Post by Aodhfin Voronwe on Feb 7, 2015 19:01:26 GMT
Aodhfin sat cross-legged on the lip of a large stone fountain. The water pouring down into the basin reached him with the occasional breeze but he hardly paid it any mind. He was much too focused on the relic in hand. It was an old thing, whatever details it may have held had been weathered away by the passage of time. He was glad it did not cost him much, he felt that it may have been worthless upon further inspection, but there was always the small chance that it was something from the old world. The peddler who sold it to him claimed it came from Epei, a gift to one who could wield magic. Aodhfin was not so very naive to believe in that particular fact, but perhaps it had been the item of some long magical creature. So he bought it and now he sat in the center square of Orus, studying the thing with an ever increasing frown. It may have been a figurine of some kind, made of stone that held a deep green hue, so faint it was only visible when he held it directly in the sun. What a sight that must have been, clutching the thing tightly and holPding it above his head, squinting up at it as if a gift from the divine.
Had he not been such a man who cared so very much about what others thought of him, he would have ignored the crowd and done as he pleased. As it was, he only allowed brief moments of intense inspection before he tossed the thing carelessly up and down like a juggler preparing for a show. A small child approached him as he tossed the thing about and Aodhfin lofted a brow. "I am not an entertainer," he said waspishly. "Go and pester another." The child scampered off into the crowd and Aodhfin huffed in annoyance. He was still sore about his disgrace and he was already regretting sending off what could have been his only audience for a long time yet. Even here the news spread that he was caught 'trying to steal from the king'. Aodhfin was tired of trying to convince these fools that it had been mere misunderstanding and instead became sullen and took to drink. He was nowhere close to sober when he purchased the useless object and he was beginning to think he might spare his head these awful pains and save his wallet but then there was never anyone who judged him while in the tavern, no one cared enough to remark on his troubles. Rude, but Aodhfin preferred it to the suspicious looks he was growing accustomed to.
He blinked when he noticed the child was back. He stared at the boy and the boy stared back tenaciously. Children were such brats these days, so bold and so disrespectful. He ought to know he was in the presence of a master and ought not to stare so openly. Still, he was the only one who looked at him in daylight without muttering a comment to a companion so Aodhfin relented and patted the space next to him. The kid hopped up next to him and Aodhfin showed him the relic. "You see this?" he asked. The boy nodded. "This is an ancient artifact from the days of Aurora's youth. Trapped within this stone are memories...memories of a time we will never know. Listen...can you hear it? Whispers from the past?" He held the stone to his ear before offering it to the boy. His eyes lit up, caught in the tale as he nodded fervently. Aodhfin noticed that other people were beginning to gather around him now. He grinned inwardly. "Yes, I hear it too. This stone, this ancient figure surely belonged to one of the old heroes, an unspoken hero, who cast it in the likeness of the woman he loved so he might keep her close to him as he marched off to battle against the darkness that was magic. He faced his foes bravely, yes, their powers may overwhelm him but he had his lover protecting him, guiding him. And in that the man experienced his own magic."
The crowd grew and Aodhfin stood up, there on the fountain, the water surely crashing down behind him in a brilliant display. He held up the relic, far more pleased with his purchase now than he'd been mere moments before. "If you listen to what is around you, you find our world full of heroes, full of wonders that might otherwise pass you by. I challenge you, my friends, to open your hearts and ears to the splendors that are offered and you too may find memories, whispers from the past of a time we may never know." A few people furrowed their brows at that, perhaps catching on to his rather poorly disguised scorn for being denied the right to study Aurora's history but he covered it up with a placating smile and merely bowed before he sat back down, waving his hand dismissively to indicate the show was over.
Had he not been such a man who cared so very much about what others thought of him, he would have ignored the crowd and done as he pleased. As it was, he only allowed brief moments of intense inspection before he tossed the thing carelessly up and down like a juggler preparing for a show. A small child approached him as he tossed the thing about and Aodhfin lofted a brow. "I am not an entertainer," he said waspishly. "Go and pester another." The child scampered off into the crowd and Aodhfin huffed in annoyance. He was still sore about his disgrace and he was already regretting sending off what could have been his only audience for a long time yet. Even here the news spread that he was caught 'trying to steal from the king'. Aodhfin was tired of trying to convince these fools that it had been mere misunderstanding and instead became sullen and took to drink. He was nowhere close to sober when he purchased the useless object and he was beginning to think he might spare his head these awful pains and save his wallet but then there was never anyone who judged him while in the tavern, no one cared enough to remark on his troubles. Rude, but Aodhfin preferred it to the suspicious looks he was growing accustomed to.
He blinked when he noticed the child was back. He stared at the boy and the boy stared back tenaciously. Children were such brats these days, so bold and so disrespectful. He ought to know he was in the presence of a master and ought not to stare so openly. Still, he was the only one who looked at him in daylight without muttering a comment to a companion so Aodhfin relented and patted the space next to him. The kid hopped up next to him and Aodhfin showed him the relic. "You see this?" he asked. The boy nodded. "This is an ancient artifact from the days of Aurora's youth. Trapped within this stone are memories...memories of a time we will never know. Listen...can you hear it? Whispers from the past?" He held the stone to his ear before offering it to the boy. His eyes lit up, caught in the tale as he nodded fervently. Aodhfin noticed that other people were beginning to gather around him now. He grinned inwardly. "Yes, I hear it too. This stone, this ancient figure surely belonged to one of the old heroes, an unspoken hero, who cast it in the likeness of the woman he loved so he might keep her close to him as he marched off to battle against the darkness that was magic. He faced his foes bravely, yes, their powers may overwhelm him but he had his lover protecting him, guiding him. And in that the man experienced his own magic."
The crowd grew and Aodhfin stood up, there on the fountain, the water surely crashing down behind him in a brilliant display. He held up the relic, far more pleased with his purchase now than he'd been mere moments before. "If you listen to what is around you, you find our world full of heroes, full of wonders that might otherwise pass you by. I challenge you, my friends, to open your hearts and ears to the splendors that are offered and you too may find memories, whispers from the past of a time we may never know." A few people furrowed their brows at that, perhaps catching on to his rather poorly disguised scorn for being denied the right to study Aurora's history but he covered it up with a placating smile and merely bowed before he sat back down, waving his hand dismissively to indicate the show was over.