy stuff," he decides. "Just to be the first. At least find a bone nobody else'd broken yet..." He grins faintly, maybe joking.
Ilthus smirks. "Or seen what trouble you could get into that the 'good kids' hadn't thought of?" His gaze drops back to the hatchling, smile softening again, scritch scritch. "Yeah.."
Chryseth nods, smiling. "Yeah, bet I could've thought of p-plenty, specially if my elders were good kids. S'pose that'd be bad for the littler ones though." Sigh, earwilt.
Ilthus laughs. "I -did- drag poor Netha into a lot of trouble over the years. And she was the one who would get caught, trying to repeat our past adventures."
Chryseth smiles. "Except for the trouble, I bet she loved every minute of it. D'you jump off stuff with her?"
Ilthus nods, wistful smile playing across his face. "Used to. We'd try and find places where the water was deep enough and a nice branch that stretched out far enough. Almost got us both drowned a couple of times." He chuckles, shaking his head.
Chryseth laughs. Soot glowers at him -- the mage has committed the unforgiveable sin of stopping petting, and he hasn't even noticed yet! The shame! "Well, I'm g-glad you didn't manage to kill yourselves. And, you know, the water around Teldrassil's deep enough."
Ilthus says: Bit beyond our means as kids. Fel.. don't think the thing even existed yet.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Well, it's there n-now.
Chryseth gives Ilthy a friendly jostle.
Ilthus leans back, watching the dark clouds drift past. "So it is. And we have some time to make up for." A lengthy pause and then he sits up again, hand returning to the scritching. "So tell me something?"
Chryseth mms agreeably, ears quirked. Soot makes happy noises at levels of attention returning to acceptable levels.
Ilthus says: How long have known my sister?
Chryseth doesn't answer right away. He taps the fingers of of his right hand on his knee, maybe counting. Then he shrugs.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] A few months, I guess?
Chryseth ...doesn't sound remotely certain.
Ilthus tilts his head, eyes narrowed a bit. "But less than a year?"
Chryseth nods, looking away. "D-definitely."
Ilthus seems satisfied with that answer, the tension in his shoulders relaxing a bit. "Has she told you? What that is?" He gestures toward Chry's chest. "What it means?"
Chryseth reaches up to touch the 'pendant,' cupping it almost like he would the hatchling. He shakes his head. "Not -- not exactly," he hedges. "Only I know it's n-not cursed or nothin'. I checked."
Ilthus studies the mage's face intently as he speaks. "S'a dagger tip. Blade I gave her. She passed it along to a friend as a sort of ritual. An adoption, I guess.."
Chryseth blushes faintly, eyes dropping away again. "She said she w-wants to keep me around," he says softly. "An' won't drive me away. Don't worry, I'm n-not... not gonna..." His voice trails off and he shrugs.
Ilthus says: She trusts you.
Ilthus is making a statement.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] And I t-trust her.
Ilthus sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Never met the man she gave the blade to. Too late now. Rest of the blade is in the ground, in it's sheath, at his hip." A dry, bitter chuckle. "And I wouldn't know about any of it if Midna didn't talk so muchb when she drinks."
Chryseth glances back at him, sidelong. "Remind me to n-never get drunk around you, in case it's just your winning w-way with interrogations," he says, voice dry.
Ilthus waves that off. "Point is that she doesn't tell me things. Doesn't trust me. Not like she used to. My own idiot fault I suppose, though I honestly didn't know I was picking sides at the time."
Chryseth frowns, reaches over to pet Soot. "Picking sides in what?"
Ilthus says: Her and Torian. He can be a thoughtless, insensitive prat sometimes. Treats everyone that way but its been different with Netha. Fine for -me- to run around like a scalawag, rascalling my way from town to town. Different story when it's his sister.
Ilthus chuckles. "Turned into a war while I was off fooling around, not paying attention."
Chryseth nods, but doesn't really seem to get it. "Still, you're still siblings. S'n-not like you're," vague gesture. "Some blue-eyed and some g-green. Surely the differences aren't unassailable?"
Ilthus says: Might have been.. but then Jessian got involved. Not intentionally mind. He was just trying to do things the right way.
Chryseth ...really doesn't look like he gets it. He picks nervously at a loose thread on his trousers and nibbles his lip. "But you all still -- d-depend on each other?"
Ilthus ' eyes go flat. "I didn't know. Six weeks, Midna tells me. Six weeks at the mercy of the bastard whose ashes she pulled that out of." He gestures at the dagger tip. "And none of us knew. She'd cut us off and I was angry but I still should have tried to
Ilthus says: make it right. I should have known.. I.."
Ilthus says: I should have been there.
Chryseth touches the 'pendant' again, eyes going distant. Thoughtful. "There was n-no way you could have known, from what she told me. So yeah, maybe if the Light were merciful and showed you, or whatever, you could have done something. I dunno this is something you c-can blame yourself for."
Ilthus sighs heavily, hands in hair again. "I know. I -know- and I don't. I blame Torian. Since I found out I've wanted to go and just.. slap him in the face with it but I think it might have the opposite effect from what I'd intend."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Mmh, if he's not -- not -nice-, he might find some way to use it against her. Or some w-way she wouldn't like.
Ilthus says flatly. "I'd kill him." A little huff of breath, shake of the head. "Or.. well.. maim him at least. Show him why he doesn't ever want to fight with me for real."
Chryseth hmphs. "Sometimes people do the wrong thing an' think they're being h-helpful, you know. S'why you can never be too careful about who you tell the truth, depending on what the t-truth is." He gives Ilthus another sidelong glance at that.
Ilthus laughs aloud. "Light, I must be slipping! Getting lessons in subtlety and tact from a bloody Magister."
Chryseth visibly flinches, hands clenching into fists. He forces himself to relax. "I'm no magister."
Chryseth ...says that the same way he earlier protested his lack of girliness.
Ilthus quirks a brow, eyes moving down to the hatchling and then back up to the mage. He says, "I see." with the sort of tone one would use while checking off a list. Sore spot? Check.
Chryseth slouches, making a face again. "Academy d-dropout. Phoenix hatchling f-foster parent. Not a magister, never will be."
Ilthus stretches, indolence a bit overdone, mostly for show. "Best way if ya ask me. All the power, none of the rules. And you seem to have gotten out before they could implant the stick. Smart tactic, that."
Chryseth relaxes, starting to smile again. "Well, I wasn't gonna let them put -that- -there-," he says. "Do they offer stick implantation in your l-line of work? Or do you just learn how to kill people with em?"
Ilthus smirks at that. "One of the reasons I chose this job, no pretension needed. Could do with a bit of a screening process on applicants though. Weed out the 'I am the living shadow, the silent death..' types. Give me the creeps."
Chryseth giggles and reaches out to stroke the still-dozing hatchling. "Yeah, s' probably what they w-want. And they think it helps em pick up the girls." Petpet scritch. "You know, I'm surprised I'm n-not scared of you. Rogues an' me, we don't... get on."
Ilthus flashes a wicked grin, the unscarred half of which is very familiar. "Clearly I'll have to be scarier in the future. Lurk in the shadows for no good reason, act like a spoiled adolescent someone let play with knives." Another head shake.
Chryseth shakes his head. "N-no, that sort doesn't scare me so much, you burn em an' they run like the scared kids they are. Or maybe he is, I dunno." He sags closer for a moment, then straightens with an apologetic look.
Ilthus says: Job attracts a lot of people who weren't too stable to start with and then trains em to kill quickly and quietly. I can understand a bit of reticence when dealing with the sneaky sort.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] It's not sneakiness that bugs me so much, it's...
Chryseth pets Soot, and the sleepy hatchling rouses enough to look around, then tucks his head under one wing.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Cruelty.
Ilthus nods. "Get those too. People who don't understand what the job -is- or why it's needed." A hand drifts to the hilt of his dagger, unconscious gesture, maybe just making sure it's still there.
Ilthus says: And for the record. I prefer scout. Was a soldier after all. For a while anyway.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] During the -- the w-war?
Ilthus nods. "And after. On Quel'danas. In Northrend. Missed the final push though. Tossed out before it got underway."
Chryseth gestures -- maybe an aborted salute. "I am thankful for your service," he says. It's not rote words, there's something behind them, and he squeezes his eyes shut. "I'm g-glad you lived."
Ilthus waves a hand, a dismissive gesture. "Wasn't city defense. Scout, like I said. Torian, Jessian and I stuck together, found clear paths for the refugees. Or cleared paths for them if we had to."
Chryseth shakes his head. "Service is service," he says. "I w-was one of those refugees."
Ilthus shrugs. "Just seemed like the wiser course. Didn't have the numbers. Tried to convince my father of that but he was a wall. S'where Torian gets it from. I'm convinced."
Chryseth draws in a deep breath, lets it out shakily. "N-never had the numbers. It w-was a lost cause, we all shoulda been out. Except maybe those who stayed bought the rest of us time, an' I c-can't ever let go of the feeling that if it did, the life I have right n-now was bought with the blood and suffering of others, and I -- it's not a good feeling."
Ilthus pats the younger man's knee. "Well fel, that's all of us isn't it? Every creature on this or any other world. History is a blood soaked thing and every one of us owes our current life to those who came before us and clawed at the world to build us a place in it."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] I guess. Except my b-best friend died defending the city gates, and my parents stayed behind to fight, and you c-could have easily been eaten by something off in Eversong, and... it's n-n-not the same as theoreticals.
Ilthus says: We all get our chance to stand on History's shield wall eventually, and fall so that others can press on. Your chance'll come eventually. And then there'll be some other kid sitting on the beach, wondering if it maybe should have been him instead.
Chryseth shakes his head. "Nah, I'll d-die in some pointless explosion when some other engineer m-makes an idiot mistake." He tries to laugh. "Or in a stupid m-mistake of my own, like this little fellow's m-master."
Ilthus grins. "Not I. I plan to die an old old man, in a big bed filled with women half my age."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Well, you can plan all you want, but... but first you better start honing your w-woman finding skills.
Ilthus laughs again. "Knew it was you before I ever came up here. Just wanted a bit of revenge for you letting me blather on like an idiot about a fictional relationship the first time we met."
Chryseth lets out a soft laugh too. "I didn't know if she'd l-led you to believe it, and I wasn't about to say otherwise just in case. Anyway," and now there's more than a hint of mischief in his voice...
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] We do sleep together, sometimes.
Ilthus lifts a brow. "So did we. When we were kids. Camped out in the woods for thrilling adventures." Head tilt. "That -is- the sort of sleeping together you're implying, yes?"
Chryseth grins. "Yeah, only in my hawkstrider's stall. C-comforting an' cozy, you know?" A moment's thought, and he frowns. "I g-gave my camping kit away. Never got it back."
Ilthus says: Well.. s'not like you need flint and tinder. And a strider can double as a pillow pretty easily. Less reliable about keeping the rain off though. They seem to resent it and feel you should be suffering too.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] I know. We l-lived rough after -- after the city...
Chryseth waves a hand.
Ilthus nods. "We all did." His eyes go dark for a moment before he shakes it off. "Except Netha of course. She had it -easy-"
Chryseth grins, shrugs. "An' now she has a ship to call home, and the luxury to decide when she wants a break from it. I can't get too envious, though."
Ilthus says: Prefer the open road do we?
Ilthus asks with just a bit too much innocence.
Chryseth snorts. "Time w-was I'd have decked you for even asking that. Time was, I'd have had an easy answer to that too. Now? I dunno."
Ilthus grins wickedly. "You could try. Course.. I'm not so well known here. You might have some help after I'd bashed you about a bit."
Chryseth grins back. "And once N-Netha hears you've hurt me? I wonder how that conversation would g-go."
Ilthus says: Just doing my fraternal duty. Toughening you up before you have to meet Torian. And you will one of these days, whether she likes it or not.
Chryseth shakes his head. "No r-reason I do. He's in Silvermoon, right? Back there, n-nobody knows me from any other scruffy failed m-magister."
Ilthus eyes Chryseth up and down, perhaps trying to fit scruffy into the description somewhere. "And Dalaran, from time to time. And recently in Booty Bay. He's begun 'taking an interest' you see. Though Torian attempting to employ standard elven negotiating tactics on the goblins is something I would pay good coin to watch."
Chryseth throws his head back and laughs. "Oh L-Light, that'd be precious. Maybe I'll run into him an' eavesdrop. Still, why would he notice me?"
Ilthus shakes his head. "Not notice. Track down. Unless you're taking some pains to keep your relationship with Netha a secret.. I sincerely doubt I'm the only person he's instructed to 'keep an eye on her.' Never does things half way."
Chryseth frowns and thinks this over. "Well, she's been here to see me a few times. And rented me a workshop in the Bay. So yeah, I imagine he could f-find out about it. How much of an interest can I expect him to take in me?"
Ilthus shrugs. "Depends on whether he makes the same mistake I did at first. That would get you a fair bit of interest. Otherwise.. may just be curious to figure out -why- she'd be hiding you in the first place."
Chryseth bites his lip. "B-because I'm a crazy person, obviously?"
Ilthus laughs. "And that's my brother's own brand of crazy. He would never think for a second that it might just be an attempt to spare you his.. well.. him."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Well... l-long as I don't feel like I gotta be nice to him on her account...
Ilthus grins again. "Now that I -would- pay a rather substantial sum to watch. You should consider selling tickets."
Chryseth grins. "Well, I'm not that hard up for gold. M-maybe I could do a charity auction for the orphans in Shattrath or somethin'. That and go off on him in Goblin."
Ilthus says: What do goblin swear words entail? It's always an interesting cultural study, finding out what one race considers an insult. Do the goblins simply imply that you've no business sense?
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Sometimes. Or that you're w-worthless. There's, uh, specific forms of that -- sometimes you act as if you're bargaining over them an'... it's pretty funny, really, when they g-go at it, two ganging up on one. Auctioneer an' reluctant bidder, like.
Ilthus says: More funny to the audience than the victim I'd imagine.
Chryseth nods firmly. "Oh yeah, certainly. It's bullying, depending on the c-context. Sometimes it's just, uh -- friendly ribbing sort of? When the tables can g-get turned especially. Elves have n-nothing on goblins, so far as shifting alliances go."
Ilthus says: Ah.. but the goblins don't pretend that those alliances are eternal bonds. More noble, really, in its own way.
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Yeah, one of the r-reasons I took up with em, I guess. They might lie, but not -- not like that, you know?
Ilthus nods. "Sometimes it's safer to just assume that evryone you meet is lying to you about something."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Of course. An' to take steps to ensure that they can't hurt you too much with it. But you know all about that already.
Ilthus nods again, eyeing Chry up and down critically. "Haven't gotten you quite figured yet. But any secrets kept by a mage, even a scruffy one, should probably be filed under extremely hazardous."
Chryseth reaches out to scoop the hatchling up one-handed; it protests but quiets as soon as he has it cupped to his chest. "As to that, for whatever it's worth, I try not to hurt people needlessly. Specially not when I like them."
Ilthus , no longer having to double as a nest, rises into a stretch. "Oh.. that much I figured out quickly enough. If I thought you were that type I'd have already put a blade in you." A glance at the mage over his shoulder. "No offense."
Chryseth shakes his head. "None taken," he says. "And actually if I w-were that type, I hope you wouldn't hesitate to do it. Just no lying to Netha about it, hm?"
Ilthus says: I never lie to family. Just sometimes leave out sizable chunks of the truth.
Chryseth grins up at him and slowly rises, minding his passenger. "Just tell her the truth about me, whatever that ends up being. C-consider it a favor to us both."
Ilthus holds a hand out. "Deal."
Chryseth holds out his non-hatchling-nest hand to shake, expression serious. "And now I owe you, of course."
Ilthus meets his gaze evenly. "Don't fuck it up. And we'll call it even."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] I've lived with g-goblins. And need to keep my rep here. No can do.
Ilthus grins. "Alright kid. Alright. We can haggle. So what's the going rate for fraternal honesty these days?"
Chryseth shrugs. "I dunno. Told you, only child. Never had any to buy or sell before so lemme think." He drops his hand down to pet his swordhilt. "S'pose it d-depends on the time limit. I'm asking for unlimited, so it's complicated."
Ilthus's grin stays firmly locked on. "Get the feeling most thingw with you will tend to run that way."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] It's part of my charm?
Ilthus says: Perhaps.
Ilthus pauses. "Don;t suppose I could just have you quietly kill a few people for me?"
Chryseth takes that seriously. His eyes narrow and he pets his swordhilt again. "You're asking me here, so it c-can't be too quiet."
Ilthus says: Or I'm just setting you up to take the fall when half a House in Silvermoon mysteriously drops dead.
Chryseth tenses. "If you d-do that, have the kindness of making me drop dead too, safely blamed. Yeah?"
Ilthus stokes his chin. "Could arrange that. But you'd owe me another favor."
Chryseth shrugs. "If I'm still around to be asked favors then, we'll see. C-can't promise."
Ilthus leans back on his heels. "Alright. Homicide being off the table for the moment.. what do you have to offer? A bit in the dark here as to the resources I'm bargaining against."
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] I'm an engineer, an arcanist. I've g-got some contacts in various places in the Cartel and Northrend. I'm good with fixing things that go boom. Oh, an' explosives.
Ilthus pauses, voice serious again when he speaks. "Think you could throw a lead into some honest work my way every once in a while. Playing pirate is all well and good but it's not the work I do best, y'know?"
Chryseth says: [Thalassian] Course. Though that may or may n-not pay off my debt, but it's a start.
Ilthus says: Well.. I suppose it depends on how often I'm forced to be honest. And how costly that honesty proves to be.