07.23.3013: Eye Of the Storm
Summary: Lyrienne gets an unexpected visitor while she's meditating in the courtyard. They discuss many things about what's happened in his absence.
Date: 27 July 2013
Related: None
Lyrienne Advent 


Lower Courtyard — Palace Towers, Landing
Up a small incline from the Grand Esplanade, through the portcullis's intricately wrought gates, is the Lower Courtyard of the Palace Towers. It is a large, sprawling space of laid stone walkways and grassy patches of lawn. Stone benches carved with the Sauveur Eagles are scattered throughout the courtyard to provide places to sit and converse. At the center of the courtyard is a baroque-styled fountain carved with a statue effigy of the First King Matthias Sauveur. Cultivated around the fountain is a rose garden where some of the finest blooms in all Haven can be found.

The Courtyard leads to the three major towers of the Sauveur seat. Directly before it, looming with its grace and magnificence is the Royal Tower. It hosts the entire Sauveur family and is also the location of the Grand Hall and Royal Libraries. To the Royal Tower's left is the Embassy Tower which provides housing and comfort for the Paramounts of Haven and their vassal houses. Each floor in the Tower is dedicated to each House, with the Paramount floors being the most grandeur. Opposite of the Embassy Tower is the Senate Tower which is where sessions are held and hosts the senatorial offices and apartments. Skyways are evenly spaced up the two auxillary towers, connecting them to the Royal Tower.

July 27th 3013

It's a warm night in the garden courtyards of the palace tower, with fireflies flickering over the grass and the soft sounds of occupation wafting through the night air from the towers into the garden. Since her return to Landing with the beginning of the war, Lyrienne has spent more and more time at the royal tower, often leaving her children with her parents while she enjoys a little more independence. Tonight, though, the children are in bed and Cedric is busy looking over repair reports of the Shadow of Intent. Left to her own devices, Lyrienne has found a relatively secluded spot in the rose gardens. Wearing simple cotton pants and a tank top, she sits cross-legged in the grass, eyes closed and hands resting palms up on her knees as she meditates. Clearly in an Awakened state, her aura shimmers around her, an aurora of soft teal, gold, and pink.

It has been a long time since Lyrienne has probably even seen Advent. However, when he walks by the courtyard, he sees his sister and slowly the corners of his lips lift up, his eyes brighten just as the dipples start to show. His footfalls are silent as he makes his way to her side. Slowly, silently he takes a seat on the grass beside her and closes his own eyes. He gets into the same position she is in and she can probably feel the other person present. His hair is brushed back but the unruly curls do what they want. He is sporting a short goatee which doesn't look horrible on his thinner face. He's lost weight since she's seen him last. He is sporting a red t-shirt and lose leather pants with combat boots.

At the sound of someone else joining her, Lyrienne starts to open one whited-out eye, head tilting curiously. When she recognizes her brother, though, she breaks into a broad grin, aura dissipating as she lunges forward to throw her arms around his shoulders. "Advent!" she exclaims, laughing. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me you made it back for Ellie's wedding and I was so busy convincing Cedric to dance that I missed you. I'll feel terrible, you have to lie to me if it's true."

Advent is tackled and since his eyes are closed he doesn't see it so much as feel it. He lands hard on his back and wraps his arms around her. "Hello, little sister." He keeps grinning happily. "I missed it actually. I was trying to make it back in time but when the second wave hit, I was on one of the moons fighting back the Hostiles. Our ship was damaged so we had to wait for supplies." He sits up again holding her. "There, I didn't have to lie to make you feel better." He brushes his cheek against her own and smiles now more brightly. "How are the kids?"

"Oh, good," Lyrienne laughs, smile bright as she reaches out to absently try to straighten his hair. "I mean, not good that you were stuck fighting Hostiles or that your ship was damaged, but good that I didn't miss you at the wedding, because I would have felt horrible about that." Carefully she starts to push herself up again, giggling. "The kids are good. Mostly. Julien's crawling around now, which is incredible. Marus is doing his best to be the man of the house. Lyssie comes and goes," she admits, sympathetic. "She hates not having Ric around more often. But she's at that age, you know? It's hard for her. It helps that Mother and Father are around, though."

The hair is unruly and curly. She has her hands full with trying to straighten it. He chuckles and shakes his head. "I knew what you meant, Lyr." He sits there patiently while his hair is fiddled with. He helps her up and then is beside her again. "That sounds about right. Well, I'm here for them now. I don't have to be on tour anymore." He shoulder bumps her. "I can babysit!" Another smile. Last time he baby sat the kids there was only two of them and Lyrienne probably remembers the chaos when she got home and the sugared up children he left with her. "How is Cedric? Is he still grumpy?"

"Mmm, you're only babysitting with supervision for you," Lyrienne smirks at her brother, setting an elbow on her knee and propping her chin up in one hand. "You and Niko both fold too easily to be trusted not to be swayed by their wiles. Ric's good, though. And he isn't grumpy," she protests, laughing softly. "He's just…not a communicator. In general. Without a purpose. He's very good at communicating with his ship," she adds with a good-natured roll of her eyes. "But what about you? Why are you not on tour anymore?"

The man slowly turns to glare at her. "I am amazing! I don't need supervision." He protests before grinning again. "I have to meet this Nico-nachos." He deliberately pronounces his name wrong. "Cedric is a good husband but sometimes speaking for the purpose of small talk is a good excuse." Then he nods. "He is an excellent Captain." He rubs his hand up his leg slowly and frowns. Then his hand is pulled off his leg. "Eh no reason." He's totally lying.

"My kids, my rules," Lyrienne announces cheerfully. "If you and Ellie don't like them, then you can get started on making sproglets of your own." She knows him too well to fall for that line, though, tilting her head and leaning a little closer to try to catch his eye. "That doesn't sound like a real reason, Advent," she prods. "Come on, don't make me go digging for it," she threatens, reaching out to poke a finger at his temple.

The grown man sticks his tongue out at his sister. "Niko and I will kidnap them one day then what will you say? Cause you know they will be safe but god knows what condition." He kehehe's quietly, wiggling his fingers evilly. Yes, it's something he would do. His eyes lift and he stares at her. "Hostile stabbed me through the leg and broke it's blade off in it. The doctors removed the blade but it shattered me femur. So now I have pins and rods in my leg. I'm not very intimidating limping onto the battlefield with a cane…" He looks down to his leg and the simple but elegant black oak cane.

"You will not!" Lyrienne exclaims in regard to the kids, though she sobers at the explanation of his injury. "I'm sorry, Advent," she says quietly, brows furrowing in a faint frown. "I hadn't heard. Is it-" A pause, as she chooses her words. "Is it permanent? Or are you just off the field for a few months while everything heals up?"

Advent lifts a brow. "That's what you think, Lyr." He grins slowly while he rubs his leg and looks at her. "If I limp forever that's fine. I will still fight." The stubborn Sauveur states plainly. "I refuse to sit back for this whole war because I limp. I can still ride horses and hell…pole arms and spears are just giant walking sticks. I can beat anyone with those, limp or not." He picks up his cane to show her the hidden blade. The top of the cane is a celtic knot wrapped over a ball of onyx. Then a band of silver wraps around just blow the ball, linking to the hidden blade. The sheath is simple and black oak, long and just right for his height.

"So what are you going to do in the meantime then?" Lyrienne asks, a faint smile tugging at one corner of her lips when she sees the blade. "Aside from threaten to kidnap my children, that is. I can't imagine it's easy being away from it when you're used to being in the thick of things."

Advent hums quietly while he puts his blade away and sets the cane back beside himself. "I was thinking of going a little mad. Perhaps with a side of bored out of my mind." He shrugs. "I was going to be productive and pick out a wife but then I thought that there are too many marriages and that would require another and god I don't want to see more marriage announcements. That and then I'd have to be all gentlemanly and proper and that is just too much work." He slowly lies on his back. "I could do what you did. Get someone knocked up. More fun, less work." It's a tease and something he's teased her about in a good natured way since it happened.

Lyrienne's aura lights up as she gives him a telekinetic shove, winking out shortly after. "Jerk," she accuses. "Besides, what I actually do with my time is write and perform music. And spend the money I've made writing and performing music. Which are both fun. And studying psychometry," she admits, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "I could do with fewer of the marriage announcements, though," she sighs. "Did you hear about Declan?"

Advent gets shoved and he exaggeratedly falls over. "I can't believe you pushed over a cripple! You meanie face." He lies on his stomach in the grass and decides this is much more comfortable so he doesn't turn over. He shakes his head. "I started ignoring the messages. What happened to Declan?" He stretches his legs out and now that she's closer to his bad leg she can see it doesn't stretch out any more. "I am not good with music I don't think." He hufs quietly. "I also haven't been studying psychometry cause it scares the crap outta me."

"He's going to marry Ariana Larent," Lyrienne answers, shifting to lie on her stomach next to her brother, arms folded under her cheek. "You know. A younger model." Despite the lightness in her tone, the faint line across her brow suggests that bothers her more than she'd like to admit. "Psychometry scares you?" she asks instead of pursuing that line of thought. "What scares you about it?"

Advent turns his face so it's squished against the grass but his eyes are pointing towards her. "Declan is a downgrade from Cedric. Declan has always been a fool to have let you go. Never look at that past. If you would have married him, you would be missing out on those beautiful children you have and a husband who is accomplished and treats you very well." He reaches his hand out and rubs her shoulders. "She might be a younger model but you are still the upgrade model." A knowing smile plays over his lips. "Um…perhaps cause the last time I used it my veins turned black and so did my eyes and then black lightning started to fire around me with grey smoke. It happens when I get mad but I scare myself cause I … I look like a demon." He's always had problems with the thoughts of demons. Stupid stories he was told at school.

"You can't do anything about your aura, Advent," Lyrienne says with a faint frown. "It is what it is. Maybe it's the gods' way of making up for mine," she suggests, turning the frown to a brief, crooked smile. "You got all the badass genes, and I got the pretty ones. You can't just not use them, though. It's part of who you are. And if your leg's hurt, then it's something you can work on while it heals. I can help you, you know."

Advent scrunches up his face. "Aw. I wanted to sleep and steal children while I healed up." He chuckles warmly. "That's not badass! It happened while I was in training… I saw myself in a mirror and screamed… like you do. Loud and girly." He pokes her arm lightly. "Not my more manly of moments but it.. happens sometimes. I want to be careful though since I really don't need the press of being an Awakened. Not only am I crippled, I'm Awakened, a knight, and cousin to the king. That's like prime gossip."

"Don't be silly, Advent. Everyone knows I'm Awakened, it wouldn't exactly be a surprise that you would be too." Lyrienne swats at his finger. "Besides, you don't want to get into the press argument with me. I'm Awakened, a rock star, cousin to the king, and managed to get knocked up as a teenager by the son of one paramount house, ruining my intended marriage to the Young Lord of another. I have you beaten by far. And we can practice as my place," she offers. "No one will see you there."

Advent shakes his head. "Yeah. You did do some stupid stuff." He grins slowly and hah's quietly. "Nothing I do would be that bad… Unless I knocked up Janelle." He makes a disgusted face and shakes his head. "Ew. Cousin incest." He rolls to his side and nods to her. "Gotta remember that we are always seen." He points out simply. "Though behind closed doors would be pretty safe. I'd much rather say I didn't get the gene and prance around playing pranks on the press."

"Yeah, but you can't hide those sorts of things forever," Lyrienne shakes her head. "It's going to come out eventually, and you should probably have some control of it before it does. I don't know why it's such a big deal, but it's a skill you have, Advent, and not one that everyone does. And your little sister is very good at it and would very much like to have someone to work on it with," she adds with a flutter of her lashes.

Advent stares at the fluttering lashes and his right eye twitches. It always happens when he's trying to hold back from giving into his sisters. He does have five to worry about. Finally, "Oh fine." He rolls to his back and grumbles quietly. His arms cross and he huffs. "I can't do anything with it. I just explode into black rage when I get mad. So far the hostiles know but all that know are dead now."

"And that's exactly my point, Advent." Lyrienne rolls onto her side, propping her head up on one hand again. "You need to understand what you're doing and how you're doing it if you're going to learn to really control it." She takes a deep breath, eyes whiting out and aura flowing around her once more. There's something inherently peaceful about her Awakened state, whether it's the gentle ebb and flow of the colors in her aura, or just the soft, pastel colors of it. "We can teach you some basics, at least."

Advent closes his eyes when he feels her calming aura. Suddenly rage flows around him. Her peace is countered by his war. The flowing around him is like ash and the black smoke that billows around him like the remnants of a fire. Black lighting starts to strike around him, hitting him but not damaging him. His eyes open up and they are fully black. There are no whites on his eyes. Just a black that is so very bottomless it's haunting to look at him. He's the exact opposite of her. Perhaps it was meant to be this way.

"See?" Lyrienne smiles faintly, holding out her hand. "You can pick it up when you want to, that's something. You can't change your aura, but you don't have to feel it, either." She takes a deep breath, holding his dark gaze with her own white, before speaking to his mind. Breathe with me, Advent. In, and out. In, and out. Along with her words comes a quiet, regular thump of sound, like a heartbeat.

Advent keeps her gaze with his own. When the voice enters his mind, he jerks his head back and snarls. It's an unearthly snarl. It's so different than he is that it's almost unsettling. Though the breathing does start to follow along with her breathing and the heartbeat calms him down. The lightning stops and the smoke dissipates but it's the eyes that stay for the longest. Slowly the blue shows while his eyes clear back to normal.

So often, Lyrienne is the social butterfly. She flits from group to group, smiles and laughs, rambles on about inane subjects, and generally gives an excellent impression of a teenage rock star. So it's perhaps surprising to see just how grounded she actually is. When her brother reacts so strongly, she doesn't budge, just giving him a chance to acclimate to the words, to the heartbeat, until he's calmer. "Good," she murmurs, a smile curving and aura dissipating with a shimmer as she drops out of her Awakened state. "It's a good start, at least. Have you only ever used it when you were threatened?"

Advent feels himself being much calmer. She would know he would never hurt someone unless they hurt his family or threatened him. "Yeah… The hostile that stabbed me, I scared him just by the rage I felt and that was enough for me to kill him." He reaches his hand out and takes hers. "It's only been there when I really needed it. I have to feel rage for it to be brought up…that or intense fear." He lies back down on the grass and closes his eyes.

"Well, it's no wonder it's like that, then," Lyrienne says with a small smile, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. "The two things, being angry or terrified, are linked with the feeling of being in your Awakened state. So of course you're going to feel a little panicked when you go into your Awakened state on your own. It's totally normal. But practice can help with that. Why don't you come and work with me?" she suggests. "While you're here, being bored out of your brains anyhow. Just an hour a day or so. We'll work on building your control."

Advent sighs quietly. "I won't get out of it even if I say no so I will say yes and save myself the hassle." He grumbles quietly, his hand holding her's firmly. "It just cannot take precedence over my knight training….or sleep. Definitely not sleep." He pulls his hand from hers and ruffles his own hair, knowing it upsets the perfectionist in her. Curls bounce everywhere as he sits up, rubbing his leg. "It's like I have a lightning pole in my leg now."

"Well, that's fine," Lyrienne declares archly, giving his hair the stink eye for a moment. "Because Ric's going to be teaching me a little more about the sword, too. So we'll get better at things together. So there." A faint smile tugs at one corner of her lips, betraying amusement. "You'll get plenty of sleep, I'm sure. Nothing we ever did could stop that."

Advent sticks out his tongue at her again. Maturely…in a matter of speaking. "You'll actually fight…oh honey you know you could break a nail right?" THe smile grows and he pokes her lightly. "Your hair will get messed up, clothes sweaty…" Another poke. He chuckles at her statement. "When you grow up with five sisters, you learn to sleep through anything. However, I still don't forgive the bright pink nail polish. I know that was your idea."

"Didn't you hear?" Lyrienne arches a brow. "I was part of the party that ran into the first Hostile scouts. One of them kindly opened up my belly for me. I have no desire to go seeking them out, but I'd like to be better able to defend myself if I run into one again," she explains. "I'd much prefer to deal with them from a distance, but things don't always work out the way we plan."

Advent stares at her and his eyes narrow. "At least you are alive." He states quietly. "Learn to riposte or parry. It will help with the blades. However, when it comes to them hitting you with maces or axes… just learn to use a shield or your sword to block. Watch their shoulders and hips. Do not watch their arms or legs. The motions from from the shoulders and the hips so when they move you'll have more time to react." He offers that tip to her.

"I'm alive," Lyrienne agrees, nodding once. "But I need to learn more about the shield and the blocking and all the rest. These things happen when we aren't expecting them." She sits up fully, absently running her hands through her own hair until it sits just so. "But I should probably start heading back to our rooms. Julian's going to need another feeding soon, I think."

Advent grins slowly. "Shoulders." He reiterates. The man moves over and wraps his arms around his little sister, holding her tightly. "Gods above I missed you." He kisses the top of her head before sitting back. "Get back to your kids. I'm around now so we will have lots of time to lots of time to talk and catch up." He quickly moves and ruffles her hair. He grabs his cane and gets up slowly. "Goddamn get aways are impossible!" He wobbles while limping. He's not too quick right now.

Lyrienne returns the hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek in turn. "Sleep well, Advent," she says as she draws back, smile warm. "I'm looking forward to spending time with you again."

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