pawntakesking | IC Inbox

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, REGULUS BLACK. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 079.07.1663.55 * REGULUS BLACK has joined 079.07.1663.55 <ToujoursPur> This is the current address of Regulus Arcturus Black, formerly of London. <ToujoursPur> Please leave any messages here, and I will respond as soon as I can. Alternatively, ask at the Kit-TEA-Kat Café if you wish to see me in person. <ToujoursPur>** Yours, R.A.B.

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From:

pawntakesking

Yes and no.

I had another advantage. [He sips his tea, frowning down at it as if expecting to see something reflected there.] When I came here, before it was ever explained to me where here was, I knew I had neither the capacity nor the wish to go back.

You see, I had just died. Under rather unpleasant circumstances, in fact. Being alive again, even without magic or connections, was more than I had expected.

[And not entirely a welcome surprise, but he isn't about to say that. This is already a lot of emotional openness for someone he doesn't know, he's not about to add his actual feelings to the mixture.]

It helped me to look for the best in the situation, and to find something here to believe in and work towards. Although learning to do anything without magic was one of the most trying experiences I've ever had.

From:

icy_veins

[As Eridanus listens to Regulus' story of arrival, his own thoughts drift back towards his own. How empty he had felt waking up without his magic, how determined he was to simply survive, without a thought for how he felt about it. He had been like an animal then, and perhaps he never returned from that.

His gaze lifts, and Regulus' mention of magic earns a soft, understanding laugh from him.]

Tell me about it. I've never thought about cleaning something before, until I lost my magic. Others do not understand our particular plight. To spend your whole life relying on, and being defined by something, only to suddenly have it stolen from you.

[Eridanus' somber countenance falters into a sad frown, his broad shoulders slumping slightly as he brings the bitter coffee to his lips to wash the taste of far more bitter reality from his tongue.]

I hadn't died prior to my arrival here, and for that, I find myself caught in the middle. The wish to go back, to see my daughter and to have my magic... but I know that I am no longer the man I was there, and I do not know if I could ever return to him. [His gaze lifts, to meet Regulus' ethereal eyes,] it's pathetic, isn't it? This would be far easier if I had died. At least then, I could have been like a phoenix, like you.

From:

pawntakesking

I wouldn't call it pathetic.

I wouldn't call myself a phoenix, either. [He sets his cup back on its saucer with a small, flat clink. His expression is dour, steady - unreadable.] The past has a way of catching up with one, even here.

[He doesn't seem to be aware of the small, subtle movement of his hand to his sleeve, his palm resting flat over the suggestion of a glow from beneath the pitch-black cloth. He shakes his head, and clears his throat.]

It must be very difficult, though, to leave a child behind. I'm sorry. How old was she?

From:

icy_veins

[Quietness befalls Eridanus at those words, his own expression tightening as he feels shame coil in his belly. He doesn't usually voice his inner monologue so candidly, and now that he is, he may perhaps be feeling a bit embarrassed.]

Yes, I think you are right, there. [He mutters, noticing the way Regulus touches at his arm, but making no comment of it. Everyone here has their pasts, and their own wants for some privacy.] That the past catches up with us, even here. In a way, it seems as if by coming to Ryslig, any walls a person might have built around themselves comes crumbling down — and you have to keep yourself from being crushed by the rubble.

[Eridanus takes up his cup and enjoys another sip of bitter coffee, before mention of his daughter almost catches the drink in his chest. He sets it down with a quiet clearing of his throat, trying to regain himself without hacking up a lung, before giving Regulus a half-smile.]

Thank you. Her name is Eucryphia... she will be five years old in spring. [So, young. Far too young to be without her parents.]

From:

pawntakesking

Merlin...

[He doesn't quite mean for that to escape him - a low murmur of sympathy and shock - but it's out now. Four years old. Even Regulus, who would gladly admit to having no idea what age a child should be independent, can recognise that four is altogether too young to be left alone in the world.]

[He takes a long drink of his tea, hoping to cover his momentary lapse of etiquette - to hide the horror and sympathy that crosses his face, which he's sure will not be appreciated in this situation - and clears his throat.]

I'm sure she will be all right, for what it's worth. [He lies with the smoothness and ease of someone who hasn't even considered that it's a lie, and quickly moves back from the subject.]

But you're right, of course. Ryslig has a remarkable way of breaking down the armour we construct for ourselves. It's a frightening thing, and can be a painful one - but if you can only learn from it, it can be a miraculous thing, as well.

I'm an entirely different man to the one who arrived here two and a half years ago. A much better one, if I do say so myself. Even losing my magic, it was...

Well, it was a lesson. For example, I can cook now. [A small attempt at lightening the mood. The corners of his mouth twitch in a tiny smile.]

From:

icy_veins

[Eridanus catches the way this revelation affects Regulus, and it's a small comfort to know that he has those sympathies. He certainly hides his grief of the matter better than his wife does, and for that alone it has become a question if he even misses their daughter. He does, everyday, he tells himself.]

Eucryphia is safe, and that is the only solace I have in this situation. My younger brother is caring for her, and if anything happens to him, I also have my son who is an adult. Both love her to ribbons, so she will never want for anything. I simply pray that she doesn't hate me for leaving her. [He stares down at the blackened pool of coffee within his cup, the wafting warm scent one that dredges up memories of sunny mornings with Eucryphia playing at his feet. He swallows down the memory when he brings his drink to his lips, drowning it where it won't pull a more sorrowful expression across his features.

Regulus' change in topic is not lost on Eridanus, and he smiles his thanks to the man across from him. A laugh bubbles from him at the mention of cooking,] I am still an awful cook, but I hope to become better. I have to admit, from what little I've done of it, I do enjoy it quite a bit. Perhaps I can find other hobbies too, in my time here. Something to distract from the grim. I've only been doing as I've always done: reading, chess, work. I'm rather boring, I must admit.

From:

pawntakesking

Chess, you say?

[Regulus smiles back, one dark eyebrow arching.]

Perhaps we ought to play a match, one of these days. I'm something of a chess player myself, as it happens.

Besides, there's nothing wrong with being rather boring. It's done me well enough, so far.

From:

icy_veins

[Eridanus' brows go up at that smile, and while it looks odd on such a nebulous countenance, it is still a comfort. His mind has been in its own haze for weeks, and suddenly it dawns on him how much he needed to just sit and have a cup of coffee with someone kind.]

Perhaps, I am very good you know. In my homeland we have a game much more advanced than human chess. It's called fethesi.

[A somewhat dark chuckle leaves him, as if relishing in the thought of conquering yet another opponent in stratagem.]

But... yes. It would be nice to play sometime, I think I would like that. Did you play it often before? I am curious what games existed in a land of magic that is not my own.

From:

pawntakesking

[Regulus nods, and, after a moment's consideration, holds up a slender, pale finger, reaching into the pocket of his robes. He brings out a small silver box - a travelling chessboard, engraved with elegant designs along the edges.]

I played it often enough, in fact, that this is one of the few things I have asked for from my own world. If I say so myself, I was quite good. Hardly a grandmaster, of course - I hadn't had nearly enough time to reach that level, I was only eighteen - but certainly able to hold my own.

Though I always had to muffle some of the enchantments. Chess is so... loud.

From:

icy_veins

[Once more Eridanus' brows go up at the reveal of the traveling board. The silver is carved beautifully, and he has to keep himself from gawking awkwardly at it. In a sense, it reminds him of the gold-gilded fethesi board he has at home, in his study.]

I've never heard someone call chess loud before. [Eridanus laughs, the sound pleasant and full of mirth. He takes a sip of his coffee as he watches Regulus' ethereal hands smooth over the box.]

I enjoy winning, I won't lie, and I've made stratagem my hobby no doubt. Yet, in my humble opinion, the battlefield of a chess board is more interesting when it is used as an arena for two great minds to embrace one another. You can learn a lot about a person by how they play.

[Eridanus lowers his cup from his mouth, one brow quirking with curiosity,] would you like to?

From:

pawntakesking

[Regulus considers the troll for a moment, then nods.]

Why not? I don't doubt I'll be outclassed, but I can at least try to give you a fight.

[With a small smile, he moves to set up the board. It's a slightly clumsy operation - really, the board is supposed to come with a whole battery of charms to resize it, not to mention that when it was properly enchanted, the pieces would set themselves up - but one he's done before, and although the pieces are a little too small for comfort, they aren't so small as to be unmanageable.]

Would you like a fresh pot of coffee, if we're likely to be here a while?

From:

icy_veins

[Eridanus watches as Regulus sets up the board, and there's a curious gleam in his eyes as he does. The symbols inscribed on the box itself are ornate, but he wonders if, in the context of the other's realm, they are symbols of magic. Unfortunately nothing would come of that knowledge, seeing as how they are both magical victims of Ryslig—but the thought is still there, of what magic in other worlds is like.]

I wouldn't discredit yourself, who knows, you may be me just yet. [He smiles at Regulus and pulls his mug back towards his lips for another sip.

At the query though, Eridanus' ears perk. His gaze drops to the bitter black liquid that pools at the bottom of his cup and he gives a lazy half-shrug of his shoulders.]

Well, if you don't mind, more coffee would be lovely actually.

From:

pawntakesking

[Regulus nods, placing the last couple of pieces, and stands.]

Why don't you take white? You can make the first move while I put the coffee on.

...If any of the cats try to get up on the table, just push them off. The last thing we need is paws on the board.

From:

icy_veins

[Eridanus' angled gaze watches with idle curiosity as Regulus sets the board, his mind still trying to fathom at just what point does his body solidify. It almost distracts him from those words, were it not for the scrape of wood against floorboards to catch his attention.

He smiles up at his host, and gives him a small understanding nod,] no, it would not.

[He eyes the board and, after a moment, moves a pawn at the far left of it forward. Then he lets his gaze wander the shop.

Eridanus has been within its confines a handful of times before, but never at night. The streetlights beyond the wall of glass windows cast dim light into the interior, across the furry bodies of sleeping cats who've made beds out of a few tables. As if by premonition, a soft mewl catches in Eridanus' ears before one jumps up onto the table.]

Oh, no, no little one. [He softly chides as he scoops the feline into his lap instead. Living with Lucius has given him more of an appreciation for the creatures, that's for certain. He pets at the cat with gentle claws,] Regulus would be unhappy if you messed up our game so soon.

From:

pawntakesking

Regulus would be far more unhappy if you messed it up later.

[He says it over his shoulder, from behind the counter, and even smiles a little. Something about this just feels... comfortable. He's reminded of the more rose-tinted parts of his childhood, sitting with his uncle and learning chess as a boy - but without that constant weight of expectation to consider, and without the knowledge that any misbehaviour or stupidity would find its way back to his parents.]

[It's... nice. Genuinely nice.]

[He returns with a full silver coffee pot, setting it down gently beside the board, and considers Eridanus' move as he shifts back to sitting on his own side of the table. He's quiet for a moment, hands wrapped around his teacup, before one of the dark, serpentine tentacles unwinds from his form and nudges forwards a pawn of his own, on the other side of the board.]

I should be very interested to learn fethesi, one day, if you'd be interested in teaching it. I've always been fond of puzzles.

From:

icy_veins

[Eridanus laughs as he catches those words that call from beyond the counter, and he clicks his tongue down at the cat in his lap, as if saying: see, I told you so. Yet his claws finds her small under-chin, where they roll gently over her jaw in soft scratches.

When Regulus rejoins him, Eridanus reaches a hand over to pour himself more coffee as he watches the other make his move.]

Fethesi is complicated, as I've said. The columns can be configured for your chosen strategy, and there are eighty pieces to play with. I have been thinking of getting my own board commissioned, perhaps when it's finished I shall invite you over to play?

[His gaze lifts away from the chessboard as he asks the question, and without looking back at it, his claws find his knight and he sets it forward.]

I've also heard that it is comparable to a human game called "go."

From:

pawntakesking

Ah. Yes, we have that in my world. Chinese, I believe.

[He is slower to move in answer, considering the board in silence for almost ten seconds before moving his bishop.]

I always thought I would like to learn it, but it wasn't all that popular at school. Not enough smashing, I imagine.

[Seriously, wizard chess is so stupid.]

There was a certain lack of teachers, is what I mean to say.

From:

icy_veins

[Eridanus watches Regulus' ethereal visage crease with concentration, if you could even consider it creasing in the first place. Decidedly, he's taken to sitting back in his seat, with an air of quiet confidence as he pets the cat in his lap.

He doesn't bother asking what "chinese" is, but he does raise a brow regardless.]

Well, if you lack for guidance, surely I can lend my own. [He murmurs as he leans forward just enough to take a pawn set at the middle of his frontline forward.]

As I've said, fethesi is far more complicated than any human stratagem game I've had the pleasure of playing. There is a painful lack of players here, and my usual partner is indisposed.

[It's a bit hard to go play a game or two with Rosefica when things are so strained between them.]

Tell me about this "smashing," though. Is it literal? You use magic to bring the pieces to life?

From:

pawntakesking

You don't?

[He looks genuinely surprised by that - though not in a bad way.]

Yes. Or, well... the makers do. I went to some trouble to take those enchantments off this set when it was given to me. I find it incredibly distracting.

[There's something very childish in the way he glances around at the empty café, as if he expects to see someone eavesdropping, and lowers his voice with the air of someone saying something very naughty.]

Your world's magic users seem like they may be a little more considerate than mine.

From:

icy_veins

[Eridnaus' brows go up with his own boyish surprise, and soon after the eyes below them wrinkle at the corners with his smile. A huff of a laugh escapes him as he continues to curl his claws against the underchin of the cat who's cemented her place on his lap with kneading paws, and vivacious purring.]

You say considerate, I say eccentric. [He corrects,] no doubt magic is used for sport and games, but I think my people are a bit too uptight for brawling chess pieces.

So would to will the pieces with magic, then? [Eridanus asks as he reaches his free hand over to draw his mug towards him. He lifts it to his lips for a slow, savoring sip before he continues,] or did you simply let the things roam free and watch it unfold like a gladiatorial battle?

From:

pawntakesking

[Regulus moves his knight, and reaches for the teapot to refill his own cup.]

Of course not. You tell them where to go. Knight to E5, and so forth.

And then, when they capture one another, they smash each other to bits. You can repair them afterwards, of course, but the noise is horrible.

There were a few other Slytherins who played chess regularly in the common room, and it made it quite impossible to study in there.

From:

icy_veins

[The explanation is simple enough that Eridanus can imagine it somewhat, the figures of small pieces sauntering across the board, to claim their foes.

He looks down at the pieces that decorate the one between them, and the thought of a mini-battle right before him almost seems laughable in its absurdity, if he wasn't so familiar with magic himself.]

What is a "slytherin"? [He asks, this time with only one brow raised.]

From:

pawntakesking

[This, at least, is a question Regulus has come to expect.]

It was my House, at school. You got Sorted into one of four on your first day, and that determined your classes, your common room, your dorms... all of that kind of thing.

Slytherin, and then the other ones were Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. But, of course, most of the people I spent time around were Slytherins.

From:

icy_veins

Are you saying that you were barred from certain lessons just by what order you were sorted into?

[The very idea of it was preposterous to Eridanus. He could understand segregation to a certain extent, the nobleman from the beggar, the cultured from the boor, and so on. Yet, when it came to the school of magic?]

Was this based on background — race, rather? Though it seems like in your world there are simply magic users and non, unlike mine.

[After all, elven magisters differed from human, or orcish ones.]

From:

pawntakesking

Oh, no. Not quite to that extent. It just affected when your classes were scheduled, and who you shared them with, mostly.

It's a historical institution. There were four Founders of the school, you see, and they disagreed on what the criteria for entry ought to be. Slytherin felt blood purity, ambition, and cunning should be valued. Ravenclaw, intelligence and learning. Gryffindor, brute force and ignorance. And Hufflepuff... well, Hufflepuff really just takes everyone else.

When you first enter the school, the Sorting Hat decides which of the four you're best suited to. Historically, it almost always put my family into Slytherin House.