12.Mar.12, 11:11 PM
By this time, he'd picked up on hint of her competitive streak. Her assertion didn't surprise him. Talian wasn't very competitive himself, though at the Hall he'd been subjected to plenty who were. During his turns in regular classes, his peers often made a sport out of trying to exceed his marks. They never did, but they sure as shells tried. He'd never seen sure whether to view such attempts as an actual threat or not. It's not like they would actually be taking anything physical from him if they caught up. Just his title, which he alternated between being proud of and not caring about. It seemed paltry compared to the things some others had in their lives, but on the other hand, it was his greatest asset.
"Her rider?" he replied a bit late. "B'jin. He's like a father to me," he replied, his tone warming somewhat. B'jin was one of the few people that Talian could and would say with complete conviction that he loved. The other he'd come to terms with never seeing again, drawing him even closer to B'jin. That was a different kind of love, though. Erisi and Valerian had reached a similar point themselves, but Fiora...those would be hard shoes to fill. She'd left a void in him.
"B'jin is very cheerful and outgoing, but he's just as snarky as the dragon is...they work well together I suppose. They're almost opposites, with just enough overlap to feel like kindred spirits," he said. As poetic as his phrasing might sound, he spoke in the same actual tone that he always did, soft and very factual. He did manage a big, almost cheesy smile though. He loved B'jin dearly. After all, B'jin had been his friend when he had none, his father when he'd always longed for one....and saved his life when no one else could. The healer displayed genuine warmth when B'jin's name came up, though it didn't linger long enough to be too sappy. Maybe it's because Fiora was skittering around in his subconscious. Maybe it was just so he could slide into his question. Speaking of fathers...
"Did you know a master healer at the Hall named Talerian?" Tal asked, eyes widening in interest and just a hint of pleading. As badly as he wanted to ask about Fiora, he doubted Breccan knew her...and since Breccan seemed the catty and competitive type, he doubted she'd have much comment if she did. Fiora was a female healer, and therefore would have been competition. B'jin had already agreed to look in on Fiora, though. Tal was curious about his father.
"He's my father," he explained hastily, though anyone who'd laid eyes on both men would know. Father and son looked remarkably alike, especially the tawny eyes. "Stern man, greying mahogany colored hair and a thin nose. He teaches suturing sometimes," he said, biting his lip nervously. He knew the hall had gone into an uproar when he vanished. He;d heard the rumors. But he didn't know about his father's reaction.
"Do you know if he...well, how he reacted when I went missing?"
He didn't dare ask B'jin to check in on Talerian. B'jin had heard the horror stories...he'd almost certainly be tempted to do something. Talerian was a cruel, unimaginative man who Talian traced most of his problems back to. He dearly hoped to hear that his father had at least shown signs of being worried, but he doubted he would hear such a thing. It would at least be nice to know,
"Her rider?" he replied a bit late. "B'jin. He's like a father to me," he replied, his tone warming somewhat. B'jin was one of the few people that Talian could and would say with complete conviction that he loved. The other he'd come to terms with never seeing again, drawing him even closer to B'jin. That was a different kind of love, though. Erisi and Valerian had reached a similar point themselves, but Fiora...those would be hard shoes to fill. She'd left a void in him.
"B'jin is very cheerful and outgoing, but he's just as snarky as the dragon is...they work well together I suppose. They're almost opposites, with just enough overlap to feel like kindred spirits," he said. As poetic as his phrasing might sound, he spoke in the same actual tone that he always did, soft and very factual. He did manage a big, almost cheesy smile though. He loved B'jin dearly. After all, B'jin had been his friend when he had none, his father when he'd always longed for one....and saved his life when no one else could. The healer displayed genuine warmth when B'jin's name came up, though it didn't linger long enough to be too sappy. Maybe it's because Fiora was skittering around in his subconscious. Maybe it was just so he could slide into his question. Speaking of fathers...
"Did you know a master healer at the Hall named Talerian?" Tal asked, eyes widening in interest and just a hint of pleading. As badly as he wanted to ask about Fiora, he doubted Breccan knew her...and since Breccan seemed the catty and competitive type, he doubted she'd have much comment if she did. Fiora was a female healer, and therefore would have been competition. B'jin had already agreed to look in on Fiora, though. Tal was curious about his father.
"He's my father," he explained hastily, though anyone who'd laid eyes on both men would know. Father and son looked remarkably alike, especially the tawny eyes. "Stern man, greying mahogany colored hair and a thin nose. He teaches suturing sometimes," he said, biting his lip nervously. He knew the hall had gone into an uproar when he vanished. He;d heard the rumors. But he didn't know about his father's reaction.
"Do you know if he...well, how he reacted when I went missing?"
He didn't dare ask B'jin to check in on Talerian. B'jin had heard the horror stories...he'd almost certainly be tempted to do something. Talerian was a cruel, unimaginative man who Talian traced most of his problems back to. He dearly hoped to hear that his father had at least shown signs of being worried, but he doubted he would hear such a thing. It would at least be nice to know,