Darkenhold: A Conversation Long Overdue

[Glenn]

It was good to be home. Hell, it was good to even have a home, but it was especially good to be back there. Glenn Burnie had been away. To start, it had been a few days here and there on one mission or another, to the boarder. That was fine. He was glad to have such freedom to move so far. At one point he did not possess that at all.

It was what had come after that had been so frustrating. Tyminel had struck him down and then two days later had healed his wounds. It was frustrating on a number of levels, not the least of which being that it prolonged his homecoming?

Why was that so frustrating? For one thing, there was a guest here in Darkenhold, one that Glenn had long since wanted to speak with. Siris had been kind enough to tell the mapmaker what room he was staying in and never let it be said that Glenn was timid when it came to such things. Here he was, in front of that door an nodding quietly to himself before knocking, once, twice, in order to get the attention of Coriolanus Helstone.

[channe]

"One moment." From inside, Helstone's voice: gentlemanly, and with an edge. A few moments later, Glenn will find the door opening to reveal a man in quite splendid livery: dark blues and gold trim, the Aubrey coat of arms emblazoned above the heart. His hair is drawn back with a ribbon, his boots shined. This is a lord, Mr. Burnie; a lord, and he doesn't want it forgotten.

But never, ever say he's severe. Not right now, after lovely conversations with Ariane, a day spent relaxing in the summer orchard, and a beautiful conclusion to his business in the area.

"Ah. Mr. Burnie, if I recall?" he says. "May I help you, sir?"

[Glenn]

Glenn was dressed quite nicely for a mapmaker. He made a point of it. The blood that flowed through his veins was not completely common. It just had been common enough, relative to where he was born. In Myrken, it might have been something else, if he had the desire for it to be. As it was, he was happy with who he was. And who he was wasn't someone who was about to call even Coriolanus Helstone "Lord," no matter how well he was dressed.

"Actually, Mister Helstone," see, no lord at all, "no, I am in no particular need of your assistance. That's refreshing in its own right, believe it or not. You'll forgive my forwardness, I hope, but I have been away and I do not know how much longer you will be staying and I would consider it a minor travesty if I were to miss you completely during your time here. I have questions and curiosities, of course, but they're of a more genial sort. Hardly pressing to the well-being of Myrken and its denizens." He may not have been showing proper deference but he was absolutely doing his best to seem as adult as possible.

"I was hoping that we might simply have the opportunity to talk for a time, if not now, then soon, over tea or what have you." As an adult, he would not wince at the mere mention of tea, no matter the connotations. Glenn Burnie could, outside of the moment, show quite a bit of self-control, indeed.

[channe]

He was enough of a lord not to quibble about titles; nevertheless, Burnie, this is no simple lawyer you're talking to. Not anymore. He notes it, however, this 'Mister,' and although Ariane is known enough to be familiar, the mapmaker is not. He files the information away, and will treat Glenn a little differently because of it.

"I was just about to go down for some breakfast," Helstone says politely, "and if you'd like to join me, you are most welcome. A moment, please."

He closes the door -- and opens it a few seconds later, this time carrying a hat and a leather satchel. "After you, sir," he says, indicating the hallway.

[Glenn]

It was fairly simple. Baring the highest of the high, Glenn Burnie would not call any man lord who would hold it against him to be called Mister. Unless he wanted something, and to be honest, and he WAS being honest, he was here because he just had curiosities and questions. There were very few of an academic mindset in Myrken. Of course he wished to speak with Coriolanus Helstone.

Still, that Helstone would tolerate to speak with him at all, even after such a slight, meant something as well. Glenn would be all polite smiles here and now. "That would be excellent, sir. Thank you. Normally, I would be training with Ariane now, but I am not yet completely recovered from my most recent run in with one of Myrken's numerous dangers. It makes here and now quite ideal." There might be a bit of darkening on Glenn's features when he mentioned the run in, probably enough to be noticed. There would be a near imperceivable twitch of his left shoulder as well.

Still, he would be moving down the hall, and with just a bit of haste as well, as if he was proving he could manage such exertion, even if training was out today.

[channe]

"I'm not available for very long; I'll have to ride into town to supervise some business," he said. "Ah, a run-in. You seem well; I hope it did you no lasting damage."

No lasting damage, like the drow. The thing that brought him and Rosa close enough to -- and then -- and then. He puts it out of his mind. "So, Ariane still has students. Heh."

[Glenn]

Never let it be said that Glenn Burnie does not know the halls of Darkenhold. After his own incident with the drow, the most recent one, that is, he had stayed here, quietly following Farsiris around day after day. One learns so much by doing that, so much indeed.

"One student, sir." There was a smile here, even a desire to say more but he was bound by the laws of discretion, or mayhaps by the guidelines of it, for he did say one other thing. "It was not easy." There. Let the man take that however he would.

Glenn Burnie had limited time, after all, and he would not linger much upon himself and his teacher. "In all honesty, sir, much of my curiosity stems, very simply, from being able to speak with a man of education. There are very few here in Myrken and of those, no one seems willing to say much of what transpired two years hence. Today, however, I fear my questions will be quite general indeed. With no such imminent crises to speed my hand, I would rather get to know such a man before interrogating him with dark questions." So he would begin with light questions instead, naturally.

"I am quite curious of where you studied, and then, through what circumstances you came to stay in Myrken Wood. Surely, one of your talents would have been able to find a far more lucrative lifestyle closer to one of the more developed cities?"

[channe]

He chuckles. So, the famed Mr. Burnie, confidante of Helstone's own 'student' of sorts, wishes to pry into his background. Helstone is amused, but he'll allow it. This might make for entertaining breakfast conversation, as well as a window into the philosophies of the current administration, which -- he knows this, thanks to his conversation with Ariane -- has had changes over the past year.

"Polite, then. I like that in a man. I only ask that I can return some of the same questions upon you sometime in the future." A pause, and he clears his throat as they walk. "I am a Helstone of Collingford; do you know the family? An old lineage. We were nobility before we came under the sway of the kings in Trae Kelsa."

Another pause, as he figures out where to go next. "If you don't, there's quite a bit to explain. Collingford is a trading town on the bay, but it also exists partly because of the University of Collingford, the largest in Amasynia. It has a map room beyond your wildest dreams; you'd love it, I'd imagine. At any rate, my father is Protector of the City and of the University, and my brother his heir. I could choose my own path, and I chose law."

There's a lot he's skipping over, a lot of family politics and arguments over the fate of his sister, Celia -- but. Burnie needs to know none of that, and if there's something the last few years have taught him is that he need not hide from his name. He is a Helstone, and as such, has certain responsibilities.

"After I received my degree, I wanted to spend some time where the name 'Helstone' was neither important nor known -- a place where I could do some good in bringing law to a lawless place. Myrken Wood fit the bill."

[Glenn]

There is a very specific thing the young mapmaker cannot help but wonder anytime he asks someone in Myrken Wood a question. It is, for the most part, Calomel's fault, and being a Governor's fault, Glenn does not think himself too foolish for it. Namely, he wonders if anyone else here has asked Helstone this specific question before. He would not be surprised if the answer to that was no.

Regardless, as they continue to walk down these halls towards the kitchen, Glenn is mostly quiet and attentive. He would welcome someone asking him of his past once or twice. It's rare here and he would be curious to get this man's opinion on one or two elements of it.

Occasionally, he is prompted for a response and he gives it. "I have heard of your family and of Collingford, but my knowledge is limited at best. I would be very curious to hear of the history of the University at some later point, however. You do know that we do intend to create something of that sort here, albeit on a smaller scale." Again, that was a conversation for later. It was too focused for now.

Ah, but the Lord had gotten to the crux of things. "You simply packed up your things and came here because you heard it was full of chaos and anarchy and you wished to make a difference?" There was a slight tapping at his chin as he thought that through. It was only part of it, of course, but he would accept it at face value for now. Doing so could lead to the next question. "Looking back, was it worth it?"

[channe]

Helstone chuckles. "That's part of the reason, yes. There are also personal things, but you understand that they're personal and I do not wish to discuss them." And, no, nobody had asked Helstone that question; perhaps a few got at it sidelong, but for the most part --? Burnie is among the first few to care at all about Helstone's past.

But then he asks -- was it worth it?

"Honestly, that's a question that I can't answer yet. I'm still -- too close, certainly. There are experiences I care not to repeat, experiences that changed me, sometimes for the worse. Some made me into a better man. I'll have to wait a few years to decide whether it was worth it. Would I have been named lord of the Aubreyne without being Governor of Myrken Wood? Perhaps not."

"And you, Mr. Burnie; how found yourself in Myrken?"

[Glenn]

Glenn perhaps lacked certain manners that others had. Perhaps it was just that the skeletons in his closet, while being strange, were nothing he took particular shame in. He was not afraid of the question being turned back on him, not anymore. That would come in a moment, however.

No, for now, Glenn was nodding. He understood that it could be too close, though... "It's strange, sir. Time seems to move so quickly here. Look at Cinnabar. From stranger to High Constable to Governor in such a short period of time. I imagine that when one gets away from here, things do slow down quite a bit." Then, there was the matter of change, and that is something that Glenn has often thought about. "From my observations, Myrken changes people, more so than anywhere else I have been, perhaps, moreso even than any other place I have read about. You, certainly, have a different knowledge base than I, sir. Is it just some youthful leap to conclusions on my part or might you agree?"

Now this... this was interesting. Only a few minutes before, Helstone had suggested that he might ask of Glenn's background at some point in the future. Something must have struck a chord, however, because that question had been vaulted forward and here it was, sitting between them. There was a soft smile upon his face with its arrival. "By chance. I arrived here by chance. I did not know where I was heading, in all honesty. I left home seeking adventure and freedom and eventually, I found Myrken. You can imagine why I ask about the cost being worth it. No, I think a more interesting question might be why I continue to stay. Tell me, sir, do you retain affection for this place after all that has happened?"