Orym

Orym RP Blog / Admin is 18+

[fighter-orym]

Hello everyone that uses this.

My name is Orym and I was enouraged by my boyfriend Dorian to make this so I can interact with people and people can interact with me in return. If any of you need me to run some errands, ask me and I will do them.

⋆༺𓆩🗡𓆪༻⋆ Rules and Warnings:

> I watched all the original campaigns, watched all the shows and read all of the comics, so this Blog will contain spoilers up to the most recent Critical Role stuff.

> Be respectful towards me and anyone I interact with.

> Any interactions that contain 18+ stuff will be tagged as nsfw.

> Feel free to interact!

> I follow from the Blog @starseeker-kai

> I can do literate-based rp.

⋆༺𓆩🗡𓆪༻⋆ Headcanons and Notes:

> He is dating Dorian. They live together in a cozy home and have a large garden.

> He is gay.

> He is a morning person, so anyone that is stuck travelling with him will be woken up early.

⋆༺𓆩🗡𓆪༻⋆ The tags I will use:

# orym chats for askbox stuff

# orym is bored for random posts

# nsfw for 18+ posts

# ooc for out of character posts

[archivist-seth-domade]

Hey so, weird question but one i need to ask: Is it normal right now that people get babies dumped on them?

-Orym

I would not calm it normal, but it has been happening recently. It happened to me and Caleb, Beauregard and Yasha and a third couple you do not know. The Cobalt Soul is currently investigating it. You do not have to keep the child if you do not want it, but please let us know so we can keep an eye on them.

[fighter-orym]

That is quite many this happend to already. I am really glad that it's already being invesitated, because who just randomly dumps babies on people? And I do want to keep it since me and Dorian wanted to have a kid at one point anyways.

[archivist-seth-domade]

It seems to me that whoever is doing this seems to think they are helping. The couples that have received on already wanted one, and whoever gave them out may think their targets cannot have children of their own, even if that would not be true.

[fighter-orym]

Yeah, it seems like it. If you want I can ask some of the Ashari to keep their eyes and ears open in case they notice something. And yes, that would not be true for a handful of people I think.

[archivist-seth-domade]

Hey so, weird question but one i need to ask: Is it normal right now that people get babies dumped on them?

-Orym

I would not calm it normal, but it has been happening recently. It happened to me and Caleb, Beauregard and Yasha and a third couple you do not know. The Cobalt Soul is currently investigating it. You do not have to keep the child if you do not want it, but please let us know so we can keep an eye on them.

[fighter-orym]

That is quite many this happend to already. I am really glad that it's already being invesitated, because who just randomly dumps babies on people? And I do want to keep it since me and Dorian wanted to have a kid at one point anyways.

[fighter-orym]

Were you told yet that Dorian had a baby dumped on him?

I have not been told yet, no!

@bardic-storm Babe? Do you need me to cut my trip short and come back home as fast as I can?

[bardic-storm]

Yes, actually. I do need that, pretty please.

[fighter-orym]

Okay, good. I will come back home as fast as I can with a few baby things!

[fighter-orym]

Were you told yet that Dorian had a baby dumped on him?

I have not been told yet, no!

@bardic-storm Babe? Do you need me to cut my trip short and come back home as fast as I can?

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin, panting softly as he wipes sweat from his brow, smiles back at Orym, wide and satisfied. “Thanks! You’re an amazing fighter yourself. And you’re so graceful too!” He replies, just as starstruck as before, if not even more so. His hair is a mess, many strands slipping free from his braid, but he looks happy despite the messy hair and sweat. “Tea and pie sounds wonderful. Gods, this day has just been perfect—first an excellent spar, now some nice treats? Amazing.”

[fighter-orym]

"So are you in your own way!" Orym said with a big smile and then walked back inside with Verin when he said that tea and pie sounded wonderful. The Halfling pointed to the couch where Dorian was now working on a song with a lot of concentration. "Please sit while I make the tea and grab the pie." He said to Verin and then dissapeared into the kitchen to do just that.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods, setting his training glaive down carefully before going over to the couch and carefully sitting down in a free spot. He tries to be as quiet and careful as possible as to not disturb Dorian. While waiting for Orym to return, he undoes his messy braid and starts to braid it again in an attempt to look a bit less like a complete mess.

[fighter-orym]

Dorian glaced at him when he braided his hair again and hummed a bit. "You seem to be good at braiding hair." He said and then huffed when Orym called out from the kitchen. "Dorian my love, most elven people are good at braiding hair. And I would braid yours if it behaved like normal hair does."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin chuckles softly, endeared by the couple’s constant teasing and bickering, and nods. “Ah, yes—braiding hair is sacred for elves. So I’ve been braiding my hair ever since I was a kid.” He glances at the air genasi’s hair and hums in thought. “I bet yours could be braided, Dorian. You’d just need practice and patience. I bet there’s a class for air genasi hair braiding somewhere out there.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian blinked at that. "I hope there is! So far the only person that has ever sucessfully braided my hair was my big brother. All I can do is put it in a bun." The Air Genasi said and opened the bun in question to show Verin why his hair was so difficult to braid. His hair fell open and down, but stopped before it could lay flat. It swayed from left to right slightly, as if there was wind that was moving it constantly. "See? It's a bit of a challenge to work with because it never really stays still."

"It would if you stop breathing. But whenever you do that it freaks me and others out! I know you do not need to breath, but that doesn't mean it's not scary in a way." Orym called from the kitchen in a teasing yet fond voice. "The tea is almost done, by the way."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin perks up in surprise. “Air genasi don’t need to breathe? That’s awesome! If it stays still when you don’t breathe, just braid it while not breathing. I can help teach you how, if you’d like. As long as it acts like normal hair, I can handle it.” He offers with a warm smile, chuckling softly. “Braiding hair for elves is only meant for close friends and family, but teaching someone to braid their hair is a little different. It’s like.. taking someone under your wing. By teaching you to braid your hair, I would traditionally be your mentor for the next few decades.”

[fighter-orym]

"Yeah, Air Genasi do not need to beath. We can hold our breath forever if we want to because we have an endless breathing cycle inside of us. Tho if Idon't breath, I can't speak untill I start breathing again." Dorian exaplined and then blinked at the rest of what Verin said. "I mean, that does sound nice! So you can definetly teach me!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then blinked. "Only if you want to of course. There is no pressure at all!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin reaches over to give Dorian a sturdy pat on the back with a laugh. “Of course I want to! I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t!” He says, chuckling as he leans back. “I’ve always wanted to be someone’s mentor. Since braiding is taught very young, it’s usually one’s older sibling that becomes their lifelong mentor, and I’m the youngest in my family so I never got to mentor anyone. But don’t worry, I still have plenty of experience braiding!” He insists, a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. He’s always loved helping others, and to be someone’s mentor is a dream of his.

[fighter-orym]

"Oh, I see! It's kind of the same in my family! Only diffrence is that usually every piercing or special occasin jewlery you get is chosen by the older sibling. And since my brother is not around anymore, that duty will fall on you now!" Dorian said with an excited smile.

"Oh, hopefully it will be. Because you have been wanting to get a nose ring like your brother had for a while now." Orym said as he walked into the living room with a big tray, that had three teacups, a teapot shaped like a frog and three plates with two lemon pie slices each on it, into the living room. The Halfling put them onto the table in front of the couch and then climbed up on the free spot that was left. "Tho I am still against you getting ear jewelery that is shaped like a spider web. I know you want it in honor of one of our friends, but you should remember that it could remind you of Lolth, who is the reason you lost your brother." He said very gently and kissed Dorian's cheek when the Air Genasi sighed sadly in agreement.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin always wanted a little brother, and now he’s getting an honorary one. It brings a soft, warm smile to his face. “I get to pick jewelry for you? Oh, don’t you worry, I know the best jewelers in the Dynasty. I’ll pick all the best pieces for you!”

Verin carefully picks up a teacup and takes a small sip, breathing in the warm steam while listening to the couple carefully. “Ah, so you lost your brother to Lolth? My condolences. I’ve seen many of my soldiers killed by her followers. But with the gods gone now, Lolth herself can’t hurt you anymore. And hey, if it reminds you of your friend, get the spiderweb and show Lolth she doesn’t scare you.” He says as he takes a bite of the lemon pie, eyes lighting up with joy. “Wow, that’s good, Orym. I’ve never had pie before, but if they’re all that good, I may need to find some at home.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian's eyes sparkled a bit at that. "You will?! You are already a great honory big brother!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then nded at the rest of what Verin said. "I have never looked at it that way before. So I think I wll get the spiderweb."

Orym petted Dorian,s knee and then took his own teacup to take a sip, smiling when Verin's eyes lit up wth joy as he took a bite of the lemon cake, only to blink at the rest of what he said. "Oh, you should not have tol me that. I will make it my personal mission to send you a new flavour pie once a week now!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin smiles right back at Dorian, overjoyed at getting his own little brother. “Of course! I’ll find a beautiful spiderweb earring for you—and I have these Air Ashari symbol earrings I could give you, too! To match Orym!”

“Weekly pie? Well, how could I say no to that!” He says with a chuckle. “I wasn’t allowed sweets as a child, so there’s many desserts I’ve never tried in an attempt to keep my body pristine. Ever since I started telling people that, I’ve been bombarded with gifts of sweets! I have so many lollipops I don’t even know what to do with them.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian's eyes sparkled with excitement at that. "That would be wonderful!"

Orym blinked slowly and then smiled all big. "Be prepared to be drowned in desserts then!" The Hafling said and then chuckled. "You could give some of them to your soldiers."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin hums in agreement with a nod. “That’s a great idea! My soldiers rarely get nice things—or anything other than the necessities and alcohol, honestly—so some desserts would really lift their spirits. I’m sure they’d be thrilled.” He says with a smile, taking another few bites of delicious pie.

[fighter-orym]

"They definetly would be! Usually we Air Ashari share some desserts the night before going into a battle." Orym said with a big smile and had a bite of the lemon cake himself. "And it also lifts Dorian's sprits always. As a nobel, he was also kind of not really allowed to eat that mayn sweets or desserts as a child."

Dorian pouted at that. "I told you that just because my family has influcence and moeny and is known, that it doesn't mean I am a nobel!" The Air Genasi whined. "Besides, I had more sweets that my parents knew because sometimes Cyrus would sneak me sweets or desserts after we had a fight or after I mastered a new music piece."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin raises an eyebrow, glancing over at Dorian with a soft huff of laughter. “You’re part of a royal family. You’re higher than a noble—you’re royalty.” He retorts, finishing his tea and setting the cup carefully aside. “Maybe we could all try some new sweets together! Or just food in general; there are some amazing Dynasty dishes I can’t find anywhere outside of Rosohna. And I’d love to learn more about other cultures’ food, too!” He offers with an excited smile as he takes a bite of pie. “Though we’d have to keep sparring to even out all the eating.”

[fighter-orym]

"Oh? So I am dating real royalty? How scandalouz!" Orym said teasingly and playfully, which made Dorian whine all embaressed, which made the Halfling laugh softly in return. "We do have to keep sparing to even all the eating out tho, you are right about that. And we will make some food from our cultures and you will make sure we get Dynasty dishes in return. There was one I once had that I think was from there. It had a lot of meat and an alcohol based sauce."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods as he takes another few bites of pie, humming in thought. “Hm, I’m not sure which dish that would be. Almost all our dishes involve meat or fungus, since that was all that was available back when our people were trapped in the Underdark. I’m sure I can figure out which one you had, though. I can just bring you all the dishes that fit that description.” He says as he sets the now empty plate aside and stands. “Unfortunately, I need to be on my way now. I can only be away from the outpost for so long, after all. But we will do this again—I had the most wonderful time. You both are very gracious hosts.”

[fighter-orym]

"Oh now, however will I go through all of those dishes?" Orym said, playfully overdramatic. Then the Halfing smiled all big. "We are both very glad to hear that! We always try to be the best hosts. And next time, you will be meeting Dorian's dragonic steed." The Hafling said smiling. "And be safe on your way back."

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin, panting softly as he wipes sweat from his brow, smiles back at Orym, wide and satisfied. “Thanks! You’re an amazing fighter yourself. And you’re so graceful too!” He replies, just as starstruck as before, if not even more so. His hair is a mess, many strands slipping free from his braid, but he looks happy despite the messy hair and sweat. “Tea and pie sounds wonderful. Gods, this day has just been perfect—first an excellent spar, now some nice treats? Amazing.”

[fighter-orym]

"So are you in your own way!" Orym said with a big smile and then walked back inside with Verin when he said that tea and pie sounded wonderful. The Halfling pointed to the couch where Dorian was now working on a song with a lot of concentration. "Please sit while I make the tea and grab the pie." He said to Verin and then dissapeared into the kitchen to do just that.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods, setting his training glaive down carefully before going over to the couch and carefully sitting down in a free spot. He tries to be as quiet and careful as possible as to not disturb Dorian. While waiting for Orym to return, he undoes his messy braid and starts to braid it again in an attempt to look a bit less like a complete mess.

[fighter-orym]

Dorian glaced at him when he braided his hair again and hummed a bit. "You seem to be good at braiding hair." He said and then huffed when Orym called out from the kitchen. "Dorian my love, most elven people are good at braiding hair. And I would braid yours if it behaved like normal hair does."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin chuckles softly, endeared by the couple’s constant teasing and bickering, and nods. “Ah, yes—braiding hair is sacred for elves. So I’ve been braiding my hair ever since I was a kid.” He glances at the air genasi’s hair and hums in thought. “I bet yours could be braided, Dorian. You’d just need practice and patience. I bet there’s a class for air genasi hair braiding somewhere out there.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian blinked at that. "I hope there is! So far the only person that has ever sucessfully braided my hair was my big brother. All I can do is put it in a bun." The Air Genasi said and opened the bun in question to show Verin why his hair was so difficult to braid. His hair fell open and down, but stopped before it could lay flat. It swayed from left to right slightly, as if there was wind that was moving it constantly. "See? It's a bit of a challenge to work with because it never really stays still."

"It would if you stop breathing. But whenever you do that it freaks me and others out! I know you do not need to breath, but that doesn't mean it's not scary in a way." Orym called from the kitchen in a teasing yet fond voice. "The tea is almost done, by the way."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin perks up in surprise. “Air genasi don’t need to breathe? That’s awesome! If it stays still when you don’t breathe, just braid it while not breathing. I can help teach you how, if you’d like. As long as it acts like normal hair, I can handle it.” He offers with a warm smile, chuckling softly. “Braiding hair for elves is only meant for close friends and family, but teaching someone to braid their hair is a little different. It’s like.. taking someone under your wing. By teaching you to braid your hair, I would traditionally be your mentor for the next few decades.”

[fighter-orym]

"Yeah, Air Genasi do not need to beath. We can hold our breath forever if we want to because we have an endless breathing cycle inside of us. Tho if Idon't breath, I can't speak untill I start breathing again." Dorian exaplined and then blinked at the rest of what Verin said. "I mean, that does sound nice! So you can definetly teach me!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then blinked. "Only if you want to of course. There is no pressure at all!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin reaches over to give Dorian a sturdy pat on the back with a laugh. “Of course I want to! I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t!” He says, chuckling as he leans back. “I’ve always wanted to be someone’s mentor. Since braiding is taught very young, it’s usually one’s older sibling that becomes their lifelong mentor, and I’m the youngest in my family so I never got to mentor anyone. But don’t worry, I still have plenty of experience braiding!” He insists, a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. He’s always loved helping others, and to be someone’s mentor is a dream of his.

[fighter-orym]

"Oh, I see! It's kind of the same in my family! Only diffrence is that usually every piercing or special occasin jewlery you get is chosen by the older sibling. And since my brother is not around anymore, that duty will fall on you now!" Dorian said with an excited smile.

"Oh, hopefully it will be. Because you have been wanting to get a nose ring like your brother had for a while now." Orym said as he walked into the living room with a big tray, that had three teacups, a teapot shaped like a frog and three plates with two lemon pie slices each on it, into the living room. The Halfling put them onto the table in front of the couch and then climbed up on the free spot that was left. "Tho I am still against you getting ear jewelery that is shaped like a spider web. I know you want it in honor of one of our friends, but you should remember that it could remind you of Lolth, who is the reason you lost your brother." He said very gently and kissed Dorian's cheek when the Air Genasi sighed sadly in agreement.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin always wanted a little brother, and now he’s getting an honorary one. It brings a soft, warm smile to his face. “I get to pick jewelry for you? Oh, don’t you worry, I know the best jewelers in the Dynasty. I’ll pick all the best pieces for you!”

Verin carefully picks up a teacup and takes a small sip, breathing in the warm steam while listening to the couple carefully. “Ah, so you lost your brother to Lolth? My condolences. I’ve seen many of my soldiers killed by her followers. But with the gods gone now, Lolth herself can’t hurt you anymore. And hey, if it reminds you of your friend, get the spiderweb and show Lolth she doesn’t scare you.” He says as he takes a bite of the lemon pie, eyes lighting up with joy. “Wow, that’s good, Orym. I’ve never had pie before, but if they’re all that good, I may need to find some at home.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian's eyes sparkled a bit at that. "You will?! You are already a great honory big brother!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then nded at the rest of what Verin said. "I have never looked at it that way before. So I think I wll get the spiderweb."

Orym petted Dorian,s knee and then took his own teacup to take a sip, smiling when Verin's eyes lit up wth joy as he took a bite of the lemon cake, only to blink at the rest of what he said. "Oh, you should not have tol me that. I will make it my personal mission to send you a new flavour pie once a week now!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin smiles right back at Dorian, overjoyed at getting his own little brother. “Of course! I’ll find a beautiful spiderweb earring for you—and I have these Air Ashari symbol earrings I could give you, too! To match Orym!”

“Weekly pie? Well, how could I say no to that!” He says with a chuckle. “I wasn’t allowed sweets as a child, so there’s many desserts I’ve never tried in an attempt to keep my body pristine. Ever since I started telling people that, I’ve been bombarded with gifts of sweets! I have so many lollipops I don’t even know what to do with them.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian's eyes sparkled with excitement at that. "That would be wonderful!"

Orym blinked slowly and then smiled all big. "Be prepared to be drowned in desserts then!" The Hafling said and then chuckled. "You could give some of them to your soldiers."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin hums in agreement with a nod. “That’s a great idea! My soldiers rarely get nice things—or anything other than the necessities and alcohol, honestly—so some desserts would really lift their spirits. I’m sure they’d be thrilled.” He says with a smile, taking another few bites of delicious pie.

[fighter-orym]

"They definetly would be! Usually we Air Ashari share some desserts the night before going into a battle." Orym said with a big smile and had a bite of the lemon cake himself. "And it also lifts Dorian's sprits always. As a nobel, he was also kind of not really allowed to eat that mayn sweets or desserts as a child."

Dorian pouted at that. "I told you that just because my family has influcence and moeny and is known, that it doesn't mean I am a nobel!" The Air Genasi whined. "Besides, I had more sweets that my parents knew because sometimes Cyrus would sneak me sweets or desserts after we had a fight or after I mastered a new music piece."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin raises an eyebrow, glancing over at Dorian with a soft huff of laughter. “You’re part of a royal family. You’re higher than a noble—you’re royalty.” He retorts, finishing his tea and setting the cup carefully aside. “Maybe we could all try some new sweets together! Or just food in general; there are some amazing Dynasty dishes I can’t find anywhere outside of Rosohna. And I’d love to learn more about other cultures’ food, too!” He offers with an excited smile as he takes a bite of pie. “Though we’d have to keep sparring to even out all the eating.”

[fighter-orym]

"Oh? So I am dating real royalty? How scandalouz!" Orym said teasingly and playfully, which made Dorian whine all embaressed, which made the Halfling laugh softly in return. "We do have to keep sparing to even all the eating out tho, you are right about that. And we will make some food from our cultures and you will make sure we get Dynasty dishes in return. There was one I once had that I think was from there. It had a lot of meat and an alcohol based sauce."

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin, panting softly as he wipes sweat from his brow, smiles back at Orym, wide and satisfied. “Thanks! You’re an amazing fighter yourself. And you’re so graceful too!” He replies, just as starstruck as before, if not even more so. His hair is a mess, many strands slipping free from his braid, but he looks happy despite the messy hair and sweat. “Tea and pie sounds wonderful. Gods, this day has just been perfect—first an excellent spar, now some nice treats? Amazing.”

[fighter-orym]

"So are you in your own way!" Orym said with a big smile and then walked back inside with Verin when he said that tea and pie sounded wonderful. The Halfling pointed to the couch where Dorian was now working on a song with a lot of concentration. "Please sit while I make the tea and grab the pie." He said to Verin and then dissapeared into the kitchen to do just that.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods, setting his training glaive down carefully before going over to the couch and carefully sitting down in a free spot. He tries to be as quiet and careful as possible as to not disturb Dorian. While waiting for Orym to return, he undoes his messy braid and starts to braid it again in an attempt to look a bit less like a complete mess.

[fighter-orym]

Dorian glaced at him when he braided his hair again and hummed a bit. "You seem to be good at braiding hair." He said and then huffed when Orym called out from the kitchen. "Dorian my love, most elven people are good at braiding hair. And I would braid yours if it behaved like normal hair does."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin chuckles softly, endeared by the couple’s constant teasing and bickering, and nods. “Ah, yes—braiding hair is sacred for elves. So I’ve been braiding my hair ever since I was a kid.” He glances at the air genasi’s hair and hums in thought. “I bet yours could be braided, Dorian. You’d just need practice and patience. I bet there’s a class for air genasi hair braiding somewhere out there.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian blinked at that. "I hope there is! So far the only person that has ever sucessfully braided my hair was my big brother. All I can do is put it in a bun." The Air Genasi said and opened the bun in question to show Verin why his hair was so difficult to braid. His hair fell open and down, but stopped before it could lay flat. It swayed from left to right slightly, as if there was wind that was moving it constantly. "See? It's a bit of a challenge to work with because it never really stays still."

"It would if you stop breathing. But whenever you do that it freaks me and others out! I know you do not need to breath, but that doesn't mean it's not scary in a way." Orym called from the kitchen in a teasing yet fond voice. "The tea is almost done, by the way."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin perks up in surprise. “Air genasi don’t need to breathe? That’s awesome! If it stays still when you don’t breathe, just braid it while not breathing. I can help teach you how, if you’d like. As long as it acts like normal hair, I can handle it.” He offers with a warm smile, chuckling softly. “Braiding hair for elves is only meant for close friends and family, but teaching someone to braid their hair is a little different. It’s like.. taking someone under your wing. By teaching you to braid your hair, I would traditionally be your mentor for the next few decades.”

[fighter-orym]

"Yeah, Air Genasi do not need to beath. We can hold our breath forever if we want to because we have an endless breathing cycle inside of us. Tho if Idon't breath, I can't speak untill I start breathing again." Dorian exaplined and then blinked at the rest of what Verin said. "I mean, that does sound nice! So you can definetly teach me!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then blinked. "Only if you want to of course. There is no pressure at all!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin reaches over to give Dorian a sturdy pat on the back with a laugh. “Of course I want to! I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t!” He says, chuckling as he leans back. “I’ve always wanted to be someone’s mentor. Since braiding is taught very young, it’s usually one’s older sibling that becomes their lifelong mentor, and I’m the youngest in my family so I never got to mentor anyone. But don’t worry, I still have plenty of experience braiding!” He insists, a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. He’s always loved helping others, and to be someone’s mentor is a dream of his.

[fighter-orym]

"Oh, I see! It's kind of the same in my family! Only diffrence is that usually every piercing or special occasin jewlery you get is chosen by the older sibling. And since my brother is not around anymore, that duty will fall on you now!" Dorian said with an excited smile.

"Oh, hopefully it will be. Because you have been wanting to get a nose ring like your brother had for a while now." Orym said as he walked into the living room with a big tray, that had three teacups, a teapot shaped like a frog and three plates with two lemon pie slices each on it, into the living room. The Halfling put them onto the table in front of the couch and then climbed up on the free spot that was left. "Tho I am still against you getting ear jewelery that is shaped like a spider web. I know you want it in honor of one of our friends, but you should remember that it could remind you of Lolth, who is the reason you lost your brother." He said very gently and kissed Dorian's cheek when the Air Genasi sighed sadly in agreement.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin always wanted a little brother, and now he’s getting an honorary one. It brings a soft, warm smile to his face. “I get to pick jewelry for you? Oh, don’t you worry, I know the best jewelers in the Dynasty. I’ll pick all the best pieces for you!”

Verin carefully picks up a teacup and takes a small sip, breathing in the warm steam while listening to the couple carefully. “Ah, so you lost your brother to Lolth? My condolences. I’ve seen many of my soldiers killed by her followers. But with the gods gone now, Lolth herself can’t hurt you anymore. And hey, if it reminds you of your friend, get the spiderweb and show Lolth she doesn’t scare you.” He says as he takes a bite of the lemon pie, eyes lighting up with joy. “Wow, that’s good, Orym. I’ve never had pie before, but if they’re all that good, I may need to find some at home.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian's eyes sparkled a bit at that. "You will?! You are already a great honory big brother!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then nded at the rest of what Verin said. "I have never looked at it that way before. So I think I wll get the spiderweb."

Orym petted Dorian,s knee and then took his own teacup to take a sip, smiling when Verin's eyes lit up wth joy as he took a bite of the lemon cake, only to blink at the rest of what he said. "Oh, you should not have tol me that. I will make it my personal mission to send you a new flavour pie once a week now!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin smiles right back at Dorian, overjoyed at getting his own little brother. “Of course! I’ll find a beautiful spiderweb earring for you—and I have these Air Ashari symbol earrings I could give you, too! To match Orym!”

“Weekly pie? Well, how could I say no to that!” He says with a chuckle. “I wasn’t allowed sweets as a child, so there’s many desserts I’ve never tried in an attempt to keep my body pristine. Ever since I started telling people that, I’ve been bombarded with gifts of sweets! I have so many lollipops I don’t even know what to do with them.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian's eyes sparkled with excitement at that. "That would be wonderful!"

Orym blinked slowly and then smiled all big. "Be prepared to be drowned in desserts then!" The Hafling said and then chuckled. "You could give some of them to your soldiers."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin hums in agreement with a nod. “That’s a great idea! My soldiers rarely get nice things—or anything other than the necessities and alcohol, honestly—so some desserts would really lift their spirits. I’m sure they’d be thrilled.” He says with a smile, taking another few bites of delicious pie.

[fighter-orym]

"They definetly would be! Usually we Air Ashari share some desserts the night before going into a battle." Orym said with a big smile and had a bite of the lemon cake himself. "And it also lifts Dorian's sprits always. As a nobel, he was also kind of not really allowed to eat that mayn sweets or desserts as a child."

Dorian pouted at that. "I told you that just because my family has influcence and moeny and is known, that it doesn't mean I am a nobel!" The Air Genasi whined. "Besides, I had more sweets that my parents knew because sometimes Cyrus would sneak me sweets or desserts after we had a fight or after I mastered a new music piece."

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin, panting softly as he wipes sweat from his brow, smiles back at Orym, wide and satisfied. “Thanks! You’re an amazing fighter yourself. And you’re so graceful too!” He replies, just as starstruck as before, if not even more so. His hair is a mess, many strands slipping free from his braid, but he looks happy despite the messy hair and sweat. “Tea and pie sounds wonderful. Gods, this day has just been perfect—first an excellent spar, now some nice treats? Amazing.”

[fighter-orym]

"So are you in your own way!" Orym said with a big smile and then walked back inside with Verin when he said that tea and pie sounded wonderful. The Halfling pointed to the couch where Dorian was now working on a song with a lot of concentration. "Please sit while I make the tea and grab the pie." He said to Verin and then dissapeared into the kitchen to do just that.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods, setting his training glaive down carefully before going over to the couch and carefully sitting down in a free spot. He tries to be as quiet and careful as possible as to not disturb Dorian. While waiting for Orym to return, he undoes his messy braid and starts to braid it again in an attempt to look a bit less like a complete mess.

[fighter-orym]

Dorian glaced at him when he braided his hair again and hummed a bit. "You seem to be good at braiding hair." He said and then huffed when Orym called out from the kitchen. "Dorian my love, most elven people are good at braiding hair. And I would braid yours if it behaved like normal hair does."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin chuckles softly, endeared by the couple’s constant teasing and bickering, and nods. “Ah, yes—braiding hair is sacred for elves. So I’ve been braiding my hair ever since I was a kid.” He glances at the air genasi’s hair and hums in thought. “I bet yours could be braided, Dorian. You’d just need practice and patience. I bet there’s a class for air genasi hair braiding somewhere out there.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian blinked at that. "I hope there is! So far the only person that has ever sucessfully braided my hair was my big brother. All I can do is put it in a bun." The Air Genasi said and opened the bun in question to show Verin why his hair was so difficult to braid. His hair fell open and down, but stopped before it could lay flat. It swayed from left to right slightly, as if there was wind that was moving it constantly. "See? It's a bit of a challenge to work with because it never really stays still."

"It would if you stop breathing. But whenever you do that it freaks me and others out! I know you do not need to breath, but that doesn't mean it's not scary in a way." Orym called from the kitchen in a teasing yet fond voice. "The tea is almost done, by the way."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin perks up in surprise. “Air genasi don’t need to breathe? That’s awesome! If it stays still when you don’t breathe, just braid it while not breathing. I can help teach you how, if you’d like. As long as it acts like normal hair, I can handle it.” He offers with a warm smile, chuckling softly. “Braiding hair for elves is only meant for close friends and family, but teaching someone to braid their hair is a little different. It’s like.. taking someone under your wing. By teaching you to braid your hair, I would traditionally be your mentor for the next few decades.”

[fighter-orym]

"Yeah, Air Genasi do not need to beath. We can hold our breath forever if we want to because we have an endless breathing cycle inside of us. Tho if Idon't breath, I can't speak untill I start breathing again." Dorian exaplined and then blinked at the rest of what Verin said. "I mean, that does sound nice! So you can definetly teach me!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then blinked. "Only if you want to of course. There is no pressure at all!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin reaches over to give Dorian a sturdy pat on the back with a laugh. “Of course I want to! I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t!” He says, chuckling as he leans back. “I’ve always wanted to be someone’s mentor. Since braiding is taught very young, it’s usually one’s older sibling that becomes their lifelong mentor, and I’m the youngest in my family so I never got to mentor anyone. But don’t worry, I still have plenty of experience braiding!” He insists, a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. He’s always loved helping others, and to be someone’s mentor is a dream of his.

[fighter-orym]

"Oh, I see! It's kind of the same in my family! Only diffrence is that usually every piercing or special occasin jewlery you get is chosen by the older sibling. And since my brother is not around anymore, that duty will fall on you now!" Dorian said with an excited smile.

"Oh, hopefully it will be. Because you have been wanting to get a nose ring like your brother had for a while now." Orym said as he walked into the living room with a big tray, that had three teacups, a teapot shaped like a frog and three plates with two lemon pie slices each on it, into the living room. The Halfling put them onto the table in front of the couch and then climbed up on the free spot that was left. "Tho I am still against you getting ear jewelery that is shaped like a spider web. I know you want it in honor of one of our friends, but you should remember that it could remind you of Lolth, who is the reason you lost your brother." He said very gently and kissed Dorian's cheek when the Air Genasi sighed sadly in agreement.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin always wanted a little brother, and now he’s getting an honorary one. It brings a soft, warm smile to his face. “I get to pick jewelry for you? Oh, don’t you worry, I know the best jewelers in the Dynasty. I’ll pick all the best pieces for you!”

Verin carefully picks up a teacup and takes a small sip, breathing in the warm steam while listening to the couple carefully. “Ah, so you lost your brother to Lolth? My condolences. I’ve seen many of my soldiers killed by her followers. But with the gods gone now, Lolth herself can’t hurt you anymore. And hey, if it reminds you of your friend, get the spiderweb and show Lolth she doesn’t scare you.” He says as he takes a bite of the lemon pie, eyes lighting up with joy. “Wow, that’s good, Orym. I’ve never had pie before, but if they’re all that good, I may need to find some at home.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian's eyes sparkled a bit at that. "You will?! You are already a great honory big brother!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then nded at the rest of what Verin said. "I have never looked at it that way before. So I think I wll get the spiderweb."

Orym petted Dorian,s knee and then took his own teacup to take a sip, smiling when Verin's eyes lit up wth joy as he took a bite of the lemon cake, only to blink at the rest of what he said. "Oh, you should not have tol me that. I will make it my personal mission to send you a new flavour pie once a week now!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin smiles right back at Dorian, overjoyed at getting his own little brother. “Of course! I’ll find a beautiful spiderweb earring for you—and I have these Air Ashari symbol earrings I could give you, too! To match Orym!”

“Weekly pie? Well, how could I say no to that!” He says with a chuckle. “I wasn’t allowed sweets as a child, so there’s many desserts I’ve never tried in an attempt to keep my body pristine. Ever since I started telling people that, I’ve been bombarded with gifts of sweets! I have so many lollipops I don’t even know what to do with them.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian's eyes sparkled with excitement at that. "That would be wonderful!"

Orym blinked slowly and then smiled all big. "Be prepared to be drowned in desserts then!" The Hafling said and then chuckled. "You could give some of them to your soldiers."

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin, panting softly as he wipes sweat from his brow, smiles back at Orym, wide and satisfied. “Thanks! You’re an amazing fighter yourself. And you’re so graceful too!” He replies, just as starstruck as before, if not even more so. His hair is a mess, many strands slipping free from his braid, but he looks happy despite the messy hair and sweat. “Tea and pie sounds wonderful. Gods, this day has just been perfect—first an excellent spar, now some nice treats? Amazing.”

[fighter-orym]

"So are you in your own way!" Orym said with a big smile and then walked back inside with Verin when he said that tea and pie sounded wonderful. The Halfling pointed to the couch where Dorian was now working on a song with a lot of concentration. "Please sit while I make the tea and grab the pie." He said to Verin and then dissapeared into the kitchen to do just that.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods, setting his training glaive down carefully before going over to the couch and carefully sitting down in a free spot. He tries to be as quiet and careful as possible as to not disturb Dorian. While waiting for Orym to return, he undoes his messy braid and starts to braid it again in an attempt to look a bit less like a complete mess.

[fighter-orym]

Dorian glaced at him when he braided his hair again and hummed a bit. "You seem to be good at braiding hair." He said and then huffed when Orym called out from the kitchen. "Dorian my love, most elven people are good at braiding hair. And I would braid yours if it behaved like normal hair does."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin chuckles softly, endeared by the couple’s constant teasing and bickering, and nods. “Ah, yes—braiding hair is sacred for elves. So I’ve been braiding my hair ever since I was a kid.” He glances at the air genasi’s hair and hums in thought. “I bet yours could be braided, Dorian. You’d just need practice and patience. I bet there’s a class for air genasi hair braiding somewhere out there.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian blinked at that. "I hope there is! So far the only person that has ever sucessfully braided my hair was my big brother. All I can do is put it in a bun." The Air Genasi said and opened the bun in question to show Verin why his hair was so difficult to braid. His hair fell open and down, but stopped before it could lay flat. It swayed from left to right slightly, as if there was wind that was moving it constantly. "See? It's a bit of a challenge to work with because it never really stays still."

"It would if you stop breathing. But whenever you do that it freaks me and others out! I know you do not need to breath, but that doesn't mean it's not scary in a way." Orym called from the kitchen in a teasing yet fond voice. "The tea is almost done, by the way."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin perks up in surprise. “Air genasi don’t need to breathe? That’s awesome! If it stays still when you don’t breathe, just braid it while not breathing. I can help teach you how, if you’d like. As long as it acts like normal hair, I can handle it.” He offers with a warm smile, chuckling softly. “Braiding hair for elves is only meant for close friends and family, but teaching someone to braid their hair is a little different. It’s like.. taking someone under your wing. By teaching you to braid your hair, I would traditionally be your mentor for the next few decades.”

[fighter-orym]

"Yeah, Air Genasi do not need to beath. We can hold our breath forever if we want to because we have an endless breathing cycle inside of us. Tho if Idon't breath, I can't speak untill I start breathing again." Dorian exaplined and then blinked at the rest of what Verin said. "I mean, that does sound nice! So you can definetly teach me!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then blinked. "Only if you want to of course. There is no pressure at all!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin reaches over to give Dorian a sturdy pat on the back with a laugh. “Of course I want to! I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t!” He says, chuckling as he leans back. “I’ve always wanted to be someone’s mentor. Since braiding is taught very young, it’s usually one’s older sibling that becomes their lifelong mentor, and I’m the youngest in my family so I never got to mentor anyone. But don’t worry, I still have plenty of experience braiding!” He insists, a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. He’s always loved helping others, and to be someone’s mentor is a dream of his.

[fighter-orym]

"Oh, I see! It's kind of the same in my family! Only diffrence is that usually every piercing or special occasin jewlery you get is chosen by the older sibling. And since my brother is not around anymore, that duty will fall on you now!" Dorian said with an excited smile.

"Oh, hopefully it will be. Because you have been wanting to get a nose ring like your brother had for a while now." Orym said as he walked into the living room with a big tray, that had three teacups, a teapot shaped like a frog and three plates with two lemon pie slices each on it, into the living room. The Halfling put them onto the table in front of the couch and then climbed up on the free spot that was left. "Tho I am still against you getting ear jewelery that is shaped like a spider web. I know you want it in honor of one of our friends, but you should remember that it could remind you of Lolth, who is the reason you lost your brother." He said very gently and kissed Dorian's cheek when the Air Genasi sighed sadly in agreement.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin always wanted a little brother, and now he’s getting an honorary one. It brings a soft, warm smile to his face. “I get to pick jewelry for you? Oh, don’t you worry, I know the best jewelers in the Dynasty. I’ll pick all the best pieces for you!”

Verin carefully picks up a teacup and takes a small sip, breathing in the warm steam while listening to the couple carefully. “Ah, so you lost your brother to Lolth? My condolences. I’ve seen many of my soldiers killed by her followers. But with the gods gone now, Lolth herself can’t hurt you anymore. And hey, if it reminds you of your friend, get the spiderweb and show Lolth she doesn’t scare you.” He says as he takes a bite of the lemon pie, eyes lighting up with joy. “Wow, that’s good, Orym. I’ve never had pie before, but if they’re all that good, I may need to find some at home.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian's eyes sparkled a bit at that. "You will?! You are already a great honory big brother!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then nded at the rest of what Verin said. "I have never looked at it that way before. So I think I wll get the spiderweb."

Orym petted Dorian,s knee and then took his own teacup to take a sip, smiling when Verin's eyes lit up wth joy as he took a bite of the lemon cake, only to blink at the rest of what he said. "Oh, you should not have tol me that. I will make it my personal mission to send you a new flavour pie once a week now!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin, panting softly as he wipes sweat from his brow, smiles back at Orym, wide and satisfied. “Thanks! You’re an amazing fighter yourself. And you’re so graceful too!” He replies, just as starstruck as before, if not even more so. His hair is a mess, many strands slipping free from his braid, but he looks happy despite the messy hair and sweat. “Tea and pie sounds wonderful. Gods, this day has just been perfect—first an excellent spar, now some nice treats? Amazing.”

[fighter-orym]

"So are you in your own way!" Orym said with a big smile and then walked back inside with Verin when he said that tea and pie sounded wonderful. The Halfling pointed to the couch where Dorian was now working on a song with a lot of concentration. "Please sit while I make the tea and grab the pie." He said to Verin and then dissapeared into the kitchen to do just that.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods, setting his training glaive down carefully before going over to the couch and carefully sitting down in a free spot. He tries to be as quiet and careful as possible as to not disturb Dorian. While waiting for Orym to return, he undoes his messy braid and starts to braid it again in an attempt to look a bit less like a complete mess.

[fighter-orym]

Dorian glaced at him when he braided his hair again and hummed a bit. "You seem to be good at braiding hair." He said and then huffed when Orym called out from the kitchen. "Dorian my love, most elven people are good at braiding hair. And I would braid yours if it behaved like normal hair does."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin chuckles softly, endeared by the couple’s constant teasing and bickering, and nods. “Ah, yes—braiding hair is sacred for elves. So I’ve been braiding my hair ever since I was a kid.” He glances at the air genasi’s hair and hums in thought. “I bet yours could be braided, Dorian. You’d just need practice and patience. I bet there’s a class for air genasi hair braiding somewhere out there.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian blinked at that. "I hope there is! So far the only person that has ever sucessfully braided my hair was my big brother. All I can do is put it in a bun." The Air Genasi said and opened the bun in question to show Verin why his hair was so difficult to braid. His hair fell open and down, but stopped before it could lay flat. It swayed from left to right slightly, as if there was wind that was moving it constantly. "See? It's a bit of a challenge to work with because it never really stays still."

"It would if you stop breathing. But whenever you do that it freaks me and others out! I know you do not need to breath, but that doesn't mean it's not scary in a way." Orym called from the kitchen in a teasing yet fond voice. "The tea is almost done, by the way."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin perks up in surprise. “Air genasi don’t need to breathe? That’s awesome! If it stays still when you don’t breathe, just braid it while not breathing. I can help teach you how, if you’d like. As long as it acts like normal hair, I can handle it.” He offers with a warm smile, chuckling softly. “Braiding hair for elves is only meant for close friends and family, but teaching someone to braid their hair is a little different. It’s like.. taking someone under your wing. By teaching you to braid your hair, I would traditionally be your mentor for the next few decades.”

[fighter-orym]

"Yeah, Air Genasi do not need to beath. We can hold our breath forever if we want to because we have an endless breathing cycle inside of us. Tho if Idon't breath, I can't speak untill I start breathing again." Dorian exaplined and then blinked at the rest of what Verin said. "I mean, that does sound nice! So you can definetly teach me!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then blinked. "Only if you want to of course. There is no pressure at all!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin reaches over to give Dorian a sturdy pat on the back with a laugh. “Of course I want to! I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t!” He says, chuckling as he leans back. “I’ve always wanted to be someone’s mentor. Since braiding is taught very young, it’s usually one’s older sibling that becomes their lifelong mentor, and I’m the youngest in my family so I never got to mentor anyone. But don’t worry, I still have plenty of experience braiding!” He insists, a sparkle of excitement in his eyes. He’s always loved helping others, and to be someone’s mentor is a dream of his.

[fighter-orym]

"Oh, I see! It's kind of the same in my family! Only diffrence is that usually every piercing or special occasin jewlery you get is chosen by the older sibling. And since my brother is not around anymore, that duty will fall on you now!" Dorian said with an excited smile.

"Oh, hopefully it will be. Because you have been wanting to get a nose ring like your brother had for a while now." Orym said as he walked into the living room with a big tray, that had three teacups, a teapot shaped like a frog and three plates with two lemon pie slices each on it, into the living room. The Halfling put them onto the table in front of the couch and then climbed up on the free spot that was left. "Tho I am still against you getting ear jewelery that is shaped like a spider web. I know you want it in honor of one of our friends, but you should remember that it could remind you of Lolth, who is the reason you lost your brother." He said very gently and kissed Dorian's cheek when the Air Genasi sighed sadly in agreement.

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin, panting softly as he wipes sweat from his brow, smiles back at Orym, wide and satisfied. “Thanks! You’re an amazing fighter yourself. And you’re so graceful too!” He replies, just as starstruck as before, if not even more so. His hair is a mess, many strands slipping free from his braid, but he looks happy despite the messy hair and sweat. “Tea and pie sounds wonderful. Gods, this day has just been perfect—first an excellent spar, now some nice treats? Amazing.”

[fighter-orym]

"So are you in your own way!" Orym said with a big smile and then walked back inside with Verin when he said that tea and pie sounded wonderful. The Halfling pointed to the couch where Dorian was now working on a song with a lot of concentration. "Please sit while I make the tea and grab the pie." He said to Verin and then dissapeared into the kitchen to do just that.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods, setting his training glaive down carefully before going over to the couch and carefully sitting down in a free spot. He tries to be as quiet and careful as possible as to not disturb Dorian. While waiting for Orym to return, he undoes his messy braid and starts to braid it again in an attempt to look a bit less like a complete mess.

[fighter-orym]

Dorian glaced at him when he braided his hair again and hummed a bit. "You seem to be good at braiding hair." He said and then huffed when Orym called out from the kitchen. "Dorian my love, most elven people are good at braiding hair. And I would braid yours if it behaved like normal hair does."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin chuckles softly, endeared by the couple’s constant teasing and bickering, and nods. “Ah, yes—braiding hair is sacred for elves. So I’ve been braiding my hair ever since I was a kid.” He glances at the air genasi’s hair and hums in thought. “I bet yours could be braided, Dorian. You’d just need practice and patience. I bet there’s a class for air genasi hair braiding somewhere out there.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian blinked at that. "I hope there is! So far the only person that has ever sucessfully braided my hair was my big brother. All I can do is put it in a bun." The Air Genasi said and opened the bun in question to show Verin why his hair was so difficult to braid. His hair fell open and down, but stopped before it could lay flat. It swayed from left to right slightly, as if there was wind that was moving it constantly. "See? It's a bit of a challenge to work with because it never really stays still."

"It would if you stop breathing. But whenever you do that it freaks me and others out! I know you do not need to breath, but that doesn't mean it's not scary in a way." Orym called from the kitchen in a teasing yet fond voice. "The tea is almost done, by the way."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin perks up in surprise. “Air genasi don’t need to breathe? That’s awesome! If it stays still when you don’t breathe, just braid it while not breathing. I can help teach you how, if you’d like. As long as it acts like normal hair, I can handle it.” He offers with a warm smile, chuckling softly. “Braiding hair for elves is only meant for close friends and family, but teaching someone to braid their hair is a little different. It’s like.. taking someone under your wing. By teaching you to braid your hair, I would traditionally be your mentor for the next few decades.”

[fighter-orym]

"Yeah, Air Genasi do not need to beath. We can hold our breath forever if we want to because we have an endless breathing cycle inside of us. Tho if Idon't breath, I can't speak untill I start breathing again." Dorian exaplined and then blinked at the rest of what Verin said. "I mean, that does sound nice! So you can definetly teach me!" The Air Genasi said all excited, then blinked. "Only if you want to of course. There is no pressure at all!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin, panting softly as he wipes sweat from his brow, smiles back at Orym, wide and satisfied. “Thanks! You’re an amazing fighter yourself. And you’re so graceful too!” He replies, just as starstruck as before, if not even more so. His hair is a mess, many strands slipping free from his braid, but he looks happy despite the messy hair and sweat. “Tea and pie sounds wonderful. Gods, this day has just been perfect—first an excellent spar, now some nice treats? Amazing.”

[fighter-orym]

"So are you in your own way!" Orym said with a big smile and then walked back inside with Verin when he said that tea and pie sounded wonderful. The Halfling pointed to the couch where Dorian was now working on a song with a lot of concentration. "Please sit while I make the tea and grab the pie." He said to Verin and then dissapeared into the kitchen to do just that.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods, setting his training glaive down carefully before going over to the couch and carefully sitting down in a free spot. He tries to be as quiet and careful as possible as to not disturb Dorian. While waiting for Orym to return, he undoes his messy braid and starts to braid it again in an attempt to look a bit less like a complete mess.

[fighter-orym]

Dorian glaced at him when he braided his hair again and hummed a bit. "You seem to be good at braiding hair." He said and then huffed when Orym called out from the kitchen. "Dorian my love, most elven people are good at braiding hair. And I would braid yours if it behaved like normal hair does."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin chuckles softly, endeared by the couple’s constant teasing and bickering, and nods. “Ah, yes—braiding hair is sacred for elves. So I’ve been braiding my hair ever since I was a kid.” He glances at the air genasi’s hair and hums in thought. “I bet yours could be braided, Dorian. You’d just need practice and patience. I bet there’s a class for air genasi hair braiding somewhere out there.”

[fighter-orym]

Dorian blinked at that. "I hope there is! So far the only person that has ever sucessfully braided my hair was my big brother. All I can do is put it in a bun." The Air Genasi said and opened the bun in question to show Verin why his hair was so difficult to braid. His hair fell open and down, but stopped before it could lay flat. It swayed from left to right slightly, as if there was wind that was moving it constantly. "See? It's a bit of a challenge to work with because it never really stays still."

"It would if you stop breathing. But whenever you do that it freaks me and others out! I know you do not need to breath, but that doesn't mean it's not scary in a way." Orym called from the kitchen in a teasing yet fond voice. "The tea is almost done, by the way."

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin, panting softly as he wipes sweat from his brow, smiles back at Orym, wide and satisfied. “Thanks! You’re an amazing fighter yourself. And you’re so graceful too!” He replies, just as starstruck as before, if not even more so. His hair is a mess, many strands slipping free from his braid, but he looks happy despite the messy hair and sweat. “Tea and pie sounds wonderful. Gods, this day has just been perfect—first an excellent spar, now some nice treats? Amazing.”

[fighter-orym]

"So are you in your own way!" Orym said with a big smile and then walked back inside with Verin when he said that tea and pie sounded wonderful. The Halfling pointed to the couch where Dorian was now working on a song with a lot of concentration. "Please sit while I make the tea and grab the pie." He said to Verin and then dissapeared into the kitchen to do just that.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods, setting his training glaive down carefully before going over to the couch and carefully sitting down in a free spot. He tries to be as quiet and careful as possible as to not disturb Dorian. While waiting for Orym to return, he undoes his messy braid and starts to braid it again in an attempt to look a bit less like a complete mess.

[fighter-orym]

Dorian glaced at him when he braided his hair again and hummed a bit. "You seem to be good at braiding hair." He said and then huffed when Orym called out from the kitchen. "Dorian my love, most elven people are good at braiding hair. And I would braid yours if it behaved like normal hair does."

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin, panting softly as he wipes sweat from his brow, smiles back at Orym, wide and satisfied. “Thanks! You’re an amazing fighter yourself. And you’re so graceful too!” He replies, just as starstruck as before, if not even more so. His hair is a mess, many strands slipping free from his braid, but he looks happy despite the messy hair and sweat. “Tea and pie sounds wonderful. Gods, this day has just been perfect—first an excellent spar, now some nice treats? Amazing.”

[fighter-orym]

"So are you in your own way!" Orym said with a big smile and then walked back inside with Verin when he said that tea and pie sounded wonderful. The Halfling pointed to the couch where Dorian was now working on a song with a lot of concentration. "Please sit while I make the tea and grab the pie." He said to Verin and then dissapeared into the kitchen to do just that.

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin laughs in reply to Orym’s challenge, a determined grin on his face. “I always prepare to fail, but strive to succeed. Be prepared to go down yourself.” He retorts as he follows Orym into the garden and gets into fighting stance.

The sparring goes on for hours as the two go at it again and again. Verin loses the first handful back to back, partially due to how starstruck he is by Orym, before finally finding his footing and the two alternate wins frequently. They’re almost perfectly, equally matched.

[fighter-orym]

Orym was enjoying the sparring a lot and once they were finally on even numbers of wins, after hours of sparring, he smiled all big. "You really are great at this. And this is just sparring." The Hafling said, sounding almost starstruck about Verin. "How about we have some tea now? I can also offer you a slice or two of the lemon pie I baked this morning!"

[taskhand-thelyss]

It was a few days after Orym had invited Verin for a training session at his own home. He had been kind enough to organize someone that would teleport the Drow to his hosue and when he knocked on the door, Orym opened it, tho he didn't immidtely look at the much taller man. "Dorian, I told you that it's fine. You do not nee to stress over food. Sit back on the couch to rest your still broken leg and work on your songs or read a book." He called into the home with a turned head, sounding both scolding and fond as he was clearly scolding his boyfriend for something.

Then the Halfling looked up at Verin with a kind smile. "Hello to you! Sorry that you had to hear that, my boyfriend thinks he needs to make food for us to eat after the training session, when in reality he needs to rest so his leg can heal." He said in a kind voice and stepped aside to let Verin in. "Please, come inside. Do you want something to drink? Water, juice, tea or coffee? And I feel like I should add that we do not drink any tea blends from Caduceus. We actaully gro the blends we use ourself."

@fighter-orym

Verin bites his cheek to keep from laughing at the couple’s bickering, but can’t hold back the amused smile. When Orym turns his attention to him, Verin lights up, eyes shining from behind a sleek pair of sunglasses. “Hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sir. I am very excited for our spar.” He greets energetically, stepping inside after giving Orym a small bow. He slips off the sunglasses—worn primarily to avoid headaches from sun exposure—and tucks them away as he takes in the home, making note of every decoration and possible exit. “Water is fine, thank you! I need to stay hydrated if we’re going to be sparring. Though maybe I could bother you for a cup of tea afterwards?”

[fighter-orym]

"It's also a pleasure to meet you in person, but please just call me Orym. There really is no need to call me sir." Orym insited with a smile and closed the door behinde Verin. He had clearly pulled all the curtains into place to cover the windows, knowing enough about Drow to know that sun exposure was causing discomfort for most of them. The inside of the home was cozy, decorated with a lot of plants and trinkents on many shelves. There were Air Asharai related things on some walls as well.

"You can definetly bother me with a cup of tea afterwards. And some water it is. Follow me." He said and walked to what seemed to be the living room, stopping only to press a quick kiss to Dorian's cheek, who was currently pouting but reading something, then walked to the kitchen to make some water for Verin. He returned to the living room soon enough and handed Verin the glass. "There you go. The training area of our garden is covered by trees, so the sun won't be a bother to you. Do make sure to look where you step when we walk outside tho. Dorian's draconic steed throught it would be fun to kick a lot of stones against our garden exit."

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin nods sheepishly at Orym’s request. “Oh, yes, of course—apologies, it’s not often I get to speak with Ashari! This is all very exciting for me.” He admits, his eyes so focused on eagerly examining each and every reference to the Air Ashari that he nearly misses Orym’s command to follow. He steps after the halfling a second later, trying to stay close without crowding Orym. He nods to Dorian politely, giving him a little wave, before taking the glass of water he’s given. He drinks half of it in one go, then pauses at the mention of a draconic steed. “A draconic.. like, a dragon you can ride? You keep a dragon?” He asks incredulously before shaking his head with a huff. “I don’t know why I’m surprised. You all are very.. strange. In a good way. Mostly.”

[fighter-orym]

"That is not something you need to apologize for. Just see me as a new friend." Orym said smiling and glared at Dorian when he giggled at that comment. "No cake slice for you." He said teasingly with a grin and then looked back up at Verin. "It's not exactly a dragon. It's more of a mixture between a dragon and a horse. It's very beautiful and belongs to Dorian because of his family. He can summon it with a song he learned as a child." He explained and then chuckled. "Well, most of us Hells are strange in a good way. Ashton has a see through crystall at the side of their head that can glow in rainbow colours. Fearne misses most social clues. Laudna can be creepy when first meeting her. And Imogen is a badass that started floating because of Essek." Orym said all amused, then added. "Oh. And we were on the moon before."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“A dragon. That’s also a horse. A dragon horse. That’s summoned through song.” Verin blinks at Orym a few times before shaking his head with a laugh. “Well.. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. I did hear you all were part of the moon thing—I never got to head up there myself, but I led the Kryn attack on the Malleus Key. A bit bummed I never got to go on the moon.” He says with a soft sigh, shrugging as he downs the rest of his water, carefully handing the glass back to Orym. “But this is the first I’ve heard of someone taking inspiration from Essek. I never thought I’d see the day where my war criminal brother would inspire someone.” He grumbles, scrunching his nose up in faux disgust, determined to embarrass his big brother whenever he gets the chance.

[fighter-orym]

"If you want, you can meet it. I am sure that Dorian wouldn't mind that and it is rather friendly." Orym said with a smile and then blinked, then his eyes lit up a bit. "You were the one that lead the Kryn atack on Malleus Key?! Oh, now I am very much looking forward to the sparing." He said with a hint of excitment in his voice. The Halfling then chuckled. "He inspired like, half of our group. Expect Dorian, he already had his winged shoes pirior to us meeting your brother. Also, Essek took a huge interest in the crystall in Ashton's head. So did Caleb too tho, so I think it's a wizard thing to be fascinated by that."

[taskhand-thelyss]

“..Maybe another time. I think I need to mentally prepare to meet a dragon horse.” Verin replies, still tying to wrap his head around the idea before he focuses back on the conversation. “Yes, I did! It’s how I met Vox Machina and the Flamespeaker—I was the one who transported them to the Malleus Key. It was an intense battle, for sure, but an honor to see the Voice of the Tempest and the Flamespeaker in action!” He says, eyes lighting up just at the memory alone. But at the mention of his brother inspiring Bells Hells, he rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I can’t believe he won you guys over by floating. You guys don’t even know what a weirdo he is. I have so many stories I could share to ruin your perception of him. But I’m not surprised he and his partner took interest in some random shit like that.. they’re weird nerds. I hope your friend is okay with being a lab rat for many, many years.”

[fighter-orym]

"Another time it will be then. I am sure I will invite you for another training session at one point." Orym said. When Verin talked and his eyes lit up, so did the eyes of the Halfling. "I guess now I need to know if you want me to hold back while we have this training session or if you want me to give you a challange." He said with a playful grin. "I fully expect to hear some of those stories later! Also, Ashton is very okay with that. I think he once said something along the lines of 'Getting to be the test subject of two wizards is hot'. But that's Asthon to you." He said with a chuckle.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin grins excitedly, energy dancing in his eyes at Orym’s words. “Oh, do not hold back. I have a feeling we’re going to give each other a thrilling challenge.” He replies before rolling his eyes at the idea of someone finding wizards hot. “Eugh, gods. Gross. I can’t believe anyone finds my brother attractive.” He grumbles, but there’s no real heat in it. A bit of sadness, maybe—he had a disagreement with Essek recently—but no real anger or hatred.

[fighter-orym]

Orym's own eyes danced with a challenge then. "Oh, we defiently will. You better not hold back either." He said and then laughed. "You say that and yet your brother is in romantic relationship with Caleb. And..." He trailed off and looked over to Dorian with an almost teasing grin then, as if silently teasing him with something he didn't say out loud. And whatever it was made Dorian blush and hide his face behinde a music sheet. He laughed then and looked at Verin, noticing the bit of sadness, bt not asking about it. He knew from first hand expirience that sometimes not everyone liked to share if something happend. "Would it be alright for you if we have a small cup of plum juice before we start to train? I know it may sound weird, but my husband used to do that whenever we used to train together and as you surely know, sometimes small habbits are never going away." The Halfling's voice was not sad as he said that, it instead carried a lot fondness in it.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin’s eyes widen a fraction at the news of Orym having a deceased husband, but he smiles and nods. “Of course—I understand completely. Whenever me and my old partner were about to go into battle together, we’d always chug a strength potion together. It only gave us a slight advantage, but we always felt better about joining the fray afterwards since it reminded us of who we were fighting for. I still drink a potion before every battle.” His voice is fond, much like Orym’s, but holds some lingering sadness in it too. His eyes grow distant for a moment before he shakes his head and returns to the present with a tight smile. “But yes, of course, plum juice is fine with me.”

[fighter-orym]

Orym listened to what Verin said and nodded understanding, gently patting one of his arm as comfort as he noticed the lingering sadness in his voice. "Plum juice it is then." He said smiling and then frowned when Dorian moved. "I am getting the plum juice. You sit backd own. If I catch you moving without needing to, I will kick your ass." He scolded, and even tho there was no heat in his voice, he seemed serious enough for the Air Genasi to sit back down. He then walked to the kitchen to make three small glasses of plum juice. He handed one to Dorian, one to Verin and the last one he kept for himself. He held his small glass up and Dorian did the same. "For my husband, your old partner and Dorian's older brother Cyrus. We will never forget who we held dear and will always keep them in our hearts." He said out loud, which seemed to be something he said every time he did this, only that this time he added Verin's deceased partner to it. The Halfling then started to drink his glass of plum juice, Dorian doing the same with a small hint of sadness in his eyes.

[taskhand-thelyss]

Verin casts a mournful look at Dorian, knowing the love one can have for a brother and how much it can hurt to lose them. He holds his glass up with them and drank the juice in just a few sips, reminiscing on old times for a few silent moments before handing the glass back to Orym with a more relaxed, but energized, smile. “I’m ready to go when you are, just lead the way.” He says as he hoists his training glaive over his shoulder. It’s not an actual battle glaive—since he didn’t want to end up cutting, stabbing or slicing Orym—but instead a duller blade that still has the weight of a glaive without the lethality.

[fighter-orym]

Orym and Dorian both seem to do the same while drinking the plum juices and the Halfling then smiled. "I am as ready as I can be." He said and took the glass Verin gave him, then took Dorian's glass. He kissed his boyfriend on the cheek gently and then put the glasses into the kitchen. He rinsed them out quickly and then came back, taking a training sword from one of the walls. "Be prepared to fail to keep up." He said with a hint of a challange in his voice while leading the way into the garden and under some large trees that provided a lot of shade.