samahl | for fenris

for fenris

Magister Anguis had once belonged to an impressive Tevinter household. Once upon a time, the name had had weight and power behind it. Now, though he still had the title of Magister, it was widely known that his house was deeply in debt. He had sold most of his estate and slaves in effort to save face, keeping only a small house close to the edge of the Starkhaven border and three slaves; one young maid, a footman, and his most prized possession, a Dalish elf whom he kept close to him nearly every moment.

The Dalish elf was called Cervi by the Magister but that was not the name given to him by his Clan. It had been years since he had been called his given name and though Cyril kept it in his heart he was rather protective of who knew it. The two other elven slaves who tended to the house were teenagers, Cassia and Viridi, and even they knew him only by the name their master had given him.

The summer of 9:40 Dragon had been remarkable so far because the south had been plunged to chaos since the Nevarran Accords had been annulled. They were at war, with mages and templars bring death and fire every where they went. That and the tensions between the Empress and her cousin had boiled over into a Civil War that ravaged the Dales.

Chaos in the South brought profit for Tevinter, and Master Anguis had wanted to take advantage of that. He had been so desperate to regain his family's standings that he had even crossed the border into Starkhaven. He allied himself with mercenaries turned slavers and preyed on those caught up in the chaos. He was so set in the idea of finding a fortune by selling the disenfranchised that he had even brought Cassia, Viridi, and 'Cervi' with him - ignoring the fact that technically once they crossed the border the three were technically no longer in bondage. To him they were property, and always would be.

The night was warm, but not nearly as hot as it would have been north of Vyrantium. Cyril was finishing up setting up a bath that he and Anguis would have shared. Cassia and Viridi were cleaning up in the kitchen after creating a modest meal for their master. The Magister was in his study going over papers that tracked the transportation of the slaves his men had found.

He had no idea that those men were now likely dead, nor that the one who had attacked them had found information on him and his location. No one in the house would have dared to believe that the Magister would not make it through the night.

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Cyril nods at that and concedes the point. He still feels pretty energic though, so when they head out he's able to keep up much better than he had been. The day goes by normally, with their travels keeping the same normal pace. They talk about nothing in particular but Cyril still can't help but enjoy being with Fenris, even more so now that he's certain he's real.

When they stop to set up camp, Cyril starts gathering materials around them. "With my Clan I would make traps that would catch small animals. I could try to make one again," he explains. "I.. I might be out of practice though. It has been eight years."

He still wants to find a way to contribute and he isn't sure he fully trusts himself with a bow yet. All of the muscles he had built up in his arms had faded from the strength of an archer to the soft, lightly muscled tone that the Magister had preferred. He doesn't think he could aim or be effective at all, but he can try to remember how to capture food.

The trap making idea is a way to bring something to Fernis that isn't gold made in a way he disagrees with.

Fenris was sitting, starting up a fire for the night. He glances up at the offer- it would be a damn sight better than trying to hunt something. They could rest and leave the trap do all the work. Far better to save their energy for any trouble they might come across.

"Certainly. That would actually be a very big help, thank you."

He offered a smile. He knew Cyril was looking for ways to be useful. Ways to justify his being there- hell, to justify him being anywhere. It takes a while...for that feeling to go. To let oneself just...be. He allowed Cyril this small thin without complaint.

Cyril focuses on his work then, and ends up placing the traps around their camp area, but far enough that animals might actually stumble onto them. He isn't sure they'll actually work. They don't look as well put together as when he was young, but he hopes they'll stick together despite that. Despite his doubts, to someone like Fenris it might seem like a lot of his natural talent shows, even if he might be a bit rusty.

He returns to the fire and settles next to Fenris, letting the warmth wash over him.

He doesn't speak right away. He's mostly listening to see if one of his traps set, but also he doesn't really feel the need to fill his time with Fenris with small talk.

Fenris has never been the one for small talk. He never sees the point of speaking for the sake of it, just to fill the silence. Still, still, he enjoys Cyrils company- more to the point, he's enjoying getting to know him better, having him around day to day.

"How do you feel? Now you know for certain this is not a dream. Has it sunk in yet?"

"You mean has it sunk in that you're real and not some kind of dream illusion?" he asks, smiling a bit. He takes a moment and looks around them.

"Yes. I think so. I still... There are moments I'm not sure that I'm real, but I know that the world is. That's a start, isn't it?"

"That's something at least," he huffs out a noise- part laugh, part sigh. "Well, if you ever wish for me to prove you're real, I'm sure I can think of something."

That...probably wasn't meant to be as lewd as it came out, and he clears his throat awkwardly. Just...breeze past.

"Um. We should be on our next target within a days time."

Even if Fenris thinks the wording is a little more suggestive than he had anticipated, it still meant so much that someone was there wanting to make sure he was safe and well.

"Should I find a nearby village to lay low in when we get close enough for you to track him?"

"If you wish. I'd honestly rather you not do anything you're uncomfortable with. You have come along very well - I don't want you being in the presence of men like that to cause you to backslide."

That was his real worry. The negative effect of being around slavers.

"Not that I don't think you're a capable fighter, of course. But I'd rather you be comfortable."

"It's not that I'm uncomfortable," Cyril replies thoughtfully. "It's more that I'm not sure I would be be any use in a fight. I'm saying that I don't think I'll be a capable fighter."

"I used to be a hunter, and pretty decent with a bow, but I've spent the last handful of years as a pampered indoor pet. I don't even have the muscle in my arm to use a bow well in a fight."

He frowns a bit at the thought, realizing how many of his skills he had lost. "I should work to correct that, but for now I wouldn't want to be a liability. You'll have to protect me as well as counter what the slavers are tossing at you. I'd do more harm than good."

"That's sound enough logic."

He appreciates Cyril sees that, that he doesn't want to be in the way- that he doesn't feel like he's losing out on some revenge- Maker knows, that's what Fenris lived and breathed for so long. He's glad to see it hasn't sunk as deep. Not obviously so, anyway.

"When I have dealt with this band, I can help you train, if you would like. Regain some muscle strength."

Cyril brightens up at the suggestion. "Will you? I'd think I'd really like that. It would be wonderful to feel as if I can regain some of the power I lost..."

He trails off as he realizes how true that statement is and then looks a little embarrassed at having just said it outright.

"Plus, I'll never say no to seeing you work your body." Adding a flirt brought the conversation back to a place he felt comfortable.

"Of course, I'd rather you be able to defend yourself, should anything happen."

He laughs, awkward, but certainly not unwelcome.

"Well. Thank you. I can say very much likewise."

Cyril raises his brow at that, amused at how easily Fenris responds to the flirt in kind. "It's always reassuring to know when there is mutual appreciation," he says, leaning a little closer to Fenris as if he enjoys the presence of the other elf.

Fenris tenses, just for a moment, but allows Cyril near. There's an element of coiled spring to him, but it's not overly obvious. He's learned to control it. He smiles, a lopsided affair.

"Oh, there absolutely is."

Cyril looks as if he might want to respond in some way, but a sound from the woods - that of one of his traps setting off - draws his attention. He pulls away then to look over towards the noise.

"I should go look at that," he says before standing. "Don't go anywhere," he teases a bit before disappearing to find the trap.

He'd been watching Cyril intently, on the cusp of...something, when the noise broke the moment. He clears his throat, moving to sit upright again.

"Yes...of course. I'll wait here."

Cyril gives him a smile before heading into the woods and is gone for only a handful of minutes. When he returns he has a couple of rabbits. He seems impossibly proud of something so simple, but the fact that most of the traps worked makes him feel confident in the abilities he had thought he had forgotten. Then he takes to the task of skinning and preparing the animals, something else he manages to remember how to mostly do on his own and which gives him more moments of pride.

He had been relying pretty heavily on Fenris until then. The thought that he can do something on his own is reassuring. Once the animals are finally being cooked on the fire and he's washed his hands he settles next to Fenris again, and still seems pretty pleased over everything.

"Maybe starting over won't be as difficult as I thought..." he admits after a moment.

Fenris sees the pride across Cyril's features and can't help but smile. It's something he should be proud about. He lets Cyril get to work, not interrupting - leaving him do it himself, allowing him that moment of pride, of contribution.

"You seem to have a very good handle of it, my friend."

"Hopefully they taste all right," he says, grinning still. He feels better than he has in a long time, and he isn't even sure why. It's such a simple thing to be able to do.

"You are putting your stomach on the line for me right now."

"I am certain they will be fine," he offers Cyril a smile. "I have the utmost faith that you will not poison me. I'm offering you some hard-earned trust on this."

Hard earned indeed, but Cyril has earned that much.

Cyril chuckles softly. "Oh good," he says, playing up seeming relieved. He does feel a weird flutter in his chest at being told that Fenris trusts him.

"I'll try not to disappoint you."

Fenris offers him a smile in return.

"I am certain that you won't."

And he finds that he's surprised he means that. His faith in the other elf has certainly grown plenty.

Cyril doesn't reply to that right away. Instead, he smiles and looks at Fenris for a moment before he looks away.

"I feel like it's been a long time since I could have that," he admitted after a moment. "It's nice to have someone to count on, and who counts on me too."

"I have to admit, there is a certain level of...comfort to that."

And so, he let the conversation lull into silence, occasionally offering some small conversation as their food cooked, and then was eaten. It was at the end of the meal, satiated and content, that he spoke again, offering a smile.

"That was marvellous, my compliments to the chef."

Cyril chuckles a bit. "I am hardly that, I think, but it served its purpose." He seems pretty satisfied himself.

"It is good to know I can still manage it though. There are so many skills that I was raised with, skills engrained in me since I was a child, that I haven't put to use since I was taken. A part of me always worried that all of it would have faded by now." He paused, considering the woods around him for a moment.

"There are a great many things about my people that bother me, but there's good there too, I think." He shrugged. "At least I hope so, or else there was a lot that I tried to cling to that would end up being meaningless."

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