Extra. Attachments & Trysts
Sometimes the winds led Hawke to a place he’d… already had adventures in. Yes, he was going with that as he and Vahn hauled ass out of town before the guards alerted the captain he was back. He’d been here maybe about a month ago? Hawke couldn’t remember the exact details. Except it came very quickly back to him when the guards said his name and surrounded him and Vahn saying something about how much the captain would love to see him again. Vahn was incredibly quick with a wind spell and then they were gliding upon a gust of air until they were well enough away. All the while of course, Vahn was giggling at the suddenness and would not stop, even when Hawke shushed him.
Hawke seriously needed to leave this area. People knew him here too well.
As promised, Marla and Molly had taken them to the first fork in the road after they blazed out of Larkspur (yet another city Hawke could never again visit). Though Marla had offered to take them farther to her sister’s place, the winds whispered against it. And who was Hawke to go against the wind’s wishes? Until of course, the winds took him here.
“What did you even do?” Vahn finally asked while they were searching for a place to camp for the night. He’d grown rather quiet since Marla dropped them off and while Hawke preferred that to the relentless teasing he’d endure the ride over until Vahn took a nap, he’d missed hearing Vahn talk.
“You know… the usual,” Hawke said, his throat tingling as he thought of some off the wall lie. “Cheated at card games. Got a lot of cash. Had a good night on the town. Too good for them, I guess.”
Vahn snorted and arched an eyebrow at Hawke. “Somehow, I think it’s more than that.”
The lie was too obvious. Hawke sighed and scratched the back of his neck. “Well, it was a night.” He hesitated and Vahn watched him expectantly. “I slept with the captain’s wife and we got caught.” There was a bitten back snort and Hawke waved him on. “Oh, come on. She was lonely, she thought I was sexy, and she had this really, really cute laugh.”
One that got them caught and him tossed out of the town walls and right into the river it bordered. The fact the guards still recognized him meant the captain probably wasn’t over it. Hawke only hoped that meant the wife was doing all right; she had been pretty unhappy and was planning on going back to her mother’s when she had the chance.
“Did you know she was married?” Vahn asked.
Hawke shrugged. “I didn’t actually ask,” he said and Vahn laughed again. “I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of getting caught with that face.”
Vahn shot Hawke a scandalized look and laughed louder. “I was a serious academic!”
“That’s not a no!”
As Vahn sputtered on a response—laughing more at being called out, Hawke was sure—the winds ceased. Hawke paused and glanced around the area. Not a bad spot to camp in. They were clear from town and had been walking along the ridges following the road.
Legends said some giant had drawn a giant sword through the land at some point and the act itself had made the ridges, but Hawke was sure there was a more down to earth explanation.
The ridge they walked under now arced pretty high, providing shelter, and there were clear remnants of other bygone camps along it. There were trees high above, leaving their long, willowy branches to fall over the sides and they almost created a curtain if they were just a touch longer.
Vahn noticed Hawke considering the spot and followed suit. Hawke doubted Vahn knew the first thing about camping and nudged him.
“You ever camp out here yet?”
Vahn shrugged. “I’m usually adept at getting a room somewhere,” he admitted. “With my face, it’s pretty easy.”
Hawke rolled his eyes at Vahn’s smug smile and pushed his shoulder. “All right, all right. I get it. I think here’s a good spot—don’t want to get caught on the road at night.”
“Good! My legs are getting tired.” Vahn crossed over to the abandoned firepit and cupped his hands over it. “Dying sun, I beseech you: make our bonfire good and bright, keeping back the night.”
Though Hawke had been ready to forage for twigs or sticks, magic was much easier. Trice had done similar spells and the magic hummed against Vahn’s hands the same as it had Trice’s. Hers had been loud and bold, but Vahn’s was soft in comparison. Perhaps it had to do with how they spoke the incantation, but Hawke couldn’t remember the exact words Trice had used. Hawke filed it away as a question to ask later when Vahn wasn’t concentrating.
Little flames flickered against Vahn’s palms and rolled off his hands. It dripped into the leftover campfire and drew a circle on the ground before it became a budding flame. Vahn bent closer and smiled at the tiny thing. He drew his hands across it and upward, the flames growing as it raced after him.
“There,” Vahn said. “It’ll go for a little bit, but it’ll need some kind of fuel before long.” He smiled up at Hawke. “Did you want to grab us some twigs? I bet I can have the camp cozy by the time you come back.”
Couldn’t get out of twig duty after all. Hawke shrugged off his bag and gently placed his lute beside Vahn. “Am I going to miss more sorcery?”
Vahn’s eyes twinkled. “Perhaps... I won’t blow up the camp, though! I promise.”
Hawke was starting to wonder how often Vahn blew things up.
☉
By the time Hawke had picked his way up the ridge, grabbed a suitable number of twigs and sticks, and made his way back down, Vahn indeed had the camp cozy. There was a tent. Three poles kept it upright and the fabric drawn across them was a rich, red hue with golden accents along the edges. Inside, blankets were laid out on top of each other so they weren’t sleeping directly on dirt. There were even pillows. Some had tassels! Hawke stood, mouth agape, just staring at it as soon as it occurred to him what it was. Vahn was already halfway inside, laying on his stomach with his legs under a quilt, and he smiled up at Hawke.
“Sorcery!” he proclaimed.
Hawke dropped the bundle of sticks so he could look at the tent closer and Vahn hurried to throw some into the fire. “How did you conjure this up?”
“It was in my bag.” Vahn patted it beside him and Hawke looked at it. There was magic humming across the edges of the opening and it looked a little bigger than it had before. “Bottomless, remember? I stashed a camping tent in there before I came down here.” He grinned up at Hawke. “There’s enough room for both of us!”
Hawke sat down, trying to respond somehow, but his mind could only settle on one thing: “Show off.”
Vahn giggled and crossed his arms underneath him. “It’s awkward dragging it out because the poles aren’t exactly bendable, but I manage.”
He was clearly showing off and Hawke was going to let him struggle to pack it all away just to see how amusing it’d be. Hawke peered inside to get a gauge for the tent. There was a tiny lamp glowing over the opening, magic floating inside to do the trick, and Vahn had dutifully settled Hawke’s lute and bag inside to keep both safe. Blankets aplenty, definitely enough for the both of them if the night grew colder. All in all: cozy. Hawke sat outside for now, and met Vahn’s endearingly proud smile with a nod.
“You are full of surprises.”
“You are not the first one to tell me that.”
Of course he wasn’t.
Before Hawke got too settled in, he got back up to see if he could find them something to eat. Some sorry furry animal wasn’t fast enough and though Hawke thoroughly hated preparing meat on his own, he’d rather they not go hungry. Magic thankfully made quick work of it once Vahn figured out the right incantation. He skewered the chopped meat and some vegetables from Vahn’s bag (its origins were dubious at best, but Vahn assured Hawke they were safe to eat), and cooked it all over the fire.
Not bad. Not the best Hawke had ever made, but he wasn’t exactly prepared with options. Next time they stopped at a town, Hawke was going to charm his way through the markets to stock up and store it in Vahn’s bag. Vahn didn’t sound against the idea, although he was more fascinated he’d get to watch Hawke charm people.
After they polished off the meager meal and shared some tea Vahn also produced from his bag, Vahn was engrossed with his magic book and Hawke lazily stretched out beside the fire to watch the stars. His gaze kept traveling back to Vahn to simply watch him, however, although he quickly looked away if Vahn caught him staring.
The magic book was fascinating on its own; it floated propped up in front of Vahn and as he drew his fingers slowly across the pages, ink would appear in shapes, diagrams, and spells. Vahn would always become engrossed reading whatever was written, mouth slightly parted in a cute expression, and then he’d move on to the next segment. Trice had never treated her books with as much reverence, although she never had quite that kind of magic book as far as Hawke could recall. Her studies were over by the time he’d met her, after all. And though she’d often had the same look Vahn had now learning new spells, it had waned over time. Hawke hoped Vahn’s never did. It was endearing.
“What?” Vahn asked, drawing Hawke out of his thoughts, and he jolted, realizing he’d been caught staring for sure this time. Vahn was smiling at him, though. “You’ve been staring at me longer than you usually do when I catch you.”
Hawke’s cheeks heated. “You just remind me of someone.” He made it a point to turn away and pushed his hands behind his head.
“Really? What was their name?”
“You wouldn’t have known her,” Hawke said. “She’s older than me, so she was probably gone before you were enrolled anywhere.”
“Try me.”
Hawke chewed on his lip and then decided to hell with it. “Trice.”
Vahn considered it, drumming his fingers on his chin. “Well, I think I’ve seen her name attached to some academic papers,” he said slowly. “But you are right. There are numerous floating universities across the Floating World, after all, so there’s really no way to tell if I would have known her. Did you like her?”
“Maybe too much.” Hawke gazed up at the sky. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Oh.” Vahn sounded like he pouted and Hawke made it a point not to glance over to check. “No worries. I completely understand.”
Hawke doubted it, but he was glad Vahn took the hint and dropped it. He glanced over to be sure and found Vahn engrossed the pages he’d already studied so lovingly before. “So, tell me. How does that book even work? You’re just touching it and it’s writing on its own?”
“Sorcery,” Vahn said teasingly and Hawke laughed. The book closed of its own accord and settled on the ground in front of him. The pages were sprayed in gilded silver, glinting against the campfire light, and the front had metal corners. In the center of the cover was a single stone reflecting the light. Vahn belted the whole thing shut and gently slid it back into his bag.
“It’s… hard to explain,” he finally said, but he had that twinkle in his eye he’d had when talking to the merchants at Diana’s place. It was a little shier this time without all the drinks. “It’s connected to me personally, so any other mage touching it wouldn’t get the same reaction.” Vahn drew something benign into the ground with his finger. “I meditate on what I observed—this time being Luven’s designs”—Vahn shuddered and so did Hawke thinking back—”and seek the aide of Wild Magic to draw out explanations or spells. It’s my way of talking to Wild Magic. Probably like how the wind talks to you.”
Hawke raised his eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yes!” Vahn’s exuberance returned, bright and too endearingly adorable as though he was glad he found an audience in Hawke. “Wild Magic is constantly observing the world around it. Whenever someone casts a spell down here, Wild Magic takes it. It carries the spell through the world to share it. It’s why it’s considered dangerous—it’s not a phenomenon we can control, after all. For Wayfarer Magicians, however, it’s how we learn to be greater. I know so much from university, but it pales in comparison to what I can learn from Wild Magic and everything it has observed and helped fuel. It’s truly fascinating and I wish I could bring students down here to study it, but everyone’s too afraid to lose students that way.”
Hawke mulled the information over in his head. “Just Wayfarer Magicians learn that way?”
Vahn nodded. “The other students who graduate are employed to lords and ladies either down here or up there,” he explained slowly. “Their learning has come to an end. All they’re supposed to do is either guide or help whoever has employed them.” He frowned and settled his chin on his palm. “And, those that aren’t go into teaching, herbology, or even research. Unless you’re a Wayfarer Magician, there’s simply no reason to pay heed to Wild Magic. It’s wild. Uncontrollable to an extent.”
“And you’re expecting to use it?”
Vahn fidgeted with the bracelets on his wrists. They hummed upon being touched and he ceased at once. “Yes. That’s what makes the High Magicians so great. They bring reason out of the wild. Force it to work on their whims and not its own.”
It still sounded unreal. Graduate from some university up above, get saddled with bangles that can sap you of power, and then let loose where the power was supposedly so great, it ran wild. Trice had never quite mentioned any of that, but then again, she was on the run from whatever lord she’d been sold to. Magic was a means to an end for her, not something to be fascinated with like Vahn. He wondered how her life would have been different if she’d been able to be a Wayfarer Magician too.
“What’s wrong?” Vahn whispered.
“Oh, nothing. Just thinking,” Hawke said quickly.
Vahn rested his head on his hands and watched Hawke expectantly. Hawke very quickly shook his head and laughed.
“Nothing worth saying out loud,” he said and Vahn scoffed. He fed a stick into the fire and watched as the burned embers rose into the sky. “I’ve been meaning to ask… are you… are you doing all right?” He waved a hand in front of him when Vahn raised his eyebrows. “The whole Luven thing.”
Vahn’s shoulders tightened. Exactly as Hawke figured they would. When Vahn had awoken from his nap on Marla’s cart, he’d been panicked until he noticed Hawke beside him. “Yes,” Vahn insisted. “I’m fine.”
Hawke doubted that, but he let it go. At least Vahn hopefully knew now he could talk to Hawke about it if he needed to. Hawke rested his hands behind his head again. “How about you keep talking then? It’s nice listening to you.”
“Really? I would have thought you liked talking more.”
“Sometimes listening’s nice.”
“What do you want me to talk about?” Vahn was smiling again. Distracted like Hawke had planned.
Except now Hawke had to think of something to talk about. He groped for a subject and settled on the first on that popped into his head. “Uh, how about your time at that university? It took up much of your life, right?”
At least the part Vahn would probably want to talk about. Hawke had no idea how old he actually was, but he didn’t seem to have many life experiences yet and most of them were wrapped up in something decidedly not good. University seemed like a safe choice.
“I suppose it has taken up much of my life,” Vahn said quietly.
“Does it really float?”
That got a laugh out of Vahn. “Hardly! Don’t you have universities down here?”
In some of the fancier cities, probably, but Hawke shrugged. “None that I’d ever be allowed into unless someone wants a smartass bard to corrupt the youth.”
“Well, ours do not float. It’s just the moniker to differentiate them from the ones you have down here.” Vahn chewed on his lip and tilted his head. “It’s school, though. I’m not sure what you want me to talk about.”
“Were you a troublemaker?” Hawke glanced back at Vahn, grinning, and found Vahn frowning. Not Hawke’s intention.
“No,” Vahn said quietly. “I was already on thin ice by simply existing as the little nobody magician from the World Below.”
Right. He wasn’t born up there. “Sorry—I didn’t mean that.”
“Oh, it’s all right. I proved myself in the end. I obtained the coveted Wayfarer Magician title, after all. It’s not given lightly.” Vahn crossed his arms and laid his head down on them. “Upper years hated me because they thought I was a know-it-all. I just had to prove myself harder. My class grew to tolerate me, at least.”
“No friends?”
“We’re taught friends are a weakness. We are peers and that’s that,” Vahn whispered. “I did make one friend, but she dropped out after our first year.”
“Why’d she do that?”
“She realized she didn’t have enough magic to keep up. Better than disappearing like other weak magicians...” Vahn made a grim face and Hawke shared it. After the whole Luven debacle, Hawke didn’t want to imagine what happened to mages who underperformed. Vahn seemed hesitant to talk about it. “She owns a little herbal tea and sweets shop now. Maybe I can sneak you up there and you could meet her.”
“That’d be nice. I like tea and sweets.”
Vahn gently smiled. “I think she’d absolutely love you.” He sat up suddenly, eyes wide. “Oh! Actually, I did get into trouble once!”
Hawke cackled and slapped the ground beside him. “Only once?”
“Once really big in trouble,” Vahn amended and suddenly his face went red. “Oh.”
“Oh?” Hawke drew out his hand and jiggled Vahn’s arm. “You can’t just say that and not tell me what you did.”
Vahn covered his face. “It’s… well.”
“What?” Hawke choked back another laugh. “Got caught fucking in the library?”
Both hands barely covered how red Vahn’s face was now and Hawke only laughed louder.
“Seriously?” he choked out between laughs. “I should have known.”
“He was a year above me and was supposed to be tutoring me,” Vahn said in a strained voice. He withdrew his hands and fanned his face. “A professor insisted as a low born, I would be behind in her class despite my impressive marks in other classes. Instead of arguing it, I agreed to get her off my back.” A sly grin went across Vahn’s lips before he bit it back. “Even he saw I did not need tutoring—I knew more than him—so… well, since we were stuck with each other with allotted time in the libraries, we used it recreationally instead.”
Hawke really tried hard not to laugh, but it bubbled out anyway. Of all the places to get caught. Like he was one to talk, but this was somehow funnier. Vahn slapped at his arm.
“Stop laughing!” Vahn’s own bubbled up from his throat. “We only got caught because he forgot the silencing bubble.”
“Silencing bubble?”
Vahn perked up. “Many mages learn how to make a bubble of air around themselves that can trap sound. Good for meetings and well… other activities.” In his eagerness to explain, he went right over being embarrassed about it. “As you can guess, at school with not much privacy, we used it… creatively.”
Creatively was one way of putting it. Hawke snickered. “You should figure out how to teach me,” he said and Vahn chuckled. “Maybe I won’t be caught so often.”
“I can prime you a few scrolls,” Vahn teased and Hawke shook his head. “I just need some enchantment paper and all you’d have to do is rip it up and poof! Bubble.”
Maybe he’d take Vahn up on that. He was grinning at the idea, anyway.
“I’m going to assume you were the loud one.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“What happened after you got caught?”
Vahn shrugged. “We were both incredibly bright students, so nothing that jeopardized that. No more tutoring and I had to dust every single shelf! We also had a talking to about being publicly inappropriate, but nothing more serious than subtly saying we should have been more discreet.”
Hawke snorted, remembering an earlier comment Vahn had made. “Did they really not care about what you were doing with your fellow students up there?”
Perhaps a former student who probably didn’t care himself wasn’t the best person to ask, but Vahn pursed his lips and gave it some thought as he rested his chin against his palm. “I mean, I don’t think they were happy about it because sex is very much a distraction from studies, but it was probably easier to provide us protections rather than stop it outright. We were all young and hormonally driven, after all. Menstruating students were given herbal remedies to prevent pregnancies and if it did happen, at least my school was supportive of whatever the student wanted to do with it. Otherwise, the cleric’s room was always open for us to take tonics to stay healthy and whatnot.”
It was all so clinically explained, Hawke couldn’t help but snort. It’d been a bit since he’d gone to any kind of school, but the one he had gone to would not have looked at it the same way Vahn was now.
“Do you still talk to that guy?” Hawke asked out of curiosity.
Vahn hesitated until Hawke peered over at him. He looked taken by surprise. “No,” he said slowly. “After we were caught, he pretended he didn’t know me.” He shrugged. “It was a series of trysts and nothing more, probably easier that way. I found other partners to satisfy my needs anyway.” He smiled. “Do you still keep up with old trysts? I’m sure you have many.”
So hastily brushed aside with nonchalance. Hawke knew enough to know that yes, it bothered Vahn a little bit, but Hawke let it go. No use dwelling on it if Vahn had already moved past it. He pushed himself up and cracked his back. “Nah, I don’t like getting attached.” Once all the creaks were out of his system, he stood and came over to the tent. “Make room, I think it’s time to try and sleep.”
Attachment made his lifestyle hard. Made it like tearing out your heart when you followed the wind and the other person stayed behind. Having done that once was enough for Hawke. No more. Even if there was someone now rolling aside to make room that Hawke was growing increasingly fond of and that was perhaps attachment. Except one day, they’d part ways and that would be that. Hawke hoped it wasn’t any time soon.
Vahn made himself comfortable on the other side of the tent, drawing the pillows forward and throwing a few at Hawke once he was settled in. The shared quilt went over both of them, magic glittering across it as extra warmth, before Hawke even had the pillow behind his head. He couldn’t help the growing smile across his lips.
“Thank you,” Vahn said quietly and Hawke glanced at him. He was curled up on his side and facing Hawke, barely seen as he peeked over the edge of the blanket.
“For what?”
“For letting me travel with you.” Vahn glanced away. “I’ve only been down here for a few months, but no one’s quite cared to talk to me like you do. It’s refreshing.”
Yes, right there was attachment.
“Well, you keep things interesting,” Hawke teased and Vahn snickered underneath the blanket. “It’s nice not being alone for once. So, thank you for insisting. Good night now.”
“Good night, Hawke.”
Vahn rolled away and with a soft little sigh, sunk into his pillows. Endearingly cute. Hawke stayed on his back, hands folded over his chest, and peered out at the stars twinkling just past the edge of the tent. This wasn’t so bad. Even with how sideways Larkspur became, he honestly did like traveling with someone. He’d almost forgotten.
As he closed his eyes, resolving to put it past him to catch up on some sleep, the winds began trickling across the camp. It made little hymns against his skin, insistent, but he let it sing unobserved. No reason to get up and move in the night if it was only the wind. They could move on in the morning and follow where it led.
🙡🙢
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