ꙮ There are. SO MANY coffee places, in Adaman District. So many. And they’re all really, really good. So it’s a good thing that Zaed has a favourite! It’s a little hole-in-the-wall sort of place, dark and quiet, the sort of place that you get into through a surprisingly narrow door in the side of a larger brick workshop down a little alleyway that’s totally unmarked, and you either know about it or you don’t, and, well, Zaed knows it, and they know him there - there’s an older metahuman and a young muujgai running the place that somehow have the vibe of being a father and daughter even though that can’t possibly be the case, and the older gentleman starts on an order literally as soon as he sees Zaed walk in. Salme, though, Salme’s new, and the muujgai leans forward on the counter to state, “House special, or are you lookin’ for somethin’ in particular?”
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- Yazhn Ravhi, the Hierophant
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: “House special is fine, as long as it’s not too sweet,” she replies, almost startled into the order.
ꙮ She gives Salme a look and then a Look and then a look that’s admiring her sense of style and then a nod. “Cream yes, spice also yes. Sweet a solid only very slightly. That sound good?”
: “That sounds amazing, yes. Thank you.”
ꙮ ”Perfect.” And Zaed’s already found a booth and taken one side of it where he can sprawl out and lean his head back and take a deep breath, ears wiggling happily in the Ambience.
slides into the booth across from him. “You remind a bit of my mentor. His ears are always wiggling when he’s happy and his tail always gives him away.” She tilts her head. “You were overjoyed when he came into the workshop.”
can’t help letting out a chuckle at that, somehow leaning back a little more. “Zaya told me things were gonna be strange, that he was goin’ by a different name, that… well. Not to expect things t’ be the same as they were? But it was still– ahh, fuck.” He dabs at his eye. “I can tell that -Aurelius- is doin’ well, yeah? And that’s good to see.”
: “It’s hard. And you don’t know what to think of him, and you don’t know how to be there for him. You see Annarr in so many things he does, but he isn’t Annarr and doesn’t want to be.” She gives him a small smile. “I can’t relate, except I sort of can. For the other direction, sure, but still. That’s sort of why I wanted to talk.” ⁂
tilts his head to the side, curiously.
: “I asked Aurelius to figure out what he owed Annarr. How he wanted to proceed, with his life and legacy. And that’s his decision to make. But I … also feel like I owe Annarr very much. He gave me one of my loves and someone who has … made me a better person at every turn. And I’d like to honor him by knowing his story.” 🙧
gives Salme an Appraising Look, rubbing at the side of his muzzle. “‘s a strong and a kind way to think about things. An’ we never had a pyre for Annarr, as it wouldn’t make sense to now, so I suppose it’s right that his story get told in different ways.”
ꙮ It’s about then that the coffee gets served - it’s richly spiced, but only very slightly sweet, the kind of coffee you want to just hover over with your nose for a good long while before drinking any, which is exactly what Zaedulf does.
takes one deep breath of the coffee, then says, “It’s also for you. And for Zaya. For the people who loved him too. And. If you have questions about who he’s become, as long as I don’t think it violates his privacy, I’m happy to share that.” She gives him a small smile. “He’s one of my favorite subjects, you see.”
shares her smile, returns it with interest, and takes another big deep breath of the spiced coffee. “First time he ever showed up at the warehouse, I think he might’ve come up to my knee.” Pause. “Nah, that’s memory exaggeratin’ things. He was just a boy, though, his first week in Queenstown, and someone’d gotten it into their head that I was lookin’ for students, and told him as much. And I wasn’t,” -he scoffs- “Not even a little bit.” ⁂
: “And yet, somehow, one week later, there he was, at my workstation. And I never had to tell him where somethin’ was twice, I never had to… well, no. I’m sure it took some time to teach him how to hold things for me while I worked on ‘em, but it was always. Turned out it was good t’ have a second set of hands after all. And a second set of eyes, who’d just. Watch, and watch, and watch, and then find exactly the right question to ask.” He leans back, again, and finally takes a sip of the coffee. 🙧
takes a small sip of her coffee and savors it, rolls the taste of it around in her mouth. She’d never been much for coffee, but she could get used to this. The spices add a lot. “You watched him grow up,” she observes, but it’s part prompt.
nods. “Aye, I did. Got me to take on other students, even. Had a handful of ‘em for a while. Midra– that’s my nephew, who just made Clan head– was the only one who stuck around for any length of time. But it was… it was nice.” He takes another sip of coffee. “Was there when he got it into his head that he was gonna be the one to beat the Scorpion Queen, helped him forge the weapon he’d bring to that fight. An’ I was there to help him come down from whatever all happened when she won that Rite.”
considers that. “What was he like? After the Rite? I’ve heard Aurelius’ version, but his memories of Annarr himself are odd. And I’ve heard Jae’s version but she’s … Jae.”
gives away a tiny little ear-quirk at Salme’s use of the Queen’s first name, but doesn’t say anything, and keeps it off his face otherwise. “Disoriented? Kept… laughin’, like he’d heard the funniest joke in the world and he couldn’t stop thinkin’ about it, but he couldn’t explain it to me or anyone. Three sheets to the wind for a couple of days, but coffee and good bugard stew snapped ‘im out of it eventually.”
: “Hmm.” She takes another sip of coffee. “We don’t know what happened. No one does. I’m going to see … Jae said something weird happened during the Rite, and I’m going to see if I can get her to show me, but.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know how much you know. The six of us woke up someplace, most of us missing much of our memories. Only Annarr didn’t survive the wipe. Either that, or something happened to him before.” She tilts her coffee cup this way and that, watching the liquid slowly tilt along with the angle. “The tomestone will give you access to the Linkpearl, where you can communicate with us as well as some others, and to the library, which … Aurelius meant to show to you and Zaya when we were in the workshop the other day. Aurelius and I built it. It stores memories.”
: “I wish I had answers. You deserve answers.”
raises an eyebrow and leans forward at ‘Aurelius and I built it’ and then especially at ‘it stores memories’ but– he rumbles, softly, and nods. Takes another sip of the coffee. “Well. Don’t count your answers out just yet. If I had a Lucre for every time I thought a thing’d stymie me forever, tossed it on the pile, and then eventually came back to it later ‘cause the answer popped out somewhere without warnin’ like an angry hedgemole, I wouldn’t hafta satisfy the Queen’s endless need for new armaments and could retire in peace!”
laughs. “I don’t think anything could satisfy Jae’s endless need for new and loud armaments, and if she couldn’t pay you she’d find another way to get you to do the work. And you don’t seem like the retiring type.” She takes another slow sip of her coffee. “This is a dumb question, but. How old was he. I’ve never been able to tell with Aurelius.”
takes a minute to step through some numbers in his head, scrunches up his face, consults the notes written in the back of his mind, frantically flips through pages. “Must’ve been… twenty-four? He wasn’t much for birthdays. Didn’t like anything where anyone made a big scene about him.”
snorts. “Well that hasn’t changed.” And then she makes a face as she realizes he’s probably younger than her. Not by much, but. Still.
: “Aurelius too, huh?” He laughs, softly. “It’s always gonna be the little things. Or just… bein’ there. Bein’ consistent.”
moves so both hands are cradling the cup of coffee. “I didn’t get it at first. It drove me nuts. So much about … the work I do, about who I am, is about making a big gesture, taking one moment and rendering it special and unforgettable. I kept trying because I wanted to show him how he mattered, but. He’s only ever asked me to be myself.” She takes a sip of coffee then, savors it, swallows. “Which is nosy and flashy and aggressive, so he’s just going to have to cope with some embarrassment.” She looks down into the half-empty coffee cup. “What do you want, Zaedulf?”
chuckles, softly, sympathetically. “I’ve never been one for grand gestures, myself, maybe that’s why we got along so well. Just… interesting shit t’ work on, day in, day out. An’ I never thought he was stupid, or weak, which… I get the impression had been a runnin’ theme for him, before he ran into me. Not that I think that’s a mistake you or yours would ever have made about Aurelius, of course, but.” He scratches behind an ear. “Mmmm. That’s a good question.” He frowns into the coffee cup like it has the answer, and just is cruelly withholding it from him.
: “Well, I mean, it is and it isn’t. Promise you won’t laugh?”
: “I promise.”
: “I wanna see the Beast. All of it. All of it, all at once. I wanna be able to get high enough up into the air that I can see the whole damn thing.”
mouth slowly curls into a smile. “I think Awa was pretty devoted to making that happen already. That flying ship of yours, right? Or would you need to go higher than that?”
grins. “Yeah, I knew he and I would get along as soon as he laid eyes on the Elpis. I about figure she could do the job, if I can get her flyin’. Some day. Projects never die, they just wait for their time t’ shine.”
: “If anyone can do the impossible, it’s Awa. Well. And Aury, though they do the impossible in different flavors and different ways.” She takes another sip of coffee and lets silence fall between them. ⁂
: “Though. I meant, more than anything, what you wanted from Aurelius. Or rather, to be to Aurelius.” She sets her cup down and looks at him. “If you do want to get to know him anew, I should tell you he’s. Not inclined to seek people out. We’re together, but I was the one who pursued him. And he may still need space. You may need space too. But …” ⁂
looks down into her cup like it contains answers. “He will not replace Annarr. No one can. But he’s so very worthy. I meant what I said. I hope you get to know him, when and if you’re ready to take that step.” She flushes, but she does raise her eyes and hold his gaze. She would not be herself otherwise. 🙧
: “Hahahah! Don’t count me out of that doing the impossible crew. I’m lookin’ forward to workin’ with both of ‘em. With all of you.” And he sets his own cup down, and looks right back. “Ach, I don’t want him to replace Annarr. Don’t worry about that. Stars, when he introduced himself to me in the workshop I almost cracked like a shitty terracotta jug, but. I’d like t’ get to know him on his own terms. And you, and the Awoken, and the others too. I’d like to work with you on makin’ the impossible happen. An’ it might be harder with Aurelius, ‘cause damn if he doesn’t remind me of Annarr, in a million tiny little ways. But I’ve cracked harder problems, don’t you worry.”
: “Oh I would never count you out of doing the impossible. Indeed, the tomestone gives you access to the head of the Samudran Academy, Caion. If you need someone to help hone the theory behind your inventions, there’s no one better.” ⁂
’s ears visibly perk up.
smiles at him. “Thank you. And … any time you have a story about Annarr you’d like to tell me, if I’m in Queenstown I can make time for this excellent coffee, and if I’m not I’m easy to get ahold of by tomestone. And if you ever want a tour of the library itself, and to not just read the content, I’m happy to show you. Or Aury can.” ⁂
’s smile turns into a grin. “I’ve learned to do a bit of the impossible as well, you know.” 🙧
grins. No, he beams. “I’m definitely startin’ to get that impression.”
: “By the way, is there anyone else who’d like to … maybe talk about Annarr? I’ve gotten what I’m probably going to get out of Jae, and Zaya owes me tea, but. You knew him best.”
: “Hm. Other than the Queen, and Zaya… Mid might have some stories t’ tell, but he’s… he’s been keeping himself busy this last month.” He gives the bottom of his coffee cup a soul-searching gaze.
nods. “If he changes his mind, he can always borrow your tomestone. Or use the extra one, if you haven’t dissected it by then.” She tilts her head. “Do you have any questions for me? There’s a lot in the library and on the Linkpearl. I’m happy to answer what I can.”
: “Hmmmm. I’m sure I -will- have questions, once I’ve had the chance t’ read everything over. Right noooowwww….” He leans forward, puts his chin on a paw. “What do -you-… no. What are you lookin’ forward to the most, right now?”
considers for a long, long moment. There are several things, really, on the Beast alone—meeting Tasna and her crew, seeing a glass land shark, weaving with Jae, tea with Zaya, the play she’s been promised, working with Wolf again, tonight, when she gets to sleep between Awa and Aurelius and just be with them. But. Honestly. “Seeing whatever Aurelius comes up with in that forge.”
griiiiiiins. Good answer. Not that there could be a BAD answer to that question, really, not in Zaed’s book. But that’s a good’n for sure. “Hah! Yeah. Yeah, I’m lookin’ forward to that too, I think.” He leans back, mournfully glances at the undrinkable sludge at the bottom of his coffee cup, briefly considers Consuming More, and then immediately thinks better of it.
similarly eyes the undrinkable sludge at the bottom of her coffee cup. “We should do this again sometime. The coffee was amazing. I’ll have to bring Awa here.”
: “Thank you, Zaedulf. For your time and your stories and your open heart.”
bows his head, pleasantly. “Was a pleasure. Thank you for bein’ willing to ask.” And, with some regret, he scootches himself out of the booth sideways and then gets up and does a biiiiig stretch, and his tail thuds against the side of the booth. “They’ve got these honey-drizzled pastries that’re shaped to remind ya of a honeycomb, with the softest cream cheese in the world inside, and…” Gesticulating gently, he leads Salme back to the workshop and forges while extolling the virtues of Things She And The Awoken Might Try Here.