(Corvin/Mordred Adventure 2 RP): Corvin and Astrid

[archolewa]

The air is cool and wet, though the rain has stopped for now. The moon, almost but not quite full, peaks through a temporary break in the clouds, bathing the palisade in a soft silver light. He can hear faint sobbing somewhere below him, just inside and at the base of the palisade walls.

[shaidar]

Corvin

Corvin slowly climbs down the palisade, purposefully making some noise "Hello, is someone there? I won't hurt you. It's me, Corvin, Sebastian's friend."

[archolewa]

"Oh!" The sobs stop, and Corvin recognizes the voice as belonging to Astrid. As he comes down, he spies her wiping some tears away. She's not wearing armor or carrying her shield, but she does have her sword. She's holding it by the scabbard, like she'd been clutching it to her chest a moment ago. "S-sorry, didn't realize you were out here Corvin. I was, I was sharpening Mother's sword with a whetstone I borrowed from a villager. And, and the sound of it. It brought back memories, you know? I had to come out and let my soul fly on the winds."

Astrid's family, and indeed most people in her village, believe that little fragments of a person's soul is contained in their tears. When one cries outside, especially on a night with a strong wind, they believe the wind will carry their fragments of soul out into the world, where some of them might settle into newborns and grow into new souls. The more, and the greater variety of souls that settle on the child, the healthier the babe. But, you only have so much soul. Shed too many tears and you will become a shriveled husk, incapable of any emotion but dull apathy. They also believe it makes you vulnerable, for if an enemy catches your tears, they will have pieces of your soul, pieces they can use to inflict terrible curses on you.

[shaidar]

Corvin

"I was out here listening to the night, sometimes it helps me hear my inner self. I can go if you want to be alone, I didn't mean to intrude. Or if you want I can climb back up and guard your tears as they fly? I mean that seriously."

[archolewa]

Astrid smiles. "Sounds like if anything, I'm intruding on you. But no, I don't mind you hanging around. You've been here before, and you came through it. Helps remind me this'll be bearable someday."

Astrid doesn't speak for a moment. She seems to be studying Corvin. "You know, you look different than you did before you enlisted. I can't put my finger on it. I'd almost say scarier, but you're about as far from scary as a guy can get. Heck, a wailing babe is scarier than you."

This last sentence she speaks with a bit of a teasing tone in her voice.

[shaidar]

Corvin

Corvin bears his teeth "Grrrrr" (he says, rather than growls) "I know you all think I'm hopelessly idealistic. When I said I was out here listening to my inner self, I sort of meant it. It's hard to explain, Lupine have this inner connection. Some, if they challenge themselves and seek it out can make a sort of connection to this inner self, and it means they can do extraordinary things. I'm not sure I even understand it myself. Normally your parents tell you about this when you're growing up, reaching adulthood." he glances at the ground for a second before looking at Astrid "You will always be my family, Astrid, but I do need to spend more time with my kind, there are things I need to understand about myself. I'm not leaving the group, or anything like that, but I need to spend time with other Lupine. Sebastian says there is a group that roams the Refuge, helping out, and they come to the grove for the Solstice, and I want to find a community in the city I can visit."

[archolewa]

Astrid chuckles, and playfully punches Corvin's shoulder. "Nothing hopeless about it. Hopefully idealistic maybe. But that's a good thing. Dad always said so long as you got hope in your heart, the Kinslayer hasn't beaten you yet."

Her smile falters a bit. "I guess he knew what he was talking about..."

"Anyway," she says hastily. "That's great! I think it'd do you good to talk to some other Lupines. It'll be good for you, and I'm not gonna lie. A sharp stick of metal feels pretty inadequate against some of those monsters out there. It'd be nice to have someone doing 'extraordinary' things on our side."

Astrid smirks. "And maybe you'll meet a cute she-Lupine, and get yourself a couple of adorable little mini-Corvins."

[shaidar]

Corvin

Corvin blinks "Kids? Bring on the Kinslayers hordes, but I don't think I'm ready for that adventure yet. I'm still trying to work out who I am."

[archolewa]

"Obviously. You need some romance first!" says Astrid with a laugh. "Moonlight frolicking. Slow moments looking deeply into each other's eyes. Awkwardly figuring out how to kiss when you both have snouts. Tearful good-byes as your fair maiden begs you to stay with her, while you stoically insist that you must venture beyond the Wall. You do it for her, so that she may have a future of peace and prosperity, while she insists she would gladly face the Kinslayer's hordes the rest of her life, so long as she can do it by your side. Eh? Eh?"

[shaidar]

Corvin

"You've obviously been thinking about this, on my behalf, way too much... While I haven't given the future much thought up until now. What with joining the unit, the end of the war, the unit being disbanded and the tower... I guess I just haven't stopped to think and my brain hasn't really accepted that the war is over and their could be a peaceful future. The war has been there all our lives."

[archolewa]

Astrid laughs. "Corvin, I've been thinking about getting you a girlfriend since we were kids! You'd look so adorably bashful.You should totally bring me along to meet these Lupines. I'll tell the girls all about your courage, selflessness and nobility."

[shaidar]

Corvin

"I should totally bring you along...Not!" he says with a grin "I'd never live up to the hype...speaking of settling down, shouldn't you be taking your own advice and finding yourself a boyfriend?"

[archolewa]

"Parried! Riposte! You got me good sir," says Astrid with another laugh. She sobers a bit. "Though in my defense, I was thinking about that. Well, Mom and Dad were mostly. With the war done it was looking like I wasn't going to get called up. So, was probably gonna get married soon. Probably to Jason. Mom and Dad liked him. Solid and respectable. Hard working. Served a tour on the Wall, and did so well. I liked him well enough. Pretty easy on the eyes, and he had a good sense of humor. But, then you know."

Astrid shrugs. She rubs her palm. "No way he'd take me now. Certainly thinks I'm dead. And what fool takes a woman marked by the Kinslayer? Who knows what that would do to his children? And I don't know that I'd have him even if he was willing. Least, not until I figure out what this thing is. But I don't know how to do that either."

[shaidar]

Corvin

"He would be a fool if he didn't take you. We'll figure it out together, that I can promise. Maybe we'll even find a way to get the mark removed, that's something Kasper might know about." he holds his hands up "...when you are ready."

[archolewa]

Astrid shrugs. "Would he be? I don't know. I wouldn't blame him. The Kinslayer's corruption ain't nothing to mess with. Besides, let's be real Corvin. By now, the farm has either been broken up or gone to Benjy, but him... Well, I don't know that he's ever going home again 'neither. So I got no family. You know how it is in farming villages. You marry as much so that you can rely on your in-laws' help during lean years as anything else. Wouldn't be fair to him or his family to take me on, pop out a bunch of kids with hungry mouths, but not bring along some extra support, you know? Better he find a girl whose still got a family with a farm."

There was a strange hesitation in Astrid's voice when she mentioned Benjamin, her older brother. Corvin remembers him being very much your classic big brother: very protective of his younger siblings, especially Astrid. The local boys learned pretty quick not to pull on Astrid's pigtails, that's for sure.

[shaidar]

Corvin

Corvin blinks "Benjy! We have to write to him or something, let him know what happened, that you're OK...maybe that's something we should do in person. I wonder how I can find out where he was posted and if his unit's been disbanded."

Does Corvin have any idea what unit Benjy was in or how to find out this info?

[archolewa]

"No, no we need to not do that," says Astrid in a strangled voice.

Princess Flora runs a tight ship. I'm sure with a bit of asking around at the barracks, you could track down a bureaucrat who could look it up for you.

[shaidar]

Corvin

"OK, OK, no contacting Benjy, for now anyway. You might change your mind one day."

[archolewa]

Astrid shakes her head. Her voice drops low enough Corvin can barely hear, even with his Lupine hearing. "I don't know. Corvin, the way that priestess was talking, it seemed like my Dad had forsaken the Kinslayer a while ago. Years ago"

She gives him a meaningful look. "The shrine I stumbled on did not look that neglected. And Benjy had been visiting only a few weeks before, before having to report back to his unit only a few days before the priestess came."

[shaidar]

Corvin

Corvin's eyes widen in shock "You think he arranged that all with the priestess? But he was so protective of you. What do we do? We could report him..?" he looks unsure.