ᴀʟᴛᴜs, ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇʀ, ᴍᴀɢɪsᴛᴇʀ (tevene) wrote in valloic, @ 2021-09-05 09:44:00 |
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Entry tags: | !: action/thread/log, the untamed: lan xichen, ₴ inactive: dorian pavus |
WHO: Dorian & Lan Xichen
WHAT: Paper and silk! And a first meeting, in what smells like a medieval Sephora~
WHERE: Glorious Purveyors
WHEN: Backdated to last Friday
WARNINGS: Definitely not
STATUS: Complete
Lan Xichen would have preferred to remain in seclusion for at least another few months. Probably for another few years. He still didn’t know what he was going to do with himself or how he would avoid making his past mistakes again. He still didn’t feel he’d atoned for his failures. However, his brother was correct: there was a wedding to plan, and it was Lan Xichen’s duty to assist his brother in any way he required. And further, seclusion was simply not a practical option now that he’d been lifted from one world and placed in another. To remain in silent meditation at Gentian House would be an act of selfishness more so than an act of penance. Here he was, then, leaving Cloud Recesses of his own free will for the first time in almost a year. This was going to be simple: an errand to a shop to buy talisman paper. Lan Xichen enjoyed the walk through the forest to reach it; the forest had a fascinating flow of energy that captured his attention and kept him from dwelling on the fact that he was exiting seclusion. That kept him occupied until he reached the shop, and once he walked through the door of Glorious Purveyors, he had a new distraction in the absolutely stunning smell of the place. It wasn’t a good sort of stunning. It wasn’t a bad sort of stunning, either. It was just so powerful that one was forced to stop still and accommodate one’s nose to it before proceeding further. Lan Xichen stood there, blinking, grounding himself by attempting to pick out the notes. Sandalwood, old paper, dust, a flower he didn’t recognize, fir needles-- “Is there something I can help you with?” Not to interrupt the musings of the latest customer, of course - Dorian simply wished to be of assistance. His tone was friendly, smooth like a warm wine with kind of an otherness to it - he didn’t really know how to classify his accent either, but he supposed he had one. At least in comparison to many others in the cultural melting pot that was Vallo. The look of him and his accent were both difficult to classify (he supposed he was simply unique), much like the aroma within Glorious Purveyors and how it was difficult to classify as well - incense and ash, smoke and ozone; the faint crackle of something, like all of that magic was just a charge unto its own and building and building. They had many artifacts on display, potions on shelves, books to be consumed - and the Box of Screaming sat in the corner, with a don’t open me sign on full display. The shop’s stone golem security watched with an ever-mindful gaze, Thaddeus hovering protectively over the more expensive and precious wares. “Dorian Pavus,” he introduced himself, for clarifications sake. “One of your glorious purveyors.” As was his custom, Lan Xichen responded with the utmost courtesy. He placed his hands together in front of him and bowed to a height that anyone from his own world would recognize as the precise angle required to be very polite but not excessively ingratiating. Most men of his class - the sort who wore layer upon layer of sky-blue silk robes that somehow had not a smudge of dirt on them even at the hem or the end of the long draped sleeves - would not bow to a mere clerk, but Lan Xichen was not most men of his class. “I am honored to meet you, Dorian Pavus,” he replied, his tone just as formal as the bow he made. “I am Lan Xichen. This is your shop?” A bow, how fancy. Dorian had to respond in kind, of course - but he didn’t quite mimic the bow exactly. He offered one with a hand twirl and a couple of swoops, and ultimately ended up bowing slightly at the waist in all of its dramatically flourished glory. He was a bit tickled either way, however, what could he say. “A pleasure,” he replied, a twinkle in those gray eyes; they were calm, a pool of mountain water. He always felt soothed when he was at the shop anyway, like he was truly in his element. “And yes, it’s partly mine - my dear friend and fellow glorious purveyor, Shaun Gilmore, owns the place as well. It’s a combination of wares from both of our home worlds, with aesthetics of us both and the personality of us both.” Lan Xichen must be new - nice face, however. Maker. So many people around here were just incredibly pretty. “I also teach, but I enjoy helping others procure whatever magical artifact they may need.” Dorian was the first person outside the people of his home universe that Lan Xichen had met face to face. Beyond that, Dorian was the first person in years to whom Lan Xichen had actually been obligated to introduce himself. At home, people just knew already, or someone else made the introductions. There was something amusingly novel in actually meeting a person with no expectations attached. Equally novel was Dorian’s flourishing bow - he’d never seen one quite like it, and the touch of frivolity was almost enough to make him smile. “Excellent. I came in search of paper suitable for talismans,” Lan Xichen said. “Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian said this shop would be the right place to find it.” “Ah, yes - of course,” Dorian nodded - he knew the correct paper as well, something that would work for what Lan Xichen had in mind. Perhaps for a charm used in fighting off evil creatures or invoking protection - either way, Glorious Purveyors was rife with such things. They boasted a fine collection of protective amulets and other adornments as well, imbibed with strong magic. Not as strong as, say, how Dorian managed to make even the color fuchsia look amazing (and he wasn’t wearing fuchsia today, actually - instead it was perfectly pressed slacks, a crisp dress shirt, and a fine velvet blazer in auburgine, because it was almost autumn and he would dress for the occasion no matter if the weather cooperated or not). But still rather substantial. “Right this way - “ He headed off to where there were stacks of hemp paper, which had a chemical composition similar to wood so it was quite hardy. “Let me know if this will do, or if you require something else. Also, if I may be nosy - is this a protective talisman that you plan to create?” Forgive him. He did love a good ‘talking shop’ session. Lan Xichen recognized the tone as the curiosity of a fellow practitioner, so he gave a proper answer to the question rather than skimming lightly over it. "I don't know yet," Lan Xichen replied, examining the hemp paper. "Probably some of them, yes. I tend to write paper talismans as I need them, rather than preparing them in advance, so there's no way to know what path the paper may yet take." Dorian made a thoughtful hmmm sort of noise, and yes, there was definitely a stroke of the mustache. That modelesque sort of pose couldn’t be helped (perhaps he should have posed for the Outlander calendar though admittedly, he was picky about animals - and biased toward his animals, meaning Blackwall and also Marina’s ugly cats). “That’s fair enough,” he said. “Always a bit of an adventure that way, yes? My own spells and runes are always very much the same - so I try to give a bit of an extra flair when casting. Though I always enjoy learning about new magics as well. At the very least, Vallo’s provided that opportunity.” He was a scholar and a researcher by nature - he even managed to come up with something resembling a cure for the Blight sickness, which was his greatest accomplishment to date. In Thedas, he’d been on kind of the verge - there were various powders he made to help stave off the infection in his mentor’s son, but nothing permanent. With prime access to dragon’s blood, that had changed. Lan Xichen was a scholar of magic as well, though magic wasn’t what they’d called it in his world. The prospect of learning more was something that might pull him a bit out of his long-running depression - which was probably part of why his brother had sent him here rather than on some other mindless errand, now that he considered the matter. Lan Xichen hadn’t had an interest in much of anything for some time, but a fascinating new topic of study was a strong lure, especially now that he’d made the decision to leave the house. “Where does one learn of such things here?” he asked. “The Grandmasters of the sects gave education in cultivation at home, but I know Vallo is managed very differently.” “It depends,” Dorian said. And oh, where to begin? He’d attempt to give a brief overview - piling information onto someone who was so new wasn’t always helpful. Though he had to admit he had seen Lan Xichen’s initial introductory post and had found it to be one of the best to date thus far - most people were dropped into a new time and place and were either looking to drink right away, to bury their trauma by obtaining employment six minutes later, or refused to even acknowledged what had actually happened. A ‘thank you for having me’ and the offer of a poem, however? That was refreshingly new. “I’d say the local covens are a good place to start - they each have a different specialty, and most are very open to talking to the Outlander community,” he shared. “Also, other Outlanders - use that network to write something about how you want to learn x, y, or z and people will come out of the woodwork and offer to teach you.” It was a bit flabbergasting if one wasn’t used to such things, but also nice to see - brought about a sense of togetherness. “I have a few students myself. Not just at the University, but other magic users who wanted to study Necromancy or more elemental-type spells. I’m sure most anything you’d like to focus on could be arranged - you wouldn’t even have to offer to compose a poem in exchange, though I personally think that’s a more than decent offering.” He was teasing a little, but it was also true - Dorian personally would always take a poem, no problems there. “I’m afraid my ability to give proper gifts to my hosts is rather limited here,” Lan Xichen ruefully replied. He genuinely regretted it; his well-cultivated manners were a point of honor. Though he was beginning to get the idea that this world did not have the same standards of politeness as the one from which he came, it still felt wrong to be welcomed to a new place and have not even a single gift to offer. “I have fewer resources than I’m accustomed to working with. My skill with a brush remains, though, so I offer what I can.” “Give it time, I’m certain that you’ll soon have plenty to work with,” Dorian replied grandly. Vallo giveth and Vallo taketh away - it was difficult to explain, but most new arrivals saw for themselves once they began to acclimate. Or let the indoctrination take hold, whichever. No, definitely not that. But it was amazing how quickly things started to feel normal around here - he’d jumped in head first and hadn’t really looked back. There were aspects he regretted, certainly, but he liked to think that all of his decisions and adventures thus far had culminated in some type of learning experience. He adjusted the cuff links on his shirt, folded up neatly over the velvety blazer. “Is there anything else I can help you with? If we don’t have it in the shop I can research how to procure it. I always enjoy a good conversation about magic as well. It’s admittedly a large part of who I am.” “I would be pleased to converse with you about magic,” Lan Xichen replied. Another time; this was already more social interaction than he’d had in months, and it was a little jarring. Not unpleasant, really - he couldn’t ask for nicer company - but it felt like so much. “And if you know where to find silk suitable for painting, I would appreciate you pointing out its direction?” Dorian’s extrovert nature was usually dialed up to an eleven, but even he had his moments where he needed to be alone, by himself, locked in a dark room or sinking into a bathtub chock-full of bubbles and perfumed oils. Therefore, he understood the need to not overwhelm one’s self when dealing with new people - it could be tiring for him too, especially in Tevinter when he was expected to parade about all sparkling and engaging and piling charm on top of charm. Politics. What a mess. So he wouldn’t launch into a bubbling discussion now - plus, he was supposed to be working. Alas. “We have silk, yes - I’ll show you my favorite kind,” he offered. “It’s from Thedas, my homeworld - we call it Royale Sea Silk, and it can be used as a crafting material for armor but I’m certain it’ll do just fine for your painting.” It was silvery, had kind of a shimmer to it as well but more subdued - nothing ostentatious. “Otherwise I’ll leave you to your browsing,” he added. “And when you’re all set I’ll take care of you at the front counter. Though I will certainly take you up on that conversation sometime too.” Lan Xichen brought his hand to the silk feather-light, reverent even as he tested the product. He’d never seen anything quite like it, which meant it would be perfect for a special project like the bit of poetry he’d been working on. “This is very beautiful, thank you,” he said. “And perhaps we might meet for tea soon? I would like to learn more of these covens, as I settle myself here.” “Tea, yes,” Dorian found himself agreeing right away. He never usually went for tea (perhaps because no one in Minrathous had any taste about such things - they thought stripweed with its ability to cause stinging sores made for ‘a decent tea,’ and it did not) but he was looking forward to it regardless - something new and different? And it would give him a chance to research a good place to stop into. “I’d like that. And I’ll tell you all about the covens.” He was particularly close to Beketh, holding an appreciation for their longevity, their views on death and Necromancy, and the intricacies of their cave city - and he was even still mulling over their offer to join them, if it was still good. Things had changed, let’s just say. Anything that may have been holding him back before was no longer an issue. But that was a story for another time. “I won’t hover, but it was a pleasure to meet you, Lan Xichen,” he added. “I’m glad you wandered into the shop today.” “I am, as well,” Lan Xichen replied. His smile couldn’t quite reach his lips of late, but it was there in his eyes as he made another polite bow to Dorian and got back about his browsing. Later, walking out into the warming afternoon air with his purchases, Lan Xichen thought that perhaps his brother was right. Perhaps rejoining the world was the right choice. |