Words Floating About

Armon walked inside and inclined his head a bit before straightening it back, taking his place upon one of the seats calmly. He looked at Luth and then smiled.

"Glad to see you again, Luth." he said. "I assume though it is not in the most pleasant of circumstances."

"So," joined Shari, "you do know him, commander?'

"Of course he does. Why else would he have my cloak?"

Shari sighed, then nodded in agreement. 

"Enough of your reunion." Vercia interjected in between, then handed Armon back his cloak, "I think I am more concerned about how they got beat so bad. I mean, they sound like they lost their minds. Listen."

"Lost their minds? Sounds too pleasant to be true. Madness won't propel anyone for self-endangerment. That is until my beliefs though. But do tell Shari, who ruined your pretty face?"

Shari groused, but did not complain about his tone. "Some madman almost killed us. I was out on a petrol and saw a suspicious stranger around the corner in an ally, so I followed him there for a time before my presence was reveled, thus I had to fight him off. But in between Luth came out of nowhere. Both of us had no choice in the heat of the moment and ended up teaming and killing the madman eventually." he sighed and picked up the glass of water on the table near his chair and drank a sip, putting the glass back down before he spoke another word, "But what was strange was that he had a blade, some sort of weapon that could 'cut anything' like he said. He created a slit in space; from nothing. It is just impossible. Ridiculous even, but it is true. I wish I had some sort of proof, any evidence; but once he died, along with the blade, every trace of him disappeared."

"Well," said Armon, a bit lashed by the story, "I do believe. I do not think that you are a lair, and since you have Luth alongside you as a witness; I shall stand by your story." he nodded, and then immediately continued, "Yet, this is not enough for others to trust. Neither do you have an evidence, nor a reliable witness—and I do not say that, it is the law by which I speak; of the knights, the province and Zion—along your sides. That is why, we shall keep this matter at bay. Such concern is not ours, for now. So, I suggest that you do not disclose about this to anyone further than the people of this room."

Both Shari and Luth nodded, for they too knew that they were not going to be trusted if such a thing was ever to come out. And for that reason it was better to not talk about this to none. Armon was pleased as well, he then turned his attention to Luth.

"Say, you fought the madman, and how did you manage to win from an enemy with such an ability?"

"Oh, yes," said Shari, realizing what he was meant to say, "I thought chances were dead gone for both of us; well surprisingly got the access to his Miero and shredded the man to pieces. It was very—very—brutal. Practically crushed him to pieces."

"Achieved Miero in midst of a fight!" Armon laughed heartily, "Well that is rather rare. Desperation triggered it, fear of death?"

Luth shook his head—in trust, he knew no answer, but he could be sure that it was not fear and desperation, he had faced it so many times already that it had turned dull to the senses, a bland fruit; it could not be those, they were too familiar for themselves to trigger such an action. It was something foreign, like something that has scraped the ears, but never reached into it; like a scramble of words, which make sense when they remain in such state and abstract themselves as they come along in order.

Armon did not ask further and just gave a satisfied nod again, it did not seem he minded the incomplete, wordless answer; it was a part of his nature. And what good man loves no enigma?

Vercia let out an annoyed noise out of her mouth, then laid her elbow upon the armrest, followed by her cheeks on her fist.

"This is what you all talk about seriously?" she said exaggerating a bit in her tone.

"It's plenty interesting to me." Armon laughed.

"Oh well spare me, Sir Commander that I don't understand half the thing you're talking about."

Shari shook his head at her petulant behavior but said no more; since she quite literally saved their lives after the peril. Armon turned towards the window to see he snow cascading from the sky in a little impatience now.

"I do not want to take your time further, Lady Vercia." he sighed, "And besides, I should leave before this hail wraps into a storm; Wake is not fond of such." he got up from his seat and stretched his finger a little, then remembering something he stood up, then a rapping came along. Armon opened the door to see Wake, the carriage-driver standing there outside the living room holding something familiar. He thanked Wake and took it in his hands, turning back he tossed it over to Luth, who caught it quickly and saw his sac.

"You left it over, and I forgot to hand it to you." 

Luth scanned the fabric of the slight-worn sac, its rough jute-like fabric, unpleasant to the touch, but it was his ac; the only thing that belonged to him within this strange land. He then noticed something tired around the thick thread of the sac, wrapped around a round object. It was definitely not something that he had left around it, nor was he the one who could have put it there.

He slowly undid the thread and remove it from the hold f it, revealing a meal ring, shining greatly using the light of the hearth-fire, blazing with a beautiful gleam. HE looked at it for a moment, then saw the symbol on the center of it; which he recognized as the mark of the Order of Notis. Seeing that he turned to Armon again, inquiringly.

"Welcome to the Order of Notis, Luther Mayrim." he said calmly, with the same smile on his face.

His eyes slightly teared due to this; he had got a place between the order. A hope rose within his heart, perhaps now he could have a normal life—where days pass by, with little grief; food always on the table, a place to stay, three breads a day. What more could he want, more than the pleasure of a normal life?

He gratefully nodded towards Armon, and Armon returned it with the same bow, then turning towards the door, leaving for the night, excusing away from Vercia and Shari, walking alongside Wake, gone in his carriage, gone in the snow.

"Why, this is wonderful." Vercia said, and clasped her hand happily, "you are a caster now. That deserves some celebration, won't you say?" she motioned her handmaid o approach.

"No, no!" said Luth in a little hurry, "I must not ask you for anything further, Lady Vercia; you already have been of great help to us, it is not necessary that you do more."

"Don't be ridiculous," she continued, "I need a reason to drink that Zelven Wine anyways."

Luther, after great insistence by the lady and Shari finally accepted the offer, taking in a glass between his fingers of Zelven wine, which was served by Clera.

He sighed and drank a large sip of it, shoving it down his throat. It was exquisite, having a very spiced taste, which indicated that it was highly concentrated. It sent his mind in a daze for a second, silencing his thoughts for now. When his mind came back to their senses he stopped drinking for a moment.

"I just now realized,—uh—I don't have a place to stay anywhere in the province." he said sheepishly, looking at Shari who gave a nonchalant laugh, as he set the glass aside.

"Do not worry," said Shari, "you can stay alongside me for a while. I live alone, so some company would be great. I owe it to you for all the past."

"Ah, thanks, thank you very much." he replied.

Vercia—quite drunk at the moment— gave a loud and shrill laugh, her motions tipsy due to the wine and she patted his chest, right in the center of the wound, which gave Luth a good whelp escaping from his mouth.

They laughed, enjoyed, spent it all on the night. Forgetting about the future, that was yet to come.