Tavi of Calderon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
student_of_impossibility) wrote2014-11-24 04:56 pm
student_of_impossibility) wrote2014-11-24 04:56 pm
Entry tags:
[OOM: Garrison, Third Calderon] Returning At Last
Ehren was more prepared than most had been for the sight. After all, he had known for a little while that Kitai had begun furycrafting, probably about when Tavi had. Actually seeing her as versatile and powerful as any High Lady—and clearly quite comfortable with it—was nonetheless somewhat disconcerting. From the look on Count Calderon’s face as they made their way to knot of flurried activity on the wall, Ehren wasn’t the only one feeling that way.
The Citizenry is going to have a collective aneurysm and they’ll both enjoy every minute.
As for Gaius Octavian himself, he was—unsurprisingly—completely in his element. He had managed to land among the remnants of the Senatorial Legion, and those who had survived had hardly forgotten him from the events at Mastings. Was it really less than a year earlier? Ehren shook his mind free of those thoughts. Captain Nalus as with him, and once they were closer Ehren realized the First Lord was already asking questions and handing orders. Both he and Kitai were filthy, and Tavi looked particularly battered. Ehren was surprised his armor had even held up under the strain it seemed to have undergone. Despite it all, they both seemed energetic enough, and not too badly injured.
It was Kitai who saw them first, nudging Octavian mid-sentence to point them out. After a quick glance, he returned his attention to Nalus and a few of the other officers to finish his orders before making his way towards them.
Tavi’s smile hadn’t changed, Ehren noted, as he reached his uncle and the men exchanged a quick bear-hug. When they pulled back, the count’s eyes seemed somewhat suspiciously bright. “You’ve made quite a mess this time, boy.”
“I keep hoping one day he will learn there are simpler ways to do things,” Kitai interjected before Tavi could protest. Her eyes danced as she gave Tavi a familiar, arch look. “I have given up curing his madness, however.”
Laughing, Tavi shifted his glance to Ehren, who stepped forward to give him a formal bow. “Welcome home, sire.”
Tavi tilted his head slightly before clapping a hand on Ehren’s shoulder. Ehren forced himself not to stagger under the strength of it and made a note if he got the chance to ask Tavi not to do that in full armor anymore. “It’s good to be back,” he replied warmly.
Meanwhile Kitai had taken her turn hugging Bernard and now turned to Ehren. She, at least, had the good sense not to crush him. Tavi, meanwhile, had waved a hand, pulling a windcrafting around them to muffle the sound. “I am trying to clean it up, Uncle,” he retorted with wry good humor. “And you two are just the people I was looking for. I’m assuming you can give me a relatively complete picture of current conditions.”
Count Calderon just snorted, and Kitai rolled her eyes. “Chala, we’ve talked about stating the obvious before.”
He just shot her a glance before continuing as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “Meantime, I want to call a meeting of everyone who needs to be told what to do if we hope to get things organized around here. Before that, though, I need to speak to Aqui—” Octavian stopped abruptly at the expression on Calderon’s face, which Ehren suspected was echoed on his own to some degree. He tilted an eyebrow up expectantly.
Feeling Calderon’s eyes on him, Ehren pushed what little uncertainty he might have felt to one side. “Princeps Attis passed away around noon today, sire,” he said quietly. “Count Calderon has been handling most of the field decisions.” For obvious reasons he had been the best suited to it. Garrison was his (along with, apparently, input from Tavi on the defenses).
Watching them a moment longer, Octavian finally glanced away with a long, slow breath. Finally he nodded. His eyes turned to Ehren. “You were with my grandfather through Alera Imperia?” he asked quietly, while Kitai continued to regard them both with almost unsettling intensity. Ehren simply inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. “Did he leave anything with you?”
“Yes, sire.”
“Good. Get it, please.” With a smile at Kitai, Tavi pulled her to his side before turning his attention back to his uncle. “All right. What’s our status?”
Ehren risked a glance at Calderon’s face—he was very obviously not entirely pleased to be letting Ehren out of sight, but Tavi really wasn’t leaving him much choice. Once he had turned away, Ehren let himself smile wryly for a moment. Maybe Tavi had picked up on the tension, maybe he hadn’t, but even after all these years Ehren wasn’t entirely sure. He’s been practicing that, he noted to himself with amusement as he hurried away.
It wasn’t long after that he made his way through the halls of Garrison in search of Tavi and his uncle, a small bundle wrapped in cloth tucked under his arm. “…going to need to speak to whoever’s in charge of the healers as well,” the First Lord was saying.
“That would be Cereus Veradis,” Calderon informed him.
Kitai wasn’t in the room, Ehren noted, as he slipped into the room and cleared his throat. “Her father fell on the wall stopping one of the vordbulks shortly after the queen was killed,” he said quietly. He didn’t elaborate further, though, and luckily Tavi seemed to be enough in a business mood not to push the issue further.
Briefly pinching the bridge of his nose, Tavi nodded. “Uncle, would you ask High Lady Cereus to join us, please?”
Despite himself, Ehren felt his eyebrows go up slightly, though Calderon just gave his nephew a sidelong smile. For all that, he frowned once more at Ehren before turning to leave. Tavi didn’t remark on it, though Ehren was now very certain he’d seen something—and that was assuming Calderon hadn’t told him. Once they were alone, Tavi sighed explosively. “I need to splash water on my face and hands before this meeting,” he grumbled.
Now Ehren laughed slightly. “You look like you could use it,” he agreed, and Tavi shot him a rueful look. Ehren gestured at a side door where Tavi could take a moment or two to clean up. “Where’s Kitai?”
“Getting Doroga and Hashat, assuming neither are still out in the field. My uncle didn’t tell me much about the political tensions around here,” Tavi slid easily back into the topic at the front of his concentration. “I need to know as much as I can before this starts.”
“To begin with, Valerius will make your life as difficult as he can, even without Princeps Attis to support.” Tavi rolled his eyes and muttered something highly uncomplimentary under his breath. Ehren held back his amusement; Valerius was, at least, less dangerous than Arnos had been. After a moment, he shifted to hold out the bundle to Tavi. Ehren told his friend quietly, “Gaius Sextus left two letters—one for Aquitaine, and one for you. No one knows about yours.”
Without a word he unwrapped the cloth. For a long moment Tavi simply looked down at it, his green eyes bright with some emotion Ehren couldn’t quite make out, the rest of his expression utterly unreadable. Finally Octavian picked up the signet dagger of the First Lord, simply holding it briefly before tying the thong to his sword belt, then picked up the letter. Ehren swallowed hard, turning his eyes away to hold back the tears he’d shed at Alera Imperia again.
To his surprise, though, Tavi folded the cloth back up over the last item in the bundle, the one that hadn’t technically been in the original delivery for him. Ehren looked up at him with some surprise. Octavian just smiled faintly and shook his head. “We’re going to do this right,” he said firmly. “I’m not going to let anyone stop me from doing my job—but the crown itself waits until the Senate has confirmed it.”
In spite of himself, Ehren thought back to Aquitaine wearing it in an attempt to secure his own credibility in the wake of Gaius Sextus’s death. “Yes, sire,” was his only reply, though he had his internal doubts. Then again, Tavi never had done things the easy way.
“Good. Keep it for me until then.”
Tavi closed his eyes, rolling his neck and shoulders. Ehren had no doubt his friend must be much, much more tired than he was showing, but a moment later he had shaken himself. “I’m going to clean my face and hands, then you’re going to tell me everything my uncle didn’t,” he told Ehren briskly as he made his way towards the door.
Nodding with a smile, Ehren absently chewed on a nail for a moment. “Tavi,” he called out abruptly.
Tavi paused to glance back over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised enquiringly.
Ehren had to swallow again. After all, he did have one other message, one last duty to Gaius Sextus to discharge. “Your grandfather wanted you to know you have his blessing.”
Years of familiarity and insight gained through those months at Gaius Sextus’s side let Ehren see how deep the flash of grief in Octavian’s face ran before being suppressed again. “Thank you, Ehren.”
“Of course, sire,” Ehren replied quietly, inclining his head.
Without another word Octavian strode towards the door. As he turned away, Ehren began moving about the room, preparing to brief the First Lord and for the meeting afterwards. Only when he heard the door click shut did he allow himself to use those brief moments alone for tears.
The Citizenry is going to have a collective aneurysm and they’ll both enjoy every minute.
As for Gaius Octavian himself, he was—unsurprisingly—completely in his element. He had managed to land among the remnants of the Senatorial Legion, and those who had survived had hardly forgotten him from the events at Mastings. Was it really less than a year earlier? Ehren shook his mind free of those thoughts. Captain Nalus as with him, and once they were closer Ehren realized the First Lord was already asking questions and handing orders. Both he and Kitai were filthy, and Tavi looked particularly battered. Ehren was surprised his armor had even held up under the strain it seemed to have undergone. Despite it all, they both seemed energetic enough, and not too badly injured.
It was Kitai who saw them first, nudging Octavian mid-sentence to point them out. After a quick glance, he returned his attention to Nalus and a few of the other officers to finish his orders before making his way towards them.
Tavi’s smile hadn’t changed, Ehren noted, as he reached his uncle and the men exchanged a quick bear-hug. When they pulled back, the count’s eyes seemed somewhat suspiciously bright. “You’ve made quite a mess this time, boy.”
“I keep hoping one day he will learn there are simpler ways to do things,” Kitai interjected before Tavi could protest. Her eyes danced as she gave Tavi a familiar, arch look. “I have given up curing his madness, however.”
Laughing, Tavi shifted his glance to Ehren, who stepped forward to give him a formal bow. “Welcome home, sire.”
Tavi tilted his head slightly before clapping a hand on Ehren’s shoulder. Ehren forced himself not to stagger under the strength of it and made a note if he got the chance to ask Tavi not to do that in full armor anymore. “It’s good to be back,” he replied warmly.
Meanwhile Kitai had taken her turn hugging Bernard and now turned to Ehren. She, at least, had the good sense not to crush him. Tavi, meanwhile, had waved a hand, pulling a windcrafting around them to muffle the sound. “I am trying to clean it up, Uncle,” he retorted with wry good humor. “And you two are just the people I was looking for. I’m assuming you can give me a relatively complete picture of current conditions.”
Count Calderon just snorted, and Kitai rolled her eyes. “Chala, we’ve talked about stating the obvious before.”
He just shot her a glance before continuing as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “Meantime, I want to call a meeting of everyone who needs to be told what to do if we hope to get things organized around here. Before that, though, I need to speak to Aqui—” Octavian stopped abruptly at the expression on Calderon’s face, which Ehren suspected was echoed on his own to some degree. He tilted an eyebrow up expectantly.
Feeling Calderon’s eyes on him, Ehren pushed what little uncertainty he might have felt to one side. “Princeps Attis passed away around noon today, sire,” he said quietly. “Count Calderon has been handling most of the field decisions.” For obvious reasons he had been the best suited to it. Garrison was his (along with, apparently, input from Tavi on the defenses).
Watching them a moment longer, Octavian finally glanced away with a long, slow breath. Finally he nodded. His eyes turned to Ehren. “You were with my grandfather through Alera Imperia?” he asked quietly, while Kitai continued to regard them both with almost unsettling intensity. Ehren simply inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. “Did he leave anything with you?”
“Yes, sire.”
“Good. Get it, please.” With a smile at Kitai, Tavi pulled her to his side before turning his attention back to his uncle. “All right. What’s our status?”
Ehren risked a glance at Calderon’s face—he was very obviously not entirely pleased to be letting Ehren out of sight, but Tavi really wasn’t leaving him much choice. Once he had turned away, Ehren let himself smile wryly for a moment. Maybe Tavi had picked up on the tension, maybe he hadn’t, but even after all these years Ehren wasn’t entirely sure. He’s been practicing that, he noted to himself with amusement as he hurried away.
It wasn’t long after that he made his way through the halls of Garrison in search of Tavi and his uncle, a small bundle wrapped in cloth tucked under his arm. “…going to need to speak to whoever’s in charge of the healers as well,” the First Lord was saying.
“That would be Cereus Veradis,” Calderon informed him.
Kitai wasn’t in the room, Ehren noted, as he slipped into the room and cleared his throat. “Her father fell on the wall stopping one of the vordbulks shortly after the queen was killed,” he said quietly. He didn’t elaborate further, though, and luckily Tavi seemed to be enough in a business mood not to push the issue further.
Briefly pinching the bridge of his nose, Tavi nodded. “Uncle, would you ask High Lady Cereus to join us, please?”
Despite himself, Ehren felt his eyebrows go up slightly, though Calderon just gave his nephew a sidelong smile. For all that, he frowned once more at Ehren before turning to leave. Tavi didn’t remark on it, though Ehren was now very certain he’d seen something—and that was assuming Calderon hadn’t told him. Once they were alone, Tavi sighed explosively. “I need to splash water on my face and hands before this meeting,” he grumbled.
Now Ehren laughed slightly. “You look like you could use it,” he agreed, and Tavi shot him a rueful look. Ehren gestured at a side door where Tavi could take a moment or two to clean up. “Where’s Kitai?”
“Getting Doroga and Hashat, assuming neither are still out in the field. My uncle didn’t tell me much about the political tensions around here,” Tavi slid easily back into the topic at the front of his concentration. “I need to know as much as I can before this starts.”
“To begin with, Valerius will make your life as difficult as he can, even without Princeps Attis to support.” Tavi rolled his eyes and muttered something highly uncomplimentary under his breath. Ehren held back his amusement; Valerius was, at least, less dangerous than Arnos had been. After a moment, he shifted to hold out the bundle to Tavi. Ehren told his friend quietly, “Gaius Sextus left two letters—one for Aquitaine, and one for you. No one knows about yours.”
Without a word he unwrapped the cloth. For a long moment Tavi simply looked down at it, his green eyes bright with some emotion Ehren couldn’t quite make out, the rest of his expression utterly unreadable. Finally Octavian picked up the signet dagger of the First Lord, simply holding it briefly before tying the thong to his sword belt, then picked up the letter. Ehren swallowed hard, turning his eyes away to hold back the tears he’d shed at Alera Imperia again.
To his surprise, though, Tavi folded the cloth back up over the last item in the bundle, the one that hadn’t technically been in the original delivery for him. Ehren looked up at him with some surprise. Octavian just smiled faintly and shook his head. “We’re going to do this right,” he said firmly. “I’m not going to let anyone stop me from doing my job—but the crown itself waits until the Senate has confirmed it.”
In spite of himself, Ehren thought back to Aquitaine wearing it in an attempt to secure his own credibility in the wake of Gaius Sextus’s death. “Yes, sire,” was his only reply, though he had his internal doubts. Then again, Tavi never had done things the easy way.
“Good. Keep it for me until then.”
Tavi closed his eyes, rolling his neck and shoulders. Ehren had no doubt his friend must be much, much more tired than he was showing, but a moment later he had shaken himself. “I’m going to clean my face and hands, then you’re going to tell me everything my uncle didn’t,” he told Ehren briskly as he made his way towards the door.
Nodding with a smile, Ehren absently chewed on a nail for a moment. “Tavi,” he called out abruptly.
Tavi paused to glance back over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised enquiringly.
Ehren had to swallow again. After all, he did have one other message, one last duty to Gaius Sextus to discharge. “Your grandfather wanted you to know you have his blessing.”
Years of familiarity and insight gained through those months at Gaius Sextus’s side let Ehren see how deep the flash of grief in Octavian’s face ran before being suppressed again. “Thank you, Ehren.”
“Of course, sire,” Ehren replied quietly, inclining his head.
Without another word Octavian strode towards the door. As he turned away, Ehren began moving about the room, preparing to brief the First Lord and for the meeting afterwards. Only when he heard the door click shut did he allow himself to use those brief moments alone for tears.