[Skan backwings to land directly in front of the inn, in a way that is as convenient as it is rude. Or, it would be rude, in White Gryphon; he's been away from proper society for long enough to make poor habits. But he greets the reception desk on his way in, and bows his way through the doors, pushing them aside with Viktor's crutch awkwardly held in his beak.
No hands, you see, when walking.]
Fhere you arf. [he offers the crutch to Viktor with his head tilted to make it an easier angle to grasp... and sighs with relief when it's taken.] Not much the worse for wear, I think.
[Viktor reaches up to grab the crtuch from Skan's beak, then holds it lovingly in his hands with a relieved gasp, looking it over, smoothing his hands over it. A couple of scuffs, but it's still very much sturdy and in-tact. No bending.]
Thank you so much, Skan, this is a big relief.
[Viktor isn't very touchy-feely, but he does have an urge to stand and hug the bird. He's never been that bold, though. Instead, he'll tell the story, as promised.]
My lab partner Jayce and I designed my leg brace and crutch, and built them together. He is like a brother to me, the best friend I've ever had... And this is all I have of him right now. It is irreplaceable.
I know exactly how you feel. There's a man named Amberdrake, back home. He's as close as blood to me, and a true brother to my heart [Skan says it in a voice wistful with memory. Oh, it'd been so long ago that they'd met. And how unlikely the chance of their friendship! For all the horror the mage-war wrought, it was not without some small good that could only have come about under that terrible pressure] I have nothing from home to remember him by. Every day I worry that I'll start to forget his face, or his voice. But nothing can erase the memory of kindness in the dark.
[Comfortingly, Skan spreads one wing over Viktor's bed, just as he'd have comforted another gryphon, as he'd comforted Keeth, Tan, and Zhaneel, many times over. Warm weight, shield against all who might see, or judge, or harm: he leaves it there, just so, like a second, somewhat dusty, blanket overtop the rest.]
You'll see him again, Viktor. I'm sure of it. Until then, we'll just have to keep better track of your things, hm?
[Viktor frowns up at him, sympathetically, his eyes so big that it looks almost like a pout.]
Yes. Kindness in the dark. I saved his life, and he saved mine.
[For whatever that was worth, given how little time he had left.
The wing is comforting. Warmth tends to relieve his pain, if just a little. And it's strange, but he's grown to like the smell, sort of like an old beloved book, mixed with the musk of a creature, and outdoor air. Perhaps even a hint of sunshine.
He will see Jayce again, most likely. He'll either show up here, or Viktor will go home at some point to say goodbye to him.]
I'm sorry, Skan. You will see your Amberdrake again, as well. Perhaps you could ask the leaders for a picture of him, if your world has that sort of thing? I plan to ask for a couple of things from home.
A painting of Amberdrake. Well, he's pretty enough, I don't doubt one exists— or so I'm told. I'm really not much judge of human beauty.
[But Amberdrake was famously attractive, that was true, and his profession tended towards prettiness, in any case. You didn't need beauty to be a kestra'chern, to be sure, but sure it helped... And here he's gone and made himself sad, again. Ah, White Gryphon! He misses home. Skan sighs and leans forward more comfortably, so that he can both rest his shoulders and loll his head sideways against the comfortable cushion of Viktor's bedding. It's an awkward enough pose, to look at, but not uncomfortable: he wants to rest.]
Why don't I settle in to stay for a while, and you can tell me all about it.
I am sure one exists, and if it exists in your world, I don't see why the leaders wouldn't let you have it. They have asked much of us, snatching us here and having us do these dangerous quests. The least they could offer in return is a keepsake.
[Hell, Viktor would get it for Skan himself, but after getting Rolan a horse, if he keeps that up he's never going to have his own magic, or his own keepsakes.
Viktor scooches aside in the bed a little to make more room for Skan, and to lie down again to rest. He lifts one arm to lay atop Skan's wing, and his other hand strokes the feathers on the gryphon's head and neck.]
I would like that.
[Viktor looks softly at Skandranon. He's unsure how he ended up so comfortable with someone so quickly, recluse that he is. But the bond feels safe, comforting, warm. He feels cared for.
He speaks very softly as he tells the story, almost as if telling it to himself, like it doesn't matter if anyone else hears it.]
Jayce and I met... Ehh, almost a decade ago? His lab was broken into by some kids, who caused an explosion with the volatile materials in there. At that time, experimenting with magic was forbidden in our city, and Jayce was trying to combine science with magic to create something new he called Hextech. I was the Dean's assistant, helping with the investigation into the explosion, and upon reading his notes, I took a strong interest in his research. However, he was expelled from the academy for research that went against the city's ethos, and he saw it as the end of his road. Nosy as I was, I snuck back into his ruined lab one night, to find him about to jump out of it and end his life. I told him I wanted to pursue his research further with him, that I thought he was truly onto something.
And he was. We invented the Hexgates, teleporters that could instantly transport goods and people into and out of the city. The economy boomed as a result, and for years we worked on several other inventions that we thought could improve lives of regular citizens. But I became ill, and the politics became complicated, and we lost our dream.
Shortly before coming to Caldera, I was standing at a ledge about to jump, and he interrupted me. He was determined to cure my illness, to save my life. We hoped Hextech would be the answer, but it wasn't. Still, I am grateful to have the time I did with Jayce. I am sad we didn't accomplish more, but proud of what we did together. He... He cares so much for me. I worry about what will happen to him once I'm truly gone.
[He looks down at Skan's wing, where his hand pets it absently. Oh, his heart aches.]
[Skan listens quietly, and it's a terrible, harrowing tale. The nearness with which death haunts Viktor's life, and those of his friends, is as familiar as it is unwelcome, and his eyes grow all the sharper, wide-spread pupils, and carefully-kept glare as the danger ebbs closer, and then is deferred, like watching someone edge towards arson only for the spark to be stamped out at the last possible moment.
But his head comes up at the mention of the Gates. Was he hearing that right? That Viktor, and of course his friend who had surely contributed a great deal, had invented Gates for his world!? How... how was that possible? It brought the man's fierce, gracious intelligence into sharp contrast, it reevaluated everything he'd ever said.
Viktor had not a drop of mage-gift, and nothing he'd said of his world indicated that he knew of anyone else who had any, either. And yet, with mere mechanical skill and the application of genius, he had replicated a feat that only an Adept-ranked mage could reproduce! If such a thing had ever come into human hands during the war, it would have... it would have...
...He can barely grasp the concept, to begin with. It would have changed everything. And all for a merest mention along side what truly matters: friendship, love, and the loss of either. Skan puts his head back down, mind whirling.]
You are truly a most remarkable man, my friend. I had no idea. But keep faith; you might yet find your friend arriving here, some fine day. Certainly, if I ever hear of this Jayce showing up, you'll be the first to know.
[Skan seems very engrossed in his tale, which he wasn't expecting. Nor is he anticipating the compliment the gryphon pays him. He tilts his head, looking thoughtfully at his friend.]
Remarkable? What do you mean?
[Faced with his own death, Viktor has been feeling crushing defeat. All that looms in his mind is how much he hasn't yet accomplished. The dreams he will not be able to fulfill, the people from the Undercity he will never be able to help in more meaningful ways. It is hard to remember that he has done great things already, that he is extremely bright and hard-working as it is. Ever-ambitious and ever-perfectionistic, it's as though Viktor can't see himself for what he truly is, only what he's failed to become.]
But thank you. You will be the first to know if I find your Amberdrake. Perhaps you could give me a description? Jayce is very tall and broad, with short dark hair and a tanned complexion. He usually wears a white jacket, sometimes carries a giant hammer. I think many would call him handsome.
[Because, well, he is. No getting around it. But that's neither here nor there.]
I'm damned proud to be your friend, let's just leave it at that.
[So there: enough of that. But Skan nods carefully at each quality, trying to imagine the face of such a man, and commit it to memory. Except handsome, he doesn't think he could pick that out by sight, at least not necessarily. It's subjective, isn't it?]
Amberdrake is tall, and tan, and quite lean. He'll be wearing feathers in his hair, almost certainly some of mine, which is very long and very dark. I can't imagine what else he'll be wearing, he's such a clotheshorse, but he does dress nicely, no matter where he goes, so they'll be very fine clothes. He's got a hawkish sort of a nose, that's the Kaled'a'in blood showing, though I don't expect you'll know the look, and...
[Skan hesitates, and then sighs, and drops his chin back onto the blankets.]
He's gentle. Brave, and stubborn, and he can be direct. But he's gentle. He'll speak to you like he already knows everything about you, and likes you all the better for it. That's how you'll know best, that it's Amberdrake.
[The word is soft and his gaze is softer as he looks at the bird. He isn't sure what spurred Skan to say that, but it is a very sweet thing to say.
He just keeps stroking feathers, ever so gently, as he listens to the description. It is also very sweet. He, too, tries to memorize the information, to imagine the man in his mind.]
He sounds like a lovely person. I don't think I will have any trouble recognizing him. He wears your feathers in his hair?
[That really sticks with Viktor. He's a sentimental person in a similar way. He likes to have a keepsake of Jayce on his person, aside from the crutch. Someday, he might like to have a feather of Skan's. He's not sure how he would use or wear it, but the thought warms him a little.]
I have this little gear, a cog, that I carried around in my pocket. I plucked it out of the air on a day we made a huge breakthrough, and somehow disabled the gravity in our lab. It was incredible... Everything felt possible, on that day.
[His tone is thoughtful, very quiet and soft.]
I'll be requesting that gear back. Not that I think it was fair of them to take it in the first place. Perhaps it was just a matter of needing to empty the pockets for travel, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[And he does need that crutch sooner rather than later.]
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[He remembers his own convalescence periods well, and how badly he itched to be up out of bed and doing something. Doing anything!]
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't already on my way, my friend.
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[When Skan arrives, Viktor is indeed sitting on his bed, looking a lot better than Skan left him a few days ago.]
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No hands, you see, when walking.]
Fhere you arf. [he offers the crutch to Viktor with his head tilted to make it an easier angle to grasp... and sighs with relief when it's taken.] Not much the worse for wear, I think.
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Thank you so much, Skan, this is a big relief.
[Viktor isn't very touchy-feely, but he does have an urge to stand and hug the bird. He's never been that bold, though. Instead, he'll tell the story, as promised.]
My lab partner Jayce and I designed my leg brace and crutch, and built them together. He is like a brother to me, the best friend I've ever had... And this is all I have of him right now. It is irreplaceable.
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[Comfortingly, Skan spreads one wing over Viktor's bed, just as he'd have comforted another gryphon, as he'd comforted Keeth, Tan, and Zhaneel, many times over. Warm weight, shield against all who might see, or judge, or harm: he leaves it there, just so, like a second, somewhat dusty, blanket overtop the rest.]
You'll see him again, Viktor. I'm sure of it. Until then, we'll just have to keep better track of your things, hm?
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Yes. Kindness in the dark. I saved his life, and he saved mine.
[For whatever that was worth, given how little time he had left.
The wing is comforting. Warmth tends to relieve his pain, if just a little. And it's strange, but he's grown to like the smell, sort of like an old beloved book, mixed with the musk of a creature, and outdoor air. Perhaps even a hint of sunshine.
He will see Jayce again, most likely. He'll either show up here, or Viktor will go home at some point to say goodbye to him.]
I'm sorry, Skan. You will see your Amberdrake again, as well. Perhaps you could ask the leaders for a picture of him, if your world has that sort of thing? I plan to ask for a couple of things from home.
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[But Amberdrake was famously attractive, that was true, and his profession tended towards prettiness, in any case. You didn't need beauty to be a kestra'chern, to be sure, but sure it helped... And here he's gone and made himself sad, again. Ah, White Gryphon! He misses home. Skan sighs and leans forward more comfortably, so that he can both rest his shoulders and loll his head sideways against the comfortable cushion of Viktor's bedding. It's an awkward enough pose, to look at, but not uncomfortable: he wants to rest.]
Why don't I settle in to stay for a while, and you can tell me all about it.
cw suicide attempt, arcane spoilers?
[Hell, Viktor would get it for Skan himself, but after getting Rolan a horse, if he keeps that up he's never going to have his own magic, or his own keepsakes.
Viktor scooches aside in the bed a little to make more room for Skan, and to lie down again to rest. He lifts one arm to lay atop Skan's wing, and his other hand strokes the feathers on the gryphon's head and neck.]
I would like that.
[Viktor looks softly at Skandranon. He's unsure how he ended up so comfortable with someone so quickly, recluse that he is. But the bond feels safe, comforting, warm. He feels cared for.
He speaks very softly as he tells the story, almost as if telling it to himself, like it doesn't matter if anyone else hears it.]
Jayce and I met... Ehh, almost a decade ago? His lab was broken into by some kids, who caused an explosion with the volatile materials in there. At that time, experimenting with magic was forbidden in our city, and Jayce was trying to combine science with magic to create something new he called Hextech. I was the Dean's assistant, helping with the investigation into the explosion, and upon reading his notes, I took a strong interest in his research. However, he was expelled from the academy for research that went against the city's ethos, and he saw it as the end of his road. Nosy as I was, I snuck back into his ruined lab one night, to find him about to jump out of it and end his life. I told him I wanted to pursue his research further with him, that I thought he was truly onto something.
And he was. We invented the Hexgates, teleporters that could instantly transport goods and people into and out of the city. The economy boomed as a result, and for years we worked on several other inventions that we thought could improve lives of regular citizens. But I became ill, and the politics became complicated, and we lost our dream.
Shortly before coming to Caldera, I was standing at a ledge about to jump, and he interrupted me. He was determined to cure my illness, to save my life. We hoped Hextech would be the answer, but it wasn't. Still, I am grateful to have the time I did with Jayce. I am sad we didn't accomplish more, but proud of what we did together. He... He cares so much for me. I worry about what will happen to him once I'm truly gone.
[He looks down at Skan's wing, where his hand pets it absently. Oh, his heart aches.]
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But his head comes up at the mention of the Gates. Was he hearing that right? That Viktor, and of course his friend who had surely contributed a great deal, had invented Gates for his world!? How... how was that possible? It brought the man's fierce, gracious intelligence into sharp contrast, it reevaluated everything he'd ever said.
Viktor had not a drop of mage-gift, and nothing he'd said of his world indicated that he knew of anyone else who had any, either. And yet, with mere mechanical skill and the application of genius, he had replicated a feat that only an Adept-ranked mage could reproduce! If such a thing had ever come into human hands during the war, it would have... it would have...
...He can barely grasp the concept, to begin with. It would have changed everything. And all for a merest mention along side what truly matters: friendship, love, and the loss of either. Skan puts his head back down, mind whirling.]
You are truly a most remarkable man, my friend. I had no idea. But keep faith; you might yet find your friend arriving here, some fine day. Certainly, if I ever hear of this Jayce showing up, you'll be the first to know.
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Remarkable? What do you mean?
[Faced with his own death, Viktor has been feeling crushing defeat. All that looms in his mind is how much he hasn't yet accomplished. The dreams he will not be able to fulfill, the people from the Undercity he will never be able to help in more meaningful ways. It is hard to remember that he has done great things already, that he is extremely bright and hard-working as it is. Ever-ambitious and ever-perfectionistic, it's as though Viktor can't see himself for what he truly is, only what he's failed to become.]
But thank you. You will be the first to know if I find your Amberdrake. Perhaps you could give me a description? Jayce is very tall and broad, with short dark hair and a tanned complexion. He usually wears a white jacket, sometimes carries a giant hammer. I think many would call him handsome.
[Because, well, he is. No getting around it. But that's neither here nor there.]
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[So there: enough of that. But Skan nods carefully at each quality, trying to imagine the face of such a man, and commit it to memory. Except handsome, he doesn't think he could pick that out by sight, at least not necessarily. It's subjective, isn't it?]
Amberdrake is tall, and tan, and quite lean. He'll be wearing feathers in his hair, almost certainly some of mine, which is very long and very dark. I can't imagine what else he'll be wearing, he's such a clotheshorse, but he does dress nicely, no matter where he goes, so they'll be very fine clothes. He's got a hawkish sort of a nose, that's the Kaled'a'in blood showing, though I don't expect you'll know the look, and...
[Skan hesitates, and then sighs, and drops his chin back onto the blankets.]
He's gentle. Brave, and stubborn, and he can be direct. But he's gentle. He'll speak to you like he already knows everything about you, and likes you all the better for it. That's how you'll know best, that it's Amberdrake.
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[The word is soft and his gaze is softer as he looks at the bird. He isn't sure what spurred Skan to say that, but it is a very sweet thing to say.
He just keeps stroking feathers, ever so gently, as he listens to the description. It is also very sweet. He, too, tries to memorize the information, to imagine the man in his mind.]
He sounds like a lovely person. I don't think I will have any trouble recognizing him. He wears your feathers in his hair?
[That really sticks with Viktor. He's a sentimental person in a similar way. He likes to have a keepsake of Jayce on his person, aside from the crutch. Someday, he might like to have a feather of Skan's. He's not sure how he would use or wear it, but the thought warms him a little.]
I have this little gear, a cog, that I carried around in my pocket. I plucked it out of the air on a day we made a huge breakthrough, and somehow disabled the gravity in our lab. It was incredible... Everything felt possible, on that day.
[His tone is thoughtful, very quiet and soft.]
I'll be requesting that gear back. Not that I think it was fair of them to take it in the first place. Perhaps it was just a matter of needing to empty the pockets for travel, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt.