"I don't blame you. People are exhausting." Linhardt shakes his head in sympathy.
"Of course I'm different. I have entirely unique character flaws, thank you." He's aware of them and he'll list them if Felix likes: He's indecisive, cowardly, passive, and hedonistic. Linhardt just accepts those things. He's told them to everybody. He's told all of them he hates politics and he's a pacifist. (Not that he's on the Church's side either, he's aware of how they've massaged history, and you don't do that unless you have something to hide.)
Linhardt definitely isn't going to stop Felix from carrying his own things. He isn't the type of person to put in effort if he doesn't have to, and clearly right now, he doesn't have to, "Alright."
The man can walk ahead if he wants. They'll both get out eventually, what does it matter who goes first?
He only encounters three guards outside: An archer, a brawler, and a soldier, all of whom look at him in open curiosity when he emerges.
At first, when the madam pulls him aside, Linhardt thinks she's going to tell him about something secretly embarrassing, like an allergy, but instead she says some truly crass things.
Linhardt's easy-going nature dissolves like sugar into hot tea, face flattening into a sheet of expressionless ice.
"I see. So he puts on airs." When the woman nods, he continues, "As opposed to you: The house manager for a brothel who decides to approach me, the man destined to administer Adrestia, and give me economic advice."
By the end of the speech, he's clearly speaking to her as though she's a very, very slow child. Then he shakes his head and turns away. He'll have her removed once he gets back to the Enbarr estate. Ban her from Enbarr or their territory at least. If she wants to be unpleasant, she can live in backwater, unpleasant places.
Okay, Felix has to admit that hearing an Adrestian noble blatantly admit to disliking people isn't exactly common. Keeping up appearances and all that. Still, he looks unimpressed by the man's insistence that his flaws are 'unique.' At least he admits he has flaws at all.
Felix can't hear his conversation with the madam, but he can tell that afterward her pleasant smile has become brittle, and he can admit to a little satisfaction at what is hopefully the last time he'll ever have to see her. He'd pray to the Goddess about it, if he thought the Goddess would give a shit.
He doesn't bother to say goodbye, or to say anything at all, to anyone. He just waits until the noble is ready to walk out the door and the guards let him follow.
He'd like to say that this is no big deal. He should be able to do something as simple as walk outside without feeling like a geyser of incomprehensible emotions is trying to erupt out of him. He tries to just keep walking like everything is fine.
But he can't. His feet just stop of their own accord and one hand comes up to shield his eyes from the sun as he looks around. His jaw is tight with the effort of keeping composed. Of course, he's seen this part of the city a million times through windows, and there was a time when they would take him to clients' houses instead of the clients coming to him, if they paid extra. But eventually - about five years ago - they decided that between his escape attempts and his attitude, he was a "troublemaker" and needed to be kept inside the House at all times.
And he hadn't thought he really missed going out all that much - his room has had a large window, he had plenty of fresh air, there were fewer random strangers trying to talk to him and fewer annoying merchants trying to sell him things. It was fine.
He's learning now that he was wrong. There's a big difference between seeing the world through a window and actually being out in it. He feels like he's just woken up from a very long dream. He silently chastises himself for this ridiculous and fanciful way of looking at it - nothing has changed. He's still exactly what he was yesterday: a very expensive prisoner.
...whatever. He wills himself to stop gawking at everything like an idiot and keep moving. But he can't help wondering whether this noble will also expect him to stay inside. Maybe he has a walled garden Felix could go out and eat meals in, or--
Ugh. Ugh. How pathetic can he get? He forces himself to stop thinking about it, instead looking around for their means of travel.
Linhardt stops when Felix does, peering at him curiously. He can feel some sort of stress: something is wrong but he doesn't know what it is. That happens a lot. Some things are easy, like broken bones. This... he doesn't even know where this is.
Which means he also doesn't know what to do about it, so at first Linhardt just waits. So do the guards, used to their eccentric heir. If Linhardt. has stopped, they stop.
Unfortunately, Linhardt is an academic at heart, and when he doesn't know something, he really, really wants to know.
"Is this a good or bad reaction? Should I put you in rooms with access to outside or not or is it-" Hmm, what else might have caused this? Actually, he's getting ahead of himself, there's a practical concern first here, so this conversation really is best left for later.
So he drops it.
"We're actually walking, if you're wondering. I wasn't expecting you to be a person. I thought you'd be something I could carry or just teleport home." He points off at a tree and a tower in the distance. The Hevring estate in Enbarr.
"What?" Felix's eyes snap up to the noble's face in annoyance before his training kicks in; he turns his frown into lowering his eyes behind his long lashes and turning his head away. "...I'm not having a 'reaction.'" Leave me alone, is the unspoken follow-up.
At least the man mentioned the possibility of access to the outdoors. That's something. Maybe.
Felix follows his gaze to the tower and tries to hide his frustration. He'd thought they would be leaving Enbarr altogether. He was going to wait to make a move until they'd passed beyond the city limits. Much safer that way. Harder to find him. He may have been only thirteen the last time he had to put any of his wilderness training to use, but he's sure he'll remember the important things. He could have disappeared into the countryside.
But they're barely going anywhere. That tower is visible enough from here that he'll probably still be able to see the House from a window. He's going to have to improvise, and it's going to have to be much sooner and much quicker than he'd planned for.
"If you could teleport there with something you could carry, why don't you just teleport all of us?"
He doesn't care if Felix looks him in the eyes or not; in fact, he'd prefer if the other man did because it would make his facial expressions easier to read. Still, he understands that the man's been trained to behave a certain way, and since now they're in public, it's best to allow it. Otherwise, one of the older Adrestian nobles may get wind and pull Linhardt aside for one of their half-avuncular, half-threatening discussions on respecting the order of things.
Always interesting words from people who betrayed their Emperor. At least his father didn't pretend to care about the system. He was interested in results.
Felix is obviously having a reaction, but Linhardt doesn't press it. If he doesn't want to discuss it, all pushing would do is make the man lie to be left alone.
He gestures for them all to start walking, the guards falling into step several yards behind them in deference to Linhardt's natural predilection for privacy.
It's a decent question.
"I'm still learning, and living things, especially people, are harder to teleport than objects. For objects, you just need to know where they're physically going to be. For living things, you need to make sure to keep the connection between their bodies and souls intact, or else the body on the other side will have an empty mind."
Not that he'd ever seen such a thing, but there were warnings in the most advanced writings about it.
"I've never heard of such a thing." Felix only sounds mildly skeptical. "But it implies that similar magic could do it deliberately. Doesn't it?"
He knows a Crest is in the blood, but is it in the soul, too? Is that something the faceless mages might have been trying to experiment with? Is this noble, talking about these things so blithely, one of them?
He keeps a sharp eye on their surroundings and the potential for opportunities presenting themselves as they walk, although he still plans to wait on doing anything until they're sufficiently far away from the House. He's not in the mood for tempting fate.
Linhardt almost stops walking. He does trip a little over his own feet, catching himself from falling. Nobody listens to him talk about magic and then asks good questions. Who is this person? He likes them, even if they are grumpy and asocial. Given the nature of people, who could blame him?
"I suppose you could," He answers, musing aloud, "It might even have a few medical uses." If nothing else, separating the mind and body would help isolate which behaviors were due to which, which would be invaluable for researching trait inheritance.
The guards aren't watching them closely; they're all aware that they're only there to satisfy Lady Hevring: Linhardt is more than capable of looking after himself. He turns down a street, gesturing for Felix to follow. Soon enough, their destination is in view.
The tower isn't the estate, only the part that was visible over the skyline. The rest of the estate is lined with an iron fence and high hedges. Through areas of fence, Felix can see a lush green lawn of a size large enough to almost be a mall as well as several other buildings and numerous greenhouses.
Felix's eyes slide over to glance sidelong at the noble. "Medical uses, huh? It doesn't sound like you know how to reverse it." And that's okay with you? is the disgusted question he doesn't ask, his tone still even enough.
The guards are far enough from them, and paying little enough attention, that when the noble turns a corner, Felix sees his opportunity and immediately takes it. Instead of following the man around the corner, he takes off running with no warning. He would rather fight - there are only four of them, after all - but even if he could get his hands on one of their weapons, the noble's magic is a highly unpredictable factor. Safer to just book it. And this is another reason he didn't bring much - his bag isn't so heavy on his back that it hinders him much, and he drops the chest the instant he starts running.
If he can make it to the next intersection, he plans to duck down a different side street and hopefully lose his captors in a maze of alleys.
"Obviously I'd have to figure that out first, but it'd make surgery easier, for example, or healing severe burns when the skin needs to be regrown layer by layer." Linhardt looks over at the man with a vaguely puzzled look on his face: Did he find the practice of medicine that disgusting? People twitching during surgical operations is a real problem.
The vaguely puzzled look turns into one of alarm when he looks away for a minute...only for the man to take off running down the street.
Linhardt stands there for a moment, conflicted. He can't blame the man, really. He'd certainly run if he were in the man's position. On the other hand, they're in the wealthiest part of Enbarr, someone running here is going to be apprehended very quickly and depending on which Crest the man has, he could end up in a situation far worse than the one he was in.
So he takes off after him. Linhardt can run, he's even decently fast, but he hates it and, more importantly, they're attracting attention. There isn't time for a lengthy chase. At least the courtesan is smart enough to dodge down a side alley when he reaches the intersection between the Hevring estate and the Enbarr residences of Baron von Och.
Instead of following him, Linhardt reaches out and feels with his magical senses. As a mage, he doesn't need a line of sight; he can tell where the man is without it.
And, in lieu of a better idea, Linhardt's solution is fairly simple: He whips up a wind spell that picks Felix up and throws him backwards, blowing him head over heels and crashing onto his behind, somersaulting backwards as the guards catch up with Linhardt, who looks contrite and raises a glowing hand to heal the damage Felix just sustained, faith magic seeping into him to smooth away cuts, abrasions, bruises, and other damage.
"I understand why you did that." He says calmly.
He tilts his head, "And I can't reassure you. I wouldn't believe anything I say if I were you."
Still, he reaches out and offers Felix a hand up.
"Still, I will say that if you have a home you want to return to, I will help you if you wish. I'm no slaver."
As soon as the wind picks up, unnaturally sudden and strong, Felix knows what's happening. He grits his teeth and lowers his center of gravity, determined to push forward - but in the end, the magic wins.
Rolling to a halt, he pushes himself up onto his hands and knees as the faith magic washes over him. He fixes his eyes on the ground, mostly to keep his face hidden behind the now-tangled curtain of his hair until he can school his expression at least a little; glaring murderous daggers at this noble right after such a demonstration of power would be satisfying, but also a terrible idea. So he just stays there for a moment, catching his breath and seething quietly.
I understand, the man says, and Felix can't help a scoff. And then I wouldn't believe anything I say, and he tries not to sneer as he replies, "Wasn't planning to."
He bats the offered hand aside and gets to his feet on his own, turning his back to the noble immediately. "Don't bother."
He puts his hand back in his pocket when the courtesan doesn't take it. If he doesn't want help, that's fine. It saves Linhardt the effort of helping. He doesn't care that the man doesn't want to look at him either. Linhardt wouldn't be happy in the man's situation; he's not going to demand the man pretend to be happy to placate his own ego.
"I thought not." The man is smart.
Linhardt stands there with Felix just a little too long, the silence starting to become awkward before he breaks it.
"You attempted to escape and failed. Please come with me before we run into Count Varley and he insists on doing something barbaric like whipping you."
It doesn't matter. One failed attempt is hardly the end of things; even if the noble does decide to follow the House's example and confine Felix to the manor, it should be a lot easier to figure out a way out of here without being seen than it was back there.
He glances over his shoulder at the other man, scornful. "You're just standing there. If you want me to come with you, you'll have to start moving."
Linhardt laughs. "Fair point." He says, gesturing for Felix to follow him and then proceeding back the way they came, running into the guards a moment later. The noble reassures his guards, who look at Felix dubiously, clearly not quite as sanguine about the situation as their master.
"Look at it this way," He tells Felix as they start walking toward the estate, "Once I show you to your rooms I have a meeting to attend to, so at least you don't have to listen to me much longer. Or anybody, if you lock the doors."
Hey, he appreciates being left alone, and the man seems to share his general view on people.
Felix ignores the guards entirely, turning to follow the noble as though they're the only two people present. He can't help arching a brow. "And here I thought you'd have them lock from the other side. What's stopping me from locking the doors and climbing out the window?"
Linhardt might think he wouldn't say this if he were actually planning to do it, but Felix is legitimately asking. He has to know what he'll be dealing with, here, and he's getting the sense that this noble doesn't bother with pleasant lies for appearances' or propriety's sake. Enviable in the extreme, honestly, that he has the luxury. The things Felix would have said to past clients if he could have would probably have gotten him killed.
"Nothing, but that would be an odd way to enjoy the lawns and garden, so some people might look askance at you." Which is the answer to Felix's actual question: The estate has multiple buildings, but none of them are open to the street. All climbing out the windows would do is get him outside. It becomes clear as they approach that the iron gate would seem to be the only way in and out of the Hevring estate in Enbarr; the main house is surrounded by immaculately tended green lawns and paved paths leading to either other, smaller buildings or off to gardens.
"I don't see what there is to enjoy about a lawn. It's just grass." This doesn't seem to be sarcasm of any kind.
Now that the destination is close and knowing there's no way around it (yet), Felix just wants to get inside and end this farcical attempt at a conversation. He picks up his pace, not to run as he did before, but just to stride more purposefully toward the gate. He stands there with his chin lifted as though he expects the estate's guards to open it for him as a guest of honor or something.
"It's nice to nap on." Linhardt says, but he doesn't press the issue. The courtesan isn't required to like lawns or gardens; not everybody is going to share his grandfather's plant obsession. When Felix picks up his pace, the guards move to match it, but Linhardt doesn't hurry. He doesn't like hurrying.
The guards at the gate greet the guards accompanying the two men. They only open the gate when Linhardt arrives and tells them that Felix is a friend of his and will be staying with them. The guards give Felix (and his unusual sartorial choices) a look and then smirk knowingly. Friends. Right.
"Come on." He gestures for Felix to follow him, fighting the urge to shrink away from the looks the guards and soldiers are giving him, instead setting his jaw and looking straight ahead. Linhardt doesn't like that other people think they have a right to opinions about his personal life.
The noble guides Felix down a stone path towards the manor; there are people hustling about, heading to and from buildings, as well as a strong security presence. Servants, soldiers, guests (scholarly, noble, or professional in nature), artisans, and employees all go about their business.
"You're welcome to go anywhere you like," Linhardt says as someone opens the manor door for them, leading Felix down the hall towards his rooms, "Kitchen, training yard, stables, greenhouses..." Anything else? "Libraries, if you read."
He doesn't know what Felix likes to do with his time.
A friend. So the noble intends to turn this whole thing into a farce. Felix hates when clients do this, more than he hates getting ogled. At least the ogling is honest. So as he passes by the guards, he spares them one of his signature 'cold bedroom eyes' looks to confirm their suspicions. Call it a minor act of spite.
He follows the man through the grounds, not bothering to glance around much. One noble estate is much like another, he's found. In Adrestia, at least.
"Anywhere I like, huh? Except through the gate, of course. Stop this charade, it's pointless. A spade is a spade."
He almost laughs derisively at the mention of the training yard. As though he'd be allowed to hold a weapon. Even a training weapon can really hurt if you know what you're doing with it. And despite the years that have passed since he's felt the comforting weight of a sword's hilt in his hand, he's made sure to train every day even without one. Glenn would approve.
"It's dangerous. After we've talked, if you want to leave, you can, but I'm not going to let you disappear like Monica or Lysithea von Ordelia."
He leads Felix down a hallway towards one of the more isolated wings of the manor. Linhardt prefers privacy. He stops at the suite of rooms next to his own and opens the doors, waving away the mustiness of the air and using a burst of magic to open the windows and bring in a fresh breeze.
"If you want to be frank about it, then fine: Yes, I'm keeping you here until I know which Crest you have." He doesn't flinch away from admitting it, "Afterwards if you want to go get killed, fine. Maybe there's an association between your Crest and stupidity."
"And honestly, I just don't care what you do the rest of the time. Sit on the chair and stare at the wall until I get back, I don't care."
Felix has no idea who those people are, but he certainly recognizes House Ordelia and he can guess why they 'disappeared.' The idea that this noble is magnanimously trying to save him from such a fate is laughable, particularly since he goes on to talk about his Crest again in the next breath.
He does glance around a little more when they get to the wing where their rooms are. The likelihood that Felix will spend a lot of time in his own is high, because the place is bustling with people he'd rather avoid, and it's a habit he's used to by now.
"I don't have a Crest." He says it in a flat tone. They both know he's lying, but Felix doesn't care. He's not going to tell this man anything.
"You don't care," he repeats, skeptical. "So you don't mind if I pay a visit to your training yard and practice with a sword, then?" It's clear sarcasm.
"If you say so." He's never had a reason to try to replicate the device that Hanneman supposedly kept at Garreg Mach, but he could try. The lie doesn't bother the noble at all; he's not going to demand that Felix trust him. That would just be stupid. Linhardt prefers the people around him to be smart and honest rather than focus on placating his ego.
"If you want to. I don't know why you would. I've never understood the fascination for hitting objects with another object."
He doesn't care if the man wants to train with their soldiers. Studying most Crests is going to involve weapon use anyway, and honestly, if giving the man a sword lets him fight his way past their entire guard staff? Then they need better security and it's better to find that out because the courtesan escapes rather than because a spy gets out or an assassin gets in.
Felix stops mid-step on his way to the window and turns to stare at the noble. Is he serious?
"Don't fuck with me," he warns in a low voice. "If this is some kind of test or joke, tell me now or I swear I'll figure out a way to kill you."
He's not even thinking about escape anymore (nor is he thinking about how his idle threat probably reduces the likelihood that this is a serious offer...). That wasn't the reason he wanted to train anyway, although of course it would probably be easier to get out of here with a weapon than without. But the point is...
The point is, he hasn't felt like himself since he was thirteen. He's spent the last ten years wondering what his brother and his father would think of who he's become, feeling that he's been insulting their memory in having to give up the purpose he was born for. The purpose he'd always wanted. What kind of Fraldarius is he if he can't fight? It doesn't matter what the reason is, whether it's in his power to change or not. A Fraldarius protects the crown. A Fraldarius masters combat to defend what they believe in. Maybe one reason he doesn't want to discuss his Crest is because then he'd really have to face just how much of a failure he is to his name and his blood.
That thought makes him realize that if he does take up a sword in the training yard, it's inevitable that the noble will see his Crest in action. He immediately decides he doesn't care.
"It's not." Linhardt answers. He meets Felix's stare with a placid blink, not responding to the threat and warning. Never show fear; accept everything with a grace that suggests you knew it was inevitable. Always remain in control of the situation, don't give into emotion.
Still, an explanation likely wouldn't go amiss.
"Either you're a competent fighter or you're not. If you're not, then there's no harm in allowing you to learn: In fact, it would be beneficial because that way if anybody ever sought to harm you, you could protect yourself. If you are a competent fighter, then again, there are two possibilities: Either you can outfight all my soldiers and escape, or you can't."
"If you can, then it would be a good way for us to learn about our security weaknesses. If you can't, then my soldiers gain a new sparring partner and my students gain more practice cases."
Which reminds him... oh. He'd never actually told the man who he is.
"I'm Linhardt von Hevring. I'm Adrestia's head healer and the Emperor's physician." Mostly because she and Vestra distrusted him slightly less than all the other options.
Felix has to admit that the noble's logic is sound, although he wouldn't need to outfight all the man's soldiers - just the ones standing in his way. If he dispatches them quickly enough, it won't matter that there are dozens more all over the estate.
But that's just a background thought for later. The knowledge of who he's dealing with here doesn't change much - he's heard of the Hevring family, of course, but even if Felix hadn't grown up as nobility himself, his years as a courtesan would have erased any respect or awe he might have had for nobles based on title alone. He's seen too many of their private debaucheries and flaws to see them as anything other than people with too much money and power.
"Am I supposed to be impressed?"
He doesn't offer his own name. If the man wants it, he can ask. If he doesn't, he'll live down to Felix's expectations, and that's fine.
"In that case, tell me how to get to your training yard."
"What? No." In usual Linhardt fashion, he answers the rhetorical question. He isn't throwing his name around so the man's impressed; he hates that. People treating him like The Heir to Hevring instead of Linhardt creeps him out; it's like he's not a person to them, just an office. Almost like an object. He prefers the grumpy courtesan.
"I mentioned it because it's the reason we have more healers than other estates, which is another reason I don't worry: there are more than enough healers to ensure nobody is permanently damaged."
Which is to say that he mentioned it for practical reasons, "Why would I care about impressing you? I don't know who you are, and honestly, anybody who would be impressed by my name isn't worth impressing." He shakes his head in disappointment, "Speaking of, what should I call you?" Real name or not, he doesn't care.
As for the man's question...
"The training yard is to the east of this building. You'll need to go down past the stables and flying tower, it's tucked behind the auxiliary archival storage building. Just look for a lot of dirt."
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2021-09-07 01:35 am (UTC)"Of course I'm different. I have entirely unique character flaws, thank you." He's aware of them and he'll list them if Felix likes: He's indecisive, cowardly, passive, and hedonistic. Linhardt just accepts those things. He's told them to everybody. He's told all of them he hates politics and he's a pacifist. (Not that he's on the Church's side either, he's aware of how they've massaged history, and you don't do that unless you have something to hide.)
Linhardt definitely isn't going to stop Felix from carrying his own things. He isn't the type of person to put in effort if he doesn't have to, and clearly right now, he doesn't have to, "Alright."
The man can walk ahead if he wants. They'll both get out eventually, what does it matter who goes first?
He only encounters three guards outside: An archer, a brawler, and a soldier, all of whom look at him in open curiosity when he emerges.
At first, when the madam pulls him aside, Linhardt thinks she's going to tell him about something secretly embarrassing, like an allergy, but instead she says some truly crass things.
Linhardt's easy-going nature dissolves like sugar into hot tea, face flattening into a sheet of expressionless ice.
"I see. So he puts on airs." When the woman nods, he continues, "As opposed to you: The house manager for a brothel who decides to approach me, the man destined to administer Adrestia, and give me economic advice."
By the end of the speech, he's clearly speaking to her as though she's a very, very slow child. Then he shakes his head and turns away. He'll have her removed once he gets back to the Enbarr estate. Ban her from Enbarr or their territory at least. If she wants to be unpleasant, she can live in backwater, unpleasant places.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-07 02:39 am (UTC)Felix can't hear his conversation with the madam, but he can tell that afterward her pleasant smile has become brittle, and he can admit to a little satisfaction at what is hopefully the last time he'll ever have to see her. He'd pray to the Goddess about it, if he thought the Goddess would give a shit.
He doesn't bother to say goodbye, or to say anything at all, to anyone. He just waits until the noble is ready to walk out the door and the guards let him follow.
He'd like to say that this is no big deal. He should be able to do something as simple as walk outside without feeling like a geyser of incomprehensible emotions is trying to erupt out of him. He tries to just keep walking like everything is fine.
But he can't. His feet just stop of their own accord and one hand comes up to shield his eyes from the sun as he looks around. His jaw is tight with the effort of keeping composed. Of course, he's seen this part of the city a million times through windows, and there was a time when they would take him to clients' houses instead of the clients coming to him, if they paid extra. But eventually - about five years ago - they decided that between his escape attempts and his attitude, he was a "troublemaker" and needed to be kept inside the House at all times.
And he hadn't thought he really missed going out all that much - his room
hashad a large window, he had plenty of fresh air, there were fewer random strangers trying to talk to him and fewer annoying merchants trying to sell him things. It was fine.He's learning now that he was wrong. There's a big difference between seeing the world through a window and actually being out in it. He feels like he's just woken up from a very long dream. He silently chastises himself for this ridiculous and fanciful way of looking at it - nothing has changed. He's still exactly what he was yesterday: a very expensive prisoner.
...whatever. He wills himself to stop gawking at everything like an idiot and keep moving. But he can't help wondering whether this noble will also expect him to stay inside. Maybe he has a walled garden Felix could go out and eat meals in, or--
Ugh. Ugh. How pathetic can he get? He forces himself to stop thinking about it, instead looking around for their means of travel.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-07 03:02 am (UTC)Which means he also doesn't know what to do about it, so at first Linhardt just waits. So do the guards, used to their eccentric heir. If Linhardt. has stopped, they stop.
Unfortunately, Linhardt is an academic at heart, and when he doesn't know something, he really, really wants to know.
"Is this a good or bad reaction? Should I put you in rooms with access to outside or not or is it-" Hmm, what else might have caused this? Actually, he's getting ahead of himself, there's a practical concern first here, so this conversation really is best left for later.
So he drops it.
"We're actually walking, if you're wondering. I wasn't expecting you to be a person. I thought you'd be something I could carry or just teleport home." He points off at a tree and a tower in the distance. The Hevring estate in Enbarr.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-07 03:21 am (UTC)At least the man mentioned the possibility of access to the outdoors. That's something. Maybe.
Felix follows his gaze to the tower and tries to hide his frustration. He'd thought they would be leaving Enbarr altogether. He was going to wait to make a move until they'd passed beyond the city limits. Much safer that way. Harder to find him. He may have been only thirteen the last time he had to put any of his wilderness training to use, but he's sure he'll remember the important things. He could have disappeared into the countryside.
But they're barely going anywhere. That tower is visible enough from here that he'll probably still be able to see the House from a window. He's going to have to improvise, and it's going to have to be much sooner and much quicker than he'd planned for.
"If you could teleport there with something you could carry, why don't you just teleport all of us?"
no subject
Date: 2021-09-07 03:34 pm (UTC)Always interesting words from people who betrayed their Emperor. At least his father didn't pretend to care about the system. He was interested in results.
Felix is obviously having a reaction, but Linhardt doesn't press it. If he doesn't want to discuss it, all pushing would do is make the man lie to be left alone.
He gestures for them all to start walking, the guards falling into step several yards behind them in deference to Linhardt's natural predilection for privacy.
It's a decent question.
"I'm still learning, and living things, especially people, are harder to teleport than objects. For objects, you just need to know where they're physically going to be. For living things, you need to make sure to keep the connection between their bodies and souls intact, or else the body on the other side will have an empty mind."
Not that he'd ever seen such a thing, but there were warnings in the most advanced writings about it.
no subject
Date: 2021-09-08 06:09 am (UTC)He knows a Crest is in the blood, but is it in the soul, too? Is that something the faceless mages might have been trying to experiment with? Is this noble, talking about these things so blithely, one of them?
He keeps a sharp eye on their surroundings and the potential for opportunities presenting themselves as they walk, although he still plans to wait on doing anything until they're sufficiently far away from the House. He's not in the mood for tempting fate.
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Date: 2021-09-09 12:11 am (UTC)"I suppose you could," He answers, musing aloud, "It might even have a few medical uses." If nothing else, separating the mind and body would help isolate which behaviors were due to which, which would be invaluable for researching trait inheritance.
The guards aren't watching them closely; they're all aware that they're only there to satisfy Lady Hevring: Linhardt is more than capable of looking after himself. He turns down a street, gesturing for Felix to follow. Soon enough, their destination is in view.
The tower isn't the estate, only the part that was visible over the skyline. The rest of the estate is lined with an iron fence and high hedges. Through areas of fence, Felix can see a lush green lawn of a size large enough to almost be a mall as well as several other buildings and numerous greenhouses.
A getaway in the midst of the city.
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Date: 2021-09-09 01:59 am (UTC)The guards are far enough from them, and paying little enough attention, that when the noble turns a corner, Felix sees his opportunity and immediately takes it. Instead of following the man around the corner, he takes off running with no warning. He would rather fight - there are only four of them, after all - but even if he could get his hands on one of their weapons, the noble's magic is a highly unpredictable factor. Safer to just book it. And this is another reason he didn't bring much - his bag isn't so heavy on his back that it hinders him much, and he drops the chest the instant he starts running.
If he can make it to the next intersection, he plans to duck down a different side street and hopefully lose his captors in a maze of alleys.
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Date: 2021-09-09 08:45 pm (UTC)The vaguely puzzled look turns into one of alarm when he looks away for a minute...only for the man to take off running down the street.
Linhardt stands there for a moment, conflicted. He can't blame the man, really. He'd certainly run if he were in the man's position. On the other hand, they're in the wealthiest part of Enbarr, someone running here is going to be apprehended very quickly and depending on which Crest the man has, he could end up in a situation far worse than the one he was in.
So he takes off after him. Linhardt can run, he's even decently fast, but he hates it and, more importantly, they're attracting attention. There isn't time for a lengthy chase. At least the courtesan is smart enough to dodge down a side alley when he reaches the intersection between the Hevring estate and the Enbarr residences of Baron von Och.
Instead of following him, Linhardt reaches out and feels with his magical senses. As a mage, he doesn't need a line of sight; he can tell where the man is without it.
And, in lieu of a better idea, Linhardt's solution is fairly simple: He whips up a wind spell that picks Felix up and throws him backwards, blowing him head over heels and crashing onto his behind, somersaulting backwards as the guards catch up with Linhardt, who looks contrite and raises a glowing hand to heal the damage Felix just sustained, faith magic seeping into him to smooth away cuts, abrasions, bruises, and other damage.
"I understand why you did that." He says calmly.
He tilts his head, "And I can't reassure you. I wouldn't believe anything I say if I were you."
Still, he reaches out and offers Felix a hand up.
"Still, I will say that if you have a home you want to return to, I will help you if you wish. I'm no slaver."
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Date: 2021-09-10 04:42 am (UTC)Rolling to a halt, he pushes himself up onto his hands and knees as the faith magic washes over him. He fixes his eyes on the ground, mostly to keep his face hidden behind the now-tangled curtain of his hair until he can school his expression at least a little; glaring murderous daggers at this noble right after such a demonstration of power would be satisfying, but also a terrible idea. So he just stays there for a moment, catching his breath and seething quietly.
I understand, the man says, and Felix can't help a scoff. And then I wouldn't believe anything I say, and he tries not to sneer as he replies, "Wasn't planning to."
He bats the offered hand aside and gets to his feet on his own, turning his back to the noble immediately. "Don't bother."
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Date: 2021-09-11 11:12 pm (UTC)"I thought not." The man is smart.
Linhardt stands there with Felix just a little too long, the silence starting to become awkward before he breaks it.
"You attempted to escape and failed. Please come with me before we run into Count Varley and he insists on doing something barbaric like whipping you."
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Date: 2021-09-12 06:40 am (UTC)He glances over his shoulder at the other man, scornful. "You're just standing there. If you want me to come with you, you'll have to start moving."
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Date: 2021-09-12 10:04 pm (UTC)"Look at it this way," He tells Felix as they start walking toward the estate, "Once I show you to your rooms I have a meeting to attend to, so at least you don't have to listen to me much longer. Or anybody, if you lock the doors."
Hey, he appreciates being left alone, and the man seems to share his general view on people.
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Date: 2021-09-12 10:19 pm (UTC)Linhardt might think he wouldn't say this if he were actually planning to do it, but Felix is legitimately asking. He has to know what he'll be dealing with, here, and he's getting the sense that this noble doesn't bother with pleasant lies for appearances' or propriety's sake. Enviable in the extreme, honestly, that he has the luxury. The things Felix would have said to past clients if he could have would probably have gotten him killed.
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Date: 2021-09-12 10:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-09-12 11:54 pm (UTC)Now that the destination is close and knowing there's no way around it (yet), Felix just wants to get inside and end this farcical attempt at a conversation. He picks up his pace, not to run as he did before, but just to stride more purposefully toward the gate. He stands there with his chin lifted as though he expects the estate's guards to open it for him as a guest of honor or something.
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Date: 2021-09-13 02:58 pm (UTC)The guards at the gate greet the guards accompanying the two men. They only open the gate when Linhardt arrives and tells them that Felix is a friend of his and will be staying with them. The guards give Felix (and his unusual sartorial choices) a look and then smirk knowingly. Friends. Right.
"Come on." He gestures for Felix to follow him, fighting the urge to shrink away from the looks the guards and soldiers are giving him, instead setting his jaw and looking straight ahead. Linhardt doesn't like that other people think they have a right to opinions about his personal life.
The noble guides Felix down a stone path towards the manor; there are people hustling about, heading to and from buildings, as well as a strong security presence. Servants, soldiers, guests (scholarly, noble, or professional in nature), artisans, and employees all go about their business.
"You're welcome to go anywhere you like," Linhardt says as someone opens the manor door for them, leading Felix down the hall towards his rooms, "Kitchen, training yard, stables, greenhouses..." Anything else? "Libraries, if you read."
He doesn't know what Felix likes to do with his time.
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Date: 2021-09-13 03:59 pm (UTC)He follows the man through the grounds, not bothering to glance around much. One noble estate is much like another, he's found. In Adrestia, at least.
"Anywhere I like, huh? Except through the gate, of course. Stop this charade, it's pointless. A spade is a spade."
He almost laughs derisively at the mention of the training yard. As though he'd be allowed to hold a weapon. Even a training weapon can really hurt if you know what you're doing with it. And despite the years that have passed since he's felt the comforting weight of a sword's hilt in his hand, he's made sure to train every day even without one. Glenn would approve.
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Date: 2021-09-13 04:23 pm (UTC)He leads Felix down a hallway towards one of the more isolated wings of the manor. Linhardt prefers privacy. He stops at the suite of rooms next to his own and opens the doors, waving away the mustiness of the air and using a burst of magic to open the windows and bring in a fresh breeze.
"If you want to be frank about it, then fine: Yes, I'm keeping you here until I know which Crest you have." He doesn't flinch away from admitting it, "Afterwards if you want to go get killed, fine. Maybe there's an association between your Crest and stupidity."
"And honestly, I just don't care what you do the rest of the time. Sit on the chair and stare at the wall until I get back, I don't care."
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Date: 2021-09-13 04:45 pm (UTC)He does glance around a little more when they get to the wing where their rooms are. The likelihood that Felix will spend a lot of time in his own is high, because the place is bustling with people he'd rather avoid, and it's a habit he's used to by now.
"I don't have a Crest." He says it in a flat tone. They both know he's lying, but Felix doesn't care. He's not going to tell this man anything.
"You don't care," he repeats, skeptical. "So you don't mind if I pay a visit to your training yard and practice with a sword, then?" It's clear sarcasm.
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Date: 2021-09-13 05:57 pm (UTC)"If you want to. I don't know why you would. I've never understood the fascination for hitting objects with another object."
He doesn't care if the man wants to train with their soldiers. Studying most Crests is going to involve weapon use anyway, and honestly, if giving the man a sword lets him fight his way past their entire guard staff? Then they need better security and it's better to find that out because the courtesan escapes rather than because a spy gets out or an assassin gets in.
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Date: 2021-09-13 06:26 pm (UTC)"Don't fuck with me," he warns in a low voice. "If this is some kind of test or joke, tell me now or I swear I'll figure out a way to kill you."
He's not even thinking about escape anymore (nor is he thinking about how his idle threat probably reduces the likelihood that this is a serious offer...). That wasn't the reason he wanted to train anyway, although of course it would probably be easier to get out of here with a weapon than without. But the point is...
The point is, he hasn't felt like himself since he was thirteen. He's spent the last ten years wondering what his brother and his father would think of who he's become, feeling that he's been insulting their memory in having to give up the purpose he was born for. The purpose he'd always wanted. What kind of Fraldarius is he if he can't fight? It doesn't matter what the reason is, whether it's in his power to change or not. A Fraldarius protects the crown. A Fraldarius masters combat to defend what they believe in. Maybe one reason he doesn't want to discuss his Crest is because then he'd really have to face just how much of a failure he is to his name and his blood.
That thought makes him realize that if he does take up a sword in the training yard, it's inevitable that the noble will see his Crest in action. He immediately decides he doesn't care.
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Date: 2021-09-13 06:43 pm (UTC)Still, an explanation likely wouldn't go amiss.
"Either you're a competent fighter or you're not. If you're not, then there's no harm in allowing you to learn: In fact, it would be beneficial because that way if anybody ever sought to harm you, you could protect yourself. If you are a competent fighter, then again, there are two possibilities: Either you can outfight all my soldiers and escape, or you can't."
"If you can, then it would be a good way for us to learn about our security weaknesses. If you can't, then my soldiers gain a new sparring partner and my students gain more practice cases."
Which reminds him... oh. He'd never actually told the man who he is.
"I'm Linhardt von Hevring. I'm Adrestia's head healer and the Emperor's physician." Mostly because she and Vestra distrusted him slightly less than all the other options.
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Date: 2021-09-13 06:57 pm (UTC)But that's just a background thought for later. The knowledge of who he's dealing with here doesn't change much - he's heard of the Hevring family, of course, but even if Felix hadn't grown up as nobility himself, his years as a courtesan would have erased any respect or awe he might have had for nobles based on title alone. He's seen too many of their private debaucheries and flaws to see them as anything other than people with too much money and power.
"Am I supposed to be impressed?"
He doesn't offer his own name. If the man wants it, he can ask. If he doesn't, he'll live down to Felix's expectations, and that's fine.
"In that case, tell me how to get to your training yard."
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Date: 2021-09-13 07:09 pm (UTC)"I mentioned it because it's the reason we have more healers than other estates, which is another reason I don't worry: there are more than enough healers to ensure nobody is permanently damaged."
Which is to say that he mentioned it for practical reasons, "Why would I care about impressing you? I don't know who you are, and honestly, anybody who would be impressed by my name isn't worth impressing." He shakes his head in disappointment, "Speaking of, what should I call you?" Real name or not, he doesn't care.
As for the man's question...
"The training yard is to the east of this building. You'll need to go down past the stables and flying tower, it's tucked behind the auxiliary archival storage building. Just look for a lot of dirt."
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