[Mature] Joining the Family [Completed]

[Ksenia]

Ksenia had just finished putting the pouch together when she heard a knock at the door. “It’s Deborah,” she called through the door. Ksenia hopped off the table and over to the door. “Artemis asked for you,” Deb said, as Ksenia opened the door. “Booth in the back corner.” she said, staring just past Ksenia's shoulder for a moment before striding off irritably, as Ksenia watched after her.

Ksenia rolled her neck, hearing it pop, and stretched. Sighing, she retrieved the pouch she’d made as an apology and slid it into her pocket along with the key as she locked the door behind her. This is a good thing, she told herself, because I can get some answers to my questions. Artemis glanced at her as she came around the corner into the seating area. She slid into the booth facing him.

“Good to see you. I’ve got some questions for you, by the way, but first-” she fished the pouch out and laid it on the table. It was a hand-sized pouch of red figured linen with appliqued blue flowers and white vines embroidered on one side. “I was a bitch this morning, and I should apologize for that. I’m sorry. I was upset by not having got much sleep but I shouldn’t have laid into you two.” She slid the pouch across the table. “Not that this makes amends, really, but I thought you might find it useful for coins or whatever.”

She straightened up against the back of the booth. “Secondly, I need to know more about the terms of whatever credit it is you’ve set up with Mr. O’Dell. I’d like to buy some fabric and embroidery silks for my own use, and I need to know if that would be covered or if I would need to pay his normal prices.” Ksenia tried not to wince as she heard several threads pop when she put her elbows on the table.

“Last, I’m not sure if you remember but Cook said something about other members of the Goose wanting to have me do some work for them - how would you like me to handle that? Split my time? Finish your work first? I just want to keep everyone happy.” Ksenia interlaced her fingers and rested her chin on them. “Oh, and it may not be my place to ask, but - what’s wrong with Deb? She seems worked up about something.”

[Katarya Frost]

Katarya made her way back to the Goose. She didn’t see Artemis or Ksenia, and the others seemed busy, so she made her way to she and Artemis’ room, so she could prepare her spell …

***

Placing in the ornate dagger in the centre of the circle she had created from six candles, Katarya knelt on the wooden floor and took some deep breaths. On her shoulder, Nyx sat sat silent, head cocked.

The dagger was small, barely longer than her palm, and the black handle had felt good in her hand, and the Elven adornments were truly beautiful; she silently thanks Dáire for the gift.

It wasn’t long enough that she’d be able to do much damage through stabbing, but that wasn’t the point; this was to be an enchanted weapon, and she really didn’t think she had the stomach to do such a thing anyway. All it needed was to break the skin, and then the spell woven into it would take effect.

She held out her hands, hovering over the blade and chanted the spell.

”Fëa en' iant, tena amin nalla,
Amin yala lle no' sina eve.
Ar' ask ten' llë val,
E'a sina megil, amin ulua amin templa.
Nív i' ainasta en' ta tyara n'uma awra,
Tel ta tyara ere' i' fea be naie.
Tel ta be amin um- vee' amin irma,
Amin essa lle ‘Ercá’.
Vee' amin will ta, ikótane shall ta bë.
Ten' amin manka i' templa,
Amin naa i' val,
Aina naa i' coiasira,
Ar' sina naa i' lúmë!”

{See translation:}’
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As the said the final word, Nyx let out a strange cry, and the flames of all six candles all drew inwards, as if reaching for the flame. For a moment they reached the metal, that shone in the light. Then all were suddenly extinguished.

Katarya slumped, breathing heavily. Beads of sweat had gathered on her forehead, and she looked tired as she reached up to stroke a finger down Nyx’s chest. ”Thank you for your help,” she said. Even the raven looked tired.

Getting to her feet, she swayed a little, causing a squawk from Nyx as she went and sat on the bed. She ought to clear this all away before Artemis came back; she hadn’t told him about the dagger, though she would, of course. But she had wanted to see if she could have pulled off the spell, and judging by how drained she was, it appeared to have worked. If Nyx had not leant her own strange powers, it might not have worked.

Kat rested her head on the bed, just to catch her breath, as Nyx hopped off her shoulder. She didn’t mean to, but fell into a deep, exhausted slumber.

[Artemis Black]

Artemis was immediately struck by how completely not irate and annoyed Ksenia appeared to be. She was even willing to ask him questions, and he hadn’t even given her the money yet. He pushed the confusion aside with even more confusion as she offered him an apology. “You don’t need to make amends, your space was invaded. I can definitely understand what that’s like," he offered distractedly as he looked over the small soft pouch. It was more detailed than he was used to, and he was already considering a variety of uses for it.

He listened to her remaining questions without interruption, only wincing for a moment at her questions about Deborah. He met her eyes and nodded when she finished. “The terms for purchase of additional materials were for use in business projects. I’m happy to assist you in setting up terms, through your contract, for purchase of personal goods at reduced rates. Though if you’re looking for something less flashy I know a woman who can provide a lot of lower grade materials for much cheaper,” he said, bouncing his head back and forth as he considered several avenues of thought.

“Before I get too sidetracked, your pay. Thirty-five percent of profit,” he said and removed four silver coins from a pouch under the table, placed them in the bag he’d given her, and passed the bag across the table. “Please keep this somewhere safe, if you don’t have a place I can assist with that. No charge, consider it part of the repayment for the vigorous disruptions,” he said, offering her a playful grin. Then he restored his business demeanor, though the hint of a smile remained.

“For the timeline of your duties, you’ve more than earned the price of materials. At this time, you’re welcome to use the remainder how you see fit. I would appreciate being kept somewhat in the loop, and will alert you to any priority requests I have, but your time is your own. The room can be used for the remaining time of the original rental at no charge. We can discuss a more permanent workspace at a later time.” Artemis motioned to the coin purse she’d taken as he went on, “You’re welcome to continue utilizing Mr. O’Dell, I’ll charge you ten percent onto his fees for delivery and negotiation, but you’ll not need to pay for the material charges you’ve already repaid.”

A thought struck him and he reached into his pouch to remove a copy of the purchase bill. “This is a copy of what was provided by Mr. O’Dell, if you have any issue with it please let me know. I’d appreciate if you could use the same trade lettering in any future item lists you provide. Keeps things cleaner for everyone,” he said as he slid the neatly lettered breakdown of items, sale prices, and fees to Ksenia.

“Last, Deborah,” Artemis said and unintentionally rubbed at his neck. “To put it simply she’s hungry. You can ask her about-” A swain came up to the table at a near run, Artemis looked at the man and spotted Robert not far behind. “The Crown calls you,” the swain said in a breathless gasp. Artemis sprang to his feet and moved to catch Robert. “What’s going on, why are you coming?” he hissed at the man, though clearly more in frustration than anger.

Robert grinned at the Thief. “Because my girlfriend kicked your ass,” he said, as he placed his hand onto Artemis’ shoulder.

“Please stay here, there’s danger near,” Artemis said to Ksenia as gently as he could. Then he was down the hall with Robert in tow. Nearby, several patrons plainly went back to their own dealings. Apparently being nosey in the Goose only extended as far as one could get while still in their seat.

As Artemis approached the end of the hallway he felt a snap of cold air fall over him like a cloak. Robert was keeping well back, but his powers were without range limitations once cast. A green glow suffused into Artemis’ eyes as the spirit Robert had called forth settled over him. It would grant him speed, strength, and insight for a short time. Then it would extract a fee in stamina as it dissipated. Artemis hated magic, but when a sudden spell set off alarms in the Goose, you had to take what you were given.

He held the ornate dagger in front of him like a blasting rod. The blade flickered with faint green fire and would be able to pierce weaker magical armor without worry. When he reached the end of the hall he felt his stomach drop out. This was the room he and Katarya shared. ‘Is she back, did someone follow her, is she in there dying?’ his thoughts demanded of him as they began to spiral out of control.

Artemis shoved the enhanced dagger into the lock and hit the door with his boot in a large stepping motion. As the heavy door banged open he followed it in, moving with all the speed and strength he could muster.

[Katarya Frost]

It was many things that ripped Kat from her slumber, the banging of the door, the feeling of a great power approaching, the burn of her amulet, and lastly and most surprisingly, the magical shield that sprung around her as Nyx squawked; the familiar finally using her own personal magic to protect her master. A shimmer briefly appeared around the bed as the spirit inside of the raven released her power.

She shot upright, with hand held out, ready to do something ... though in the heat of the moment she didn't know what she would do. As her mouth opened to speak the words of the spell, her eyes widened as Artemis came charging in.

"Ny'tha ..." she whispered, her face drained of all colour. Her hand moving to her amulet, her eyes full of fear.

Was he going to kill her?

[Artemis Black]

Artemis felt the shield snap to life in front of him. His eyes were filled with visions of flowing magic in the room. 'There's a protective dome, faint traces in the air, a symbol on the floor, a fading bright beacon on the bed, and a menacing spirit hovering above my lover.' His mind worked over the information, bolstered by the warrior's intuition. 'I have to protect Katarya,' he thought firmly. He drew back his hand to destroy the barrier with the blade. Then with a flash of insight, he understood the spirit hovering over her was holding a hand out against him. "Beaky?" he questioned as he forced the warrior spirit from his body. The spirit, denied a chance at battle, extracted a heavy price for their dismissal. Artemis slumped to one knee, only two steps into the room, and still outside the barrier.

"Nice to see you too," he said before sliding over onto the floor and sucking in deep breaths. Robert came around the corner in a rush, a glittering white bone blade in his palm. He skidded to a halt, frowned for a moment, and then barked a short laugh. "Good luck with that one Hand," he said in a mocking tone before pulling the heavy door closed.

[Katarya Frost]

Kat groaned and rubbed her aching head as Robert made a sly remark and closed the door. Artemis looked so tightly wound he might snap! She reached out, and Nyx stepped up her arm and into her shoulder, the bird nuzzling into her. "That was a surprise, little one!" She said, fondly.

Katarya then turned to look at Artemis, swinging her legs round so she was sat up. She pushed her braid over her shoulder so it lay down her back, and let go of the amulet, the heat of it slowly fading. 'Guess that means he doesn't want to kill me, then' she mused. Maybe just some light maiming.' She cocked her head at him as the air shimmered; Nyx was not relaxing her magic, even the terror Kat had felt was vanishing. Her familiar was being over protective. Kat cleared her throat. "Good afternoon, lover." She said, then motioned to the bedside table and the cups it held. "Wine?"

[Ksenia]

Robert came by the table where Ksenia sat, trying and failing to contain his laughter. “Artemis is going to be in his room for a bit, if you want to continue your conversation. It’s safe,” Robert managed to choke out before disappearing down the stairs at a halting pace, due to the fact that he kept stopping to hold onto the walls.

Ksenia blinked and stared after Robert. She’d already transferred the coins - such wealth! - into her pocket and tucked it back into her skirt, though it pulled at the ties from the weight. She got up slowly, trying to keep from making a jingle as she walked back to her room to deposit the coins into her pillowcase. She got to the room next door and knocked briefly. Ksenia heard Artemis mumble “Come in” and opened the door.

“Oh! Excuse me, am I- am I interrupting...something?” Ksenia said, walking in to find Artemis sprawled on the floor and Katarya on the edge of the bed, holding a bottle of wine and a cup. “I didn’t mean to intrude-”

[Artemis Black]

Artemis turned his head, still an exhausted puddle on the floor. "Hello, Ksenia. It's no bother, we were just going over some of the finer points of magical safety," he slurred into the floor. "Deb, you'll have to ask her. I'm not sharing her secrets," he said, slowly levering himself off the floor. "I have an offer from Mr. O'Dell to get you high-quality tools, and some training under his tutelage. He thinks you have a good deal of intuition but need a little bit of whetstone work," he said as he managed to get into a sitting position and lean against the bedside.

"This would be tomorrow, for the first discussion at least, the lessons and tools would be heavily discounted, and simply handled through the contract," he continued, happy to have something not extremely frustrating to focus on while his mind unjumbled the past few minutes. "Oh, while I've got you. I wanted to save up the funds to open a storefront, something where we could maybe have a few crafters selling goods, turn the warehouse into a workspace. There's even plenty of nearby places we could turn into some private housing. It'll be nearby, maybe a block or two from here, in the east district where rent is cheap. It'll take time, and a lot of hard work, but it'd be a nice setup."

He slumped his head against the mattress, holding out his hand to Katarya for a glass of wine. "Please don't cast rituals without letting someone know. I still love you because you're a beautiful and brilliant vexing woman, but I'm losing years of my life," he said with a broad smile that lit up his exhausted eyes.

[Katarya Frost]

Kat let out a long laugh, and took a sip of her wine. "Alright, Nyx; you can drop the barrier. Artemis just panicked, is all."

The raven squawked in a way that seemed to imply indignation, but the shimmer in the air had already gone. The bird flapped over to the dresser and perched atop it. It seemed Nyx was sulking.

Katarya poured him a cup of wine, and handed it to him. "For a moment there, I thought my little cold heart was about to be pierced!" She ran her fingers through his hair, her eyes flicking to Ksenia. "Would you mind giving myself and Mr. Black a moment, please? Thank you. You're a gem."

Once the door closed, Kat sighed into her glass, twirling his fingers in his hair. "I'm glad you're not mad," She said. "Because I do want to talk to you, and a fight would be an unfortunate prelude." She took another drink. "The Frost family have always been very good friends with the Elves of Fellsguard; especially the poorer ones. It's how I can speak the language so fluently; and why all my spells are cast with the Elvish tongue." She drained her glass, feeling a bit light-headed. She had had a fair few cups today! "Well, I have been making some enquiries in to my future; how to get back on my feet. I think we both know that I won't be doing that here ..." She knelt down to sit beside him. "Do you know of Aurae? The proprietress of The White Hart, near the slums? She had been close with my grandmother, and, well ... I have a good relationship with her ... so good, in fact, that she has agreed to me taking a room at the tavern and working for her, as a contractor and a healer. It means that I will be leaving The Goose, Artemis." She ran a finger down his cheek. "And I'm afraid I can't take you with me. It was a stretch for Mistress Aurae to accept me, and she has known me all my life, I speak her tongue, have helped her people ... but I'm an exception to their rule of no non-elves on their staff."

She didn't want them to be separated by distance, but it was clear that their worlds were different, and one could not exist in the others'. I want you to know that doesn't mean that we are finished, just that my time here has. Do you understand?"

[Artemis Black]

Artemis nodded to Ksenia, offered her a smile, and sipped his wine slowly. Katarya's fingers in his hair gave him a small measure of vitality. As he listened, he started to feel the sinking dread he'd so often held in his life. 'She's going away. To a place where you aren't welcome. To escape from you,' his thoughts started a slow tumble, but he kept them from his face, mostly out of exhaustion. He realized he was being silent for too long and tried to reply with a typical jest. "Oh," was all he managed, and that barely at a whisper.

He sat against the edge of the bed, his half-filled wine entirely forgotten. "Oh- I- I guess I'll be seeing you then," he finally managed after a gulp to still the slow ringing in his ears. "I should probably- Probably get to bed then. A busy day tomorrow and all," he said, moving his hands somewhat listlessly in imitation of his usual engaging motions.

He tried to bring his legs under him, but only managed to twitch them slightly. His vision went blurry and he touched his face. 'I must be blacking out, damn spirit's and their costs,' he thought. Then he felt the dampness on his fingers and the catch in his breath. 'Oh, no I'm crying. When's the last time I... Marcy maybe? It's been so long,' he thought as he started to silently shiver and jerk with strangled emotions.