student_of_impossibility | [OOM(M) AU: Calderon] Playtesting is for awesomes

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[OOM(M) AU: Calderon] Playtesting is for awesomes

In the few weeks since Second Calderon, everything's changed.

Uncle Bernard has been busy getting settled in as Count Calderon--somehow Tavi feels like he gets to see his uncle less. Amara's been coming to visit, which is nice; Tavi never thought he'd make friends with a Cursor of the Crown, but he has. A part of him hopes he can serve Alera with that much effectiveness one day, even though he doesn't think someone like him is likely to.

Some other part whispers he'll be a Cursor one day, and to be patient. Tavi hates being patient.

Aunt Isana's been trying to hide how worried she is about his moving away, although it only takes his enthusiasm for the classes he'll get to take to start putting a smile back on her face. And sometimes Tavi isn't sure if he should try to talk to Fade alone about what happened--Araris Valerian died fifteen years ago. Do you understand, Tavi?--and sometimes he knows with absolute certainty it isn't the right time.

Which is why Tavi's now out watching the sheep, instead of getting ready to go. He volunteered. So long as he's out here, things are almost like normal. He doesn't want to go back--there's too much to do, and see, and explore. He's getting all he ever wanted now, and doesn't even begin to imagine where it might lead.

He just needs a little quiet, and a little time. Sheep are good for that.

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For all that Tavi looks to be physically a couple years younger than Alec, right now he's just giving the other boy a look which seems to give Tavi several more years than he has.

He's recently come close to dying in various painful ways. Clothing is very low on his list of important things.

Pulling his canteen off, he takes a drink, then sighs. "Some people try to get free and wrench something even worse when they do--and then go wandering off on it. And even if you're used to living in the country, Garados can be tricky on his calmest days--to say nothing of when Thana Lilvia gets angry."

He offers the canteen to Alec. There's no telling how long the kid had been out here without water.

Clothing is very low on Alec's list as well. He was planning on walking to school not end up in the brambles with sheep.

"I'm not stupid," he said sounding like he knows people who would be. "My godfather would kill me if I were to do that." He ignores the bits about Garados and Thana.

About fifteen minutes. He does take a sip of water and gives the canteen back.

Tavi shrugs a little, expression a little placating. "Everyone gets a little stupid when they panic, and most people panic at something like this." For a moment, he thinks of the Wax Forest being set on fire, and hopes nothing bad comes of it.

(He already knows something will--what, he doesn't know. But he knows he hasn't heard the end of it. It gives him chills.)

He kneels down, picking up a stick, and starts gingerly nudging the brambles away with it to get a better look. "What are you doing out this way, anyway? Not too many people come here."

And the last time anyone had, it was a Cursor, and his life went to hell for a few days. He'd rather not have to deal with it again.

"Where is out this way?" Alec turns his hat around and tries to get it to settle better on his head. Focusing on the stupid things like the hat is what is stopping him from panicking.

He looks around and realizes this isn't anywhere near home. "I was going to university and I took the short cut because I was late. And then here."

The foot has wedged itself rather nicely into a crack that was hidden by the bramble.

That gets Tavi to pause as he clears the bramble away, looking up at Alec with consternation and a pensive look.

"Well, you're closest to Bernardholt. I don't know why anyone would be out in the Valley here in clothes like yours--and we... definitely don't have a university."

The word is foreign--the closest thing is the Academy, after all.

Tavi, meanwhile, is frowning thoughtfully at the problem of Alec's foot, trying to figure out how to get it out.

And Alec pauses.

"I've never heard of Bernardholt," he says back. "And your clothes are strange."

Yes, that was petty. He's cranky because his foot hurts.

Tavi sighs and rolls his eyes. "You've never seen a farmer before, have you?"

And then he shrugs. "Not many people have--we're just a steadholt. ...Isanaholt, now, I guess," he adds with a wry smile laced with pride.

His relatives are Important People now, through their own merits and accomplishments.

(This fundamentally shapes his entire outlook and policy.)

He sniffed. "I've seen farmers before. In the market."

His arms cross and Alec looks at him sourly. Did Tavi think he was stupid?

The names still mean nothing to him.

Tavi's giving him odd looks now. A city boy, out in the valley, clearly with no idea where he is?

And what the crows did he mean by 'the university', anyway?

"Great bloody furies, it isn't that easy to just... get lost and wind up here. Even Riva's... what, at least a day away, I think? How'd you manage to end up in Calderon, anyway?"

They're odd looking each other then.

"I. Don't. Firebolting. Know! You slush brained nitwit!" He practically yells. "I just turned the corner and was HERE!"

A stiff breeze stirs up at his frustration, but he clamps down on it quickly and it dies.

Tavi blinks at him, feeling the breeze and doing his best to figure out what's happened to Alec.

"...Oh, so you're a windcrafter?" he asks after a moment, head tilted a little at the other boy.

Alec freezes, a surge of panic flushing through him. Not allowed to use other elements. Not allowed to use other elements. Chants through his head at lightning speed.

"... No I'm not."

Tavi blinks at him, frowning. He saw that freeze, that moment of panic, and it confuses him.

"What's wrong? Windcrafting's amazing. How strong are you? Enough you'll be able to fly one day?"

Stressing every word, Alec repeats, "I can't use air magic."

Sure, they were out in the middle of nowhere, but he never knew. There might be wizards out here and if they found out...

Tavi frowns at him for a long, long moment. "Well, then, what can you do? I mean, you have to have some kind of crafting. Everyone does. I don't know why you want to hide it."

Crows, if he had crafting, he wouldn't even think of hiding it. Not for a moment.

Of course, he hasn't yet reached the age where he realizes he has to.

Then again, this is... getting odd and mildly suspicious. And after Second Calderon, he's not taking chances.

Tavi gets a frown back as he wonders if the other boy is mad. Why would he have more than one elemental ability... or crafting, which had to be the strangest thing to call the magic.

"Fire."

Tavi's eyebrows go up. "Fire? I know a couple firecrafters." He frowns a little, remembering Kord's family. At least Aric was cool.

And then, head tilted, he asks curiously, "So why was the breeze a bad thing? Not all that many freemen actually get to have two kinds of crafting, you know. Most people who have them end up Citizens or at least steadholders."

He's feeding Alec a lot of information--deliberately, to try to see what it is that is bothering him. Because the situation is utterly bizarre, really--and he can't begin to imagine why anyone would hide their crafting.

The confusion on Alec's face is clear. He has no idea what Tavi is talking about once he started in on freemen, Citizens and steadholders.

Desperately he changes the subject. "Can we get my foot free?"

Tavi continues to eye him for a moment.

"...I think I'd want some help," he decides, crossing his arms. "I wouldn't be much use in getting you back on my own anyway. First, what's your name?"

Something very, very odd is going on, and crows if Tavi isn't going to figure out what it is.

There was no harm in giving his name. "Alexander Troven," he says. Though the way he pronounces Alexander is 'Alec'zander'.

"What's yours?"

"Troven?" Tavi tilts his head, puzzled. "That's... an odd name."

And then, shrugging to himself, he tells the boy, "Tavi of Bernardholt, in Calderon Valley. Which is here."

Sadly, neither of them will likely realize that for Tavi's folk they do surname first and then personal name. After all, Alec has been called Troven before.

"Hello."

Tavi just sighs. "Well. I guess we'd better get you out, and then we can figure out what happened to you. Just a moment, I'll go find someone who can help. Will you be all right on your own for a couple minutes? I can leave you the water."

After all, if they really need to, he's reasonably certain Fade could bloody well cut Alec free, assuming there is no other way. (Handy, that, he muses, having such a powerful metalcrafter around and willing to help him out.)

"Yeah. I'll be fine." He gives a tired and weary sigh. It really hasn't been his day.

Tavi nods, and--leaving the water, as promised--heads off in the direction he last saw Fade. Ever since Second Calderon Aunt Isana's wanted him watched constantly, and Fade's seemed a little reluctant to let Tavi out of his sight. The boy's not really sure why they're being so bloody protective of him. It's getting a little stifling, really.

"Fade? Fade!" he calls. "I could use a little help! I found someone!"

Because that's oh so descriptive and helpful.

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