Court of the Fallen was created in October of 2018 by Odd, Honey, and Crooked.
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And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Loren had a point, and it was grudgingly acknowledged with a curt nod. Though as always, trust really wasnt Korbin's strongest virtue. Just like the vow to do no harm, he would give it some time, watch and wait and see what would happen.
"We survive," he replied, with stark simplicity. Choosing to reply to the easy question to stall for time. Give himself room to consider properly before giving any response to the rest. "If you think it's cold now, you'll have another thing coming. Temperatures drop even more, storms are constant. There's no leaving the Citadel, you'll risk dying just by stepping outside. All we can do is keep the fires burning, keep the roofs free of snow and hope the food supplies last us through the season."
Offering another strip of the dried meat to the both of them, Korbin then packed the rest away. Too economical to waste more when the need wasn't dire. "Usually, people take the time to do what there's been no time for during the rest of the year. Make clothes, mend weapons. Craft, spend time with kin. There's a lot of singing and storytelling in the evenings." Korbin's expression softened a bit at that; it was his favorite part about the isolation.
"I suppose... there is no reason I couldn't try learning a bit about healing, since there's nothing else to do," he said slowly. Guarded, wary, careful not to make it sound like he was eager in any way. Though perhaps it was a bit late for that, as the look in his eyes spoke the truth of his interest.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Loren nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face, as Korbin explained what the Halovians got up to during Deepfrost. At the end of it, the healer actually smiled. "Sounds a lot like when I used to be a farmer." It came out a bit wistfully. For a moment, he looked like almost a different person. Those times hadn't been carefree, but they certainly had been simpler.
Then he shook his head and broke the spell. "Well, surprising as it might seem, I spend most of my days working in the infirmary in the Palace. Feel free to stop by any time and I'd be happy to show you a few things." He smiled at the hunter.
Then the Launceleyn nodded towards the entrance, where the wind was still howling and the storm still raging. "Since I have no idea how long we might be trapped here, we might as well get to know each other a little better. Got any questions for me?" There was a wry tone to his voice, since he knew the other man probably had plenty, few of them complimentary.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Surprises were aplenty, to the young Halovian. A farmer was not how he pegged this young lordling... but then, hos views on what a farmer would be like was sketchy at best. There weren't any in Halo; not enough grazing to be found for anything but luxere.
"I can do that," he replied. It felt weird. Yesterday he would never have believed he'd agree to do anything with Loren, for any reason. And now... aparently it was true that shared experiences brought people together. Though he admittedly wasn't thrilled about having people forced on him. At least it could be worse.
The offer to be curious was mer with a thoughtful stare, Korbin's gaze direct and scrutinizing. "Alright... So why are you really in Halo? Because your family is here?" There were other regions, other places to go. Halo was not hospitable in any way, and Korbin wouldn't be the first person to have treated an outsider with the cold shoulder. Palace authority only got you so far. He figured there had to be a pretty good reason to linger despite all that.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
At Korbin's question, Loren let out a huff of laughter. "Pretty much." Then his expression grew sad. "I...lost someone. Someone I loved. Someone I was planning a future with." Biting his lip, he found that he couldn't meet the hunter's gaze.
The healer's own eyes had grown distant, and his voice came out quietly. "Then he died. In a...in a forest fire." He swallowed hard. "And my brother came to me, in the midst of my grief, and offered me a place by his side." Shaking his head a bit, he drummed his fingers against his thigh. "In truth, I wasn't thinking all that clearly. But I can't say I regret the decision."
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Korbin listened quietly. He remained silent for quite some time, processing. Searching his own feelings for... something. There was sympathy, for the loss of a loved one, certainly. Understanding, of how kinship and family bonds would draw him here.
"I suppose our way of honoring the dead might seem tactless to you, considering how he died... but still. May he burn brightly." Having offered the ritual words, Korbin cocked his head aside in a motion that harkened to the raven in him. "Do you understand why we say that?" His tone had softened slightly, and gave Loren the chance to reply, if he indeed did know.
That matter aside... the youth shifted his seat. Pulled off a glove and made sure his clothes weren't getting wet; he was starting to feel the stillness like an ache in the bones. A first sign of getting chilled.
"Loren... you saved my life, earlier. If you hadn't intervened when you did, I would be dead." The matter of fact tone dropped even further, and Korbin's expression turned pensive. "If I were a warrior, I'd say something along the lines of 'my life is your's' and offer to protect you to pay the debt... But I'm not. Fact remains though, I do owe you a life debt."
He waited, to see how the man would react to this.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Loren shook his head at Korbin's words. In fact, the healer smiled faintly. "My family has burned its dead for generations, though for slightly different reasons. Here, in Halo, it's to give them the warmth they never knew in life"
Speaking quietly, he raised an imaginary toast. "May he burn brightly." Then he glanced at the hunter uncertainly. "And may your kin burn brightly as well." It was clear the Launceleyn didn't know if that was quite appropriate here.
Watching the other man's motions, Loren chose not to comment on them. Instead, he just snorted at Korbin's words. "No you don't. I was literally just doing my job." Clearly uncomfortable with the offer, the healer just shook his head.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Korbin nodded, oddly pleased that Loren had bothered to learn about the customs. "Yes. And since firewood is scarce and valuable, it is the greatest honor we can really show them."
He bowed his head with gratitude when his own family was remembered. Indeed, it was the right thing to say.. and it earned the Healer a rare, genuine smile, that transformers the serious young face into something warm and kind. A glimpse into who he really was.
It faded slightly when Loren rejected the notion. "That doesn't really matter," he told the older man, quite seriously. "If you had not stepped in, I would not sit here now, and my sister would be left utterly alone. I owe you. It's not an offer or even a choice for you to accept; it's just something you need to know, and understand."
It was a matter of pride, honor, deeply rooted traditions whose origins had been long forgotten. "There are some customs and courtesies involved, but... In essence, it means that you have the right to call on me to pay that debt at any point, for any reason, however you see fit. And I will not refuse it. Can not, if I ever want to face any of my people again."
He said it quite calmly, like it wasn't a chain around his neck. And if he thought of it as such, the boy wore it with no apparent effort.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Nodding in understanding about the tidbit about the wood, Loren smiled back at Korbin, equally genuine and clearly relieved he hadn't put his foot in his mouth. However, it was swiftly replaced by the discomfort the healer felt at the thought of the life debt. "Then I owe you a debt as well, seeing as you saved me from the archer first." However, he sighed.
Finally, he nodded. "Fine. If you insist. In that case, I hope you're ready to wait for quite a while then." Shaking his head he slid his fingers together. "What customs and courtesies?" It came out in as deeply respectful a tone as he could muster. If they were going to do this, they may as well do it right.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
"Not quite... You were not facing imminent death... there's a difference, and I'm not sure I can really explain it." Leaning the chin into a palm, Korbin thought for a moment, gathering his thoughts on how best to explain the situation.
"A life debt is an old custom, and it's so ingrained in people that it's hardly even spoken of out loud. Usually everyone just.. knows when it's invoked and act accordingly without talking about it. It's all about honor, and pride." He scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
"You saved me from a situation I could not have escaped on my own. It's my place to acknowledge the debt, and yours to accept it. I am expected to pay it when asked, and you are expected to let me repay it, in a manner that doesn't bring shame or dishonor, or place me further in debt." It sounded all grand and difficult when he swung words like honor and pride around, but it really was just common sense. To him.
"It's really not that difficult," he added, with a slight smile, upon noticing Loren's discomfort. "Just think of it as being able to call in a favor. Somewhere between doing the dishes, and selling out my sister or homeland for you."
Because his life was worth a liiiitle more than dishes, and not nearly as much as Halo or Weaver.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Not objecting again, Loren just listened to what Korbin was telling the healer. He supposed it made sense. While it didn't sit well with him, he would accept it. "Then I accept." His lips twitched with amusement. "I'm sure that I can find something between those particular extremes." It was a feeble joke, but it was a joke.
Rubbing his arms a bit, more reflexively than because he was cold, he glanced out at the storm. It was still going. "At the risk of sounding like an ignorant outsider, which I am, are there other customs that I should be aware of?" It came out quietly, but it was deeply curious.
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
Feeble or not, it earned a quiet chuckle from Korbin, who nodded and relaxed a bit more. He didn't point out that the Healer could use the debt to make him take that job, whether he wanted it or not... It was something Loren would have to figure out himself. And determine whether it was important enough to cash in that kind of favor for.
"Hm? Oh probably," Korbin smirked, in an offhand way. "You'll see, come Deepfrost and LongNight. Wouldn't want to spoil any surprises."
A brief silence filled by the whistle of wind outside filled the cave. From another pocket, Korbin produced a small box. Inside sat a tiny instrument. No more than a hollowed out piece of wood with thin metal strips attached loosely by wires. As he removed his gloves and touched the tines, the air was filled with a shimmering vibrant sound that lingered for an astonishing amount of time before dying out.
Making some adjustments until the tones rang pure, Korbin settled better and began to play. Lazy, languid notes plucked in an aimless way, strunt together into something that may or might not be a melody. In truth he was just playing, needing to keep his fingers occupied with something.
"Is there anything I should know about you and your family, if I do accept that job offer?" he asked calmly over the music. "There's all kinds of rumors in Snowcloak about you all, but no one actually knows anything." Which may or might not be intentional. Korbin didn't know.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
The laughter was good, and as Korbin relaxed, so did Loren. However, he couldn't help but sigh at the hunter's next statement. "Great. I love surprises." It came out in a sarcastic mutter, and the healer gave the other man an apologetic look to let him know he wasn't the cause of the Launceleyn's bitterness.
Watching as Korbin took out the strange box, Loren found himself actually smiling as the strange music filled the cave. After a long moment, he spoke softly. He was trying not to disrupt the hunter's performance. "That's beautiful." It came out barely above the healer's breathing.
Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. "I imagine the rumors don't come close to doing us justice." He gave the other man a wry look. "It's difficult to say, really, since we don't have that much in common these days."
His expression grew thoughtful. "In general we value power and competence, in varying degrees. My brother appreciates people who are respectful of him and hang on to his every word, Zariah likes people to be subservient to her whims. Both of them are deeply concerned with their reputations and being seen as strong." The Launceleyn shrugged. "I just like people to be honest, even if I'm shitty at it myself."
And round about his home the glory That blushed and bloomed,
The boy just chuckled some more at the grumbling. There was a certain satisfaction in holding out on the information. It gave him back a sense of power and security that had begun to slip terribly over the past days. Weeks and seasons, even. The world around him was changing too rapidly, his foothold in life was small and precarious. And Loren didn't help. Granted, Korbin wasn't a great fighter, but he had considered himself capable at least, yet had been soundly beaten by a goose. A goose. And by Sunjata before that. Then there was the simple fact of the healers rank wildly trumphing his own, and adding to that he now held Korbin in debt. And he'd been offered a job. An apprenticeship.
It was too much. Not enough balance, no equality in it, and he frankly had no idea how to even things out. The idea of remaining inferior to anyone was... not pleasant.
"Mmh, just a toy... but thank you," he hummed, not quite able to hide how pleased he was with the compliment.
"Your brother is in for a rough time, I'll wager," Korbin commented in an off hand manner, while his fingers kept plucking shimmering notes to fill the cave with. "Taking the name of Warden is not the same as keeping it. He has not done anything in these past years to earn any respect. Quite the opposite. As for Zariah... well. There's not a lot of subservience to go around in Halo." Honesty and competence on the other hand was plentyful, as Loren no doubt had discovered already.
"In the name of honesty then... I'll give you just one tip. You wanted to distribute those healing kits, and teach my people to use them? They will never accept it if you make it feel like charity. Or a Palace dictate. If they get to earn them, on the other hand..." He shrugged, leaving the conclusion open to be interpreted.
It came down to a matter of pride. Loren was an Outlander, an outsider in every sense of the word. It would make everything more difficult for him, as people wouldn't accept his ideas out of sheer stubbornness. But appealing to Halovian sense of community and pride... That might help.
Is but a dim-remembered story Of the old time entombed.
Not knowing what was going through Korbin's mind, Loren just smiled wryly at the hunter's laughter. When he tried to play off the box as just a toy, though, the healer immediately shook his head. "Hardly. What is it?" He found himself actually quite curious to know the answer.
Falling mostly silent, he snorted at the other man's comment about Neron. "That's not really my problem. I've advised them both that they need to get out more and actually listen and help the people." And if they didn't do that, well, Loren could only hold off those consequences for so long.
Then an annoyed expression crossed his features. "Not like I'm not super happy with how they've been acting recently myself." He spoke in a grumble, more to himself than Korbin though it was audible enough.
Humming thoughtfully at the hunter's suggestion, the healer drummed his fingers against his thigh. "And what sorts of tasks or goods might make them feel as if they've earned it?" Then he grinned at the other man. "See? You're already giving me great advice."
