A Spell of Silence

[Kiko]

The cavernous banquet hall was bursting at the seams with hectic looking people. The annual Mid-winter ball in Karlshamn was not yet in full swing and already there were issues. Rival families could not sit next to each other, everyone must be fed simultaneously or risk offense that would backfire who knows where, and the mundane concerns of a major event; would there be enough ale, serving girls, or food.

Serenity escaped the crowed banquet hall, and the noise, her current companion quietly followed her to the gardens outside. Snow fell to upon the stone seats scattered in among the barren flower beds in fragile flakes; only existing for a single moment before melting away. She was a visitor here, and accorded much acclaim due to her magical talent, but that did not curtail her feelings of uneasiness.

Karlshamn’s prince and sponsor of the lavish ball was a scholar. Not just any scholar, either. His interests were devoted to gathering as much magical knowledge as possible. That, in and of itself, was not what caused her to worry, and she had to admit the surroundings were magnificent.

The port city boasted a wide natural river and a deep harbor that was the envy of its neighbors to the north; who had to cut through the ice to take anything to market. Plus, several modern buildings decorated Karlshamn’s main street; more than one house of worship for the devout, a huge library, a wondrous market district; with goods from every far away land, an elfish blacksmith, even an ingenious public conveyance that ran along the snowy ground pulled by teams of huge white elk. There was a mage school currently being renovated just outside the city boundaries, bracketing the institute of medicine on the opposite hillside, all the amenities for a civilized society and more. The port brought in the prosperous, curious, and welcomed hundreds of visitors from around the province; but it was by and large, a city of Magic and mages.

Picturesque, pristine, popular; normally, Serenity would fit into that atmosphere perfectly. She did fit in. She was lovely, well-spoken, and her manners were impeccable. She was currently a guest of the prince and his court with several suitors more than happy to grant her every whim should she ask. That did not curtail her feelings, either.

Serenity had come to Karlshamn to investigate rumors of foul magic. Rumors she had yet to get anyone reputable to talk about. Rumors of mages being stripped of their magic and never heard from again.

[Kiko]

Ursine entered Karlshamn on the wrong side of the track, so to speak. While she had just as much talent as the other woman in her chosen studies she lacked liaison skills, contacts, and fame. She could not traverse the tangled paths of diplomacy that Serenity trod with ease. Ursine was the new girl, untested, untried, and underrated perhaps. Still, she did not lack strength of body or mind though she had quickly gotten tired of the cold. Ursine was currently ensconced in the corner of a popular tavern keeping her feet warm and dry next to the heath fire.

Dusk was slowly pulling many of the citizenry inward. Eventually, they would ride the sleighs up to the banquet hall. It was the one day of the year that even the lowest of them would not go to bed hungry. Ursine’s feet had almost thawed out when a scuffle at the center of the tavern caught her attention.

Two foreign men fascinated by her honey colored hair were even now in the middle of an arm wrestling match. She did not know what set it off or what they shouted at each other, curses probably, and she could not care a less which of them won. She saw the gestures at her, though, and watched as the circle of onlookers widened and started to cheer.

[Serenity]

It's as if I walked into Highever...

Serenity walked out to basque in the open, away from the potential eruption that seemed moments from going off during the banquet. She only came here on rumor and suspicion, as a commoner, now she was an honored guest based on talent alone and not family name. The mage was satisfied with this, her true identity as a high born noble of Highever would likely attract more attention to her than she has already.

What opportunity fate will bring with nothing but a wave and a smile. Well, I suppose being able to perform magic also helped me get this far. she thought almost shrugging off her prowess with magic.

To put her companion at ease she set this ill gotten thoughts aside and looked toward them with that fortune bringing smile.

"It's my first time here, and yet the fair people of this beautiful city have showered me with gifts and praise. I admit it's all a little overwhelming." that was an understatement she thought immediately.

"Thank you for accompanying me to the gardens, I'm not too fond of these large engagements. Are you from here as well?"

[Ursine]

Grumbling as she rubs her foot through a hole in one of her socks, Ursine finally spares more than a glance in the direction of the growing commotion and sees one of the men jabbing his thumb in her general direction. Looking around and noting a distinct lack of anyone else near the hearth - all gone to join the growing circle, presumably - she hangs her head for a moment, before sighing heavily. "Gods only know what I've done this time," she grumbles, pulling her boots on and casting one last baleful glance at the fire crackling away merrily. Her shoulders slump, and she takes a deep breath, steadying herself, setting her shoulders back and shaking her head clear.

Forcing her way through the crowd, the thought that it's a bit easier than it should be considering that the crowd is made up of mostly big, burly dock workers, and she's cutting through it easily, crosses her mind once or twice but is dismissed out of hand. Finally, she finds herself tableside - as it were - observing the two men apparently too embroiled in their match to have noticed the object of their attention was now standing right next to them. She clears her throat loudly, glancing between the two. "Well?" she asks, exasperation coloring her husky voice. "What is it? What's it you've gotten into your heads that I've done this time?"

[Kiko]

The man Serenity spoke to was older than she, though not by much and a cousin to the Prince of Karlshamn. His features taken separately were perfect. He had vivid green eyes, hair the color of maple leaves in the fall, a strong chin, high cheekbones, and a charming smile. Put them all together and he should have been the epitome of a royal courtier. He was not and Serenity couldn't put her finger on why.

He stood a few feet away and did not seem all that inclined to step closer. He remained at a respectable distance, even while the empty Gardens accorded them privacy. When he did move, she mused, it was stiffly as if he were wounded or uncomfortable. He was, however, the most determined of her admirers and never missed a chance to escort her. She knew he had not been wounded in battle or otherwise, that had been one of her first questions.

"Yes, Lady Serenity."

His voice was stiff, too.

Ursine had shouldered her way past the crowd of onlookers with enough indignation to power all the vessels in the harbor. She was not the quiet type. People had begun to fall back to let her through, too, avidly turning their attention from the men to her. This bid fair to be as entertaining as the banquet. Who would win the match? Would the girl get an answer? Would she join the scuffle? Several breathes were held waiting for the next thing to occur.

The taller man jerked his head up.

"Eh?"

He actually noticed her, instead of the other man; who was still trying to pin his arm down to the table.

"What's that, missy?"

[Serenity]

Serenity found the man a little amusing, perhaps she had been far too long from high society. While she knew certain etiquette was called for when two or more respectable people gather, she thought that they could relax a little more.

"Please, sir, I know these events call for certain protocol, but I wouldn't mind a more casual stance. After all, we are alone at this moment." she giggled a little to accent the ease in her voice.

In truth she was having a little trouble adjusting to this stage of high society, having been living in Wistvale for a little while now. Manners aside she wondered if requesting the cousin of the Prince to relax a little was too forceful.

"I'm not a noble of these lands, only a mage of modest ability. You do me high honor by accompanying me already.

[Ursine]

"You must think me daft to not have noticed the two of you shouting at each other and pointing at me and..." she trails off, finally actually looking at what they're doing. "And...ah...fighting?" she says, reaching up to scratch behind her ear. "You're....fighting? Over me?" Flushing slightly, she starts worrying at her earlobe gently. Then she points at the table and nods at the taller man. "You're about to lose, by the way."

[Kiko]

The taller man, whose name was Bohn, gave a curse in a tongue everyone understood. But, the damage was done. His lack of attention cost him precious leverage, and seconds after Ursine spoke, the thud of his arm against the table signified his defeat. Those quick enough to make bets on the impromptu match spent more time collecting money than the combatants had on the fight.

Bohn lifted up from the table and shoved at his competitor's shoulder. He was a good natured man, most of the time, but he was also impulsive and passionate. Bohn's outlook on life though, was to accept defeat and move on. He did not hold a grudge.

He cleared his throat, rolled down the sleeves of his shirt, and brushed his curly black hair back from his mahogany eyes. There was certain charm to his voice when he spoke, too, a faint hint of an musical accent.

"Well miss. I won't say that we were not. Garud, here..." and he clapped the other man on the back of the head, "...claimed he saw you first. Which is a blatant falsehood. I saw you yesterday on the dock. He did not believe me, and insisted we prove our veracity by strength of arm. Sadly, he seems to have prevailed."

Serenity's companion nodded at her and did seem to relax, though his eyes remained cold. And maybe that was it, the reason she had been looking for all along, what she could not put her finger on. His eyes should have been full of life.

"The honor is mine, Lady Serenity. You have the gift of magic. In Karlshamn that makes you royalty." There was a sound in his voice, now, too. Envy?

[Ursine]

"Erm...maybe?" Ursine says with a shrug, meeting his eye evenly. She thinks back to her arrival on the docks, flicking through a small mental catalog of people that had made an impression on her, hand migrating to scratch behind her ear as she shrugs indifferently. Then she snaps her fingers and points at him. "I do remember you! You were the one that almost dropped a sack of barley on me, weren't you?"

[Serenity]

Serenity was glad that the man loosened up, though a little bit, yet the tone of his voice left her a bit stiff. She was beginning to assume why her companion didn't hold a more prestigious office. Still, this step toward a more pleasant evening was better than nothing. Her anxiousness to retire for the night was beginning to alleviate some.

She looked away for a moment when he talked of royalty and magic, reminding her again how this place was not so different from her first home. Her eyes examined the garden and it's flora as she spoke up again.

"Yes, but outside in the world magic can bring unwanted...attention." she struggled a bit for the correct word. "In truth, I was a little uneasy coming to visit here, the roads coming to Karlshamn held whispers of mages who disappear while inside these walls."

She relaxed her shoulders realizing they were tensing up a little, "I'm glad that so far these are only rumors."

[Kiko]

Bohn’s face was suddenly redder than the flames in the hearth.

“Accept my apologies miss. I... I was not expecting a woman of your... caliber to be hobnobbing with the dockhands. Surprise makes me clumsy.”

From brash and boisterous he now appeared to be unsure of what to do or say. While the man he called Garud spun around without a word and headed toward the bar. He might have won the wrestling match, but the blond haired woman had completely ignored him.

Serenity’s companion was paying little interest until she spoke of disappearing mages. His eyes sharpened at once and he waved an arm out in the direction of the city below.

“I would not pay much attention to what you hear in the streets, Lady Serenity. If you ask the common folk down there…” and he pointed below again “…all mages appear and disappear at will. Fanciful tales, no more. No one can disappear.”

He did not say anything else. He gave her a smile and offered his arm. Still, if he had not being paying all that much consideration to her before the words, he was certainly more attentive now.

[Ursine]

Flashing a devilish smile, Ursine shrugs off the apology with something she hopes affects good grace. "No, no, it's really nothing. I mean, honestly, what's a leisurely stroll down the docks without a near death experience, really?" she manages to finish before laughing hysterically at the cowed expression on his face. "You have to understand, I was neither accusing you nor blaming you for anything. It's just that a woman tends to remember the handsome men that nearly kill them before they even meet properly."

[Serenity]

"Of course," she smiled as she gladly took his arm.

"Although I have seen a 'mage' disappear before my eyes, sir," she said giggling a bit. "Mundane performers come up with the most fascinating tricks."

With her free hand, Serenity adjusted the hair that blew across her face as a breeze past them by, her gaze fixed for a moment on the garden.

"Still, when did these awful rumors begin to occur? Surely some sort of incident caused a panic and murmur. Or am I prying in private affairs that aren't my own?" she teased stifling a little laugh.

[Kiko]

Bohn’s expression underwent a slow transformation from sheepish truthfulness into disbelief. He obviously thought Ursine was teasing him. He did seem to recover some aplomb, though. He gave a look back toward the bar before replying to her.

“You can call me Bohn, miss. My surly friend over there is Garud. And don’t mind his lousy attitude, either. He’ll feel better with a few drinks in him. And who might I have the pleasure of speaking to, hmm?”

----------------

“Incident?”

Serenity’s companion rubbed his free hand along his jaw.

“Apologies, I forgot that you are not from Karlshamn.”

He stopped walking and turned to point toward the hillside at the far end of the city.

“Last month during a routine exercise a master Summoner and teacher lost control of a summoning. The otherworld creature tore through the school, causing the destruction of several buildings, priceless books, and unfortunately consumed the summoner whole. Luckily there were no students attending due to a holiday. However, it was later discovered several older mages who were at an unpublicized music festival, on the same grounds, were missing.”

He glanced at Serenity again cleared his throat and then spread his hands out in front of his body.

“The Prince is doing what he can to locate them. Anyone that says different is a… troublemaker and likely not worth listening to, Lady. That is all I know.”

His voice had gotten stiff once again.

[Serenity]

Serenity was taken back by the severity of the accident, she honestly wasn't expecting a response at all given the assumed evasiveness of this man.

"I had no idea it was something so severe, is there anything I could do to assist? His highness has been so generous with me as well as this city. The least I could do is help with the investigation. I may not look it, but I'm quite capable of taking action." she said sounding very sure of herself.

"I'll gladly lend my talents."