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rainbowfic2024-12-04 08:30 pm
thisbluespirit) wrote in rainbowfic2024-12-04 08:30 pm
Entry tags:
Light Black #7; Beet Red #12 [Starfall]
Name: Making Connections
Story: Starfall
Colors: Light Black #7 (race); Beet Red #12 (Watched pot)
Supplies and Styles:
Word Count: 2584
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Notes: 1313, Portcallan; Viyony Eseray, Leion Valerno, Jousine Aubrieto.
Summary: Old ghosts are lurking everywhere in this city...
The hinterland around the docks was a very different Portcallan to the one that Viyony had come to know. Leion led her along narrow streets, in the well of shadows between high buildings. Many had boarded up windows and closed shops, the ghosts of painted signs still visible on dirty-white walls. They passed out into wider roads where boarding houses were squeezed in together in a row, a short distance from a grand, colonnaded hotel that dominated the street, the cry of gulls and salty tang of the sea suddenly more apparent; then round a corner into a thoroughfare stuffed with workshops, warehouses, and an inn—selling, making or mending everything a ship's master could want—bristling with people, smoke and noise, in contrast to lonely alleys that tapered away from the main street, revealing gloomy passageways or crumbling sections of the old city wall and tiny stretches of lost waterways coming up for air.
Leion stopped in front of a small hotel in Sea Way, its shutters and doors painted in bright sea green and walls startlingly white in the sunshine, but even there, when Viyony, trailing behind him, rested her hand on the high painted iron gate next door, beyond it was a half-paved alley that stopped short at a stretch of glinting green-grey water before that flowed away under the hulking shape of a vast warehouse behind the street.
"Here!" said Leion as he knocked on the side door, ignoring Viyony's abstraction. "We can discuss strategy first, and the proprietor will know if this warehouse fellow isn't on the level. I'm sure that's not the case, but there's no harm in checking with her." He looked round at her and smiled. "All right?"
The woman who tugged the recalcitrant door open was of middle age, white-skinned with chin length auburn hair. She raised her eyebrows when she saw Leion. "You again."
"No need to sound so pleased to see me," Leion returned, stepping inside. He paused to kiss her cheek, then beckoned Viyony to follow him into the gloomy corridor within. "It's not about Sazi this time—something completely different. How is she, by the way?"
The woman looked past him, to Viyony. "Tentatively back with her family as of yesterday evening. But, Leion, aren't you going to introduce us?"
"I'm Viyony Eseray," said Viyony, giving the hotel keeper a respectful nod. She held out her hand. "You are?"
"Jousine Aubrieto." She gripped Viyony's hand, then let go. "Well, Leion?"
He frowned. "That was quick, wasn't it? Sazi, I mean."
"You know how young people are. She agreed to a brief visit to let them know she was alive, but no more, I was told in no certain terms, and then once she was there, she didn't want to come back with me. It's all to the good, though. Your friend from Starfall helped, and I am grateful—but that doesn't mean I'll play informer for you, if that's why you're here."
Leion shook his head. "I only wanted to stand Viyony lunch—and if you know anything of a fellow called Cauhaney, who owns a couple of the warehouses around this area, we'd be in your debt."
"Know what, precisely?"
He looked at Viyony. "If he's got a good reputation round here, or not. A friend put me in his way, but I hadn't come across him before and I thought I'd ask. And we would like lunch, if you're not busy."
"I see," said Jousine. She bestowed a warm smile upon Viyony. "Forgive me, but sometimes he comes here trading on my good will, digging up information for the authorities, and I don't hold with that."
Viyony followed her on, into a large dining room with wood flooring and two long bench tables in the Tamorian style, all empty. It wasn't much less gloomy than the corridor—the windows were narrow and currently still half shuttered and the walls painted pine green.
"This is business?" Jousine asked Leion as she gestured to him and Viyony to sit at the near end of the first table. Her brow furrowed. "Just lunch, did you say? Not a room?"
Leion sat down too sharply. "No! I told you. I thought it'd be worth getting your opinion on this Cauhaney. That's all. Why would you -?" He halted and waved the end of the question away. "Is that all right?"
"We're looking to expand our exports of dyes and fabric. My family. Our firm, that is," said Viyony. She slipped onto the bench opposite Leion. The exchange hadn't escaped her. Was Leion in the habit of bringing people here for assignations? Of course, that should be all to the good, really—but something in Viyony's stomach curdled with shame at the idea. "Imai Cauhaney has warehouse space we might be able to rent."
Jousine shrugged. "Does he? I've heard of him, although not much more than the name. If he was trouble, I except rumours would have reached me, but it's not a guarantee. I can offer you lunch, but it's probably not the sort of thing Imai Eseray is used to." She gave Viyony an apologetic twitch of a smile. "It's mainly for the guests, you see."
"I'm quite sure it will be fine," Viyony said, and watched as Jousine slipped out of the room. She looked at Leion. "Why are we here?"
Leion was looking away from her. He turned his head with a start. "As I said. Of course, Cauhaney sounded genuine, but I knew it was worth asking Jousine—and don't forget lunch."
"Which we could have bought from any corner stand or seller," said Viyony. "So, why here?"
He pressed his hand against the side of his face, and gave a guilty grimace. "I suppose I wanted you two to meet. Jousine's—well, she helps me out from time to time. Sometimes I help her. I ran into her because she keeps an eye on youngsters with affinity who wind up in these parts. Well, stray youngsters generally, but those especially."
"Oh?" said Viyony.
Leion nodded. "Yes. She lets some of them stay when she has rooms going spare. That's how she and I met. Together we have a badly hit and miss tradition of keeping people with affinity out of the hands of people who want to try dangerous experiments with their abilities."
"You wanted me to know that kind of thing is real," said Viyony, drawing back into her seat.
He gave a tiny nod. "Maybe. But I really did want you to meet her."
There was a mirror on the wall of the passageway that led back from the washroom. Viyony frowned into it at her murky image. For a moment she could have sworn that she'd seen something moving inside it that was not herself, or even Leion or Jousine. She reached out a hand and touched the cool, polished metal and shivered. Then, distracted by more immediate matters, she wrinkled her nose and smoothed down hair that had escaped from the clip she'd fastened it with before she left the house.
"What is it, dear?" said Jousine, pausing close by in the main corridor with a tray in her hands. "Something wrong?"
Viyony swung around. "No, nothing."
"Is it?" the hotel keeper said slowly. "Forgive me. It's none of my business—but you're not running from something too, are you?"
Viyony gave a lopsided smile. "If only I could. Why would you think that?"
"Has Leion told you how we met? There was a young lad, hardly more than a boy—very sad business—but that isn't the point." Jousine hefted the tray in her arms. The cleft in her forehead eased as she made up her mind, and added, "I can tell when people have it, you see. Affinity, powers, star-blessings. Whatever people like to call it."
Viyony raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"
"I thought so, the moment I saw you at the door."
"How?"
Jousine shrugged. "A mild affinity of my own? I don't know. There's a look in the eyes. Hard to say. I'm not always right—but more times than not. You do, though, don't you? Quite badly."
Viyony swallowed a laugh at that manner of phrasing it; only too accurate in her case. "Very badly indeed, yes."
"I should apologise," said Jousine. "I put my foot in it earlier, didn't I? But when I saw you—and Leion doesn't usually bring friends. I wondered if you were another runaway needing somewhere to stay."
Viyony shook her head. "It's all right. But Leion—Leion doesn't often come here with anyone else?"
"Only the odd stray or tiresome official. Talking of him, I don't suppose that one will sit quietly at the table if we leave him on his own for much longer. Come on, my dear."
Viyony followed Jousine down the short stretch of corridor back to the dining room. Jousine was right: Leion was not sitting where they had left him. He had crossed to one of the windows, and was standing pressed close to the wall as he peered out past the shutter.
"What are you doing?" Viyony asked, hurrying over to him, while Jousine remained behind, setting the tray with glasses, crockery and cutlery down on the table they had both vacated.
Leion held up a hand. "Shh. I'm sure I saw him!"
"Who?"
Leion turned around. "Stay here," he told her. "Whatever happens, don't come after me! But I could swear it was him—I have to make sure!"
"Leion, you can't just -" Viyony cut herself off with a shrug, saving her breath as he marched away and swiftly disappeared out of the nearest door. There must have been a side exit from the building that way—she saw him, moments later, through the gap in the window, as he emerged out onto the street, and raced away.
Viyony turned around, looking back at Jousine. She had half a mind to go after Leion, but he'd torn off so quickly, she would already be too late. She walked slowly back to the table, and took her seat, resting her elbows on the surface.
"He'll come back," said Jousine, with a warm edge of humour in her tone. "He hasn't had his lunch yet."
Viyony smiled, and leant her chin on her fist. "He had better. We have an appointment to keep."
"I'll see to the food," said Jousine. "He'll be back soon, I'm sure. You will be all right while you wait?"
Viyony nodded. As soon as the door closed behind Jousine, she stood and crossed back to the window, peering out through the gap, but there was no sign of Leion or anything unusual, only a light stream of passers-by, most in a hurry to be somewhere else.
"Anything interesting?" said Leion suddenly from behind her.
She jumped, and turned. "Leion! Did you find who you were looking for?"
"No. If it was him, I lost him," Leion said. He sat down on the empty table, his feet on the bench beside it. "Do you think I'm imagining things?"
Viyony took one step forward, her arms folded. "I have no idea what you're talking about. But since we both see things that aren't there from time to time, I can't possibly say."
He slid off the table with a short laugh. "Sorry. It was only—I saw someone I thought I knew. If I'm right—well, he's trouble."
"Come and sit down properly," said Viyony. "Your friend will be back soon with lunch."
Leion nodded, following her across to the table where Jousine had set their places, even as Jousine herself reappeared on cue. She laid down a tray with two full plates and a little pale jug, plus a couple of bowls of what must be sauces or other condiments.
"You'll have to excuse me," she said lightly. "One of my guests is making demands." She gave Viyony a brief smile and slipped away.
Viyony sat on the bench and Leion took a seat opposite. He immediately pulled the tray towards him, investigating its contents, and then handed over one plate to her, placing the other in front of him.
"Now you can explain," said Viyony.
"There's nothing to say. Probably wasn't even who I thought it was. Not your affair anyway."
"You do know that's very annoying, don't you?" Viyony picked up her fork with such decided motion that Leion actually flinched, as if he thought she was going to come at him with it. She explored the contents of her plate—soft-grains mixed with herbs, fish and shredded vegetables. There was a small jug of sauce or gravy on the table. She reached for it at the same moment as Leion.
He laughed, batted her hand away, and lifted it up. "Allow me."
"You are very silly, you know," Viyony said, as he tipped up the jug, pouring out the liquid with a swirl, thick and brownish with flecks of herbs in it. "Enough! Thank you."
He then sat back down and, rather abstracted still, poured far too much over his own food, still frowning over whoever it was he might or might not have seen out in the street.
"Who was it?" asked Viyony. "Please tell me."
Leion hesitated, then leant forward. "Someone called Chiulder. At least, I could have sworn it was. I heard he'd been let out of prison, so it's not impossible."
"Prison? What did he do?"
"He hang around with Atino Barra, helping him get up to no good. Then at the end, he made a convenient scapegoat for the Barras—Chiulder went to prison, and Atino went abroad—for entirely unrelated reasons, of course. Officially."
"Oh, that again," said Viyony. "You promised me you'd explain what that was all about—and why I wound up getting a mouthful of vinegar because of it. I think I have a right to know!"
Leion looked down at his food, concentrating on eating for a long few moments. Eventually he lifted his head. "I will tell you—but not here, not now."
It never would be here and now if he could help it, that much was plain. Viyony sighed, but checked herself from pushing further. She took his lead and set to work on finishing her lunch.
"Leion," she said later, when her plate was almost empty. "If Atino was the real culprit and he's not here, then why were you so worried that you might have seen this Chiulder?"
"He has—he has a persuasive ability," said Leion. He avoided her gaze, arranging his fork on his plate with undue care. "Affinity, I mean, not merely someone who happens to be good at talking people into things. I fell for it—oh, it's not important." He shifted on the bench. "He couldn't do that again, certainly not without the kind of help Atino gave him—maybe not even then. But—I don't want to see him. Besides, he hates me—I don't want him following us around, causing trouble."
"It might not have been him," said Viyony, side-stepping all the things she would have liked to ask. Leion was evidently in the kind of mood where she was lucky he had said that much. She filed it away for later, maybe somewhere less open than this.
"Yes, let's hope not," Leion agreed. He pushed his plate away. "Now, come on—to business! Isn't it about time we talked about important things, like warehouse space?"
Story: Starfall
Colors: Light Black #7 (race); Beet Red #12 (Watched pot)
Supplies and Styles:
Word Count: 2584
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Notes: 1313, Portcallan; Viyony Eseray, Leion Valerno, Jousine Aubrieto.
Summary: Old ghosts are lurking everywhere in this city...
The hinterland around the docks was a very different Portcallan to the one that Viyony had come to know. Leion led her along narrow streets, in the well of shadows between high buildings. Many had boarded up windows and closed shops, the ghosts of painted signs still visible on dirty-white walls. They passed out into wider roads where boarding houses were squeezed in together in a row, a short distance from a grand, colonnaded hotel that dominated the street, the cry of gulls and salty tang of the sea suddenly more apparent; then round a corner into a thoroughfare stuffed with workshops, warehouses, and an inn—selling, making or mending everything a ship's master could want—bristling with people, smoke and noise, in contrast to lonely alleys that tapered away from the main street, revealing gloomy passageways or crumbling sections of the old city wall and tiny stretches of lost waterways coming up for air.
Leion stopped in front of a small hotel in Sea Way, its shutters and doors painted in bright sea green and walls startlingly white in the sunshine, but even there, when Viyony, trailing behind him, rested her hand on the high painted iron gate next door, beyond it was a half-paved alley that stopped short at a stretch of glinting green-grey water before that flowed away under the hulking shape of a vast warehouse behind the street.
"Here!" said Leion as he knocked on the side door, ignoring Viyony's abstraction. "We can discuss strategy first, and the proprietor will know if this warehouse fellow isn't on the level. I'm sure that's not the case, but there's no harm in checking with her." He looked round at her and smiled. "All right?"
The woman who tugged the recalcitrant door open was of middle age, white-skinned with chin length auburn hair. She raised her eyebrows when she saw Leion. "You again."
"No need to sound so pleased to see me," Leion returned, stepping inside. He paused to kiss her cheek, then beckoned Viyony to follow him into the gloomy corridor within. "It's not about Sazi this time—something completely different. How is she, by the way?"
The woman looked past him, to Viyony. "Tentatively back with her family as of yesterday evening. But, Leion, aren't you going to introduce us?"
"I'm Viyony Eseray," said Viyony, giving the hotel keeper a respectful nod. She held out her hand. "You are?"
"Jousine Aubrieto." She gripped Viyony's hand, then let go. "Well, Leion?"
He frowned. "That was quick, wasn't it? Sazi, I mean."
"You know how young people are. She agreed to a brief visit to let them know she was alive, but no more, I was told in no certain terms, and then once she was there, she didn't want to come back with me. It's all to the good, though. Your friend from Starfall helped, and I am grateful—but that doesn't mean I'll play informer for you, if that's why you're here."
Leion shook his head. "I only wanted to stand Viyony lunch—and if you know anything of a fellow called Cauhaney, who owns a couple of the warehouses around this area, we'd be in your debt."
"Know what, precisely?"
He looked at Viyony. "If he's got a good reputation round here, or not. A friend put me in his way, but I hadn't come across him before and I thought I'd ask. And we would like lunch, if you're not busy."
"I see," said Jousine. She bestowed a warm smile upon Viyony. "Forgive me, but sometimes he comes here trading on my good will, digging up information for the authorities, and I don't hold with that."
Viyony followed her on, into a large dining room with wood flooring and two long bench tables in the Tamorian style, all empty. It wasn't much less gloomy than the corridor—the windows were narrow and currently still half shuttered and the walls painted pine green.
"This is business?" Jousine asked Leion as she gestured to him and Viyony to sit at the near end of the first table. Her brow furrowed. "Just lunch, did you say? Not a room?"
Leion sat down too sharply. "No! I told you. I thought it'd be worth getting your opinion on this Cauhaney. That's all. Why would you -?" He halted and waved the end of the question away. "Is that all right?"
"We're looking to expand our exports of dyes and fabric. My family. Our firm, that is," said Viyony. She slipped onto the bench opposite Leion. The exchange hadn't escaped her. Was Leion in the habit of bringing people here for assignations? Of course, that should be all to the good, really—but something in Viyony's stomach curdled with shame at the idea. "Imai Cauhaney has warehouse space we might be able to rent."
Jousine shrugged. "Does he? I've heard of him, although not much more than the name. If he was trouble, I except rumours would have reached me, but it's not a guarantee. I can offer you lunch, but it's probably not the sort of thing Imai Eseray is used to." She gave Viyony an apologetic twitch of a smile. "It's mainly for the guests, you see."
"I'm quite sure it will be fine," Viyony said, and watched as Jousine slipped out of the room. She looked at Leion. "Why are we here?"
Leion was looking away from her. He turned his head with a start. "As I said. Of course, Cauhaney sounded genuine, but I knew it was worth asking Jousine—and don't forget lunch."
"Which we could have bought from any corner stand or seller," said Viyony. "So, why here?"
He pressed his hand against the side of his face, and gave a guilty grimace. "I suppose I wanted you two to meet. Jousine's—well, she helps me out from time to time. Sometimes I help her. I ran into her because she keeps an eye on youngsters with affinity who wind up in these parts. Well, stray youngsters generally, but those especially."
"Oh?" said Viyony.
Leion nodded. "Yes. She lets some of them stay when she has rooms going spare. That's how she and I met. Together we have a badly hit and miss tradition of keeping people with affinity out of the hands of people who want to try dangerous experiments with their abilities."
"You wanted me to know that kind of thing is real," said Viyony, drawing back into her seat.
He gave a tiny nod. "Maybe. But I really did want you to meet her."
There was a mirror on the wall of the passageway that led back from the washroom. Viyony frowned into it at her murky image. For a moment she could have sworn that she'd seen something moving inside it that was not herself, or even Leion or Jousine. She reached out a hand and touched the cool, polished metal and shivered. Then, distracted by more immediate matters, she wrinkled her nose and smoothed down hair that had escaped from the clip she'd fastened it with before she left the house.
"What is it, dear?" said Jousine, pausing close by in the main corridor with a tray in her hands. "Something wrong?"
Viyony swung around. "No, nothing."
"Is it?" the hotel keeper said slowly. "Forgive me. It's none of my business—but you're not running from something too, are you?"
Viyony gave a lopsided smile. "If only I could. Why would you think that?"
"Has Leion told you how we met? There was a young lad, hardly more than a boy—very sad business—but that isn't the point." Jousine hefted the tray in her arms. The cleft in her forehead eased as she made up her mind, and added, "I can tell when people have it, you see. Affinity, powers, star-blessings. Whatever people like to call it."
Viyony raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"
"I thought so, the moment I saw you at the door."
"How?"
Jousine shrugged. "A mild affinity of my own? I don't know. There's a look in the eyes. Hard to say. I'm not always right—but more times than not. You do, though, don't you? Quite badly."
Viyony swallowed a laugh at that manner of phrasing it; only too accurate in her case. "Very badly indeed, yes."
"I should apologise," said Jousine. "I put my foot in it earlier, didn't I? But when I saw you—and Leion doesn't usually bring friends. I wondered if you were another runaway needing somewhere to stay."
Viyony shook her head. "It's all right. But Leion—Leion doesn't often come here with anyone else?"
"Only the odd stray or tiresome official. Talking of him, I don't suppose that one will sit quietly at the table if we leave him on his own for much longer. Come on, my dear."
Viyony followed Jousine down the short stretch of corridor back to the dining room. Jousine was right: Leion was not sitting where they had left him. He had crossed to one of the windows, and was standing pressed close to the wall as he peered out past the shutter.
"What are you doing?" Viyony asked, hurrying over to him, while Jousine remained behind, setting the tray with glasses, crockery and cutlery down on the table they had both vacated.
Leion held up a hand. "Shh. I'm sure I saw him!"
"Who?"
Leion turned around. "Stay here," he told her. "Whatever happens, don't come after me! But I could swear it was him—I have to make sure!"
"Leion, you can't just -" Viyony cut herself off with a shrug, saving her breath as he marched away and swiftly disappeared out of the nearest door. There must have been a side exit from the building that way—she saw him, moments later, through the gap in the window, as he emerged out onto the street, and raced away.
Viyony turned around, looking back at Jousine. She had half a mind to go after Leion, but he'd torn off so quickly, she would already be too late. She walked slowly back to the table, and took her seat, resting her elbows on the surface.
"He'll come back," said Jousine, with a warm edge of humour in her tone. "He hasn't had his lunch yet."
Viyony smiled, and leant her chin on her fist. "He had better. We have an appointment to keep."
"I'll see to the food," said Jousine. "He'll be back soon, I'm sure. You will be all right while you wait?"
Viyony nodded. As soon as the door closed behind Jousine, she stood and crossed back to the window, peering out through the gap, but there was no sign of Leion or anything unusual, only a light stream of passers-by, most in a hurry to be somewhere else.
"Anything interesting?" said Leion suddenly from behind her.
She jumped, and turned. "Leion! Did you find who you were looking for?"
"No. If it was him, I lost him," Leion said. He sat down on the empty table, his feet on the bench beside it. "Do you think I'm imagining things?"
Viyony took one step forward, her arms folded. "I have no idea what you're talking about. But since we both see things that aren't there from time to time, I can't possibly say."
He slid off the table with a short laugh. "Sorry. It was only—I saw someone I thought I knew. If I'm right—well, he's trouble."
"Come and sit down properly," said Viyony. "Your friend will be back soon with lunch."
Leion nodded, following her across to the table where Jousine had set their places, even as Jousine herself reappeared on cue. She laid down a tray with two full plates and a little pale jug, plus a couple of bowls of what must be sauces or other condiments.
"You'll have to excuse me," she said lightly. "One of my guests is making demands." She gave Viyony a brief smile and slipped away.
Viyony sat on the bench and Leion took a seat opposite. He immediately pulled the tray towards him, investigating its contents, and then handed over one plate to her, placing the other in front of him.
"Now you can explain," said Viyony.
"There's nothing to say. Probably wasn't even who I thought it was. Not your affair anyway."
"You do know that's very annoying, don't you?" Viyony picked up her fork with such decided motion that Leion actually flinched, as if he thought she was going to come at him with it. She explored the contents of her plate—soft-grains mixed with herbs, fish and shredded vegetables. There was a small jug of sauce or gravy on the table. She reached for it at the same moment as Leion.
He laughed, batted her hand away, and lifted it up. "Allow me."
"You are very silly, you know," Viyony said, as he tipped up the jug, pouring out the liquid with a swirl, thick and brownish with flecks of herbs in it. "Enough! Thank you."
He then sat back down and, rather abstracted still, poured far too much over his own food, still frowning over whoever it was he might or might not have seen out in the street.
"Who was it?" asked Viyony. "Please tell me."
Leion hesitated, then leant forward. "Someone called Chiulder. At least, I could have sworn it was. I heard he'd been let out of prison, so it's not impossible."
"Prison? What did he do?"
"He hang around with Atino Barra, helping him get up to no good. Then at the end, he made a convenient scapegoat for the Barras—Chiulder went to prison, and Atino went abroad—for entirely unrelated reasons, of course. Officially."
"Oh, that again," said Viyony. "You promised me you'd explain what that was all about—and why I wound up getting a mouthful of vinegar because of it. I think I have a right to know!"
Leion looked down at his food, concentrating on eating for a long few moments. Eventually he lifted his head. "I will tell you—but not here, not now."
It never would be here and now if he could help it, that much was plain. Viyony sighed, but checked herself from pushing further. She took his lead and set to work on finishing her lunch.
"Leion," she said later, when her plate was almost empty. "If Atino was the real culprit and he's not here, then why were you so worried that you might have seen this Chiulder?"
"He has—he has a persuasive ability," said Leion. He avoided her gaze, arranging his fork on his plate with undue care. "Affinity, I mean, not merely someone who happens to be good at talking people into things. I fell for it—oh, it's not important." He shifted on the bench. "He couldn't do that again, certainly not without the kind of help Atino gave him—maybe not even then. But—I don't want to see him. Besides, he hates me—I don't want him following us around, causing trouble."
"It might not have been him," said Viyony, side-stepping all the things she would have liked to ask. Leion was evidently in the kind of mood where she was lucky he had said that much. She filed it away for later, maybe somewhere less open than this.
"Yes, let's hope not," Leion agreed. He pushed his plate away. "Now, come on—to business! Isn't it about time we talked about important things, like warehouse space?"
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10/10 backstory, no notes except that I want to hear more about it.
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Thanks for reading! <3
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Heh, Leion is like, "I think I saw someone who I think is trouble, and I don't want to see him, but nevertheless I am going to immediately run after him and abandon my guest who I was taking to lunch." Is that part of the effect of this guy's Affinity?
I'm afraid it's down to the fact that I edited the latter half of this piece quite severely as it had a lot of woolly dialogue, but maybe I should not have cut the bit where Leion excuses himself after he gets back by saying that he had to make sure whether or not it was Chiulder, lol. (As Viyony says, they have both been seeing things lately, and she's not wrong.)
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Oh, it was totally clear that that's what he was trying to do - it was just a little funny how he explained it afterwards.
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<3