Rebuilding the Council: The Magician

[Glenn]

A few days ago,

Glenn Burnie rarely made it to the Gilded Lily. It was a circle of unfortunate realities really. First Rhaena Olwak was deeply traumatized. Then as she was starting to recover, he was taken off and upon his return, the theater held little allure for him. Now that they were both far better, she was away to Razasan for various reasons, not entirely herself (though quite fond of the theater, nonetheless).

And really, when was there time?

The answer to that was simple enough. There was time when there was need, when this was business and not pleasure, and there was little business in Myrken Wood more serious or pressing than that involving its Judiciary Council. Thus was he here now. Message had been sent ahead and really, the once-mapmaker half wished he could have seen the look upon the magician's face upon receiving it.

For some, as he sat in the first row of the empty theater, Glenn did not think he would be waiting long for his meeting to begin.

[Dulcie]

The local theatre, The Gilded Lily had been relatively quiet for the past year or so. The magician still performed his act a few times a year, and could be spotted about town every now and then, though for the most part the man known as Stefan Berdini kept to himself. When he had received Glenn's missive it had been more than a slight surprise. He remembered the man from a few years ago, when he still frequented that horrible shack the townspeople thought was an inn and tavern. The note however had him intrigued and a reply inviting the visit had been sent by one of the mute servants that were frequently seen about the theatre and his cottage nearby.

Today the theatre was quiet. The people of Myrken found it took cold to travel into the township during the winter to fill the seats for the local performing artists, but there was evidence that rehearsals had been taking place. Bits of shimmering cloth had been shed at the stage's edge and traces of dust from the dancers shoes still lingered. Perhaps it was those few lingering items that gave the theatre such an unpleasant feeling of emptiness. Glenn would wait, just a moment longer than would feel comfortable before he could hear the familiar tapping sound of the magician's walking stick against the aisleway of the theatre.

"Mister Burnie, I bid you welcome to my house of beauty and mystery. My apologies that you could not have seen the rehearsal, the dancers for the spring performance are quite lovely. Please come though, we shall discuss your business over a good glass of wine." He'd motion for Glenn to follow him, leading the way to the very office that he had been taken to when he had first petitioned to rent the Gilded Lily. It had been some time since had seen the theatre's patroness and he was none too concerned about that, it was far easier for him to run the theatre as he wished than to have someone to answer to. The office he would take Glenn to was elegantly furnitured with rich, plush carpet and velvet upholstered wing back chairs. The oil lamps had already been lit and a bottle of foreign wine and a pair of glasses rested on the side table between the two chairs that had been set out for their meeting.

"Please, do take a seat. I must admit I was intrigued by your message."

[Glenn]

Burnie would follow the man inside, a rather peculiar smile upon his face, tempered if only a little by envy for the magician's walking stick. His other meeting of the day was, at face value, more ... grotesque, but this one was fascinating and phantasmagorical on a much deeper level. "I must thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Mister Berdini." Then, as they walked, a small pause. "Might I call you Stefan? I'd much rather you call me Glenn as well, of course. In truth, I was especially gladdened that you still resided in Myrken. We have very few connoisseurs of the arts here, performing or otherwise."

By then, they'd be to the office. Burnie would graciously sit down, would sniff at the wine for a moment before sipping it. So far, things were perfectly pleasant. Smalltalk continued to rule the meeting. "Tell me, Stefan, have you found your time in Myrken enjoyable so far? Restful, perhaps?"

[Dulcie]

He waited until Glenn had sat in one of those plush velvet covered chairs before he'd set aside his walking stick, letting the it's lacquered body rest against the intricate tapestry that graced the wall. Wine would be poured and there would be an inclination of his head at Glenn's request to call him by his first name. As the wine was sniffed a brow would be arched slightly, but he would take his own glass then, lifting it without hesitation to take a drink before he would seat himself across from the other man.

"I am pleased that you think I am a pleasurable addition to this town. It is my role to entertain the poor uncultered masses it seems. They are not as primative as the savages in the desert though, and that is something to be said in their favor."

Small talk, something that Stefan Berdini did quite well. Another drink from his glass and a thoughtful pose as he held the glass by it's stem considering Glenn and the question for a brief moment.

"It is Myrken Wood. The people here are who they are, but yes, restful would be one way to describe it. I believe they will emerge from their caves.. eventually. Not all can be as forward thinking as you Mister Burnie."

[Glenn]

"We are in the wilderness, Stefan." Glenn's tone had become almost conspiratorial. He swished the wine around in its glass before taking another sip. "But no, not savages in a desert." Here there was an almost wistful look to the young man, though a strange grin had come upon his face creating a mismatch of sorts. "I would ask you about that, if you had actually spent in a desert, perhaps even share my story of such, and I hope there will be time for that, and for more, later.

"I admit, and with some shame," though his expression had not changed to show any such emotion. "that I have fiercely neglected you. You are a man who plies his trade in mysteries, who wears them around his body like a shroud. I define my life by reaching the center of them, tearing them down in the name of truth and knowledge. Yet here you remain, and it has been SO long since we last spoke." He continued to play with the glass as he spoke, each sentence measured. There was a barrage of words to come and it took all he had to hold it back for now. "What impresses me the most about you is not your skill, nor your training, nor your manner and airs. What impresses me the most about you, Stefan, is your PATIENCE." The wine glass was placed down and his grin became more striking still. "May I tell you a story about the time just before you arrived? I think it will explain my feelings and perhaps even why I am here today."

[Dulcie]

The magician was no fool and as Glenn gained that wistful look in his eyes he would certainly make note of it. Perhaps there was a conversation to be had with his servants in the near future, it would be no good for them to be having one of their private conversations only to have this man listening in on it. There were good reasons why he never hired anyone to work on his stage performance that spoke the common tongue, in fact if Glenn would recall almost all the servants of the magician were desert dwellers themselves.

"I look forward to that conversation Mister Burnie. I have enjoyed the culture of the desert lands myself, I should like to hear your experience." He would lean back in his chair then, letting Glenn talk and briefly casting a lingering look on his walking stick before returning his gaze to Glenn. Wine would be taken in and he'd make the usual nods and tones of one that was listening, though truth be told his facial expression only relayed mild interest. All of Glenn's words of admiration about his skills, his talents and patience all seemed to drift past him, his interest resting in those final words that Glenn had spoken of, the reason why he was here.

"Indeed, please tell your story. I'm quite certain that you haven't come here today simply to pay me compliments and express your displeasure in my neglect, which I assure you I have felt none of. Do go on Mister Burnie."

[Glenn]

"Thank you." A little nod. Maybe he was just there to pay compliment to the man's talents and patience. Wouldn't that be a nice role for Glenn. He could just go around and say nice things to people. What a pleasant job. The diametric opposite of what he would likely be in just a few days.

"Sin'Vraal." It was going to be one of THOSE sort of stories, a Myrken story and Burnie had a rather distant smile on his face as he began it. Simpler times for him, just as complicated for Myrken. "An ancient, demonic presence, and not like the sort we have around lately either. He was truly ancient, older than I, and maybe even you, could imagine. Old and dread power. A thing of myth and legend. He came here."

Then just the slightest pause to sip at the wine. "We have old beings in Myrken." An aside. Perhaps he meant to test Berdini's patience now. Perhaps this was just the proper way to broach this topic. "Why, I just came from the elves in their little haven. Interesting folk. Have you been? No? Well, they are ancient and dreadfully slow-going about everything. Sin'Vraal was quite the opposite.

"Within weeks of his arrival he had begun to give tainted and deadly bracelets out, serpents in metal form. Within a few months, he was trying to buy whole wagonfulls of orphans." Oh Sarayan. Sweet, moronic Alessandra. It was the thought of her that made him smirk, but smirk he did, when talking about buying orphans. "And shortly thereafter he exposed his true form within the middle of the Broken Dagger. In front of multiple witnesses. This is the sort of thing we so often face here in Myrken." Was the magician beginning to understand yet?

If not, Burnie would make it clear presently. "This ancient, mythic being exposed himself and was destroyed so soon after. You, Stefan, on the other hand, are a breath of fresh air. You have been here years and what has happened? Nothing. You've kept the theater up. You've been a positively civil element in our town. As I said," and here Burnie put the wine glass down. Here he stared at the man before him. Here his voice became deadly serious. "I am exceptionally impressed with your patience. It is about to be rewarded. I have a need. Myrken has a need." Just the way he said it... it was quite obvious that Glenn saw the two as one and the same, and beware whoever felt otherwise. "and if you dispense with pointless deflection and denials right now and promise me that you will be patient for a while longer, I am prepared to offer you a great deal of power and influence in order to meet my need."

[Dulcie]

Indeed it was going to be one of -those- stories. The magician would have been well served as a spider in a different life because indeed, he had patience. He leaned back in his seat and twirled his wine slightly, taking another drink before he raised his gaze over the edge of the glass to look back at Glenn. There was a note for that smirk that he made, though it was misunderstood as to what reason that Glenn was smirking. It seemed the mapmaker had found something amusing in the sale of orphans. Another drink perhaps for the man with the easy expression. He was a performer after all and he revealed very little of his true thoughts as he drank and listened to the yarn that Glenn was unravelling.

"I have heard tales of these beasts, yes. A terrible thing, the misuse of orphans. The townspeople must have been so very upset." He'd muse, letting Glenn continue to spin his story, a brow arching at the part where he began to draw that comparison from the evil things that visited Myrken and Berdini himself. He'd pause then, setting his glass of wine down before he'd fold his hands neatly on the table top and lean forward a little bit towards Glenn, his icy blue gaze settling neatly on him.

"Mister Burnie, I'd be quite appauled and offended if I were to presume that there was a particular implication you were attempting to make there. My motives for this place, and this town are only to bring a bit of mystery and intrigue to people who see true magic with the bare truth that it has exposed itself here. But I believe you are far too influential to truly be making such a statement, so I will assume, for the time being, that I am mistaken." There was something about the way he said it though, that hint of tension in his voice that almost made the statement sound just short of threatening before he'd continue.

"If you are here to encourage me to come help you fight these atrocities I'm afraid that you are in the wrong place. I am no warrior nor a mage. But your offer of power and influence, that intrigues me."

[Glenn]

"Oh, Stefan." There was only the slightest admonishing tone to Glenn Burnie's voice. Would have he had told that story if he didn't know something? Truly? The look that he gave the magician, smile askew, wine sloshing, confident and at the height of his power, was maddening. "This isn't the sort of start we ought to be having."

It all led to a pleasant laugh however. "Fighting evil is the last thing I would like from you, Stefan. What I would like is for you to serve as the Councilor of Arts for Myrken Wood, with all the power and influence of the position. What I would like is your complete support for me as Governor in order to keep the royal wolves at bay and to help me achieve my goals, seemly and otherwise in the months to come. What I would like is for you to expand and enhance cultural life here in Myrken. And yes, as I said, what I would like would be for you to continue to show your grand patience when it comes to whatever other hobby you might enjoy." Somewhere, in the midst of that talk, Burnie had accomplished a magic trick of his own. His wine glass was mysteriously empty. "Are you enough of a showman to play politics, Master Berdini?"

[Dulcie]

"I would wonder at what sort of start you would like us to be having Mister Burnie?"

He would listen then though, leaning back in his chair and letting his folded hands rest near his knees as Glenn went on talking. It was obvious that the mention of wanting him to be a Councillor came as a surprise as both eyebrows lofted and Berdini's gaze shifted over Glenn in a calculating sort of manner.

"I must admit, your proposal both surprises and honors me. Your terms seem amenable and I'm sure as you have so obviously noted I can be a very, very patient man Mr. Burnie. I believe a politician is a simple step away from an entertainer is it not? I should be happy to take up it's mantle. For the good of Myrken of course." Though he wore an amused little grin at that when he commented upon it. There was something about this Glenn fellow that was admirable. Perhaps it was the sneaky way he guarded himself, but for a moment Berdini could sense that there was a possiblity that his friendship could be most beneficial.

"I look forward to working with you Mister Burnie, and supporting your goals." He'd offer his hand to him then, across the table.

[Glenn]

Glenn came in with two very specific terms, two very specific needs: patience and agreement to go along with him and his plans. The latter was not something he specifically asked from the other Councilors but Berdini had much to gain from the spot, more so than the others, perhaps, and it meant that soon-to-be governor was slipping him in as a man who's vote he could tend to count on.

"The good of Myrken and its people, yes." And they were people who needed to be governed, who could not do so for themselves. There was a nod as he reached out to shake that hand. "And please, Stefan, in the name of our friendship to come, please do call me Glenn." Then, even as he held the magician's hand, Burnie's grin seemed to take a slight upturn. "Oh, and perhaps one other favor, just to ensure a smooth beginning." And the two men talked for quite a few minutes longer.