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The musings of a dragon could be wonderful, or terrible. Somehow he'd gotten to thinking about the inari he'd seen nailed to a wall so many years ago. It'd been such a fleeting moment in his life but the passing comment made by the aelf he'd been with had stuck with him. That curiosity had spurred him to learn more about the inari and he'd developed an interest in their seeming magic.
Until recently, it'd been only that – an interest. He'd no reason to change into an animal when he could take the form of a literal dragon, after all. But he did like the idea of being able to change certain parts of his body at will instead of waiting a whole day for his cultivation to do the work. Then there was the supposed ability to transfigure others and just thinking about having that power made Caelum's imagination run wild.
That was why he was out in a wetland settlement called Hespaeria. An aelf had recommended that he speak to someone who lived in the area named Velho because he would ultimately need someone's help with the process.
Caelum didn't particularly care to be in the wetlands which was why he'd never actually paid it a visit before. It just seemed so… gloomy. Still, he tried to keep his attitude positive and spoke to aelves he came across for directions until he ended up outside a tall building built into a tree. It was called the "hall of souls" and he'd been led to believe that the owner was quite an important member of the aelves. Something to do with funerals, but he hadn't really asked for specifics.
He knocked on the door and he'd say to whoever opened, "Hi, I'm Caelum, I'm looking for Velho fyn'Seiðr Hespæros"
༺༉ ❁ summer 20 year 123 of the third age ❁ ༉༻ <notes>
Hespæria was a dark place at all times of day, making it somewhat hard to tell the time thereof. Still, it was late in the evening when Cælum arrived, and the swamp's tenebrous gloom was gently illuminated by the soft glow of purple, orange and yellow bioluminescence. The dragon would notice tangles of small but effulgent, vivid purple flowers 'round the property itself– but they ought not be touched, poisonous nightshade as they are.
And when Cælum knocked, he would wait for only a moment before the ornate, dark wooden door before him opened. The servant, or sveinn as they are called in Ælheim, was a well-dressed, middle-aged human man who eyed Cælum curiously.
"This is his place of business, yes. Come with me, then, Cælum." The man would nod and then gesture for his guest to follow.
Immediately within was a small sitting area, likely for overflow of people on particularly busy days or for larger groups when discussing the plans of more popular deceased. The wood was all a deep, dark color inlaid with purplish bioluminescence and furniture finely carved of the same material. Much of the decor was a deep, cool toned shade of purple, including the velvet upholstery on the seating, the rugs and so forth. Something that would stand out, though, were the contrastingly vibrant reds of poppies growing out of the wooden surfaces. Still, despite the somber tone of the room, it was oddly soothing to be in there.
Nevertheless, the sveinn led Cælum through a door in the center of the back wall and into a small, dimly lit corridor. They would then take an almost immediate right into another room. This one was similarly styled to the waiting area in terms of overall aesthetic, but it had much less decoration. It was, fairly clearly, a consultation room meant to be pleasant and comfortable, but not meant for people to spend extended time in.
"I will fetch him, please be patient," the sveinn said with a respectful nod of his head. He would then leave Cælum alone in the room, closing the door behind him.
Velho was resting when the sveinn found him, as he'd recently had to Ferry away a few pesky, Fælnir Ghosts a day or so prior. Dissolving that much Ethos was always an exhausting endeavor. He sighed at the knock on his door, but listened when the other man entered and informed him there was a client awaiting him– though when asked, the sveinn stated he couldn't proper tell what race the client was; he looked Fælnir, almost, but something was off. Peculiar.
Velho was a slow moving man, especially just waking up, so by the time the door to Cælum's room opened, it had been approximately 20 minutes since he had been sat down. Velho arrived alone. With his Lifesight, he recognized the man-shaped entity for what he was: a dragon. Or, at least, that was a reasonable assumption since little else other than they possessed such Saol densities.
"...what an interesting form you've chosen, dragon– er…Cælum, was it…?" Likely the servant had said the guest's name at some point.
Velho was dressed well, but darkly, and a fair bit more conservatively than the average ælf– but given how pale, weak and exhausted he looked, he probably didn't have a figure he saw fit to show off. He used a cane to support himself, though as he entered the room, he made his way over to a plushly upholstered chair across the room from Cælum.
And when Velho's tired, lavender gaze met with Cælum's, he'd wonder for a moment– the dragon carried with him no melancholy and appeared to be in perfect health. "...what is it that you seek?" he'd ask.
Caelum nodded politely when he was greeted. He'd noticed the many purple flowers outside and the poppy growing inside, but he didn't know why they were there. He assumed that they had some kind of practical use but he was quite unfamiliar with how wisps and death worked. Perhaps it was because he was relatively young and the thought of death wasn't something he'd truly come to grips with, though he wasn't naiive enough to think that he'd actually live forever.
The building looked like it had been around for quite a long time. One didn't accumulate décor such as this over the span of just a few years. It was a stark contrast to his own home which was about as minimalist as he could get. For all his lofty goals, Caelum currently cared little for money or the things it could buy. Though, that didn't mean he didn't appreciate good aesthetics when he saw them.
"Thank you," he said when he was left in a room to wait, though he got the feeling that this was where he would end up having his discussion with the aelf he'd come to see. He took the time to pace back and forth and think about what exactly he was going to say. Truthfully, he didn't know much about the aelf's personality or even his age. Just because someone could help didn't mean that they would, after all.
When Velho arrived, Caelum had long since finished his pacing and had sunk into one of the chairs. He sat up straight when he saw a different aelf from before enter and inclined his head slightly at the mention of his name.
"Yes, Caelum," he said as he got to his feet. "I take the appearance of the races I care for the most and my name… it came to me in a dream. You must be Velho." He noticed the distinct lack of polite conversation, though it didn't bother Caelum. He chalked it up to a businessman having little time for those sorts of things. The aelf looked positively tired.
"I've come because I'm in search of a Maltrician – an aelf recommended I pay you a visit, see. Long story short, I would like to take on the ability of seeming and would be happy to compensate you for your talents… if you've the time and will to help me." He hesitated then continued. "Have I come at a bad time? You seem tired and…" he trailed off, noticing that there was something definitely off about the aelf. It took him a moment to realize why – the aelf had basically no fetility whatsoever. Perhaps one of the lowest he'd ever detected. He didn't want to bring it up, however.
"And uh," he said, trying to save his blunder, "I do not wish to waste your time, that's all."
༺༉ ❁ summer 20 year 123 of the third age ❁ ༉༻ <notes>
Velho was a matter-of-fact person and did not like to waste time– which he considered most pleasantries to be a waste of.
Cælum came across as…wary, perhaps. Which, Velho supposed, was fair. He'd been given his name under the assumption that Velho was a Maltrician, which was true, but then he'd walked into a Ferrier's business– perhaps a bit jarring?
Nevertheless, Velho listened to Cælum's request and nodded along to his words.
"Hm…I see. In-ter-esti-ng blend of Æld'Norai and Fælnir," he enunciated his words somewhat slowly, and what exactly he 'saw' was left ambiguous.
"I do perform that sort of procedure, but Glamour organs aren't exactly common. I'll be happy to assist you, but you'll have to find me a donor. I don't care whether or not they're willing, as the fæ do not innately have rights here. I just…" he trailed off.
"...well, the donor needs to be fresh lest you risk rejecting. Tell you what–..." he spoke somewhat musingly, as if thinking aloud.
"I've an assistant Aboteur that can perfectly preserve the donor. Bring him with you on your hunt, and should you succeed, I will happily perform the procedure. Does that work for you?" Oddly enough, Velho both sounded and acted a bit more awake at this point.
In all likelihood, the opportunity to operate in this manner was not presented often. Rare and interesting, it was likely something he wanted to do.
"...and have you any other questions? Such as regarding the procedure itself, recovery process, curiosities about myself and my work, so on…" Velho recited the list of examples at the end almost routinely.
He knew that information eased nerves for some folks.
The dragon felt relieved that the aelf was willing to help, though he did bring up a good point. He needed a fresh donor. He hadn't expected to be able to simply go out and find an inari – that alone sounded like it would consume weeks of his time. But to need a fresh donor meant that he would have to capture one alive and that was not exactly something he was confident in doing. That is to say that things he hunted successfully usually ended up turned to a crisp or skewered many times over.
His face became visibly disheartened until Velho brought up his assistant. "As much as I hate to make use of your assistant, I really do think I'd need the help if I need a fresh donor. I hadn't considered that possibility. Also, I hadn't brought it up… but I don't actually have a donor yet. My plan was to hunt an inari and I did not expect it to be a quick process. Should I come back here after I've tracked one down? I'd hate to take your assistant for an extended period of time."
"As for other questions… There was a time when I would have asked about specifics about the procedure, but after assuming this form the mere thought of having an operation makes me feel uneasy." Caelum paused, not really knowing what to ask. There was the elephant in the room regarding the aelf's fertility but he wouldn't bring that up – perhaps after the operation when he could be sure that the aelf wouldn't complicate things for his rudeness.
He paused then eventually asked, "are you… ill? Or perhaps, does your work here drain your saol? Please don't take this in a bad way, I would hate to offend you, but I would feel awful to ask for your services if you are ill and need rest." He tried to frame the question innocently but this might end up being his only chance to ask. He was largely ignorant to how the aelves handled death. Hell, he hadn't even met an aelf who had died in his decades living among them.
༺༉ ❁ summer 20 year 123 of the third age ❁ ༉༻ <notes>
Velho thought for a moment.
"Æhti, being my ward, will be able to utilize the reconnaissance networks curated by Wisps, Animist pets, Vitæ minions and so on in order to locate one. They're elusive, but with access to our scouting systems…not terribly difficult to find," he offered with a wan smile.
"You can go after whomever provided they aren't proper citizens, I only ask that you don't pick a target strong enough to bring harm to my ward– I'd like him back in one piece." The Ferrier's tone of voice was hard to read; one wouldn't be able to tell if there was any sentiment towards the assistant or if he merely valued the boy for purely utilitarian reasons.
And to Cælum's last question, Velho chuckled. It was evident from his face that he'd brooked such a question numerous times. "I am. It is believed that this line of work does sap one's vitality over time– exactly why that happens is hard to say."
The ælf swallowed, but then continued, "...though you needn't be concerned. While I can't be cured unless I were to give up my life's work, I am, for the most part, stable. My own Æcturnis and Malediction are enough to keep me going indefinitely, as all ælves do…I am simply a bit frailer than my peers." He smiled reassuringly.
Caelum's head spun when the aelf suggested using the wisps. It made perfect sense to do so as he'd heard that the wisps kept an eye on things… but he didn't think he'd ever actually thought to try using them to his advantage. He actually had no idea how such a thing would even be possible outside of being very well connected. It opened his eyes as to just how important this aelf must be.
"Then it sounds like this shouldn't take long at all," he said with a grateful grin. Still, he didn't know how effective the wisps actually were. He didn't fully grasp just how close an eye was kept on public spaces, which was probably for the better.
After Velho explained his physical state, Cealum said, "ah, that's good to hear then. Well, not good but… you know what I mean." He wished he could help the aelf but he couldn't fathom a way of doing so. Surely if there was a cure then the aelves who'd lived for thousands of years would have figured something out.
Having little else to say, Caelum continued, "I suppose your ward and I should get going then? Oh, and I suppose I should also pick up your payment on the way. I hadn't brought much money with me since I hadn't planned to return for several weeks." He had no idea what he would be charged, but he was semi-confident that he could afford it, or take on some sort of debt. His finances has always worked themselves out since he hardly spent on anything.
༺༉ ❁ summer 20 year 123 of the third age ❁ ༉༻ <notes>
The Wisps were still autonomous entities that wandered wheresoever they pleased. That is why one of Velho's many services was shooing them away if they were being a nuisance, but was also why, while the reconnaissance they could provide was vast, it had many, many gaps. Nevertheless, he'd likely be able to simply ask one of the ones in charge of compiling such data about recent Boggart or Inari sightings. Fae, once spotted, tended to be tracked meticulously.
"Correct– in theory, there should be a couple options, but we'll see once I get the chance to look," he answered reassuringly.
To Cælum's response to his explanation with regards to his health, Velho exhaled a breath of a laugh. "I do. It's not so bad, really…I like what I do enough to make it worth it, at least." Part of him always wanted to say more, but there was only so much one could explain about how his magic worked before it would dip into forbidden information.
"Payment can be delivered any time before I actually perform the procedure, but if you'd like to go get it while I check for leads on the fae you seek, that would work well," Velho answered. "Pricing and the like will be discussed with an attendant that will meet with you on the way out, or, I suppose, whenever is convenient for you."
That part didn't really matter to the Ferrier because his finances were mostly handled by an in-house accountant; he didn't put much thought into the actual business side of his business. And luckily, he didn't really need to. Ferrier services were so integral to Ælheimar culture that he made more than enough to pay somebody with actual business acumen to handle the money.
"Well, it was lovely to meet with you Cælum– I'll go ask after the information you need and have a lead for you by the time you return. And…my assistant should have time to prepare his own things by then, too," Velho spoke as he slowly began to stand.
Æhti might not appreciate this being abstractly thrown into his lap out of nowhere, but he didn't ultimately have a say in the matter, at least, not really. Still, he'd likely at least appreciate the opportunity to travel around a bit.
With his business temporarily wrapped up, Caelum said, "excellent. I will be seeing you, or rather your assistant, soon."
He'd have a chat with the person who handled pricing before he left and his first order of business would be getting back to the basin to collect his money that was stashed under his bed. He didn't actually know how much money he had, but the amount didn't sound exorbitant for what he made. He was kind of like Velho in that way – he relied on others to handle most of that stuff for him. Except while Velho probably had someone with decades of experience, all Caelum had was his pet.
He planned to return the next day, around the same time. He didn't know how quickly the wisps would be able to relay information but he felt like a day would have been enough time to at least figure out if there were any low hanging fruit.
