RP:Not to Say Goodbye

This is a Mage's Guild RP.

Part of the Lies Within Us Arc

Summary: During a lull in the feverish preparations for war, Odhranos seeks out an old friend for a chat that is years overdue.

Ginger Snapped Bakery and Sweetshop, Cenril

Khitti || The bakery was having a bit of a lull today, and the people that worked there were grateful for it. The head waitress, Victoria, and the head cake decorator (who was also her husband!), Albert used this time wisely to make kissy faces at each other. It’d been years since the two met each other at this very establishment, worked together, and fell in love, and despite this they were still somehow in their “honeymoon phase”. They, of course, still went about their business now and then, but their boss was typically so chill that they weren’t particularly afraid of being reprimanded for it. And their boss? Well. Their boss was lurking in the kitchen, attempting to knead some bread. The problem was that their boss was not in her usual form. A nearly five foot, eleven inch man, with wine red hair pulled back into a long braid, was working away and all but beating the hell out of the dough. There was an air of frustration around him, which was never really too unusual for Khitti, but right now it was rather severe. “Goddamn it!” He slammed the dough down onto the counter and growled. Everything was so different. Baking was not the same for this Khitti as it was for the other. “Victoria! Albert! Will you…” He sighed, trying to calm himself a little. “Will you please do this…? You can work together if you want and I’ll deal with the counter.” The couple was no stranger to Khitti’s rage, but it was different of late. They cringed a little, but as Khitti’s tone soften, the two eyed the other with vague concern and eventually went to the kitchen to relieve him of his issues. Well, the tangible issues that sat on the table anyway; there’s no way in hell they can help with whatever problems Khitti was dealing with now. Khitti’d wash his hands, threw the apron he’d been wearing out of the way in a corner to be washed later, and went out into the dining room to take a seat at a table nearest to the counter. The anger was still there and the urge to go grab a bottle of whiskey from the apartment upstairs was becoming overwhelming.

Odhranos would take this opportunity to push the door to the bakery open and step tentatively inside. While most members of the Guild had been coming and going from Ginger Snapped for their lunch, dinner and even afternoon tea as of late, Odhranos has rarely had the time to leave the Coral Castle any further than its front steps. However, when the rare opportunity had presented itself, he leapt on it with gusto. Covering the stretch of quarantined city underground, he emerged from beneath the cobblestones with a raspy rattle, being careful to replace the streetscape as he found it before he ventured into the bakery. Once inside, he suddenly finds himself delightfully surprised. “Oh good! Slate!” Odhranos murmurs happily, With a lively pep in his step, he walks through the shop, avoiding the furniture with a daintiness that would earn his blindfold a strange look. Entirely unaware of Khitti’s presence nearby, the terramancer places his hands on the counters edge and drums his thumbs against the surface as he hums a lively tune, hoping for someone versed in the ways of culinary delights to call out to him

.Khitti || All color drained from Khitti’s face as Odhranos just waltzed right into the shop seemingly without a care in the world. Despite this, he really couldn’t help but smirk at the terramancer’s love of the floor. But, once that vague bit of amusement wore off, the redhead went back to eyeing the other male with concern--and even a tad bit of fear. Not the sort of fear that comes with thinking they’re going to be attacked or killed, mind you. That’s not really Khitti’s thing. Too violent and bloodthirsty for that most days. No, Khitti’s fear sprung up from the possibility of judgement from the new archmage. He just sat there for a moment, watching as Odhranos drummed away on the counter. He could not find words to speak to the mage that he’d known for several years now. Eventually, he sighed heavily, and pushed himself up out of the chair he’d been sitting in, his line of sight on the floor the other had so happily commented on. “Hi… Odhranos.” There was caution in his voice, and despite the fact that Odhranos no longer had the ability to look back at Khitti, the redhead could not even make the barest hints of what might be considered eye contact with the blind mage. “I did not expect you to actually come here. When there’s not a meeting, anyway.”

Odhranos is briefly startled by Khitti speaking out to him and he wheels about to face him before the silhouette of two boots on the slate floor calms him. “Sven above! I didn’t notice you there, my apologies!” Odhranos laughs as he holds his hand to his chest. This voice is unfamiliar to him, though the way that they speak makes it sound like they are familiar. “Well, a man does have to eat on occasion. The Coral Castle’s pantry has suffered enough from my snacking, I figured I should try to source a proper meal for once.” Odhranos’ face breaks into a smile, then screws up in concentration before he replies. “I feel like I should know your voice; I could swear it is familiar, but I can’t place you, I’m so sorry.” Odh bows deeply at the waist to punctuate his apology. “I take it we have met before, from what you say? My memory mustn’t be what it used to be. I blame all the administration.” The terramancer jokes jovially, pointing towards his forehead. “Not much space for anything else it seems.”

Khitti ’s fingers twitched with anticipation at his sides and he was soon conscious of it enough to quickly move away and go around the counter to put his hands to work, fetching whatever it was Odhranos might want to eat. “It’s Khitti,” he said, once he was far enough away. “I--uh. A lot happened, to me and Brand. When you were away.” That’s a nice way of saying ‘kidnapped’, of course. “If you had actually seen me during the meeting, I imagine you would have come looking for me, like Valrae had.” He paused and shook his head at himself. “First thing’s first though… anything in particular you want to eat? We do more than just sandwiches and sweets these days. With the cold that’s been overwhelming the city for months now, I decided to start selling soups too. Plenty of different teas too.” He grabbed a plate and set it on top of the counter, his hands lingering over the bowls and teacups while Odhranos made his decision. If there was something specific the mage wanted, they likely had it. That sort of thing was the norm when the bakery operated on magic in a lot of ways.

Odhranos eyebrows soar with surprise and he is about to exclaim his surprise and happiness at Khitti’s presence when she mentions seeing her during the meeting. His exclamation dies and a slight wince crosses his face. “I...sorry. That meeting was...a lot to take in. And everything that came after…” His apologies wither and instead Odhranos dips his head and bows towards Khitti. “I am sorry. I should be more aware of what is happening to my colleagues. If you wouldn’t mind, could you fill me in on what I’ve missed? I imagine there’s a fair bit, losing six months tends to toss you out of the loop.” Odh laughs as he straightens. At the prospect of soup, he finds his mouth watering already. “Do you have something vegetable based? I’ve been subsisting on whatever meats and bread I can pilfer from our pantry in the castle, but our fruit and veg stocks are somewhat depleted. Oh and tea is always appreciated. Particularly to accompany conversation.”

Khitti || “No, please don’t be sorry. This had… nothing to do with the guild. It’s my fault that it’s bleeding into work. To the point that I’m worried that I’m pushing Caltarok away from being my student. It’s better now, even more than it was then, but… it’s all still a lot of process and we’re still working through things,” Khitti said as he grabbed a bowl, flipped open the lid to a soup kettle, allowing the smell of vegetable soup with a tomato-based broth fill the room. He ladeled some out, grabbed a cut piece of a baguette for Odhranos to dip it in if he so chose to, then went to work throwing together some tea. With keeping what the terramancer had said in mind, the redhead spooned the dried herbal and fruit concoction into two cups and poured the hot water over it to steep. “There’s a table, just to the left of you,” he said, indicating that he’d bring the food to Odhranos. Once both were set and settled at the table, Khitti would sigh and shrug, though the mage would not see it. “Like I told Val, the short of it is that someone from Brand’s past manipulated us. A lot of things happened. I was made to believe that I didn’t even know who Brand was. After that, when this person got bored of it, they switched us. Gave me this male form and Brand a female one. We were led to believe that we’d always been like that. Time knew no meaning when we were in that “world” or whatever you want to call it. We were still here but… it was like an alternate reality. A full year went by for us, like that. Everything was normal. -We- were normal, more or less. There was no saving the world all the time. We were happy… and then this person’s plan was finally made real. They were a ghost, from Brand’s past. Someone Brand had killed. She’d latched onto Brand during a Warrior’s Guild mission and nothing has been the same since. She used Brand’s female form to create a new body for herself. There was nothing we could do. Brand died, when this body was ready. She--Brand that is--thinks that Selene brought her back, like my gods did with me. Brand was given the ability to shapeshift from it all. She can change me back to my female form or vice versa, but she cannot change herself. We had to go find the one that did this to us and soon she’ll be helping Brand to learn how to shapeshift. We made a trade: a solution to Brand’s problem in exchange for this woman’s trip home from the archipelago we’d left her at.” He paused and stared at his tea. “I’m sorry. This sounds insane. I told Val too, that it did. But… we are incredibly different now and there is no going back. And I don’t think I want to. I like having both of these forms. It’s easier to hide my emotions. Easier to be left alone, like this. There are things that I can do with this body, that I cannot with the other and vice versa. For instance, I cannot seem to properly make bread with these damned hands.” He chuckled somewhat.

Odhranos accepts the invitation to sit, searching for the back of the chair with which to guide himself into the seat. The soup is accepted with thanks, Odhranos is grateful for the ceramic bowl that the soup is ladelled into and sets into his meal with gusto as he listens. Khitti’s tale is met with quiet concern, and as the story progresses, the terramancer sets his spoon aside to pay attention. “Sven above. Is there no hope for a peaceful life in this day and age?” The tone of Odhranos’ voice is quiet and regretful, as much upset over Khitti’s predicament as the prospect of his own. He waves away Khitti’s concern at the far fetched nature of her story with a gentle smile however. “After all that I have seen, I’ve learned not to question the strange nature of things in this world. Though I am heartened to hear that you are finding joy in your new situation. In the end, that’s all one can ask, I suppose.” A cheeky smile plucks at Odhranos’ lips as he continues. “Perhaps you could venture into curing meats. I’ve been blown away sometimes by the effort that goes into tenderising and seasoning the gargantuan sides of meat butchers deal with; it might be a niche your new hands would be suited to.”

Khitti let out another brief, laugh. “Perhaps,” he said, with regards to the mention of another new line of work. “There are two things I’ve been dreading though. The first is going through all the paperwork for the guilds I’m in, to make sure that when people see me like this, that they’re prepared for it. So they know what to call me and how to refer to me. Uh, pronouns and all that, I guess. I’ve decided, when I’m like this, that I prefer to be called ‘Khitt’. It’s just… less feminine sounding. Days like today I don’t feel like a ‘she’. Days when I’m not like this, I don’t feel like a ‘he’. It’s just all become rather… fluid to go between the two, I suppose.” Khitti finally took a sip of his tea, casually using a bit of his shadowfire to heat it up again to the proper temperature. “The other thing is… I don’t know what people are going to think of it. I almost didn’t say anything just now. I almost didn’t tell Valrae. I have enough problems with people as it is. People already leave me for other things. I don’t even know if my gods are listening to me now or if they’re even going to try to guide me through this somehow.. I just… don’t think I can deal with any more judgement. This is just… who I am now, but I know I can’t just -force- people to accept it.” He sighed. “I’m as nervous as I am with this, as I was the first time I met you. Because I was different from the rest of you then. But now I am even moreso.”

Odhranos nods as he lifts another spoonful to his mouth. “Well, if it’s a concern to you, I’ll handle the paperwork for the Mages Guild myself. Convention would be to call you “Veneficus Herzelger” anyway, so there shouldn’t be much of a change there, unless you plan on changing your surname. But if there are any issues, do bring them to me and I’ll deal with them.” When Khitt mentions their new name, Odhranos drops his spoon into his bowl and beams, clapping his hands with approval. “It’s a wonderful name! Khitt; amazing how removing a single letter can bring about such a change. I’m looking forward to using it in future, Khitt.” Odhranos’ nose crinkles with his smile, as he lifts his spoon again. “I can understand your hesitation. Sven, there are those who would pass judgement for even the slightest of differences. But for what it is worth.” Odhranos turns his face towards Khitti and offers a gentle smile. “So long as you find happiness, I think you should be whoever you want to be. It’s no more complicated than that.”

Khitti just stared at Odhranos, seemingly unsure of whether or not to even believe him. But, once all had been said, the redhead gave an unseen nod of his head. “Well. On to other topics then.” His tone seemed to indicate that there were the barest hints of a smile along with it. “Specifically one that’s a bit higher priority than my personal life: when do I get to rip apart Haladavar’s soul?” This was said so nonchalantly, it’s obvious that he wasn’t joking. “Unlike most people around here that have no real idea what’s going on, I’m not rather fond of his little light show. I’ve neglected to really check in with all of you since the meeting, for obvious reasons, and to be perfectly honest, there’s been several times throughout this whole thing where I’ve had to restrain myself from burning the whole tower down. I’m grateful that I did not listen to those impulses, seeing as how you and the book were in there, but… It’s long past dear Hal’s expiration date and he’s overstayed his welcome in Xalious.” Not that he was welcomed at all in the first place.

Odhranos grimaces and nods. “Indeed. The question on everyone’s mind. I’ve been watching… well, no sorry, that’s not entirely true. Charlie has been watching Haladavar’s work nightly and transcribing it for me to study. I’ve taken a good stock of what has been done and I have a good estimate of what is left to be done…” Odhranos leans back in his chair and runs his hands through his hair as he tries to recall his calculations. “We have the best part of a month before Haladavar finishes his runic net on the moon. Putting it bluntly, we can’t let him finish, so I have our invasion planned for three weeks from now.” Odh steeples his fingers and stares into the middle distance. “I’m still hesitant to commit any of our colleagues to such a conflict, but the fact of the matter is if I don’t, we’ll all be worse off if Haladavar is left uninterrupted.”

"If they don't want to help, then don't try to force them to, plain and simple. Some people do not have it in them to fight and that's where people like me come in. They can help in other ways. There will be plenty to do after we finish this, with rebuilding the guild, both physically and figuratively. If you try to force them, they may come to resent you and that's not something you need on your plate as the archmage," Khitti said, after finishing off his tea. "Don't focus on how small our numbers might be. Focus on ways to properly utilize our magicks to their fullest extent. And you have not only Xalious to aid you, but Cyris, Delisha, and Vakmatharas as well, through me. I have no doubt that Xalious picked the right person to lead us all, Odhranos. He knows what you're capable of. That you're caring and compassionate. That you just want a safe place to go for people to learn new things. I am the same way with the Devout's Guild, so I know you can handle this. We will get through this because we have you to keep us all grounded." Yes, that was definitely a terramancy pun. If only Odhranos could see Khitti's smirk.

Placing his spoon in the now cleaned bowl and leaning back into his chair, Odhranos scrubs his face with his hands as he groans. "Aye, you're right. We have capable people among our number and I've had the reigning Queen of War give the thumbs up to my invasion plan. I suppose all that's left is to have faith." Odh drops his hands to the table and smiles wearily towards the other man. "I've never been a man of faith except when I most needed it. I'm not a very faithful devout." Interlacing his hands behind his head, he turns his face up towards the ceiling. "My belief is in what can be measured, what can be proven. Which is why this invasion, this gambit unsettles me so much. Because it requires faith. It asks me to believe in my comrades and in the plan we have put together. Which terrifies me, Sven above Khitt, I can feel my heart turn to ice inside me everytime I think about what has yet to come." A small laugh escapes Odh, soon blossoming into a warm full-bellied laugh. "So I found myself needing faith." Odh places his hand in the table and drums his fingers rhytmically, turning his face towards Khitt. "I'll be honest, I didn't come today just for your food, though it is certainly wonderful. I've been making something of a pilgrimage lately, to my colleagues and friends." A shy smile plucks at the terramancer's lips. "Everyone I've been talking to has been strengthening my faith, one conversation at a time. I'm starting to believe; not in some god who might be watching over me but in my friends and my guild. I want to know that I can believe in them when it really matters." A warm genuine smile lights up Odhranos' face briefly, before it dims once again. "And if it comes to it, I won't feel as bad that I won't get the chance to say goodbye." A guilty expression crosses Odh's face, as if he has said too much, but he doesn't say any more.

“Look, I literally lead a guild of devout people and there are far more devout that I am. I should probably try a bit harder and maybe that’s why they’re not listening to me right now, but… I at least acknowledge that the gods exist and that they do help when they are able to,” Khitt said. His tone was stern, but not cold. “Sometimes faith is enough. Sometimes it -has- to be -enough-. Because the gods don’t meddle in our affairs as much as some people think and it’s for the better. But, you have literal proof that Xalious -is- listening to you. He gave you that book. He is working -through you- to make things right.” He sighed. “I’m not going to lie though. You sound like I did before I got thrown into Raiez’s cave. And I was the same way again, when we fought Amarrah and I died. I just… had a feeling something bad was going to happen. I’ve always had this ability. Call it clairvoyancy or intuition or whatever. It’s never really been strong enough to do anything with--and nine times out of ten, no one believes me anyway--but I know that it’s always been right, even if the situation is something as simple as my kid trying to set his bed on fire again when he can’t find his stuffed chicken at bedtime.” He really could not hide the smirk he had at the thought of it. “I don’t have that feeling now, even though our situation is bad. So, even if something happens, and you -do- die… Death is not the end. A lot of the time, it’s a beginning. ‘Death is only the beginning’ is literally the motto of House Dragana and I fully believe it, after dying twice.” Khitt paused briefly before continuing. “So… just have faith that things will work out -somehow-. Because it’s fate. I don’t think Xalious would’ve thrown a book at your face otherwise. And if you want proof that fate exists, well… I’d have to write it all down for you, because the things that Brand and I have been through and seen since we met five years ago are extremely long-winded and numerous.” He chuckled a bit, though he wasn’t joking about it.

Odhranos mulls over Khitt’s advice. “Well, you do have me there. Divine book loan makes for a somewhat compelling argument.” He grins wryly at his own joke, though Khitt’s story about his pyro-cantankerous child does draw out a laugh from him. “Sven above, I can’t imagine having to deal with one that young and flammable. I’ve been lucky enough that all my students have been in their late teens at the youngest. Thankfully they’ve all been beyond the tantrum stage so far.” At Khitt’s surprisingly bright view on death, Odh whistles, pulling a concerned face. “I’d like to think that I only have to deal with one run around; there’s something comforting about the idea of death being final. I’m honestly more scared by the concept of there not being an end. I can’t understand how vampires cope with the idea of just… an open unending unchanging eternity. The concept gives me goosebumps.” Odh shudders involuntarily, but manages a smile. “Either way, it’s unlikely I’ll have much say in what happens to me, so I’ll do my best to do what I can with the time I’m given.” Odh squints happily, then begins getting up from his chair. “When all this blows over, I’d like if we could sit down, Brand, yourself and I. I’d really love to catch up on everything I’ve missed in those five years. Just think of the amount of tea we could get through in a conversation like that!” Odh laughs warmly as he stands and tucks the chair back in under the table.

“Heh, there’s been plenty of developments there on the kid front. He’s got my magic too. The shadow magic, I mean. Little frakker took on a couple of baddies all on his own last year, in the Shadow Plane. Drove them nuts!” It was clear by the sound of his voice how proud Khitt was by this. “Oh. I don’t mean you should go out and get yourself turned into a vampire or something. I sure as hell couldn’t deal with even the thought of an eternity without Brand and that’s why I’m human now. And I’m certain I will have an ‘end’ at some point. I just mean… If something happens, and you do come back, it means you’re here for bigger and better things. Even with Haladavar’s death, the cycle of rebirth will essentially start anew, so that we can rebuild. And it’s a good time for it too, regardless of what happens, what with Spring coming.” As Odhranos stood, so too did Khitti, the redhead giving him another unseen smirk. “We can try for that, yeah. And if Brand happens to be busy, at the very least, you can meet our magical prodigy.” Khitt paused and eyed the blind mage, crimson brows furrowing in thought momentarily. “I’m not going to say goodbye, Odhranos,” he said at length. “I got to say goodbye to Brand and Lionel when I died and I think it was so much worse. It was a pain I felt, even as my soul was just floating around in the void. This whole talk will serve as closure enough, because I know that you know what you’re doing, for the most part. Just like I mostly knew what I was doing, when I died. So… I’m going to say ‘We will see each other soon’, even though you will not -actually- see me, because I’m very bad with emotions and words when it comes to this sort of thing.” Vague amusement clung to his words, even though the look in Khitt’s eyes betrayed what he was thinking: why do they always leave just when things were getting good? He was grateful that Odhranos couldn’t see his face at all. He thought he’d become numb to this, to people leaving in whatever fashion the gods chose for them. It felt like a curse. That he should open himself up to someone, only for them to move on elsewhere, be it through death or just leaving Lithrydel. But each time, the invisible knife in his heart dug deeper and deeper. He had thought that he’d built up walls to keep it out, but the knife always found a weak point. It always found the cracks that Khitt tried to believe wasn’t there.