.^^ the Painting ^^

— Rune —

Seeing the ocean whip by under us was a therapeutic experience. An endless, frothy, grey and white expanse, full of wonders I'd never imagined correctly, I was sure of it. I'd heard stories, of course, the Half-Elf had been a fisherman, and the Gnome had been a dock-worker, before their exiles, but I'd never seen it up close.

The aircraft was of an interesting make, and once everyone had settled down, and the Elf woman had explained the situation in sparse detail, I was given the run of the ship, and it's engine room.

Three different engines seemed to determine its lift and direction, as well as speed, and it could even hover, something I hadn't seen before. I made a note to study these engines, and make my own for the Construct, once I recreated that Bag of Space that the Elves protected so dearly.

The ride took about twelve hours, during which I ate some cured meats from my satchel, and drank some of my water, still watching the ocean, and finally drifted off to sleep.

—

A soft movement woke me, and I had a hand cannon against the temple of the Male Elf, the Captain, immediately.

"Easy there, just waking you up. We've arrived." He said quietly, and pointed out the window.

I glanced down at the window, and hummed at the sight of a large port city, almost exactly as the Half-Elf had described. "Is this Lumeria?" I asked.

He blinked. "Yes? How'd you know that?"

"Matched a description I was given... though I can't see any cesspools from here, the Twin Spires of Glass seem to be apparent." I smirked, and patted the Construct. "Any changes in the night, Construct?"

"Two beings attempted to open my port while you slept, but I rebuffed them with a gentle static charge. A third, the elf woman, scolded them, and they were whipped on the flight deck at dawn. Thirty lashes, is what I counted." He answered easily, as awake as ever.

"Ahh, I see. Thirty lashes is the punishment for attempted theft? Interesting..." I hummed.

The Captain looked between us. "That thing really talks? Or you already knew?"

"It talks, yes. The Construct doesn't sleep, and catalogues everything it senses. It also has standing orders to rebuff all those who would intrude upon its privacy, and my own, with varying degrees of... intensity." I smiled, and stood up, stretching. "Alright, well, I suppose we'll be landing in the Dry Docks? Or somewhere private?"

He shook his head. "The Council has heard your argument about the Construct being your property, and is going to meet us to determine if you would be receptive to a Deal, which they've heard you like."

"I do like deals, yes. I'm a Merchant Craftsman, after all! I'm sure this will be fun." I shrugged, and sat down, beginning to clean my rifle, whilst keeping an eye on the city, learning its structure, it's circular compass-rose construction. Even this time of night, it was still lively, with lights in every district, centered in certain points, but still widespread. There was little true darkness in this city, meaning I would need my polarized glass lenses, to see properly.

Adding the polarized layer was easy, and I did so quickly, as the flyer lowered itself through the sparse clouds, and landed between the two Glass Spires.

I commanded the Construct to follow me out, and he did so, shimmying his way out of the cargo hold, and then making his way to his feet, off to one side. The crew filed off to another side, with the Captain, while the two elf Mages came to stand by me, the female holding my notes in one hand, and the bow in another.

Soon enough, a group of ten Elves and three humans made their way over to us, stopping a few yards away, while one of them approached fully.

"Dashiva, you've brought back more than we anticipated... care to explain?" She asked stoically.

"Was she not there, when you called in all this information? Is she late to the meeting?" I asked, cutting through the bullshit and theatrics.

She cut her eyes at me. "I don't mind repetition."

"Oh. That's cool. I do mind, but go on; can't hurt anything, I suppose." I shrugged, sharing equally useless information.

Her gaze narrowed. "You didn't say he was rude."

"You didn't ask. Either way, the situation and Mission have both been resolved, as I reported. You replied that the council was willing to deal with this young man?" The elf woman from before, 'Dashiva', (apparently a family naming scheme?) crossed her arms.

The other nodded slowly. "Yes, Fine. You completed your mission, and while I cannot call it a true success, it was not a failure."

"What about it wasn't successful?" She challenged the other Elven woman.

"The Construct is not in our possession, nor the knowledges from the Temple, as we were lead to believe... but what is that? It was not mentioned in your report." She looked at the bronze bow curiously.

"One of his creations. He's a TinkerToy Mage." She said casually.

The other paused, and looked at me closer. "Interesting... that explains his controlling the Construct... Alright, that changes a few things. Boy, the Council has a proposition for you." She turned her body towards me for the first time.

"My name is Rune. And you?" I held a hand out to shake.

"I am Head Council Ulva Drundomidon. These are my colleagues, the Council of the Northern Archipelago's. Would you like to hear the proposition?" She asked, sounding actually curious.

"Sure, I just like to exchange pleasantries when I meet someone. It's the polite thing to do, instead of casually dismissing their existence until they're mildly interesting or useful." I shrugged.

She raised an eyebrow. "While I don't like the implication, the logic is entirely true. Our proposition is simple: we'd like possession of the Construct. In return, we can provide admission into the Spire College, and a workshop in the Outer Ring. Is this favorable?"

"From what I know of Your laws, all those who exhibit magical abilities are to be given admission to the College, and therefore your entire deal is simply things you'll have to do anyway. Nothing to be gained by me that I wouldn't already, except the Workshop, which would only replace some of what I lost, with the Construct. I find this deal half-baked and underhanded, and I distrust deals with people who try to trick me out of my fair due. Therefore, I do not accept your deal, and instead petition to give my own, with your permission. If you are not interested in a return sally, that is your prerogative, and I will respect it." I smiled at the stumped expression of a few of the Council members, and took my notes from the other elf woman casually, and tucked them under my arm.

She covered a smirk with a hand, creating a picture of steady deep thought, instead of amusement. "I see... I suppose that deal was a bit Sparse... the Council will speak, and decide whether to hear your petition." She turned with a sweep of her white cloak, and walked over to her colleagues.

"That was Impressive... a bit rude, but also impressive." Dashiva murmured.

"I tried to word it politely." I shrugged.

"You were mostly successful." She nodded.

The tall elf walked back over, and smiled slowly, as if the expression was difficult to create, from lack of use. "The Council will hear your return petition?"

"That quick? I was under the impression I would have about a week to craft a full proposition, and word it properly... I don't do my best work under pressure..." I hummed, nibbling my thumbnail.

She blinked, and then nodded. "Of course, that is the normal process, and if you want to do that, we would be happy to allow it..."

"But that would also give you time to craft a response... pressing my advantage here might be the wisest move..." I continued.

She paused, and that smirk returned, this time not even trying to hide. "Yes, I suppose the floor is indeed yours, so to speak."

I nodded. "Alright. Then my proposition is simple: I would like a plot of land, preferably a large warehouse, to make my workshop in, whilst I enter this college. In addition, I would like assurance that any usage of my notes, works, and materials are all properly attributed to me, as it is my own research and development, as well as my own creations. Lastly, I would like a supply of material with which to continue my work, and a license to work as a RuneSmith, and sell my work as a Merchant, should I wish to do so. In return, I will loan you my notes on the temple and the Construct, and allow you first pick of my new creations, which you will still pay fair price for."

She leaned back, either intrigued or shocked, and then hummed. "The Council will consider your petition. You will have an answer inside the week. In the meantime, you may make free of the Council's hospitality, in the Faequell Estate." She nodded her head in a tiny bow, and walked back to her colleagues again.

Dashiva tapped my shoulder. "Well done... what would the week-long break have made that into?"

"A much more binding contract, with much fewer loopholes." I grumbled under my breath.

She nodded slowly. "Ah... quite. Well, I suppose we'll be bringing you home with us. Yay. It's been a few decades since I brought home a stray. Mum'll have a field day." She shook her head, sighing. "Load the Construct Back up, quickly, before they demand it stay here."

I snorted. "They can try." The Construct began moving, as we reentered the aircraft, and squeezed himself back into the cargo hold, after the crew had worked themselves in around him.

When the hold door closed, we lifted off slowly, and headed a few miles to the left, never leaving the inner circle of the city. The estate we landed in was barren of trees, oddly enough, and instead only sported short grasses, and a few tall shrubs, only twenty feet tall or so. A long, tall building shaped like a U was the apparent centerpiece, along with the hangar we lowered the aircraft into, which was obscured from view, in a back corner of the lot.

I hummed, looking around the hangar as the Construct stood up, sitting off to one side, out of the way. "Nice. I suppose I can survive a week... what do you hunt, in these little scrublands?" I asked Yeshiva.

He blinked, confused. "Scrubland? Well, I suppose it feels that way to you... no, this is a small Forest, and the area around the city is more forest. And we don't hunt for food, we trade for it."

"Ahh, I see... understood." I nodded.

"You know... I'm just going to be honest, here... you might regret leaving the Deep. This place? It's not a very welcoming one, to outsiders. We've been raided and invaded way too often to trust newcomers. Distrust is easy to turn to Hate, and Hate is easy to turn to Violence." He sighed.

"I happen to like violence. The inevitability of it, and the peace of knowing who your enemies are. In my experience, there's far more truth to a Hateful Sneer than there is to a friendly smile. Either way, I can handle myself, but thanks for looking out." I shrugged.

He shook his head, and wandered away, muttering. "You'll fit right in, then, I guess..."

Dashiva nodded, walking up after he'd disappeared out the door. "There's truth to what he says, and also naïveté. He doesn't understand that all civilizations are like ours, in some way. All mortals fear the unknown, it's simple. But you'll be fine. Dinner is in a few minutes, but you have time to change, if you move quick." She held out a set of elven robes.

"I like my clothes. They look Dashing, according to Faranza." I frowned, straightening the coat I'd made from the hide of a Weizenbeast, a flaming forest predator that stalked the treetops, with six legs and a dappled hide, (when it wasn't on fire).

She raised an eyebrow. "Faranza being the Half-Elf who taught you our laws?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"Well... I suppose you are very clean, which the important part... Alright, come on. Your greatest Battle yet approaches.. dinner with the Drundomidon Matriarch." She sighed, and led me out of the hangar.

"Bring it on." I grinned.

The grounds were about a half-mile across, with most of the land being filled with collections of the small shrubs that Yeshiva had called 'Forest'. Inside each was a barely-visible lake or pond, and a river connected them all, with bridges across at regular intervals, though each bridge was different, and made by an individual craftsman, it would seem.

The main building was built of white marble, which I recognized as Cliff Shale, from the northern region of the Deep, which some of the exiles were forced to mine, for a duration from a few years to life, depending on their crimes.

I smiled. "Ahh, a giant, monolithic home, built on the backs of slaves. Fitting for a leader of the free world." I muttered.

Dashiva glanced at me. "This home was seized from the Tyrant, twenty years ago. There was talk of destroying it, but it is beautiful, and so we kept it."

"You say that like it changes my description." I said dryly.

A ghost of a smile played over her lips. "True. But still, this way."

The interior was just as pristine as the outside, and I noticed with a shiver that it matched my skin-tone and hair, a pure, sterile, clinical white, layered with more white. An effort had been made, to place colored tapestries around, but it was clearly not enough.

As we entered a large room, with a long table covered in exotic foods, an Elven woman approached gracefully, almost gliding over the floor. "Oh? And who is this you've brought to my home this evening, Dashiva?" She asked quietly, eying me with less curiosity, and more acceptance. I was here, now, and she didn't really care, one way or the other. I could respect that.

"This is Rune, a guest of the Council Head... he's a TinkerToy Mage." She answered slowly.

"Oh? I see. Hello, Sir Rune, I am Natva Drundomidon, Matriarch of our Clan. You are welcomed as a guest, and may partake of dinner with us, if your travels have not tired you overmuch." She spoke without an inkling of expression, an impressive feat.

"I am appreciative of your pleasantries, and curious how much practice went into your control of your expressions. It is most impressive, My Lady." I nodded a bow.

She glanced down at me, perhaps to figure if I was being sarcastic, and then bowed her head in return. "Several decades, I am afraid. Dinner is beginning, so you may find a seat with Dashiva and her husband." She turned and gilded away again, sitting at the head of the long table.

Dashiva sighed. "Don't embarrass me..."

"Of course-"

"I was speaking... to my Apprentice." She clarified, glancing at the boy, who had appeared silently, now dressed in better clothes, that were a less-ornate version of her own.

He blushed. "I-I'll Try..."

We took our seats, and I thanked Faranza mentally for her lessons on etiquette, as I managed not to make an ass of myself, so far.

A cauldron was pulled in, and a few well-dressed people began dishing out a thick white soup, devoid of meat, and instead filled with a green vegetable, and a softer yellowish one which I found pleasing, if a bit odd. The second was a fish filet, cooked in a pleasing green sauce, and another type of soup, thicker than the first, and filled with beans.

I ate carefully, making sure not to embarrass myself, and using the manners I'd been taught to keep myself respectable. Three separate times, Yeshiva tipped his wine glass, and I caught it with a flick of my hand, righting it; and three others, he dropped his knife, which I also caught, and set firmly on the table just out of his reach, at the third instance.

He mumbled an apology, and blushed when I cut his food with quick, efficient strokes, returning his plate to him and going back to my food without making a fuss about it, for his sake.

The fourth time he tipped his wine glass, as the last dishes were cleared away, a slim hand darted past Mine, and the Matriarch caught it, having approached silently. She set it firmly next to his empty placement, and sighed. "Yeshiva, dear? If you cannot handle your wine, do not drink it. It is rather simple." Then she looked at mine, still full, and paused. "Do you not like the wine, Sir Rune?"

"No, I simply don't partake of alcohol when I'm trying to mind my manners. It's quite good, I've never had the like, but I also know my limits, and don't feel the need to test them." I shrugged.

She nodded. "Alright... it is good to be aware of your own limitations, that's true. Either way, dinner is nearly over, and you may be free with yourself until the morning. The library is on the second floor, and you are welcome to it, while the stables are on the eastern portion of the estate... lastly, please correct me if I am wrong, but are you a Grown human? Age is very difficult to determine, sometimes."

"I am twenty years of age, yes, so I am very nearly fully grown, by human standards." I nodded.

She nodded. "Good! Then you may stay for a quick chat, after dinner. Yeshiva, off with you." She patted the boy's cheek, and tugged one of his ears playfully, releasing him from the table.

I stood, taking the full glass of wine with me towards the fireplace, and sipped it, sitting in the large Redwood chair that was positioned near the mantle. "Yes... very good. Familiar, somehow..." my eyes traveled up, and I paused at the view of a ripped painting, a portrait of a beautiful Elven woman, with snowy hair and electric blue eyes.