[Scholars' Nook] A little bit of knowledge

[Faith Augustin]

He seemed a little perplexed, maybe even concerned about something, Faith thought. She wasn't sure but it seemed that way as his frown deepened. "I was raised in service to her, yes. From the moment I was born." It was interesting, Faith thought. She had just told him that she was marked by both Famula and Vri, yet it was Famula that he focused on. Why, she wondered, would he do that? Was it that Famula was the name he recognised? Or was it something else, that Famula was significant to him in some way?

Thoughts about that fled her though when, of all things, he lifted her head by touching her on the chin. Faith's eyes widened slightly and showed her surprise. The brief contact was there and gone again in a trill, but even though she was very disciplined, her trials of not showing her emotions at all grew further and further behind her and her surprise was evident. He spoke of the sands, though, saying about inventions and asking how they mixed and so on and Faith gave a rather wry grin. "I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person there. My fiance is a professor at the University here and is studying physics and chemistry also. He would be much more able to answer." The pride in her voice was undeniable as she spoke of Padraig and his achievements.

He favoured Cassion? Faith smiled as he said that. "I have heard of him. I am afraid I am not much of a wanderer myself." However, the conversation turned, suddenly, and his face contorted in anger. Faith looked at him in amazement. He was biting his lip to the point that he made himself bleed in anger at this particular Immortal. Faith knew nothing of Lotharro ways and would not have guessed had she done so. It had to be said, she felt concern rising up in her at his expression and actions. He was larger than her, probably stronger than her and he obviously was more than a little extreme in his emotions.

Maybe, she thought, this Immortal had slighted him somehow, personally. It must be, she considered. "Are you alright? You should be careful, that could get infected." Her voice was quiet and calm, non confrontational. Faith didn't like violence it unnerved her so she remained calm. "It's just up here." Once she'd got him to the shop he was looking for, Faith determined, she was going to get out of here before his tendency to hurt himself overflowed.

[Vince]

[img]http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx28 ... cc134c.jpg[/img]

Vince felt the small bead of blood trailing down his lip and realized that he had lost his cool in front of someone he had just met, his features hastily returning to a more calmed demeanor almost as quickly as it had gone to dark. A hand raised to his lip and wiped the blood away tenderly before licking it off of his fingers to make sure that there was no trace of it. "Apologies. Anger overtakes me at the thought of slavery and the wrongs done to many people. Specifically linked to an Immortal or two that I despise more than anything." He let out a soft sigh and shook his head slowly. "That was most unbecoming of me and must have frightened you quite, please forget that happened. It was a slip of mindset." The man felt truly ashamed of his actions and wanted to make amends for it any way he could.

"It is alright if you are not a fan of wandering, not all are stricken by the innate desire to travel the vast world with such frightful dangers about. Cassion did the same as I am doing now and it almost makes me feel connected to him in some way, though I do not pray or dedicate myself to any of his sorts of causes. I merely enjoy the world as it is in the purest of forms." He let a small smile show, still a tad unsure of how she was viewing him after his outburst of anger, despite him not directing any of it at anyone but himself. "The Immortals are such powerful beings and I feel that we all could be much happier had one of the mortals not figured a way to kill one of them.... History seems to be ready to repeat itself though." He licked at his lip a bit, the after taste of blood sweet upon his tongue.

"You mentioned you had a fiance hm? You are lucky to be partnered with someone you enjoy being around. Especially if they are a professor. Surely they earn enough coin and privileges to allow the both of you comfortable happiness." Vince followed behind her rather quietly, sure to keep a few more steps behind her since his sudden outburst of anger and trying to keep her from being fearful of him. "You mentioned that he would know more of the sands? I would be happy to meet him if you would still show me around and be willing to let me meet them." He wasn't sure if she would allow it or not but it was worth a shot.

[Faith Augustin]

Anger overtook him at the prospect of slavery and the wrongs done to people? Faith looked at him and nodded her head at the feeling. "I know a number of people who are very anti-slavery." Not to mention a fair few who were pro it, she considered. He was quick to apologise and Faith shook her head. "It is more than acceptable to have emotions, I believe." Maybe not so much to express them quite so fervently, but hating specific Immortals she could be completely on board with. "There is no need to apologise. It is forgotten." He was obviously a man of quite extreme passions, she considered. The Lotharro she had met previously, Kylar, seemed to be much the same. Given to expansive gestures and big feelings. Maybe it was a racial trait.

"To be honest, I have never really considered it." Faith replied when they spoke about wandering. Until Vhalar of last arc, after all, she had not been able to decide where she went and since then, things were something of a whirlwind. "We came here from Rynmere, although we lived in Rharne for a season, also." They had travelled more than their fair share, she rather thought, but there it was. Glancing around, she looked at the place and spoke the simple truth, as far as she saw it. "RIght now, this is home. I imagine it will be for quite some time, but then our lives change on a word, don't they?" Hers certainly had, more than once.

She raised an eyebrow at his words of people being happier had no one managed to figure out how to kill an Immortal and Faith considered. "I don't know. I'm a little conflicted, to be honest. I find it hard to consider knowledge a bad thing and ignorance a good one." It was a complete anathema to her way of being, after all. "Conversely, I very much believe that only those who know say that ignorance is bliss." She gave a slight shrug. It was a complex thing, there was no doubting it.

When he spoke of Padraig, though, Faith beamed. "Yes. It is strange to call him that, we are recently engaged. Ten trials recent." Vince's observation of Padraig's profession caused her to stop and consider. "Do you know, I have no idea how much he earns." Suddenly, she was reminded of a conversation with Tristan, the three of them sitting together around a table. "It's never been important to me." That was a simple truth, there was no doubt in her mind. If he was a professor or not made no difference to her other than in how happy he was.

"Of course, I'm more than happy to do that." Faith smiled at him, an encouraging smile. Yes, she thought, very Kylar-like in many ways. She would be pleased to see Padraig and she thought it likely she knew where he was. "He'll be in the Nook soon, I'm sure." She grinned as the shop, the Spirit of Adventure came into view.

"I'll wait out here for you. Watch out for him, he'll have sold you a spelunking kit before you know what you're doing." She warned, and she meant it. "Friell is a good salesman. He could sell snow to Viden." Faith didn't doubt it, not for a moment so she contented herself with sitting on the low wall outside and wondering just what Vince was going to come out having bought.

Off Topic

Thought you might appreciate the chance to shop!

[Vince]

[img]http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx28 ... cc134c.jpg[/img]

The emotional man was more than happy when Faith had waved off his displays of extreme emotions so easily, glad that she was not put off by such actions, at least on the surface. She seemed a very kind and forgiving person which was good for him although he was sure she wouldn't hesitate to put him to the blade if she ever figured out about his less acceptable side on the scales of magic. "I appreciate you understanding so reasonably. It is hard to be alright with such unfavorable things such as slavery. No being deserves to be enslaved." Even though he said that he also knew that it was possible to enslave a soul to his servitude though he tried to avoid using those methods as much as he could unless he was stuck in dire straits. Perhaps if he had ever gotten to know her more personally she would be able to overcome the fact of his necromancy, though he was doubtful.

"Well travelling isn't for everyone. It's filled with many perils and many unexpected occurrences. If you aren't prepared for almost everything then you will often end up dead." He thought of a few times he almost perished out in the wilds from a lack of provisions of one sort or another. "Hmmm Rynmere. I believe I have been there once or twice, as for Rharne, it's a nice place to be for a short while but I don't think I could stay long, then again that tends to be the situation for me regardless." He snickered to himself quietly, the walk was nice and peaceful. "Well, it is good to have a place called home, I have one back in the lands of the Lotharo with my family that I can always return to." She mentioned how a word could have such force to make people up and leave on a moments notice and that was quite true. "Yes, words are very powerful, they can spur an army to action in an instant while making others cower in fear. The bold shake and the weak rise to action."

Vince was lost on her meaning for once, he hadn't ever heard of a way of thinking like that and tried to wrap his mind around it a bit. "Hmmm. Well. I suppose knowledge isn't bad but the cost for others seems to high. I feel there could have been a better path for everyone had such occurences never happened. Alas we won't ever know and in that we can all agree." He looked up towards the sky, the time of day had been ticking by slowly, each moment bringing them closer to the darker half of the trial. "I suppose knowledgeable sorts sometimes wish they were left in ignorance so that they could escape their understanding of such complex matters. It's a shame really. I would like to think I'm more knowledgeable than most but I always seem to be shown up by someone else later haha."

The topic of her very recent husband came up and he was almost surprised at how shortly they had been wed to one another. "Well, it seems I was eleven trials too late to have my own chance hm?" He snickered to himself at such a childish poke in an attempt to embarrass the woman. "For the most part I would imagine that ones who were knowledgeable and skilled enough to teach others are payed rather well for such a job. I've surely never heard one complain of a lack of funds compared to other professions." He thought about teasing the woman once more with a quick jab or touch but they had arrived at the Spirit of Adventure already. "Well, I'll be sure not to keep you waiting too long then dear~" He added a bit of a loving tone as he called her dear, letting his hand brush across her cheek as he walked into the store alone, eyes glancing back to try and catch her reaction before he had fully entered the establishment.

As Vince entered the store he looked around rather pleased with the atmosphere, nice and dark but bright enough to see well, a calm air about the place with equipment of many sorts organized rather well in the store. The Lotharo took little time to start wandering the establishment, eyes dashing to and from each and every corner of the place. After a short while he grabbed a barrel as well as two large bags with one medium sized one to boot. Upon approaching the counter the clerk greeted him warmly and totaled up his items to six golden nels to which he parted gladly, not in the mood for any sort of haggling as well as being pleased by the pricing. Once he finished he stuffed the bags into the barrel and carried it out of the store with him to greet Faith with a warm smile and a wave, barrel held upon his shoulder by one arm. "Well, that was a good trip. Now I have all I need to grab that very useful sand for future travels haha."

[Faith Augustin]

No being deserved to be enslaved? Faith looked at him and wondered. Did he do anything about it, or was he one of those? The ones who were anti it in principle, but totally accepting in practice? She suspected, but did not know and so she said nothing. She'd met more than enough of that kind, after all, to recognise them; it was awful, it was vile, but it was what it was so they did nothing. It would have been easy in that moment to tell him of her past, but she would not do that. It did not cross her mind to do so. It was gone, it belonged to her and those who loved her. No one else.

They walked and talked about his need to travel, her lack of concern with such. Considering it, though, she realised that there was a simple truth for her. Home was not a place, nor was it a lack of place. It was a person. Where they were, she was home. She loved it here, but that was because they were happy; there was no judgement of them from anyone whose opinion they cared about and they were content. If that changed, they would move and they would be happy because they were them.

When they discussed knowledge and knowing, though, Faith smiled. "Slaves understand slavery in a way that a free person never can. They know it, and they understand that ignorance is bliss. The veteran who cautions a new recruit hungry for glory knows the same. Those who understand the complexities of slavery, of war, of many things? Surely they recognise that those who do not know it are blissful in their ignorance"

But then, of all things, he said that he was eleven trials too late for his chance? "Your own chance with what?" The first words out of her mouth told a lot of who she was and what she thought, but by the time she realised what he meant, he had stroked her cheek, called her dear and disappeared into the Spirit of Adventure. He turned around to look at her, and her gaze was somewhat confused, a little perplexed.

When, however, he came back out, Faith was waiting and she looked at him, and the barrel and she nodded her head. "Let's go back to the Scholars' Nook them. But to be clear. You were not eleven trials too late. You were born into the wrong body and lacking in all possible areas. I am sure that you are a very nice man and I hope that one trial you feel one percent of what I feel when Padraig looks at me." She smiled at him, because it was important to be clear. "But you are not him and so you have no chance at all. Thank you, though, for your flattery. It is a waste of your breath, but nice to hear. So. I suggest we head back to the Nook." She smiled, not at all put out. Why would she be? It was a shame for him that he felt that way, but to Faith there was only one man she saw and he was not here. However, he was where they were going, she thought, so she was quite happy to suggest that they headed back there.

"Would you like some help with carrying anything?" Faith wondered, with a friendly smile. When he didn't, she just walked with him to the Scholars' Nook.

[Incubus]

Faith

Knowledge
Etiquette: Ask before sitting with someone
Socialization: The art of small talk with strangers
Socialization: Summaries are helpful in conversation.
Sociology: Behaviour in different group situations
Sociology: Context and environment are important

Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Fame: +1 General Good Deed
Devotion: N/A

Points: 15

Comments: Vince, please submit your own side of the request whenever you have the time, and it will be handled by myself or another grader. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please let me know!