An Unexpected Visit (Starfyre)

[Aelodil]

Camarat had just about had it with all the official business. Nasuada had all but left him to run the affairs of the continent, and that was what he was trying to do. Taking off his hat, revealing the long mane of silver hinged with grey hair that reached down to his shoulder blades, Camarat sat forward. He placed the hat on the table in his chambers. Just like everything else in his chambers, much to his annoyance, the table was extremely elegant. Camarat doubted that many of the lords of the land had the same kind of luxury he had. Not that he cared for it. Rather, Nasuada had dumped it, along with the fancy clothes he had, onto him as part of the work he was doing.

All these thoughts ran through his head as he considered the young lords and ladies of the land sitting on the large table in the middle of his chambers. They all had one issue or another. If it wasn't one petty squabble it was another. Between issues such as arguing over border skirmishes and internal issues, Camarat had just about had enough. It was their lands they were talking about, not his. It was their job to keep their Provinces in check, not his. Though he understood his responsibility.

Gently thumping the butt of his staff on the floor to get everyone's attention, he stated his peace of mind. "Dras-Leona and Belatona need to have better affairs between them. Both of you have things crucial to the other. If you cannot fix your childish squabbling then I will do it personally. However, I will not raise a finger until you have done your part of attempting to fix matters between the both of you. Gil'ead needs to be a less aggressive neighbor. The legions at the command of Aelodil need to not be so aggressively positioned. Teirm needs to stop pressuring the Spine so much. Now, with all that being said, once you have managed to get everything in order, then come to me if you still require further assistance."

Standing up and once again tapping the floor with his staff, he continued, "If there is nothing else, then you may all leave." Giving himself an inward smile at the shocked looks on everyone in his room, Camarat sat back down as they all gave bows that he resented. He despised being bowed down to and what further deepened his hate for their bows was the fact that it was clear as day that none of them cared for him at all. They all just saw him as an old, decrepit old man, waiting for him to die of natural causes so they could ascend further.

Giving a small chuckle to himself, he strode away from the enormous table in the middle of his chambers. Instead, he favored the plain wooden chair with a relatively simple wooden table in front of it. Seating himself, he continued to go along his business. Though he would never admit it to someone he was glad for his job. Not only did it give him something to do in his free time, but also, he appreciated the fact that he was trusted enough to be given such an important job. Though he more often than not considered it a chore, it was heartwarming for the old man.

Reclining back in his chair, Camarat reached down to one of the drawers in his table and pulled out a flask of fine wine. He'd had it waiting for five decades now. He had just popped it open and began to sip, savoring every bit of it when there was a commotion outside his doors. He could hear his guards trying to bar the way of someone who clearly would not take no for an answer. After a moment, one of his guards came bustling in. "Lord Camarat, there appears to be an upstart who demands a meeting with you. Shall we throw her out?" his voice grave, just like always.

Raising a bushy eyebrow, Camarat pondered the thought. He didn't particularly care for the formality of someone arranging a meeting with his secretary anyways. He felt it was quite a rude thing to do, having someone who wished to meet him arrange it via the secretary rather than he himself in person. With that in mind, he waved his hand dismissively. "Let her through, Gabe. I will see to her myself." the officer in charge of the guards stationed in the castle stiffened at the mention of his name, like usual, but gave a curt nod and walked out, barking orders. Camarat sat forward, his hat still on the table in the middle of his chambers and waited to see who his guest was.

((If there's anything you would like me to change just tell me ))

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Starfyre]

Well, Lily wouldn't claim to have a meeting when she didn't, she'd just demand one. So you can fix it or Lily can accuse the guard of misrepresenting her. Other than that, great, and thanks!

[Starfyre]

Lily was not comfortable. It had taken her weeks to finally get her nerve up to do this. Now she wasn't sure she should be doing it. Backing down wasn't a good option at this point, not now that she'd convinced the guards to ask Camarat if she could see him, thought doubts were still quite present. Maybe what she was doing was foolish. Maybe the Varden didn't care about Kieran. Maybe they didn't see him as a threat. Maybe Camarat would think she was a threat, especially if he could read her mind and sense that she had the ability to know anyone's true name after having known them for less than a minute. She stood anxiously by the door, waiting for the guard who went to talk to Camarat to come back out. The fact that she was nervous was only amplified by the fact that she was used to feeling confident, even thought she couldn't cast spells.

"All right," the guard ordered, returning. "If you must, go in, but don't bother Lord Camarat too much. And leave your weapons with us." He signaled to another guard to relieve Lily of her sword.

"I'd rather not," Lily said and looked the guard in the eyes. For a moment she thought about silently using his true name to make him allow her, but then she decided against it. She shouldn't do anything decidedly hostile- she'd leave her sword rather than provoke the Varden. Frowning, she wondered if the guards were knew the ancient language. She decided that they probably did. They would have had to take oaths. So she switched to the ancient language. "I have no intention of harming anyone. I only prefer to keep my sword with me- unlike for most, it is my only safeguard. Besides that, I am sure that Lord Camarat is more than capable of defending himself." Naturally, she'd left her bow elsewhere- no need to draw attention to the fact that she carried a weapon.

The guard must have decided that he didn't want to be bothered anymore because he allowed her to go in. Lily walked through the ostentatiously large doors into a vaulted room. About halfway across, the wizard sat at an ornate table. His slight frown was hidden by a hat that sat on the table. Lily wondered if he was frowning as a usual expression, at her, or at her sword specifically. Perhaps he was preoccupied about something else. Lily found herself thinking about whether or not a wizard, or Camarat specifically, would have spells protecting him from someone using his true name. Not that she had any plan to find out.

"Lord Camarat," Lily said by way of greeting, inclining her head slightly. "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you... I have a request related to something I would call your attention to."

When Camarat indicated that she should continue, Lily hesitated. "I don't know how important this is. I just thought I would mention that I know a certain person who's basically trying to infiltrate the Varden. I'm not sure what his goal is, but based on experience I'd say that he'll take his time about whatever he's doing. He'll wait as long as he has to to gain people's trust. I believe there is some danger and I also believe that there is a high chance that nobody will notice it." She stopped there, deciding that Camarat could dismiss her or take interest as he liked, and she wouldn't have said anything important. What she'd said wasn't enough to point to Kieran. She didn't want to put him in a situation where the Varden might kill him. If she told Camarat who specifically, she'd ask for a promise that he would try - as much as would be reasonable - not to kill him. 

(I was working on this on my phone earlier and the whole thing got deleted. It's horrible trying to rewrite something you've already written that you thought was good. Also let me know if there's anything I should change. BTW if you want Camarat to read her mind he might be able to and that's fine, but she's good at blanking out thoughts so maybe he would find the obvious ones? I don't know if he would read her mind in the first place though.)

[Aelodil]

Camarat looked up from where he was staring at his desk to eye his guest. She seemed to stride with a task, something important enough to have her barge into the castle and barge past his guards who had, miraculously, let her pass with her weapons. It had taken a lot of effort and time from Camarat to get his guards to calm down about their strict policy about guests entering with weapons. After a quick demonstration of his magic, however, he had finally managed to get them to loosen up. Realizing that he was still frowning, Camarat smiled at his guest.

At the mention of his title, Camarat's eyebrows knit together. "Please, no need for such formal titles. Simply refer to me as Camarat. There is no need for the extra formalities. In the end I am much the same as you - a mortal being. Besides, this is my job. I work to serve the people and hear the voices of those who need their voices to be heard." his voice harmonious and calm. He cocked his head slightly, rather confused. Was it something so urgent that she would forsake introducing herself to him properly? He had never allowed himself to stall introducing himself where and when needed. It was the basis of a conversation in the end.

Though he trusted his guest's judgement and tipped his hand forward slightly, gesturing for her to continue. Listening to her, Camarat found himself quite intrigued. As she continued on, he pondered the thought. So what if someone wanted to infiltrate the Varden? If he truly wished to do so then chances were that he would target one of the higher ranking officials. The first person that came into mind was he, himself. After all, he just about ran the affairs of the continent. If that were the case then he would not be so alarmed. It wasn't that he underestimated anyone who meant him harm, but rather he was confident in his ability to stop them peacefully. Had he not spent the past twelve centuries learning specifically for situations such as this where peace would be better than resorting to violence?

Though towards the end of her story, Camarat couldn't help but feel a little skeptical. What were the odds that absolutely no one would notice? He knew that many of the Riders that now worked with them were still suspicious of practically anyone and everyone, a result of being hunted for years. Chances were they would be searching most peoples' minds that they crossed and even considered there to be even a whisper of suspicion to them. Besides, so long as no one was harmed. Though he knew it a sin to be overconfident, Camarat was sure of his abilities to stop whoever this person was before any kind of harm befell anyone.

As his guest ended her part, he gestured towards an elegant table hugged by a couch on either side and an armchair at the head of it. Not waiting for her to sit on the couch, he picked up the bottle of wine from his desk and placed it on the table before sitting himself down on the armchair. It was made of plain wood but carved so ornately and encrusted with more than it's fare share of gems, all of which he had placed quite a store of magic in - just as a precaution.

Flipping over the two glass cups on the table, Camarat poured some wine in each and then offered one to his guest. Taking a savory sip from his own cup, he sighed and looked her in the eye. "Most people would introduce themselves first thing. Even if the news they bore was dire. Considering it seems you already know me, I do not see any need to introduce myself. However I did not catch your name if you would be so kind, my dear. Furthermore; in regards to this mystery person of yours.. I have no doubt that you are telling the truth, however, quite frankly, I am not too worried. So long as this person does not harm anyone then there will be no need for me to punish them. In addition, odds are that he will come after me if he truly wishes to harm the Varden. If that is what he wishes, then so be it. That way I can at least attempt to speak to him and perhaps stop him peacefully, if at all possible."

(He wouldn't reach out with his mind to read someone's mind without permission unless it were a friend and he needed to)

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Starfyre]

Lily sat down on the edge of the couch at Camarat's invitation but declined the wine. She rarely had any kind of alcohol. The taste did not appeal to her as it did to most. "Thank you, but I'd rather not have any. Forgive me for not introducing myself. My name is Lily. The invisible werecat is Xydra, a companion of mine." Lily smiled. Could Camarat tell that it was partly forced? "I am glad to hear that you believe the Varden will not be in much danger. In all truth, however, I would not assume anything about the one I mentioned, as I believe that he chooses his target in the hour before he acts. It is always difficult to guess what he will do. But doubtless you will be capable of stopping him in whatever case." Lily didn't agree with half of what she was saying. Kieran wasn't stupid. He'd figure out exactly who- and what- Camarat was and plan accordingly. He wouldn't be foolish enough to to go after Camarat himself. Most likely, he'd do something he knew Camarat couldn't interfere with. But at least Camarat seemed ill inclined to harm him in return. Even if Kieran did something extremely drastic like kill Nasuada, there was a chance that the wizard would only imprison him.

Lily couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed, though. Maybe she was wrong and Kieran was no threat at all. Maybe she'd completely overestimated the amount of harm one man could do. But then again, maybe not. Only time would tell. Now she wondered if she should reveal that it was, in a way, possible to lie in the ancient language. She couldn't do it well at all, certainly not under pressure, but maybe well enough to to get her point across. But why tell it? Why was there any need to attack what people took for absolute fact? Kieran was the only person she'd ever heard of doing it. Perhaps only the two of them could. And if Kieran really couldn't cause much harm, why should she bother saying it?

____________________

Xydra hissed softly as Lily mentioned she was there, and the werecat dropped the spell that hid her. She'd taken it from a spellcaster of Galbatorix's some decades past, and she liked it. It was rude of Lily to reveal her presence. But now that she had, Xydra jumped gracefully up to the table without so much as making the wine ripple in the glass. She would like the wine, if Lily was not going to have it. Whiskers held back, Xydra lapped from the glass. She would possibly have rather drunk it as a small human, but it was somewhat humiliating to have to rely on someone else for decency after shapeshifting. And of course she didn't ask Camarat if she could have the wine; after all, it wasn't as if he was going to have it himself, and besides even a wizard wouldn't have dared refuse a werecat if she'd asked. So Xydra merely considered it that she had been given permission already.

Xydra's ear flicked as Lily spoke. She was not being sincere. Taking a last lap of wine, Xydra sat upright regally. "Camarat," she said to the wizard's mind, naturally letting Lily hear as well, "You do not impress me in the least. My companion's fears about the infiltrator are well-founded. You doubt that no one would notice. You should not." Pausing to drink a few more laps of wine, Xydra ignored Lily's "Oh, leave it alone," and continued.

"You will find that, if you meet the person in question, he is a most exceptionally skilled deceiver. Even if you were to read his mind there is reason to think you would only see his lies and what truths he wanted you to see. I do not doubt your ability to stop him, only your ability to identify him. Also, if it were up to me, I would have killed him an age and a half ago, but Lily would rather not have him dead. Stupid, but I try to humor her." Xydra stopped looking directly at Camarat, adding as an afterthought, "The wine is good." It was as close to her thanks as the wizard would get, and undoubtedly he would know that it was simply her nature and she meant no real disrespect. Lily wouldn't be pleased and would undoubtedly lecture her later on how she should behave like a human when with humans, but there was no sense in that. Why pretend to be something you weren't? And later Lily would be mad at her for continuing the discussion, but after that she may be glad.

(it does make sense that Camarat wouldn't do that. Also sorry for the abrupt mention of the werecat, I had forgotten that I created her character when I did the last post)

[Aelodil]

Not missing a beat as the woman who introduced herself as Lily refused the wine, Camarat could tell the smile she put on her face was not entirely sincere. Though Lily may not be out to harm him, he could tell she wasn't too pleased to have been forced to visit him. At her mention of the invisible werecat, Camarat gave himself a mental nod. He had sensed a third presence nearby them but had not bothered to give it a second thought. Lily, he assured himself, would inform her in due time. And so she had.

As Lily spoke, Camarat could easily tell how skeptical she truly was. The words rang hollow in her own ears, let alone how it rang out in his ears. He gave her a smile. Not the usual gentle smile he gave to people, no. Rather, he gave her a smile that showed little to no care for life and instead only showed arrogance. Arrogance and power. It wasn't something he'd admit to often, though Camarat knew he had both. Luckily for him the amount of arrogance he contained wasn't enough to truly harm him. On the other hand, he had more than enough power to harm practically anyone.

Not being able to help himself, he sensed her doubts and heard some of her thoughts even. Arching a bushy eyebrow, he pondered what she thought. "There are two people on this planet that are mortal and know the entirety of my story. No other mortal being besides these two know my story, nor who I truly am or what I truly am. Ironically enough, these two people are two of the strongest people alive on this continent. They are also missing, probably hiding in seclusion after our last quarrel. The point is, my dear Lily, this mystery man of yours will not know the half of what he is dealing with. If you believe that he will find pestering me by wasting lives an easy and simple task then you are gravely mistaken." His voice taking on the commanding and powerful tone he usually reserved for battles or when he truly was acting the part of the leader.

Nonetheless, Camarat was not nearly proud enough to pass over the doubts Lily had. He recognized that she seemed to doubt even her own original doubts. To reassure her, he looked her in the eyes, a soft and gentle expression passing over his face. "You made the right choice bringing this to my attention, Lily. I do appreciate your braveness and urgency in this matter. What is a false alarm in the face of the alternative; death of innocent lives. Nothing, quite frankly. So again I thank you." he paused, adding as an afterthought, "Perhaps, my dear werecat, that it is you who seem to be in the wrong. Do not presume to understand much about me, my dear. Furthermore; I will not tolerate any form of rudeness, not in my presence, not to anyone. You may be a werecat, but I was old long before your parents even thought of conceiving you." His voice had taken on a hard, adamant tone. One of the few things Camarat could not tolerate, not even in moderation, was rudeness.

Cocking his head slightly, Camarat crunched his eyebrows slightly. "Oh no, I do not assume that I could detect him that easily. After all, my expertise lies mainly in the arcane of magic, not the secrets of the mind. No no, I have a friend or.. acquaintance I believe would be more accurate, that could easily read anyone's mind and delve into their secrets without a second thought. Regardless of how brilliant one might be, you cannot get past the power of an immortal that's lived since the dawn of time and even before that. I know that I, for one, would not be able to detect such a man so easily considering how trusting I like to be." Now that he had sort of reprimanded Xydra, Camarat's tone had calmed down to its normal gentle sing-song voice.

When you die, your world ends. The world may go on, but in your eyes, the world ends with you.

-Carpe Diem

[Starfyre]

Xydra's eyes glowed with fury as she bristled out to half her size again. "I presumed nothing, dragon wizard. You assume things about me. Perhaps I know of you better than you think. Perhaps I do not. But I was wrong about at least one thing. You have no sense, firstly because you cannot understand that when I said 'you', I meant the Varden as well as yourself, and secondly because you have insulted a werecat. Do not do that lightly. I would kill a lesser creature for that. You I do not fancy testing my skills against, but I will if you force my claw." With a private "We're leaving" to Lily, she jumped down from the table and stalked out, tail lashing as it disappeared under a spell. Idiot. 

Lily's face had become a blank mask, her mind equally serene and still. She hid every angry thought, refusing to even consider using Camarat's true name. She knew it. But oddly enough, she knew nothing about Camarat but what he'd displayed and what she could read from his true name. It was enough to know that staying longer would be pointless, and so would continuing the conversation in any way. She knew it would not do any good to show that one could lie in the ancient language. That had a greater chance of making the situation worse. So she followed Xydra out of Camarat's chambers. One of the guards looked surprised at their exit as if he was about to stop them. Angrily, Lily mentally speared him with his true name, and the guard stood rigid at attention for thirty seconds. She and Xydra left down the hallway. At this rate, I wouldn't mind if Kieran destroyed the entire Varden, Lily thought. She knew it was an hotheaded, unreasonable thought that she wouldn't agree with an hour later, but she knew what she would do. I'll just have to stop him myself if he tries anything much. Maybe it's time I did anyhow.

(I don't know if Camarat would try to stop them from leaving in any way, that would be ok. Also this could be the end of the thread or close if he just lets them leave. Lily doesn't have anything else to say or anything).