Ice Castle [OPEN]

[Mali]

Okena was in her element right now. Literally, she was in her element as it was raining. There was a crowd around her as she built ice sculptures from the water in the air and on the ground. She had a few already built standing a few feet away from her as she worked on her current piece.

It was a bear catching a fish in the river. Reaching out into the rain she pulled the water to her fingers, collecting enough to place a fish inside the bear’s mouth. The bear was standing on all fours, a paw extended to the water and she brought her hand with the jelly-like water to the extended paw. Using her fingernails, she moved the water into the shape of a small fish.

She blew gently on the fish and it froze to ice. The crowd around her clapped at the detail she was able to perform. They hadn’t seen anything like it before.

She quickly finished her sculpture of the bear and turned to the crowd, a wide, beaming smile across her lips as she watched people placing money into the jar she had set down in front of the displays. It was almost full already, she would have to do one more sculpture to make her quota for the day.

“Any requests?” she called out to the crowd and immediately heard many shouts of things for her to make. Hearing someone shout out a swan, Okena decided that she would do a swan. The elegant creature had a long neck and a beautiful form.

Starting out, Okena stretched her arms out wide, collecting the rain as it seemed to rain just a bit faster into her arms. The water clung to her skin as she knelt down, closing her arms around her body and freezing a podium to place her structure on.

So far, today was going great. Usually she would dance and perform tricks with the water, however, today it was raining and she had a large supply of water to work with. She loved when it rained.

Reaching down, she touched a pool of water on the ground and lifted her arms up, the water following in what looked like strands of jelly with the movement on her arm. Wavering in the air a bit, Okena started out with the shape of the swan, leaving the neck out for now. As she moved her hands, the water shrank from around her hand until there was none left. It was a sight to see, water being controlled in such a form and without the ancient language.

She reached out again to the sky, collecting her water with both hands before setting to work on her swan’s neck. It was bent downward and the beak was slightly long and distinguished against the rest of the creature. The wings were tipped up above the rest of the body and the tail was short and pert, hanging off the body of the bird. Just as she turned with another wide smile on her lips, she noticed someone suspicious about to place money into her jar.

What she saw next shocked her. The man reached down, grabbing the jar with a few whispered words, the entire jar of money changed into a silk scarf and he took off. “Hey! Come back here!” Okena took off after him, chasing him down the busy streets, some people moving out of her way, some not.

After a few minutes, she saw the man run down an alley and she turned on her heel, right after him. Except he was gone and the only thing in the alleyway was the scarf. Walking over and picking up the now wet scarf, Okena sighed. How was she supposed to get her money out of the scarf? She couldn’t perform their magic after all.

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[Amur]

Baldur despised the rain, not least of all because it was usually filthy water. But, mostly because the clothes he wore were expensive custom-craft that had been woven for him shortly before he had killed his father... And the stench of stale rain-water had a tendency to be difficult to get rid of. Of course, Baldur had a small variety of wards active to prevent his clothes from dirtying quite so easily, but the fact that the rain no longer fell on Baldur didn’t lessen his hatred for it, but as it was, it was a hatred Baldur could live with.

In fact, right now it was a hatred he was able to ignore completely. He had stopped by Illirea briefly to resupply the few items he needed for his trip to his next destination for Nemesis Morona and had noticed something of undeniable interest.

He watched in silence as the girl commanding the water went about her work. Clearly awing the crowd as she went, both commanding the water and causing it to freeze without the use of the ancient language... The similarities were as obvious to Baldur as the difference was between night and day; this girl was clearly a Nirvanian.

Not least of because she was using Hydromancy, but there was something else about her. Something that stood out to Baldur that the rest of this crowd clearly weren’t seeing –though, the abnormally large feet were a dead giveaway- this girl, was not just a Nirvanian, she was a half-breed. Baldur watched in continued silence as the girl crafted an ice-sculpture of a bear capturing a fish, impressive technique to be sure. This girl clearly had, had much more practice with her Hydromancy than Ace did with his Pyromancy.

He continued to watch as he ran everything he knew about Hydromancy through his mind. It was a dead art, created way back during The Preclusion War specifically in an effort to act as a counter-specialisation to Pyromancy. The practice had been rapidly abandoned after being deemed too impractical... Clearly, Wynn Johyrk had, had trouble accepting the deaths of The False Gods and the subsequent victory of the pure-breeds that followed and had worked to perfect his practice to appease his former masters.

At least, that’s what it seemed like to Baldur, this girl interested Baldur, not only because of her clear skill with what was a dead Nirvanian art, but what her relation to “Madman” Wynn was, they must have been close in the very least for him to have taught her his pride and joy... For, if Baldur remembered the limited amount of history available on the Madman, it was that he was a deluded shut-away... Then again, he knew better than to blindly trust history, especially when it was history written by the hand of The Nameless Emperor.

This girl did not seem to be the least bit interested with The False Gods that Wynn had once served. He would be interested in exactly how she had managed to make her way here, the fact that she no longer possessed the accent of her native land was a very good indication that she had been here for quite some time... Even Master Hunter Latro still had his accent and at this point he had been living in this land for five years.

Baldur arched an eyebrow as suddenly one of the spectators stepped forward and managed to change the jar of money the girl had managed to acquire into a silk scarf and run off. Of course the girl ran in pursuit and Baldur immediately followed.

He moved at the pace of a gentle jog, keeping the running girl in his sight, following her as she turned down an alleyway. He stopped as she picked up a scarf identical to the one the thief had changed her jar of money into and stood with his hands resting on the pommel of Findinokhind. He waited for her to notice him first before he inclined his head slightly.

“Greetings, former denizen of Empire Nirvana, I couldn’t help but notice that you are in a spot of trouble.”
Baldur said calmly in his native tongue, hoping that this girl hadn’t been here so long as to forget the tongue of her native land.

“If you would allow me to, I could inspect the ‘scarf’ to see if I can reverse the effects the thief wrought on it. Your Hydromancy prevents you from using magic like most others, doesn’t it?”
He continued, ever calmly, standing in the least threatening stance possible. He would allow her the chance to see that he was magically capable for herself; after all, he was still bone-dry while it had been raining for most of the day so far.

“My name is Baldur, of the respected Warlord bloodline Vauxx.”
He said calmly, introducing himself first, if only to show this girl that he meant her no harm.

[Mali]

Okena wasn’t happy. She had been having a good time, doing something she loved—hydromancy—as well as making a living when someone tried to take away her earnings. He had changed the money into something else and had taken off. Of course, she would pursue the wrongdoer and try to get her money back. However, the scarf that her money had been changed into was left lying on the ground in the middle of an alleyway. She was not happy at all about today’s turn of events.

She currently fiddled with the scarf, pulling at it from both ends, frustrated. This meant that all her hard work had been for nothing. She was skilled at her art, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t taxing on her. She had to work very hard to make sure not to use too much of her internal fluids to command the external water. And bringing the fluids to the tips of her fingers, absorbing through her chest and least of all, sculpting, was very difficult to master and perform. It had taken her years to learn how to make ice, and little longer to learn how to sculpt it. This was so frustrating!

Okena turned to leave the alleyway, feeling defeated for her wasted efforts when she noticed a tall man standing in front of her path. He had his hand on some kind of sword which she could sense was magical. The scarf was still in her hands when she was shocked to hear him speaking in Nirvanian common. Was she hearing that right or was she imagining it? Slipping into the native language of her homeland, Okena spoke to the man as fluidly as if she just left yesterday. “Excuse me, I don’t think I heard you correctly,” she shook her head, covering her ears briefly before looking at him again.

“You speak my language... you’re also from Empire Nirvana?” she couldn’t tell right away until she looked him over more closely that he was the same as her. Well, he wasn’t part bird, but he was a half-breed just like her. She had to wonder where he got his eyes from, they were what told her that he wasn’t normal either.

Looking down to the scarf, she handed it over to him, allowing him to look it over. Now that she knew where he came from, it did little to ease her worry about a tall man blocking her path. It was obvious that he had seen her in action, as well as the misfortune that happened to her earnings, but that didn’t mean that she could trust him. He wanted to help, but that didn’t ease her concern.

At the mention of her hydromancy, she froze, feeling sheepish. He knew what it was... that meant that he had been around during the time that it was first conceived. From what her father had told her, not many would know about Hydromancy since they had deemed it inappropriate. She never understood why they would do such a thing, since it came so easily to her.

“Um, you know about hydromancy? Not many do. And no, it doesn’t.” Now that she knew that this man knew about hydromancy, she felt a wall coming up mentally between them. She didn’t exactly trust this man, she knew nothing about him—oh, well now she knew his name. He was Baldur, of the Warlord Vauxx bloodline.

She jumped as it hit her that he was a living relative of the Warlord Vauxx. That wasn’t helping with her trust issues toward the man. “W-warlord Vauxx?!” she stuttered. She had left Empire Nirvana about ten years ago, but she still knew about the warlords. Her father had told her that they were evil people. Why would someone evil try to help her? Of course, she didn’t know why they were evil, just that her father said they were during the war.

Feeling that she should at least try to get the scarf back before running for the hills, she should introduce herself. “I’m Okena J—“ she froze, remembering that he knew about hydromancy. Her father had this funny habit of telling people different last names. He had explained that she shouldn’t tell anyone her real name unless she was sure they wouldn’t know who she was. So did it still apply?

“Okena Johyrk.” she felt that she should have given him a false last name but couldn’t do anything about it now. She had started to say her last name before pausing and since she couldn’t think of anything that started the same way, it was better to tell him the truth, right?

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[Amur]

The girl was indeed still capable of speaking her native language, which in a way was good. Her initial disbelief that Baldur was also from Empire Nirvana, however, was not. Where else would he have been from? He kept a straight face; however, if she had been here long enough to lose her accent then the chances were that she had not had anyone else from Empire Nirvana to talk to for quite some time. That was a scenario that Baldur had some difficulty imagining, to be so far from home without anyone from home to talk to... It just seemed to be profoundly lonely to him; he always had Ace to talk to, after all.

He took the scarf from the girl as she held it out toward him, holding it in one hand he looked down at it and began muttering his way through the spells he knew in order to understand and find out what kind of spell had been used to achieve the effect that the thief had wrought upon the item that had once been another. What he found out, however, was not what he had expected; clearly the thief in question was intelligent beyond the levels of most normal thieves.

“Yes, I’m aware of the existence of Hydromancy. Its inception is of course accurately chronicled in the history books. One just has to know where to look.”
He said calmly regarding her statement surrounding Hydromancy, still speaking fluently in Nirvanian Common. He kept hold of the scarf, muttering further spells, just to ensure that he wasn’t missing something. Perhaps a little trick that the thief had thought of that Baldur may have been overlooking, however, upon simply reaching the same conclusion he gave a small nod to himself, yes, there was no denying it now, the thief was intelligent.

“Unfortunately, your thief was intelligent. This scarf is just that, a scarf. He has placed an enchantment on it that doesn’t actually do anything but make the scarf magical. I would make a safe assumption that the thief still has your money with him.”
He said calmly, handing the scarf back to the girl, he arched an eyebrow as he saw her reaction to his introduction. Of course, there was hardly a Nirvanian alive whom didn’t know of the Warlords, very few knew of the names unless they had been told, but, surely, this girl should have been able to piece together that Baldur was without the resources a Warlord should have had.

As she told him her name Baldur couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow. Okena Johyrk? Well, that explained the Hydromancy, but, nowhere in the history books was it stated that madman Johyrk had any surviving family. If Baldur had to guess, it was likely that the lackey of The False Gods kept it quiet and had hidden away somewhere.

“Interesting, I was unaware that Madman Johyrk had any family... Though it does explain your ability to use Hydromancy, what was your relationship to him, Okena?”
Baldur said calmly, his interest now well and truly piqued. Given that Okena was a half-breed he could make the assumption, however, that wasn’t Baldur’s proverbial “style”, he needed to know that all the information he got was accurate. Knowledge was only useful to anyone if it was true.

[Mali]

He was a tall, buff guy. His muscles were much larger than her own, making his arms appear bulbous in a way. He had to be over six foot something seeing how much taller he was than her. Even though she was rather tall for a woman of her species, he was still rather tall in comparison. Her eyes kept glancing down to the scarf and then his sword, the one he had placed his hand on when he came up behind her.

She knew that the sword was magical in some way, but she couldn’t sense how. There was an aura being emitted from the sword since he had pointed it out to her when he first showed up. She was tempted to touch the sword but knew better than that. He was handling her scarf right now, trying to help her get her money back, it would be rude to go touching other people’s things without permission. Besides, it was still hanging from his hip, it would look wrong for her to reach forward to touch the sword.

As he told her that he, of course, knew about hydromancy, she had to wonder what books he was referring to. Her father had told her that there were no books about hydromancy. Maybe the books he’d found weren’t about hydromancy only, which would explain what her father had told her. But she couldn’t understand which books would even mention hydromancy. Her father had told her it was deemed too impractical and that it wasn’t worth their time, so why would it be worthy enough to place in a history book?

“I don’t know what kind of books would talk about hydromancy, I thought it wasn’t worth putting in a book,” Of course, she believed that the topic and hydromancy itself was everything. To her, it meant the world to be able to control water. The topic would always be worthy to her. But she knew that to the general consensus of Empire Nirvana, it wasn’t.

She listened quietly as he murmured spells, trying to see if he could help her with her problem. It was soothing to hear her native tongue. She often spoke and prayed in her native tongue, hence why she didn’t have an Alagaesian accent while speaking. It was nice to have someone to talk to that wasn’t just herself.

“Bummer,”Her shoulders slumped as she took the scarf back from him. So all her hard work today had been for nothing. She felt like crying but wouldn’t show such a scene to this man. Now how was she supposed to afford a room for the night? Sleeping outside was nice and all, but having a bed every once in a while was a real treat. She guessed it would be a treat she’d have to skip out on tonight. At least she had enough money for something to eat a drink, so she could make more money tomorrow to make up for her losses.

Of course she was shocked to say the least. Of all people she could have met from Empire Nirvana, it had to be someone from the bloodline of a warlord. Today wasn’t her lucky day, was it? What was he even here for? Didn’t he have some kind of county or something to lord over?

He raised his eyebrows an awful lot around her. To her reaction and as a reaction to her name. Was he questioning her or something? Upon hearing him refer to her father as a ‘madman’ she almost lost it and started to yell at him about being rude to people you just met. However, she kept her anger in check, barely even looking angry at the off-handed comment. He had no way of knowing that Wynn was her father. If he had known, he probably wouldn’t have been so rude addressing him.

“He was my father,” She stated calmly, trying to match Baldur’s level of calm. “He taught me everything he knew, and then I developed some on my own. Like the ice,” He had commented on her ability to hydromance and wondered if it might have been a compliment.

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[Amur]

So, his original suspicion had been correct. Wynn Johyrk had, had a daughter, and since his disappearance from the eyes of Empire Nirvana at large he had been able to keep it quiet. Though, her questions perplexed him... Had Wynn hated the rise of The Empire so much that he had not bothered to teach Okena the values that every Nirvanian held close to their heart? Surely, if he had she would have understood that her father’s part in The Preclusion War had been significant enough to warrant its inclusion in the history books.

“Did your father really have such trouble accepting the loss of his False Gods that he didn’t bother teaching you Nirvanian values?”
Baldur questioned curiously, many that followed the False Gods had gone into hiding quite some time ago and generally tried avoiding contact with The Empire. The chance to learn at least something about the way such people had lived while Empire Nirvana was built around them was an astounding opportunity to acquire knowledge that very few possessed.

... And Baldur wanted that...

“Clearly, your father’s part in The Preclusion War was considered big enough to be remembered by The Empire at large. Of course, as far as everyone is aware Hydromancy is a dead art, so, it’s quite the surprise to see such an advanced practitioner so far from home.”
Baldur noted calmly, thinking over what Okena had already told him. He already knew that the art of Pyromancy was deceptively versatile, it simply took years of practice to reach the level required to be able to use it. So, he had little doubt that Hydromancy was similar in that aspect, after all, flash-freezing water was something that many mages were completely incapable of. He adjusted his cravat, making the item of clothing sit more comfortably around his neck.

“I couldn’t help but notice that you seem fearful of me.”
Baldur commented dryly, Okena hadn’t been particularly difficult to read thus far, however, if he wanted to attain any kind of knowledge from her he would need to make her trust him. And that was a process Baldur knew could take any length of time, he doubted that Okena would trust him until he put her fears of him to rest.

“I assure you that I am without the resources or the army that my bloodline would indicate I have. I gave it all away when I chose to allow my younger brother to live by killing my father in his sleep, if we are to talk at any length it doesn’t do you much good if you’re fearful of every word you say to me.”
He said calmly, if Okena believed him to be a Warlord it was possible that she would be under the impression that one wrong word would start a war. He didn’t want her thinking that.

“Besides, I’m almost certain that you’re aware that like you, I am an abomination. A ‘half-breed’, the way I figure it. We abominations should at least learn how to get along, since we’re both very well aware of how the ignorant masses view our kind.”
He said calmly, the term “half-breed” wasn’t accurate, since it only ever became an issue when the resulting offspring was part human. They were widely hated; Baldur fully intended to play that angle in earning Okena’s trust.

[Mali]

Okena had heard about the False Gods before from her father. He would pray to them almost every night. When she was younger she would ask him why he was praying and he would tell her that he would pray for their good health among other things. She was too young and sheltered to understand that the rest of the people of Empire Nirvana didn’t worship or pray to these gods as her father did, but that didn’t stop her from praying to them occasionally when she really felt down and needed someone to talk to. When she got older and learned that no one else in their little village worshipped the False Gods, she wondered what else her father hadn’t told her when she was younger.

“He taught me some things, culture and history, but he never thought the False Gods to be gone. He prayed to them almost every day.” if that answered his question. There was more to it, if this man asked about it, but right now he didn’t need to know about it. If he asked to know more, then she would gladly tell him as courteously as she could. She was having a conversation with a warlord, she should be polite and respectful in his presence. She had no idea why he was in Alagaesia but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t hurt her or start a war because of something careless that she said.

She beamed as he called her advanced. She was glad to know that he appreciated what she was able to do. Not many realised the risks it took to perform such an act. It had saved her life many times on her travels alone, but afterwards it was painful. To be called advanced was a compliment to the girl.

She was confused however. Her father had never told her that it was a dead art. He had told her much about hydromancy, but never that. “It’s a dead art? I thought it just wasn’t as widely practised as pyromancy...” she thought about it some more. She had never met another hydromancer before. But she had blamed that on the fact that she wasn’t in Empire Nirvana any more. They didn’t have magical rituals to perform magic they way Nirvanians did here in Alagaesia. That was why there weren’t any other hydromancers or pyromancers in Alagaesia. Now that she knew it was a dead art, she now knew why she’d never met another of her kind before.

Looking up, shocked to realise that he had caught on to her feelings toward speaking with him, she blushed. She couldn’t help but feel nervous and afraid of him, especially since he had introduced himself as the son of a warlord. “A little,” How else was she supposed to feel about something like that? They were so scary and dangerous that there was no way that she could trust him easily. They were deceiving and manipulative. Now that she was learning more about the country she had been born in, and how false it was from what her father had told her, what could she trust anymore? Could she trust anything that her father had taught her?

She wasn’t fearful of every word that she said to him. It more that she was worried of what she said to him. She wanted to be courteous and polite in case she offended him in any way. She wouldn’t want to start a war or anything. But, as he confirmed that he didn’t have his resources, Okena had to wonder what he meant. Did that mean that if he went back to Empire Nirvana, that he would be able to start a war based on a rude comment she made toward him? Or did it mean that he wouldn’t start a war, period, based on what she said to him? She couldn’t trust him completely and couldn’t just base on that information alone.

She couldn’t help smiling a bit when he mentioned the similarity between both of them. It wasn’t something that she was ashamed of. Of course, there were times when she wished she were a normal human and not a half-breed, but she was never ashamed to be what she was. But she had to wonder, how did he know that she was half human?

“I wouldn’t call us abominations. More like misfits,” she giggled quietly before catching herself. She couldn’t trust him just on that, could she? So they were the same, that still didn’t answer her question about him being able to start a war.

“So if you were to go back to Empire Nirvana, you would be a warlord?” she asked hesitantly. His answer would surely give her the answer she needed about whether she could start trusting him.

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[Amur]

What Okena said regarding The False Gods did not surprise Baldur, the majority of their followers outright refused that their Lord was dead and simply continually stated that they had ascended beyond the use of flesh. Baldur had never understood how they had managed to come to such a conclusion when the bodies of The False Gods had been left to allow nature to take its course with them. Then again, Baldur highly doubted he would ever understand the mentality of those whom still followed The False Gods at all.

“Yes, what you say holds true with most everyone still following The False Gods. They all blindly claim that their Lords ascended beyond flesh. The Worshippers of False God Baal are the most vocal about it, if I recall correctly they still abduct children and raise them under the ‘teachings’ of their False God... Shocking that they still haven’t all been discovered yet.”
He said flatly, more thinking out loud than telling Okena something that she may not already know. It was relatively common knowledge; the issue with trying to track down any remaining worshippers of The False Gods was that they were all far too well hidden and often using complex spells to further hide themselves... He shook his head gently; the thought was largely irrelevant, since they wouldn’t dare declare war on The Empire when they were so vastly outnumbered.

“Your father didn’t tell you? Hydromancy was originally conceived by your father at the request of The False Gods as a means to counter-act Pyromancy. However, the practice was found largely impractical so it was eventually dismissed. After that, no-one would willingly want to become a Hydromancer, so the art died in its infancy.”
Baldur said calmly, somewhat perplexed that he knew more of the history behind Hydromancy than Okena did. If his suspicions were correct, however, Baldur strongly suspected that Wynn had told Okena very little of the history surrounding Hydromancy. In fact, Baldur was also under the impression that Wynn had flat out told Okena that any of Warlord heritage were evil, as was typical of those who worshipped The False Gods. It was understandable, after all, The Warlords had been the cause of death for many of The False Gods.

That she was able to admit that she was somewhat fearful of him was a step forward at least –and it did help Baldur form several ideas about how the worshippers of The False Gods may have been living- so he had little need to acknowledge her admittance with anything more than a light nod. However, he comment about their status as abominations confused him; clearly, Okena was making some kind of joke... Baldur didn’t see why, but he ignored it for the time being.

“You are perhaps the least malformed half-breed I’ve met Okena. So perhaps you’re not quite the abomination I am.”
He stated simply, not entirely sure how he should respond to her light-hearted comment... Ace would know; he was better at the whole socialising aspect of life than Baldur was. He soon had another topic of discussion, which he took almost immediately while maintaining his ever-calm professional demeanour.

“No, killing my father in his sleep broke the many traditions surrounding succession. My father’s army turned against me and I had to flee with my younger brother. I am a Warlord in blood only, so, you have nothing to fear from me.”
He said calmly, aiming to put Okena’s fears to rest. He couldn’t very well expect to hold a conversation with this girl if her distrust continued to linger.

[Mali]

Okena didn’t share her father’s opinion toward his religion. For some reason, she didn’t seem to understand the reason for praying to something you couldn’t see, every day. Of course, she did pray to them when she was lonely or needed guidance. But she only believed in the false gods when she wanted to or needed them. She didn’t believe in them all that much. It surprised her to hear that some believers abducted children and raised them under their beliefs. She had to wonder if that was what her father did. Was he really her biological father? Was that the reason they were chased out of Empire Nirvana? Since he was dead, she would never know. But even if she did, he’d still be her father. He was the only one she’d ever had.

“They abduct children?” Okena led a very sheltered life while in Empire Nirvana. She was homeschooled, her father taught her everything she knew, she didn’t have many friends while in Empire Nirvana and she was a little shy. She didn’t know how to talk to people when she was younger. She has long since grown out of that shy stage, but back then, she didn’t speak to many people in the village. It didn’t help that her father was, whom she now knew to be called, Madman Johyrk. When she was younger, she didn’t know anything about her father other than what he told her. She would have to find out more that she thought she’d known but was lied to about. Did her father know what people thought of him?

“I knew that it was to oppose pyromancy, but I didn’t know it was created for the false gods,” what else had her father neglected to tell her about her life? It made sense why her father was so religiously addicted to his false gods, he’d continued to practise a dead art just to stay in their good fortunes. Okena knew that her father had been a little obsessive when it came to her practising and learning of hydromancy, but she’d never thought that he was that obsessed with it. It had never occurred to her to ask about why hydromancy wasn’t well practised in Empire Nirvana. She’d just accepted that it wasn’t and lived her life the way she could. Maybe she should have asked her father more questions.

“I guess there was a lot my father didn’t tell me.” She looked down at her hands, the silk scarf still laced through her fingers. Maybe she could sell the scarf for a bit of money. It seemed to be in decent shape for a fake silk scarf. But her stolen goods was hardly present on her mind right now. She was too busy questioning what she’d been taught and what her father had told her.

Okena quirked an eyebrow to what Baldur said next. The least malformed half-breed he’s met? Was that a compliment? “Thank you, I think?” she was a little confused. If he was talking about her looks, it was because she was half human and half non-human. There hadn’t been a lot of interbreeding among her father’s lineage. She knew that she was part bird, her father had told her so, but that was about it. She beamed a small smile as she decided that what Baldur had said was in fact a compliment. She didn’t care if it was otherwise. She thought it was nice of him to compliment her on her looks and the fact that she wasn’t as malformed as some half-breeds in Empire Nirvana. In fact, she could have had it a lot worse. There were some people from Empire Nirvana that looked downright creepy and odd because of interbreeding. She was glad that she didn’t.

She listened as he explained that he was a warlord by blood only. She had to wonder why it was that his father wanted to kill his younger brother. If they were brothers, then that meant they were related. However, did they have the same mother or father she wondered? Okena wanted to ask but knew better than to ask about personal information like that. She also knew that the chances of receiving an answer to such a question were slim. No one shared personal history with others, not unless they were trusted or very good friends. It would be rude to ask since she knew that she would never get an answer.

“That eases things a bit,” she smiled faintly to him. She didn’t want to trust him completely. She knew that if she did, she could be hurt easily. Not that he’d done anything to give her warning of being hurt. It was just that she didn’t have many friends, people she could easily call friends, and didn’t want to risk thinking that he may be one. She knew that she didn’t have to fear Baldur starting a war, and that she didn’t have to be afraid of him, but he was still evil, right? Or was that another lie her father had told her?

“So what did you think of my displays? I’m assuming you saw what I was doing...” she was happy to change the subject, although, a little worried about what he would say. She was apprehensive about getting a rating on her displays and abilities in hydromancy. It was the one thing she hated about being schooled by her father since he was very critical about her abilities.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Amur]

Baldur wouldn’t help but be disgusted by what he was hearing from Okena, her father had clearly only told her the information that would suit his needs. Baldur saw nothing more than manipulation, that Wynn would do that to his own daughter was an utterly despicable act. However, the man was dead, so there was little Baldur could do to him now to punish such an unacceptable way to raise a child. He kept a straight face as he allowed Okena to run what she was hearing through her mind and simply nodded gently as she came to the conclusion that Wynn had hidden much from her.

“It seems to me that your father only told you things relevant to his interests.”
Baldur stated flatly, now thinking on whether or not he should direct Okena to Nemesis Morona. Judging by what little she seemed to know of empire Nirvana at large Baldur guessed that it could have been possible that Wynn had neglected to educate Okena in Nemesis Morona’s false historical reputation... But, given that the man had been a devout servant to The False Gods the chances were that she had been educated similarly to the rest of The Empire. Nemesis Morona had been responsible in part for the death of False God Baal.

“Hmm?”
Baldur had been jolted from his thoughts as Okena stated that she had been put more at ease by his clarification on his status. A welcome development and at this point still a very fragile ease... For the time being it would be within Baldur’s best interest to keep her ignorant to Nemesis Morona’s presence here. If she had been educated to see Nemesis Morona as “evil” then that would likely shatter any chance Baldur had of gaining Okena’s trust.

He would test the proverbial waters once she trusted him a little bit more.

Baldur blinked as Okena asked him what he thought about her display of Hydromancy... He took a moment to think, clearly what she had been doing was not a combat practical use for the art, and Baldur had little doubt she was equally capable as a combat Hydromancer as she was as a performance Hydromancer. He compared what he had seen Okena doing to what he had seen Ace perform, he had already come to the conclusion that she was more advanced in her art as Ace was, but that would likely mean little to her.

He thought for a moment longer, he was hardly one to be giving constructive criticism on performance or art. The closest he had ever gotten to being artistic himself had been the day he had spent in one of the hidden Cathedrals of False God Baal... So, he wasn’t particularly capable of giving constructive criticism, however, that simply gave him an idea.

He reached into one of the inside-pockets of his robe and removed a relatively large golden coin, both faces had various symbols from some of the various non-human languages masterfully etched into them while the middle of each face bore the circle-bearing-four-points with the insignia of The Empire etched within it. The coin itself was crafted and polished to the point where it produced a brilliant sheen, the quality of the gold plain for all to see.

Baldur held The Medallion out toward Okena without so much as a second glance at it. The expression on his face was as straight and controlled as it always was.

“Consider this my requested ‘review’ on your talents. I simply ask that you do not hesitate in accepting it, I already have several of them; so this is but a small loss.”
He said calmly, wondering if Okena knew of the meaning behind The Medallions.

[Mali]

Nodding her head, she had to agree with Baldur. She didn’t believe this man to have any reason to tell her such bold faced lies. So she took what he told her about Empire Nirvana with an accepting tone. He couldn’t have left Empire Nirvana that long ago, unlike her who’d left over ten years ago. He would know more about current affairs in Empire Nirvana than she would. There was also the fact that Okena knew that she’d led a very secluded life while in Empire Nirvana. The only thing she had had to go on was what her father told her. Now that she wasn’t living the secluded lifestyle and her father was gone, there was no way to be completely sure of what he’d told her before. However, that didn’t mean that she should take everything Baldur said to be all true. There had to be some things that he believed that weren’t true and opposed what she believed.

“I know that I lived a secluded life in Empire Nirvana, but I didn’t think that almost everything my father had told me was a lie.” she would gauge whether she could trust everything Baldur told her based on his response. If he remained silent, then she knew that he had to be hiding something. And if he said something that seemed to put her father down, he could be lying again. But if he was encouraging, then there was hope, right? Or maybe she was looking at this the wrong way.

Baldur didn’t seem to be someone who talked a lot. He seemed to stop and think hard before replying. As she waited for him to say anything about her hydromancy, or about his status, other than ‘hmm’, Okena had to wonder if he was like this with everyone he spoke to or just with strangers. This conversation had turned quiet since she had spoken last and she had to admit that she felt a little awkward. She knew that he must have been thinking about what he’d seen her do, but the silence made her feel awkward.

Okena watched as Baldur reached into his robe, searching for something. She wondered what the relevance would be between what she’d asked and what he was searching for. Obviously, there had to be some correlation between the two as he still hadn’t given her an answer as to what he thought. Watching intently, she noticed the coin immediately as he pulled it out from his pockets. It was extremely shiny, he probably polished it frequently.

She wasn’t able to make out everything that was engraved on the coin as it was still too far away for her to see clearly, but she could tell that the coin had value. Although, she didn’t know what that value may be, she knew that it was something important and would be taken care of by her.

Looking down to the coin as it was held out to her, and then up at Baldur’s straight face, she couldn’t help but feel bashful. Pointing toward herself, she was confused as he offered her the coin. She was confused as to what this meant about her hydromancy. Did this mean that he liked it? Or did this mean something else entirely? She tilted her head to the side, slowly taking the coin from his hands.

Nodding her head, she looked down at the coin more closely. She could see the insignia of the Empire etched into the gold. This was a huge piece of gold. She’d never received something so generous for her performances. The best she could hope for was petty change from passerby’s pockets. This was the nicest thing she had ever received in return for her work.

“I’ll assume this means you enjoyed the show,” she giggled quietly. She was still staring at the coin. It was so shiny, she’d never seen anything shine so much before. Turning it in her hands, she read some of the languages she understood from the coin, mumbling their words quietly. She was so entranced by the coin that she almost forgot about Baldur standing right there.

“Thank you, Baldur. This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever received from someone.” It was beautiful and probably worth a lot. It could probably pay for a hundred nights with a bed if she were willing to sell it. Even knowing its worth, Okena wouldn’t sell it though. It was something that she would like to keep close to her. She was rather fond of the coin already.

“So what brings you to Ilirea?” Time to start a conversation again, although, she didn’t know why. He’d come to see if he could help her with her problem and it turned out he couldn’t. Now why would they have reason to keep talking to each other?

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Amur]

“I understand, for what reason would a father have to lie to his child? And for what reason would a child have to suspect that their parent was lying? I can’t say that I’m not disgusted by what your father did, since I was raised with such a large emphasis on the call of blood. But, I do not know the circumstances regarding his reasons... So, I will not judge further. What does surprise me, however, is that you refer to the False Gods as such, didn’t your father raise you under their teachings?”
Baldur said curiously, that such a devoted follower of The False Gods seemingly wouldn’t raise his daughter under their teachings was an unexpected development. Perhaps Wynn had changed somewhere down the line while he had been raising Okena. The question was big, Baldur knew it, however, it was likely one that would go unanswered, since it was unlikely that Okena would be able to explain her father’s motivation.

Okena’s reaction to receiving The Medallion was along the sort that Baldur had expected, but, the reason behind her reaction was not something that he expected. She really had lived a secluded life back in Empire Nirvana if she didn’t know of the meaning behind The Medallion. Baldur couldn’t help but slowly raise an eyebrow, maybe one day he would have to explain to her everything that Wynn had clearly neglected to teach her.

“Hmm. I see you weren’t exaggerating when you said that your life in Empire Nirvana was secluded... One day, I will explain to you the full meaning behind The Medallion, but for now. Think of this as my way of saying that I’m impressed by your abilities.”
He stated clearly, still somewhat shocked that the majority of the symbols from the non-human languages hadn’t given Okena even a small inkling as to the meaning of The Medallion –the various symbols simply meaning “Unity”, “Peace”, “Solidarity” and other similar things- however, he gave a small inward shrug, he had said he would teach her the meaning behind The Medallion, and he would, just not now, he didn’t really have the time to be idly talking to Okena in the first place.

He ignored her comment on The Medallion’s beauty, already under the impression that he had devalued its worth by telling Okena that he had several of them. No matter, she still seemed appreciative of it, so he had no further reason to comment on his gift to her.

Baldur paused for a moment as Okena asked him why he was in Illirea, well, he wasn’t about to tell her of his title of “Hidden Blade” from Nemesis Morona, but, he could simply tell her a half-truth on that front.

“I’m on my way to undertake some Mercenary and Guardian work, not so much for the pay-out, but simply to keep my skills up to a certain standard. I had simply stopped here to resupply the few items I usually carry with me before heading on my way.”
He said calmly, this was his usual cover for moving around as much as he did. No-one knew of his status as a Hidden Blade, not even Ace. And as much as Baldur hated lying to his brother, it was a necessary precaution, no-one could know of Baldur’s true status.

“Do you reside here, in Illirea? Or do you travel too much to warrant living in a fixed location?”
He asked calmly, deciding that it was the polite thing to do.

[Mali]

He was right. Why would she ever have reason to doubt what her father had told her? When she was growing up, she knew that she had a secluded lifestyle. The fact that she wasn’t allowed to play with many of the others kids proved that part right. But she had never thought that her father had lied to her. Maybe Baldur was lying to her now, trying to get her to no longer believe what her father had told her. But what reason would he have to do that? He didn’t have a reason to speak all these things that were opposite what her father told her. Okena decided that she should trust what Baldur said. He was saying what the general population of Empire Nirvana to believe, so it had to be right.

“Thanks for trying to comfort me, I think?” She looked down at her hands for a few moments before sighing. She shook her head. “Not really. He prayed to the gods every day, but he was more focused with teaching me my hydromancy than about the gods. I think he felt that I wouldn’t understand about the gods but through my hydromancy, I would be pleasing them so it didn’t matter that I didn’t understand about them,” It was the reason that she told herself that her father was so focused with her hydromancy. She didn’t understand his constant obsession with her learning the techniques and being able to perfect it. But she knew that he loved her and that there had to be a reason that he was so obsessed with the art. She told herself that just to comfort and reassure herself when she felt down or like he loved the gods more than her.

She looked up at him as he spoke. So he finally realised that her life really was secluded in Empire Nirvana. That was an understatement technically. Her life was so secluded that her father had lied about so many things to her. She had to wonder how much else he had neglected to tell her or told her lies about. Was Baldur even evil at all or was it just because the warlords didn’t support his gods? Practically everyone who didn’t worship his gods was evil to her; at least, that’s what she’d been told. She wasn’t even allowed to have friends in Empire Nirvana.

Okena felt that there was much she would need to learn about. Might as well start with what Baldur might be able to tell her. “Guardian work? What would that entail?” if it was a means for him to keep up his skills, then it had to be something to do with fighting, right? She knew what a mercenary was, but she had never heard of someone doing guardian work before.

She shook her head, laughing lightly. “No, I don’t have a home anymore, I travel too much. Although, it would be nice to have somewhere that I could call home. I don’t have anywhere really. I guess I can’t even call Empire Nirvana home anymore. I don’t know anything about the place...” she trailed off, looking down at the medallion for a moment. She shouldn’t be sharing her problems with Baldur; he probably didn’t care about her problems that much anyways. He was busy, he had somewhere to go and someone to meet with. She had no one.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Amur]

What Okena first said to Baldur fascinated them; usually the followers of The False Gods would raise their offspring under the teachings of their Lords. But Wynn, perhaps somewhere down the line he had realised that their teachings were false, or maybe the birth of his daughter changed him in some small way... Baldur could only speculate, but even the speculation offered multiple thought-provoking topics that overall changed some of his thoughts on at least a small number of the followers of The False Gods... He would have to look further into the subject before he drew any solid conclusions however, so for the time being he kept himself neutral.

Though, he had to wonder if Okena’s secluded upbringing was Wynn’s way of protecting her from his reputation or if he really did despise everything The Empire stood for that much. Even as Baldur thought on that a third answer that was little more than a combination of the first two presented itself to him. Which only raised further questions in his mind that he could do little more than speculate the answer to, and he was already fascinated by the potential implications of such questions, after all, Baldur did enjoy puzzles too complex to solve.

He was jolted from his thoughts as Okena asked him what exactly guardian work entailed, well, that had been an unexpected question. Was she genuinely interested, or was she simply trying to verify his story? Baldur was of course well prepared to explain himself, he always was.

“Usually offering to guard trade caravans or just generally paranoid people as they travel toward their destination, the pay isn’t exactly substantial. But, like I said, I do it mostly to keep my skills sharp; you would be surprised at how many people would try to take advantage of those under guard... My plan isn’t foolproof, mind you. I usually out-class the potential thieves so absolutely that there is little chance for growth on my part.”
Baldur stated flatly, adjusting his cravat as he spoke. The last part of his statement was actually true; the few times he had been attacked while he was working could be better described as slaughter as opposed to combat. He had come to the conclusion that he needed to himself a sparring partner that was capable of keeping up with him, that would both allow him to keep his skills sharp and held potential for further growth.

But so far all of his efforts had met with failure.

“You know absolutely nothing about Empire Nirvana?”
Baldur asked, surely a secluded upbringing didn’t mean that her education on The Empire was neglected... In fact, did she even hold typical Nirvanian values when it came to history? There was little doubt in Baldur’s mind as to the answer to such a question, but as always he would have to confirm it beyond all doubt before he put any real thought into it.

He thought for a moment longer on the subject, perhaps there would be something to be gained by educating Okena in the history of her homeland... But how would he go about such a thing? He had only just met her, so he couldn’t very well point her in the direction of Nemesis Morona’s village, not when the chances were that she had been raised into believing him to be evil. Building trust to that kind of level would take more time than Baldur currently had.

“Interesting, I would offer to educate some on your homeland, but I don’t presently have the time to do so. Perhaps it could be arranged for another day.”

[Mali]

Okena may have had a secluded upbringing with her father, but she still knew of some customs from Empire Nirvana. She knew that people valued history greatly. Even if she didn’t understand why, she tried to appear to think the same about personal history. She knew a few other things but didn’t technically believe in them. Why should she believe in something that she didn’t understand? Which was part of the reason that she didn’t believe in the gods like her father had. She just couldn’t understand them to the extent that her father did. But that didn’t stop her from praying to them when she really needed someone to talk to about her problems. Did that make her an agnostic?

Baldur didn’t hesitate to answer her question about what guardian work was. It sounded rather boring. If she were to try to do guardian work, she didn’t think that it would help improve her skills at all. If she were a better swordsman then it would be different. However, she wasn’t a swordsman and resorted to her knowledge of hydromancy to keep her safe. It wasn’t everyday that sharp ice formed on a woman’s fingertips, being thrown at high speeds toward assailants.

“That wouldn’t really help me in any way since the people I’d be protecting would probably want a swordsman and not a hydromancer.” She chuckled lightly.

She gave him a look as to say, as if, before placing her hands on her hips. She should be offended at the statement. “I know enough about Empire Nirvana, the value placed on history and such, but not everything. The only things I know about culture are slim.” She realised that she didn’t have any real reason to be angry with what he said. It was true, she didn’t know much about Empire nirvana. However, to say that Okena knew nothing annoyed her.

Okena looked up at Baldur one last time before looking down at her now fidgeting hands. It would be really nice of him to teach her more about her homeland, if only he had the time. “I would appreciate that very much Baldur, if only you had the time.” Okena wondered what the chances were that they would meet up again and he would be able to teach her about Empire Nirvana. Maybe she would be able to meet up with him again while on her travels. She could go anywhere she wanted after all. Maybe if he had a place of residence that she would be able to visit, it would be easier for him to do so.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Amur]

Baldur was deep in thought as Okena spoke; he had already concluded that telling her of Nemesis Morona’s presence in this land was a bad idea. He still had a lot of trust to gain if he wanted to set a regular meeting point. But what to do? It would probably be a bad idea to tell her the location of the clearing Ace stayed at. He highly doubted Josk would appreciate some random stranger just turning up and asking after Baldur.

He already knew without a doubt that Morona would welcome Okena into their village with open arms... But yet again he was forced to remind himself that there was a very good chance that Okena had been raised to view Morona as evil, especially given their hand in the deaths of False Gods Baal and Lautrec.

Then again, she had just admitted to him that her knowledge on the culture (Or cultures, to be more accurate) was slim... That was still too much of a risk to take, however... He dismissed the thought for now, opting to take the safer route and build a level of trust with Okena before dropping the news that Morona had come from Empire Nirvana with him. The village was out-of-the way, with luck she wouldn’t hear about their presence hear from anyone random.

However, first thing was first. To continue talking to Okena.

“I have noticed that people in this land seem to distrust mages as a whole.”
Baldur commented factually in reply to Okena’s first comment. It had been something that had –admittedly- taken Baldur a short while to notice at first. But once the adjustment to a difference in culture had taken place Baldur had been shocked to learn such distrust existed. Of course, it was nothing when compared to normal people and their hatred of The Hunters. But, it DID exist. Back in Empire Nirvana mages were accepted openly, this was a difference that he did not yet understand, and it was one he intended to study someday.

“However, much like you, I travel regularly. Which largely removes the need for a fixed location of any kind. This makes my offer difficult. I would normally suggest that we attempt to scry each other to make some kind of arrangement, but your Hydromancy would prevent that.”
Baldur thought out-loud. He could always try to rework “The Link” so that it would connect to him as opposed to what was formerly his father’s throne-room. But, that was probably something he would require the help of a talented mage for. Baldur was trained in the use of magic up to a certain standard, his education had demanded as much, however, his magical limitations were lower than his father’s had been.

He thought for a moment longer on a possible candidate for such a task. Morona would have been the obvious choice; they had over eight-hundred years worth of experience. But that would mean having to make the time to travel back to the village, which he did not currently have time for. There was of course always the opportunity to make the request of Josk... Baldur thought on that for a moment longer, he did hold a measure of trust for the elf now, but he disliked the thought of showing Josk something he wouldn’t have seen before.

“Unless we were to agree to a regular meeting-point and meet there every so often, which is about the only suggestion I can presently offer.”

[Mali]

Okena agreed with what Baldur said about the distrust of mages. Even though magic was widely accepted among the cultures in Alagaesia, she knew that the population widely distrusted mages. She didn’t quite know why but had come to accept that she would always be considered a mage as well and would be distrusted for that fact alone. She didn’t like it, but she accepted it.

“They do. It’s sad that even though magic is accepted by many cultures but performing and possessing such abilities labels people as mages and are distrusted.” she was just speaking her mind and didn’t expect Baldur to speak further on her comment.

She smiled and nodded her head. So he wanted to meet up again and tell her about her homeland. She was happy that he was so willing to teach her. She had only ever learned from her father. She wasn’t allowed to go to school either. It would be nice to finally learn the truth about her homeland. Although, she had no idea that the knowledge she did know was mostly false thanks to her father.

Okena thought about what Baldur said about deciding on a meeting point and visiting there often. They could even leave messages for the other telling when they should be back again that way it might be easier for them to meet up again. “We could carve into a tree when we would be there next, or leave some kind of message so that it would be easier to meet up again?” she didn’t know if it was a good idea or not. It depended on which spot or city they chose to meet up in again. Leaving messages could lead bad people who might want to hurt them on their cases. She didn’t think that there were people after her, but she didn’t know whether Baldur had such people after him. For all she knew, he could have a bounty on his head here. She hadn’t thought about that yet.

“I would like to meet up again, but am not sure where would be most accommodating for you, Baldur. I go anywhere.” she would like to accommodate Baldur if it was possible. She wouldn’t want to choose a place that was too far for Baldur to conveniently get there. He was taking his time to tell her about her homeland after all, she should have the decency to try to accommodate him.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Amur]

Baldur was actually somewhat relieved that he had not been the only one to notice the distrust the population –at least the pure-breed population- at large toward mages. If he had noticed it and if Okena had noticed it then there was a very good chance that other Nirvanians had also noticed it. Mages may not have been very common back in Empire Nirvana, but if anything, they were perhaps among the most cherished living beings there.

The sense of distrust here confused Baldur, but it was not something he allowed to gnaw at him. Not when he had more pressing matters to concern himself with.

He listened to Okena’s suggestion regarding further meetings and had dismissed it as largely impractical. He continued to turn the thought over in his mind, that she was willing to go where Baldur told her already gave him some leniency on the location... But, much like Okena, Baldur could be taken anywhere by either his Hidden Blade status, or simply for his desire to acquire knowledge. There was one option that presented itself to him as the most practical, but he was unsure whether or not Okena would be familiar with the idea.

“Okena, are you familiar with the concept of dead-drops?”
He asked calmly, Indeed, the creation of a dead-drop was complex and time consuming. Especially the kind that he intended to make and the concept itself was relatively dated. However, it would largely eliminate the issue surrounding their travelling.

“It may take a short while, but I could craft several dead-drops and enchant them in such a way as to attune themselves to your Hydromancy so that they would lead you and only you directly to them. This would eliminate the issue surrounding the fact that we both seem to travel a lot.”
Baldur suggested calmly. It was far from a perfect suggestion, but, with Okena’s speciality it was the least likely to fail. And, it would also allow Baldur some further time to come up with something better somewhere down the line... But for now, this would do.

[Mali]

Okena tilted her head to the side as Baldur mentioned dead-drops. What was a dead-drop? “To be honest, I’m not quite sure what they are,” Okena hadn’t been in Empire Nirvana long and if it was something that they did there, she had no knowledge of it. She had never heard the term dead-drop either which only served to confuse her. Did it mean that someone dropped dead whenever he wanted to message her? And how would he get her to know about whether there was one active or not?

As he explained that he would attune it to her hydromancy, she was only continually confused. How would she know where this dead-drop was? Would she just know, like a psychic message sent to her or something? “How does that work? How would I know where it is?” it sounded like an interesting concept if only she understood it a little better.

“Does it have anything to do with people dying? I mean the name seems to suggest so...” she fidgeted uncomfortable at the thought. She didn’t want people to drop dead just so she could receive a message of when he was free and where to meet up with Baldur.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Amur]

Baldur remained silent as Okena answered his question, much as he had expected, she confessed to him that she didn’t know what a dead-drop was. Unsurprising, but, Baldur knew better than to make assumptions, his question merely served as a means of finding out just how much more he would have to explain to Okena. Though, he couldn’t help but suppress a smile at her second question, never before had he heard such a literal thought.

In her own way, Okena was naive. Not that such a trait bothered Baldur; he had raised Ace, after all. Naiveté was something he was used to... well, as was the childish arrogance that his brother had a high tendency to display.

“No, no.”
He replied calmly.

“A dead-drop is an inconspicuous piece of the scenery used to leave messages, and other similar things in. Only those in the know will be able to find them. It’s a technique commonly used among spies and assassins. Like I said, they would take me a short while to craft, but I could enchant them so that you’ll know which dead-drop is active. I can enchant items that recognise my brother’s Pyromancy, so it’s not particularly taxing.”
Baldur explain calmly, believing that was all he should have really needed to explain. It covered all of the bases. Then again, he still needed to explain how exactly she would feel the dead-drops, which was the only answer that Baldur didn’t have at present.

It would likely be an issue for a short while, but Baldur was confident that it would resolve itself.

“Like I said, it’s the best method I can come up with at the present time. It can pass as a temporary, yet long term system until I am able to find a better solution. Does this sound acceptable to you, Okena?”