[center][abbr=#B8041A | Alt+0248 for ø][img]https://i.ibb.co/wY7GYz8/Kaspar-Header-2.png[/img][/abbr]
[hr][color=#B8041A][b]LOCATION[/b][/color][b]:[/b] Kaspar’s Room
[color=#B8041A][b]INTERACTIONS[/b][/color][b]:[/b] Casii [@Pirouette], Felix [@Force and Fury]
[hr][/center]
The immediate aftermath of the revolution passed in a blur for Kaspar. By the time things had slowed down enough for the boy to fully process, he was preparing for an evening bath, finally having the chance to wash now-dried blood from his skin.

Much of what followed his and Felix’s encounter with Don Quintana had been met with the boy’s typical stoicism. He’d cleared his face of the tears shed when the two boys learned the truth of their mutual life, and maintained that calm as they learned more truths.

Warden Ortega was dead. 

Kaspar had not said anything when they’d first been told, but he knew this turn of events was troubling. It would be harder to get the Duke to trust the Refuge and agree that the tethered deserved freedom—something the Helbahnese noble still believed strongly to be true. The path forward was difficult, but one he thought was worth walking.

Then there was the matter of Felix—the true Kaspar Elstrøm von Wentoft, the boy who a child named Alaric had once replaced. The boy who supposedly died eight years ago, alive and clueless to his past in a Tethered Refuge countries away from the parents who wanted to be rid of him. 

Idly, slipping into the waters of his bath, he recalled the conversation he had with Ayla about who he wanted to be. The answer was, perhaps, cloudier than before. He did not know yet what Felix wanted—and even if he did not want his life and identity back, could Kaspar continue to be Kaspar? 

He had to make a choice he could live with, but he did not know yet which one that was. But there were others who he would talk to; Felix, because the Afortunado deserved the conversations he might want—and Willa. She had trained him, never quite understanding the idiosyncrasies of the boy he was and the one he became. But she knew him and cared for him as the person he was—and not the person she wanted to be, as he worried might be the case with the Elstrøms. 

For now, though, as he scrubbed flaking blood from his chest, there were more pressing concerns than his choices for his future. Rather, dealing with Dukes and Wyrms and ensuring that he, as well as the others here, would have a future at all.

[hr][center][color=#B8041A][b]LOCATION[/b][/color][b]:[/b] The Naranja Tree[/center][hr]
The Naranja tree provided some shade from the afternoon sun, and Kaspar was grateful for any moment to escape the tree. He sat among the roots, looking at the detail in the bark and committing it to memory for later drawing. It was nice to have some time away from the bustle of their business here, though the last time he had been at the tree had been less than pleasant. 

Hot. This whole place was hot and dry. With no shade from any trees, she couldn’t get cool unless she retreated inside one of the Yanii buildings. All that horrible artificial confinement wasn’t quite the welcomed refuge. There was really only one place that had natural shade and she quickly decided that would be her sanctuary here. After a day of being here, Casii looked forward to having a tree she saw during the tour all to herself.

As she rounded the bend to see the view, she found one of the students having the same idea as her. At least it seemed so. Yaniis often didn’t have an appreciation for the natural so she had her doubts seeing her classmate there. It didn’t deter her from approaching and without invitation, she continued right past him sitting on the other side of the tree without a word.

Plopping down, she sighed, nestling herself up against the bark. She thought about making another tree for herself but there was something beautiful about the defiant tree growing in this place. [color=6ecff6]”Somethin’ ain’t it?”[/color] She broke whatever silence the pair of them had maintained up until now. She couldn’t see him but knew he was still there. [color=6ecff6]”One tree in the whole lot of this place, growin’ like it ain’t nothin’.”[/color] She didn’t have her Jamb’ysp in her mouth but the temptation to pop one in her mouth was growing.

Kaspar glanced up curiously as someone else approached, red eyes briefly following Casii as she made her way towards the tree. Once he was sure she wasn’t looking for him, his gaze returned to the roots as he traced their shape mentally. He barely noticed the silence between them, nearly startling when her voice broke it. The noble had to agree with her point, though. [color=#B8041A][b]“It is. The desert is hot and hostile, but this tree is a welcome sight. I’m hoping I remember enough to draw it, when we return,”[/b][/color] he replied. 

This Yanii wanted to draw a tree? She didn’t think they cared enough. In fact, why did he want to remember it? This had her curiosity enough to press this. [color=6ecff6]”Yer into drawing trees? I ain’t think Yaniis like that sort of thin’. I only ever hear of the cities you build and the land you crush underneath. You ain’t much like other Yaniis.”[/color]

Kaspar’s eyebrows lifted a little at her comment, but he couldn’t argue against it. [color=#B8041A][b]“I started drawing when I was young, and plants were always my favorite. We don’t have this kind of tree where I’m from, so I hope if I draw it, I might remember enough to study it later,”[/b][/color] he replied, glancing up at the spreading branches.

Casii slumped, finding it possible for the first time since she arrived here to relax entirely under the shade of this tree, shared with a Yanii of all people. [color=6ecff6]”Never thought I’d see the day.”[/color] She muttered, more to herself but loud enough for Kaspar to hear. She had spent so long hearing about Yaniis and their cities, certainly not in the most positive terms, and here was one of the first she’d ever talked to actually admit he favored plants. Man after her own heart.

Casii reached into her bag, withdrawing a small white seed. She ran it through her fingers in quiet contemplation for moment before finally deciding. She tossed it behind her, letting it land to Kaspar’s side. It didn’t sit for long as Casii reached out to the white seed and channeled her mana to influence the seed. It sprouted, roots found and dug into the ground while a lush green stem rose lifting a bulb. The bulb continued to grow, tips whitening before a touch of crimson crept in and then in the next second it the blow broke apart, expanding into a bell-shaped flower, dangling from a sturdy stem.

[color=6ecff6]”I’m a Greengrowth so I can do that. You wanna have a tree of yer own?”[/color] She quietly offered and not lightly considering her tone. She just never quite expected this.

Kaspar’s eyes turned to the seed as it landing near him, head tilting in curiosity. When it began to grow, his eyes widened and he watched raptly. He knew it was certainly more than possible to grow plants so rapidly, but the boy had never encountered it personally. He watched it grow, wishing he had charcoal and a notebook on hand. At Casii’s offer, he straightened, and for a moment to accept readily. After a few seconds of thought, the boy replied, [color=#B8041A][b]“I would be very grateful, but… I’m not sure I have anywhere to… ‘keep’ a tree of my own. Though I think the campus could benefit from one, if the climate were a better match.”[/b][/color]

The Yanii raised a good point and oh boy, did he sound hooked. He couldn’t hide the slight elation her large ears picked up. [color=6ecff6]”Yer quittin’ too soon, Yanii.”[/color] She mused. [color=6ecff6]”Back home me’n mine were… [i]are[/i] famous for growin’ all sorts of plants we found from all over. Each one could be stubborn but we figured ‘em out. My grand na tells me that at one time, you’d find every known plant growin’ at home.”[/color] She drifted off for a moment, trying to picture just what her grand na saw back then.

[color=6ecff6]”So how about it? One for you’n one for me?”[/color]

He had to admit, her home sounded [i]fantastic[/i]. The boy could get lost in a garden like that, and quite happily so. Trying by nature not to sound too over-eager but likely failing, he responded, [color=#B8041A][b]“Ersand’Enise could certainly use a few Naranja trees. You seem like you’re more than capable of making it happen,”[/b][/color] he agreed, mind already drifting to chances he might have to sit a sketch one from reference in the Arboretum. 

[color=6ecff6]”Okay.”[/color] Casii nodded as her hands reached into her bag to shuffle through the seeds in there mindlessly. [color=6ecff6]”But I ain’t doin’ all the work. You gotta chip in.”[/color] She withdrew one of her hands and gave a root a tap. The tree groaned and made noised, leaves rustled but the whole tree was renewed with fresh life as the leaves grew freshly green, the trunk seemed to thicken and the roots seemed to wiggle in delight. The distinctly colored fruit grew on the branches, fresh and ripe. Seeds safely stored inside.

[color=6ecff6]”Help yerself. I’m closin’ my eyes for a bit.”[/color] She offered, ending with a satisfied exhale through her nose, shuffling in her spot and cuddling up in the shade for a nice nap. Slight smile cracked on her lips.

Kaspar watched the tree, mesmerized by the way it moved and rejuvenated. As Casii prepared herself for a nap, he quietly stood, reaching a hand out and delicately plucking one of the newly grown fruits. He sat back down, working on the peel, and bit into one of the ripe, juicy pieces. Each seed he encountered was tucked carefully into a pocket for safe keeping—plenty more than they would need, but never more than they could use. 

[hr][center][color=#B8041A][b]LOCATION[/b][/color][b]:[/b] The Courtyard[/center][hr]
Kaspar glanced at the tethered watching him, pushing down the nervousness creeping up his throat. He was offering lessons today, teaching the basics of using Binding Magic casting for protection, and converting other forms of energy as he knew how long learning to draw properly could take—and how dangerous untrained drawing could be. 

All who were attending were older and more experienced, though relatively speaking many of them were still fairly green. 

[color=#B8041A][b]"The nature of Binding Magic makes it different from all others,"[/b][/color] he began. As he explained, many of them nodded and seemed to understand—and he could only hope this was earnest, and not simply students feigning understanding in embarrassment. 

[color=#B8041A][b]"One of the most practical uses for Binding Magic as low levels is for creating structures and barriers. I find it helps to visualize what you want to make, and how the energy in your manas will become it."[/b][/color] He paused, drawing in energy—focusing on Arcane and Kinetic energies rather than material, and converting it inside his blood. 
He turned, pointing his wand at an empty space in the courtyard, and channeled the potential energy. A wall of sandstone blocks appeared, constructing itself by atoms more slowly than usual, to allow for observation. 

One student, Mira, raised a hand as Kaspar finished, and he turned, raising an eyebrow but inviting her to speak. She was one of the youngest in the group, at his guess no older than thirteen. She shifted, looking suddenly unsure, but the girl beside her—a few years older—put a hand on her arm and nodded softly.

[color=#13E11A]"Does it have to be sandstone? C-could it be something else? Like… l-like bread?"[/color] Her voice squeaked on the last note, and the girl buried her face in embarrassment, clearly having panicked and suggested the first material that came to mind.

But Kaspar walked softly over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. [color=#B8041A][b]"Any material you can think of,"[/b][/color] he answered, adding, [color=#B8041A][b]"A wall of bread is a fantastic way to feed your loved ones."[/b][/color] Mira glanced up, eyes lighting up as she saw the small lump of bread forming in Kaspar’s outstretched palm. With a nod from him, Mira grasped the bread, nibbling on it as Kaspar stepped back, now addressing all the students.

[color=#B8041A][b]"Binding Magic can create things of any shape and any material,"[/b][/color] he explained, gesturing to the bread Mira was now breaking into pieces and passing around the group. [color=#B8041A][b]"Some things are more difficult than others and take more practice, but for today—We try to make anything at all."[/b][/color]

The bloodchild spent the next several hours coaching his students in creating barriers with Binding Magic—many of them seemed to grasp the basics, though things like size and efficiency would require much more practice. 

But this was a solid start, and just one of many things the Tethered would be learning in the coming days.

[hr][center][color=#B8041A][b]LOCATION[/b][/color][b]:[/b] The Outer Walls[/center][hr]
Kaspar was well and truly sick of sand. Staring out from the Refuge walls, it was all the boy could see—and it just went on and [i]on[/i] for miles. Part of him wondered how the occupants didn’t get tired of it, but the rest knew that they had far worse things to contend with. 

He wasn’t even meant to be on watch—his range, like many of his classmates, was no match for any of the Tethered. But his doppelganger was on lookout, and the immediate aftermath of a revolution had kept them both busy. The noble adoptee had meant what he’d said, though; any questions Felix had, he would be willing to answer—and he was more than willing to be like a brother to the child he’d unwittingly replaced. 

He was still getting used to seeing a face that looked so like his own, but Kaspar met his eyes briefly and flashed an awkward greeting smile—more in line with awkwardness at conversations generally than at the particular individual he was approaching. Clearing his throat, the red-eyed boy murmured, [color=#B8041A][b]“You mind having some company?”[/b][/color]

[color=#B8041A]“Already do,”[/color] Felix joked, leaning slightly over the edge and gesturing with his chin the direction of a pair of scorpions fighting in the shadow of the wall. [color=#B8041A]“Little buggers have been at it for hours.”[/color] He sniffed a bit and rolled his neck. [color=#B8041A]“Wouldn’t say no to something a bit more interactive, though.”[/color] His eyes flicked over to Kaspar and, along with them, a slight grin. [color=#B8041A]“You are more interactive than a scorpion, right?”[/color]

Kaspar’s eyes followed Felix’s gesture, head tilting as he observed the pair of scorpions. Fauna was not his specialty, but it was nevertheless something he probably wouldn’t see often in his life. At Felix’s question, he leaned forward and rested his arms against the wall, well away from the scorpions. [color=#B8041A][b]“...That might depend on who you ask,”[/color] he answered after a moment, sounding almost amused. [color=#B8041A]“Most people don’t find me to be very… talkative.”[/b][/color]

Felix snorted. [color=#B8041A]“How’d mom and dad explain that one?”[/color] he asked. [color=#B8041A]“Only reason people think I’m not a motormouth is ‘cause of Luisa. Bless her heart, that chick can talk a mile a minute, and she’ll hold your attention for it too.”[/color] 

A small smile crossed Kaspar’s face, hearing about the friendships (and more) that Felix had made. [color=#B8041A][b]“They… never really had to. I wasn’t allowed to see many people. Mostly my tutors, and they were hired after,”[/b][/color] he admitted, voice soft as he mentioned the isolation. 

[color=#B8041A]“Sounds peachy,”[/color] the tethered remarked, [color=#B8041A]“by which I mean ‘fucked up’.”[/color] He shook his head, letting himself down onto the chair he’d had brought up. He set his crutches aside. [color=#B8041A]“They kept us sheltered from the outside world here too,”[/color] he admitted, [color=#B8041A]“though once I became part of the Afortunado, I started to learn a bit.”[/color] He furrowed his brow momentarily. [color=#B8041A]“Kinda got the impression kids were mostly just tools to noble families, or accessories. They serve a purpose or they bring you shame.”[/color] 

Kaspar didn’t show much emotion, but the small smile on his face seemed to drift away completely as Felix talked. [color=#B8041A][b]“They did what they had to, to raise me,”[/b][/color] he said quietly. [color=#B8041A][b]“I used to think they were different, and wouldn’t just get rid of a kid who they didn’t want to help,”[/b][/color] he murmured, glancing up at the tethered. [color=#B8041A[b]]“But I was wrong. I guess I’m a bad judge of character, huh?”[/b][/color] He snorted, only really half-amused.

[color=#B8041A]“Shit,”[/color] snorted Felix, glancing up at the guy he’d decided to call ‘brother’. [color=#B8041A]“Guess that means I [i]am[/i] a total asshole, then.”[/color] He smiled faintly, reaching into his pocket for some chicle and popping it into his mouth. [color=#B8041A]“Want some, by the way? Swear I’m not trying to get you addicted. Just considered polite around here.”[/color] 

Kaspar reached a hand out to accept the chicle, giving his brother a side-eye. [color=#B8041A][b]“If other people think you’re alright too, you’re probably good,”[/b][/color] he joked. [color=#B8041A][b]“But, you [i]do[/i] keep trying to hook me on this stuff. Gonna have to make sure I’m stocked up before long, or I’ll have to keep taking yours.”[/b][/color] A smirk pulled at his mouth as he teased Felix, putting his own piece into his mouth to chew.

Felix made sounds of appreciation and then they settled into an easy silence, sweeping the desert with their senses. The rain clouds had faded and the dunes and crags fairly hummed with life as flora and fauna alike took advantage of this rare opportunity. Eventually, it was the tethered who broke the silence. [color=#B8041A]“Truth is, bro,”[/color] he began, [color=#B8041A]“I got questions, just like most normal people would, but they’re just so many and they’re so… pointless.”[/color] He shook his head, chewing the last bit of flavour from his gum. He twisted to look Kaspar in the eyes for a moment. [color=#B8041A]“I don’t remember them, I don’t really care for them, and I’m not that interested in ever seeing them.”[/color] He spat, and the wad of chicle sailed over the stout wall and out into the desert night. [color=#B8041A]“Not even bitterness or anything. They’re just not relevant to me.”[/color] He shrugged. [color=#B8041A]“I have Luisa, who I spend every day with. I have some friends.”[/color] He let out a long, easy breath, or at least it seemed so. [color=#B8041A]“And now I picked you up too.”[/color] He managed a slight, crooked smile.

Kaspar was good with silence, though he could’ve done fine without looking out at more [i]fucking[/i] sand. As Felix began to speak, he turned with rapt attention. As the boy went on, something almost… peaceful, seemed to curl in Kaspar’s chest. That Felix seemed genuinely happy at this moment, despite all he’d been through. An involuntary smile broke his face at the last sentence, and he looked away sheepishly. [color=#B8041A][b]“I understand. I have many questions, too, but… They’re not ones you can answer,”[/b][/color] he replied, looking back before continuing, [color=#B8041A][b]“But, if you ever do want to ask any questions—about anything, it doesn’t have to be them… I’ll be willing to answer.”[/b][/color]

Felix flicked an appreciative smile Kaspar’s way. [color=#B8041A]“Thanks, brother. Now,”[/color] he continued, taking in another breath of the for-once not parched air, [color=#B8041A]“What do you say’s the over-under on that big ugly worm coming by tonight so we can take its ass out?”[/color] 

Kaspar furrowed his brow in thought. [color=#B8041A][b]“That would be convenient. Has anyone sensed it yet? It might take some time to find us, even once it’s gotten closer.”[/b][/color] He thought for a moment more, then grinned and added, [color=#B8041A][b]“But if we start a betting pool… There’s one good way to get the fucker to show up on time.”[/b][/color]

[color=#B8041A]“Hah!”[/color] Felix let out a bark of laughter. It faded easily. [color=#B8041A]“But you’re right. It might wander for days still.”[/color] He popped another wad of chicle into his mouth and offered his brother one perfunctorily. [color=#B8041A]“Really, that’s when we should take it out: while we can hit [i]it[/i] and it can’t hit [i]us[/i].”[/color] He began to chew. [color=#B8041A]“I think that’s the plan, actually. All your fancy magic school training might not even get put to use,”[/color] he chuckled. 

Kaspar sighed wistfully, taking another piece of chicle. [color=#B8041A][b]“My fancy magic school hasn’t trained me to fight a sand wyrm, yet. You’re more than welcome to kill it before I even get a look at the thing,”[/b][/color] he retorted. [color=#B8041A][b]“If we’re lucky, Jocasta might get sick of waiting one night and take it out while we’re asleep. Not sure how I’d manage to thank her for that one, but I’m willing to figure it out.”[/b][/color] 

[color=#B8041A]“Heh,”[/color] Felix managed. [color=#B8041A]“Yeah, that one. She’s… something else.”[/color] He shook his head slowly. [color=#B8041A]“I only knew her for a year, but she was a teen and a ‘nado, and I was just some kid. She scared me… still does,”[/color] he laughed. [color=#B8041A]“Truth is,”[/color] he admitted, [color=#B8041A]“Ii was kind of hoping to go there - me and Luisa - if it’d be possible.”[/color] He half-scowled. [color=#B8041A]“It's just a pipe dream, and now I’m starting to wonder, just from how I’m hearing people talk, if it’s really worth it, if the world out there - and I haven’t seen much outside a mission and a half - is actually as bad as magpies always said it was.”[/color]

[color=#B8041A][b]“I didn’t really meet her before the day we were sent here,”[/b][/color] Kaspar added. [color=#B8041A][b]“She scares me, too. What we felt in the desert… I’d go the other way, if someone asked me to fight her.”[/b][/color] He listened to Felix talk about the outer world, and held back a discontented sigh. [color=#B8041A][b]“...You could come back with us to Ersand’Enise, if you wanted. Use it as a jumping point, if you want, but I know someone who could give you a place to stay, if you and Luisa needed one,”[/b][/color] he offered, turning to look at the boy. After a second, he added almost too hastily, [color=#B8041A][b]“If it was something you wanted. The world isn’t… It’s not the greatest, sometimes. But at least now you have the choice.”[/b][/color] 

[color=#B8041A]“Yeah,”[/color] agreed Felix, his face turning thoughtful as he gazed out across the active solitude of the desert - his home, now, in truth. [color=#B8041A]“I guess we do. Thanks.”[/color] 

[hr][center][color=#B8041A][b]LOCATION[/b][/color][b]:[/b] The Staff Patio[/center][hr]
Kaspar was quick to get ready when the news reached him via Laëlle pounding on the door and shouting through the wood. He splashed his face with water, affixing his hair into something presentable and putting on a light tunic, tucking the loose hem into his pants. 

As he approached the Staff Patio, well ahead of the time Laëlle had given, Kaspar looked the picture of stoic nobleness. He had not spent much time dealing with politics, but the boy knew one key lesson: show [i]no[/i] weakness.

[hider=TL;DR]
Kaspar and Casii talked about nature and conspired to plant some Naranja trees in Ersand’Enise
Kaspar trained some Tethered to make walls
Kaspar and Felix had a good time on watch and talked a bit about the future and the past
Kaspar is ready for shit to go down with the Duke
[/hider]