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Isabella skips down the list of cities by population to put a portal setup in Seattle. Mostly for her and her mother's and potentially Zeviana's convenience. It's the biggest city within reasonable commute distance of the clan lands.
It is here that he and Isabella are hanging out, unprotected by any wards, when someone back in New Kystle thinks to check.
"Darling!" exclaims Yerena Liandril. "I've found Adarin! That liar Antelier said he was nowhere to be found but I just double-checked, and he's with that extraplanar hussy in her plane. Holding her hand. Those odd birds they have are practically on top of each other. How is your mana supply, darling?"
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"Well, there's discourteous and then there's... inelegant," says Yerena, words dragged from her like she regrets very much having to allow them voice. (She doesn't.) "And Adarin, you must admit - the rapidity, the - the -"
"Outfit," sniffs the cat.
"Yes, that," she says, blinking in approving puzzlement at her new daemon. "Are suggestive."
"I am," mutters Isabella, "tempted to throw my outfit at her head."
"Outfit," sniffs the cat.
"Yes, that," she says, blinking in approving puzzlement at her new daemon. "Are suggestive."
"I am," mutters Isabella, "tempted to throw my outfit at her head."
prodigal_miser
"Please refrain," Adarin mutters back. "It would give her more ammunition."
"Inelegant. I see. A different style of dress does not mean she will fling herself at me like a back-alley whore. Perhaps," he says, angry and deciding to go on the offensive, "you are merely culture-shocked by the both of us being near the same age? I assume if she were twelve this entire situation would be much more amenable to you."
"Inelegant. I see. A different style of dress does not mean she will fling herself at me like a back-alley whore. Perhaps," he says, angry and deciding to go on the offensive, "you are merely culture-shocked by the both of us being near the same age? I assume if she were twelve this entire situation would be much more amenable to you."
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"Pish tosh," says Yerena. "We mentioned Elasali to you early to give you time to get used to the idea. There would be no reason to expect it to be more than an idea, maybe a prolonged engagement, until there could have been children. Are you expecting us to believe that she instigated nothing whatever? That you suddenly adopted the inclination to press suit against all the trends of your history with no intervention of drug, magic, or seduction? It isn't as though there were no mages whatsoever in your age bracket if that was the problem; we'd have been delighted to have you for a son-in-law but there are plenty of cousins about if it's completely intractable."
prodigal_miser
"Ah, yes. It must seem entirely foreign that I just didn't like any of them. If you want me to start giving reasons to names I shall, but suffice to say that none of them were my type."
"And Isabella was careful with my Adarin," pipes up Vern. "She didn't just care about getting something she wanted from him, she liked him."
"She could be an extremely capable actress," points out Gervail. "And it's all an act to get what she wants out of you."
Adarin pauses, then he laughs. "If you knew anything about how we met, you would understand how utterly absurd that is. Not to mention knowing her. But that's the entire problem, isn't it, you don't know her and you're trying to pass judgement from afar because I made a choice that doesn't benefit you."
"And Isabella was careful with my Adarin," pipes up Vern. "She didn't just care about getting something she wanted from him, she liked him."
"She could be an extremely capable actress," points out Gervail. "And it's all an act to get what she wants out of you."
Adarin pauses, then he laughs. "If you knew anything about how we met, you would understand how utterly absurd that is. Not to mention knowing her. But that's the entire problem, isn't it, you don't know her and you're trying to pass judgement from afar because I made a choice that doesn't benefit you."
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"You made an uncharacteristic - 'choice' - under the most peculiar of circumstances, to the point where it might easily have been no such thing," says Yerena. "Something odd has to be going on. Your own people aren't so void of personal charms, Adarin."
"Aren't they?" mutters Path, in English.
"Aren't they?" mutters Path, in English.
prodigal_miser
"Thank you for your concern, but I would like to ask you a question, Mrs. Liandril. Where were you in this crusade of protecting my personal choice when I was getting drugs in my food and drink regularly? When Lenora would drape herself over me because she liked seeing me try not to squirm? Did you hunt someone down then? Maybe get them to stop? Or is the idea that I would find 'my own people' so utterly devoid of anything I can admire that I gave up trying and decide to look elsewhere utterly foreign?"
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"If someone had gotten anywhere with any of that of course we would have been concerned, just as we are now," asserts Yerena.
"And I - I mean - Yerena," says the cat, stumbling over the question of his identity with his memories, "did make a remark to Lenora, once, but she ignored - it."
Yerena picks up her cat and pets him.
"And I - I mean - Yerena," says the cat, stumbling over the question of his identity with his memories, "did make a remark to Lenora, once, but she ignored - it."
Yerena picks up her cat and pets him.
prodigal_miser
"Mhm. Except they did get somewhere. That is what caused me to leave, not Isabella."
Vern is picked up. She buries her head into Adarin's chest and he pets her. His face is an emotionless mask that Isabella would recognize quite well.
"You are new to your daemons, so let me give you advice. Do not let anyone touch them. It will be worse than anything else in the world. It will be like the person is everywhere, too close, in your soul, in your head, and there's no escape no matter how much you want to get away. You try and distract yourself from it, but you can't. You try to think, but you can't, you try to breathe but all you can feel is that they're there, that's it, that's all you have. Every second feels like an eternity of desperate attempts to do something to get it to stop, but every - single - moment you are reminded that there is nothing you can do. There is no escape, there is no getting away, there is no stopping it, it's agony of the very worst kind and it just goes on and on."
Pensive kagu pet.
"For reference, it was the most wretched experience of my life. That includes the invasion, mana deprivation, and the loss of all members of my immediate family but my sister. So don't you dare sit there and play your petty little games of bloodlines and politics, trying to manipulate me into thinking you are on my side, not after that. I know better. I don't give a damn about your false concerns and your worries for the fate of magic everywhere, I will not go back. You can try to blame it on Isabella, but if I'm perfectly honest she's barely got anything to do with why I left. She is a reason to be here, not a reason to not be there."
Vern is picked up. She buries her head into Adarin's chest and he pets her. His face is an emotionless mask that Isabella would recognize quite well.
"You are new to your daemons, so let me give you advice. Do not let anyone touch them. It will be worse than anything else in the world. It will be like the person is everywhere, too close, in your soul, in your head, and there's no escape no matter how much you want to get away. You try and distract yourself from it, but you can't. You try to think, but you can't, you try to breathe but all you can feel is that they're there, that's it, that's all you have. Every second feels like an eternity of desperate attempts to do something to get it to stop, but every - single - moment you are reminded that there is nothing you can do. There is no escape, there is no getting away, there is no stopping it, it's agony of the very worst kind and it just goes on and on."
Pensive kagu pet.
"For reference, it was the most wretched experience of my life. That includes the invasion, mana deprivation, and the loss of all members of my immediate family but my sister. So don't you dare sit there and play your petty little games of bloodlines and politics, trying to manipulate me into thinking you are on my side, not after that. I know better. I don't give a damn about your false concerns and your worries for the fate of magic everywhere, I will not go back. You can try to blame it on Isabella, but if I'm perfectly honest she's barely got anything to do with why I left. She is a reason to be here, not a reason to not be there."
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...Yerena looks dubiously at the cat in her arms.
"But that wasn't us, that was Enathira," says the cat. "She's only one person."
"It was," says Isabella, "but she wasn't the only person to try it that day. I'd recommend you be very, very careful with your cat and your penguin, when you go home."
"But that wasn't us, that was Enathira," says the cat. "She's only one person."
"It was," says Isabella, "but she wasn't the only person to try it that day. I'd recommend you be very, very careful with your cat and your penguin, when you go home."
prodigal_miser
Gervail looks at his penguin with confusion.
"Even so. It was one person. You are giving up on an your people because of what one person did. Think of all that you can do, all that your children can do."
Adarin closes his eyes and sighs.
"Even so. It was one person. You are giving up on an your people because of what one person did. Think of all that you can do, all that your children can do."
Adarin closes his eyes and sighs.
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"Is this Isabella liable to give you children at all? If she does, won't they have such curtailed potential compared to what you'd get from a mage mother? Don't you want more for them?" presses Yerena.
"Hang all the goddesses from their favored stars, is this what you had to tolerate seven days a week back there?" mutters Isabella in English.
"Hang all the goddesses from their favored stars, is this what you had to tolerate seven days a week back there?" mutters Isabella in English.
prodigal_miser
"You see why I hate them," says Adarin quietly in English.
"I do not think that is any of your concern," he sighs in Saratese.
"It is, it's everyone's concern - you're the only member of your bloodline that's cooperative, your sister doesn't care at all, magic will be lost for centuries and if a fourth half-blood shows up there will be no one powerful enough to even try to stop them, it'll be another coming of the first half-blood," argues Gervail. "You have a responsibility."
"I do not think that is any of your concern," he sighs in Saratese.
"It is, it's everyone's concern - you're the only member of your bloodline that's cooperative, your sister doesn't care at all, magic will be lost for centuries and if a fourth half-blood shows up there will be no one powerful enough to even try to stop them, it'll be another coming of the first half-blood," argues Gervail. "You have a responsibility."
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"Is another half-blood likely?" Isabella wonders. "...And have you looked up the word 'cooperative' in a dictionary lately?"
prodigal_miser
"It could be, we don't know," says the penguin. "But we never know until we have one and the only reason Aliya's damage was so small was because we were paranoid and checked for one and found her when she was little."
"She destroyed a city," says Vern, pained.
"The first half-blood destroyed nations, we got off lucky."
Gervail nods along to his penguin.
"In comparison to Zeviana, he is incredibly cooperative. She's -" Gervail looks at Adarin, and switches the word he was going to use. "- unwilling to even be with a man, at least Adarin has proven to like women, even if I don't approve of his preferences of them." He motions to Isabella.
"That only makes me like her more," says Adarin dryly. "Because I am feeling contrary."
"She destroyed a city," says Vern, pained.
"The first half-blood destroyed nations, we got off lucky."
Gervail nods along to his penguin.
"In comparison to Zeviana, he is incredibly cooperative. She's -" Gervail looks at Adarin, and switches the word he was going to use. "- unwilling to even be with a man, at least Adarin has proven to like women, even if I don't approve of his preferences of them." He motions to Isabella.
"That only makes me like her more," says Adarin dryly. "Because I am feeling contrary."
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"Of all the reasons to like me more, I think I like 'you're having fun with antagonizing these jerks' the least," comments Isabella. (English.) "Does it help," she goes on in Saratese, "that I also disapprove of the destruction of cities and nations and the like?"
"Well, it might, if you were going to use your obvious hold on Adarin - wherever it may have come from - to convince him to be reasonable," sniffs Yerena.
"Well, it might, if you were going to use your obvious hold on Adarin - wherever it may have come from - to convince him to be reasonable," sniffs Yerena.
prodigal_miser
Adarin laughs, a little, at Isabella's comment. "My least favorite as well, but I do like antagonizing them," he replies in English.
"I am being entirely reasonable. I do not want to go back to a place with people that hurt me for most of my life and I do not want to have sex with people I don't like."
"I am being entirely reasonable. I do not want to go back to a place with people that hurt me for most of my life and I do not want to have sex with people I don't like."
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"You would like some eligible mage girl if you only ever gave them a chance," opines Yerena.
prodigal_miser
"No, I really wouldn't. There are not that many eligible mage girls. And many of them have this annoying habit of utterly ignoring everything I say and trying to weasel what they want from me," he says dryly.
"So it's a better idea to go to another strange plane with strange... animal things and going with another girl you barely know that's probably manipulating you and possibly damning all of our magic to dwindle until we have the first half-blood, part two?"
Adarin looks at him. "You do not want me to answer that," he replies delicately.
"So it's a better idea to go to another strange plane with strange... animal things and going with another girl you barely know that's probably manipulating you and possibly damning all of our magic to dwindle until we have the first half-blood, part two?"
Adarin looks at him. "You do not want me to answer that," he replies delicately.
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"Adarin, be serious," says the cat.
"Yes, what are you planning to do?" exclaims Yerena. "Stay here forever in this... strange unpleasant house?"
"Goddesses all she thinks this is a house," giggles Isabella.
"Yes, what are you planning to do?" exclaims Yerena. "Stay here forever in this... strange unpleasant house?"
"Goddesses all she thinks this is a house," giggles Isabella.
prodigal_miser
"I do not believe," he says, smiling at Isabella's comment, "that you have any right to ask me what I'm planning to do. Because if I told you, you could muck up my and Isabella's plans. I like them, they're lovely plans."
"Do you think this is a game, young man?" demands Gervail.
"People could get hurt," says the penguin. "This is serious."
"Of course it is. But so is my ability to make choices, and you are continually making a mockery of that, I thought I should return the favor."
"Do you think this is a game, young man?" demands Gervail.
"People could get hurt," says the penguin. "This is serious."
"Of course it is. But so is my ability to make choices, and you are continually making a mockery of that, I thought I should return the favor."
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"You are making bad choices, and have been ignoring all of the best-intentioned advice, and the fact that you are capable of abandoning your every responsibility does not mean that we ought to stand idly by and tolerate this - squandering of potential safety and value," entreats Yerena. "And my suspicions about what this woman here may have done to you to prompt this - this personal upheaval of yours most certainly remain."
prodigal_miser
"Okay," says Adarin. "I take all of that into consideration. If you would like me to offer my counter-arguments to your points, I can, but I can already see that they won't get anywhere. Thank you for your advice and your concern. It was very kind of you to come out all the way here. When you return home, please let everyone know that it won't be necessary again."
Gervail snorts. "Fine, what are your counter-arguments?"
"One exercise in futility it is then," he replies dryly. "You realize, that if I do everything you want me to do, if I go back, find a random mage girl, impregnate her, raise a huge family of lots of little mages with lots and lots of power - things stay exactly the same. The millennia long game just keeps going on and on. Another bloodline will get started once mine starts dwindling, probably by killing lots of innocent people, and in the mean time - everyone that's not at the top of the struggle will get stepped on, abused, and mistreated. Nothing will change. Maybe that sounds good to you, maybe you like that you're a refugee from a horrific near-extinction of an entire world because of a lust for power, but I don't think so. I think scrabbling for more power is futile if you don't use it with care.
"So I'm cheating. Alternative options, rather than the same, tired old ones used over and over again. Because this? The society? Isn't working. I don't think it ever has."
Gervail snorts. "Fine, what are your counter-arguments?"
"One exercise in futility it is then," he replies dryly. "You realize, that if I do everything you want me to do, if I go back, find a random mage girl, impregnate her, raise a huge family of lots of little mages with lots and lots of power - things stay exactly the same. The millennia long game just keeps going on and on. Another bloodline will get started once mine starts dwindling, probably by killing lots of innocent people, and in the mean time - everyone that's not at the top of the struggle will get stepped on, abused, and mistreated. Nothing will change. Maybe that sounds good to you, maybe you like that you're a refugee from a horrific near-extinction of an entire world because of a lust for power, but I don't think so. I think scrabbling for more power is futile if you don't use it with care.
"So I'm cheating. Alternative options, rather than the same, tired old ones used over and over again. Because this? The society? Isn't working. I don't think it ever has."
dark_light
"Cheating?" asks Yerena.
"At what?" asks her cat, incredulous.
"More to the point, how? What do you imagine you're doing that's so much better than the tested solution?"
"At what?" asks her cat, incredulous.
"More to the point, how? What do you imagine you're doing that's so much better than the tested solution?"
prodigal_miser
Adarin considers. "I am not sure if it's in my best interests to tell you, honestly. If you react badly then you can use the explanation as evidence against me to round up mages to try and stop me. You could maybe help, but honestly your motivations are utterly different to mine and I'm no longer desperate for help. Rest assured, you'll find out eventually."
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"Adarin, all this secrecy and sudden erratic behavior and making grandiose vague statements about the future has me very concerned that it might not only be half-bloods that have... issues," says Yerena nervously. "And - our motivations differ? Are you not interested in preventing more mass slaughter?"