Characters
Jythan
Vayen

Location

Vayen's Office

This is Vayen's Office. It's a decent sized room, large enough that a dozen warbreed could comfortably stand. There's very little here other than a desk with some built-in drawers for storage, a couple of chairs for any human visitors and a softer patch of floor behind the desk. In one corner stands a pedestal with a small fountain on the top of it and some human mugs. The pedestal also has a single drawer built into it which presumably houses some snacks for visitors. On the walls are both Telkan and Mul banners (perhaps intimidating for some peacebreeds), and a couple of mul silks are hung up behind the desk for Vayen's ceremonial and official duties. There's a window that looks out into the spire. The usual barryd lighting is present here. All-in-all it's designed to be nothing more than a simple, functional room. Hope that Vayen doesn't find you here without an invitation!


Vayen is sat behind his desk, reviewing some reports. From his expression, he's not particularly happy about what he's reading. With a sigh of disgust, he throws the reports down onto his desk and leans back, relaxing for a moment. Frowning, he checks the time. Shouldn't his interviewee be here by now?

Jythan saunters into the room hurriedly, as if he heard Vayen complaining out loud, and stands in front of his desk, breathing a little heavily. "Sorry I'm late, sir. Some of the stairs on the way here are broken. Makes it tricky for me."

Vayen raises an eyeridge. In a gravelly but flat tone that could be interpreted either as unimpressed, annoyed, or neither of the above, he replies. <<Why not just fly... oh, nevermind, you're here now. Have a drink if you like, then take a seat.>> He gestures with a forepaw, then looks down at his desk. Spotting the file he's after, he retrieves it from amongst the others and reads it.

Jythan sits down carefully, biting his tongue on a retort after Vayen's comment. He looks around silently, waiting patiently as the commander looks through the file.

Vayen sets the file down and looks up at Jythan. He gives the other warbreed a quick glance-over, taking note of any physical marks, how he's built, and so on. Nodding slightly to himself, he glances at the file again then gives Jythan a flat look. <<Jythan,>> he says in the same gravelly tone. <<Recently departed from Mulkol, now wishing to be a healer. Correct?>>

Jythan turns his attention quickly from the banners on the walls, as Vayen addresses him. <<Yes, sir,>> he replies, boredom quickly replaced by a quiet nervousness. <<That's correct.>>

Vayen nods to Jythan's reply, approving of the red's use of 'sir'. Unconsciously reshuffling his wings against his back, he continues, the gravelly tone lifting slightly. <<Very good. As you're no doubt aware, all new residents of Telka are interviewed, especially those from Mul barryds. So I need you to tell me your background, why you're here and what you're hoping to achieve, other than being a healer. An unusual interest for a Mul. Due to the tensions between Telka and Mulkoli, what you tell me will be checked with my colleagues at Mul. Based on what they tell me, and what you tell me today, I'll be deciding if you stay here or not. so it's in your interest to be truthful, even if it's not pretty.>> Leaning back slightly, he finishes in a slightly less flat tone. <<So, when you're ready, you may start.>>

Jythan listens carefully as Vayen explains the procedure, nodding now and then. Others had mentioned the interview system in passing, after all. <<Well,>> he says, after a pause to gather his thoughts, <<I suppose I'll start with what I'm here for. I should say that I am a healer, or I thought that I was one before I came here. Most of Mulkol's healers have their hands full with injuries from fights and other foolish adventures, and I was hardly an exception. I'm barely out of training by their standards, and while I can handle all kinds of wounds decently, I do rather poorly at everything else. So, I want to learn yet.>>

Vayen scribbles some notes down in shorthand as Jythan starts explaining. <<So you're wanting to be a good healer,>> he says in a conversational tone. He continues in a slightly harder or slightly dangerous and smooth tone, like a snake on silk. <<I'm sure you realize that that raises the question of your loyalty. If that's all you're here for, then what's to say you're not still loyal to Mulkol and will return there once your training is complete, not contributing anything to Telka?>>

Jythan blinks, and seems to consider this question for a moment, looking at the banners thoughtfully. <<Good question,>> he says, looking back at Vayen. <<I suppose I don't have a good reason to be here over any other barryd, but I'm fairly sure that I won't be running off home any time soon. Being killed isn't all that fun, in my way of thinking.>>

Vayen tilts his head, and in a very flat tone, simply asks, <<So where -do- your loyalties lie, Jythan?>>

Jythan blinks again, put off guard. <<Here, I guess. Nobody's kicked me out yet. I kind of have none, as it is.>>

Vayen raises an eyeridge. <<An interesting response. In which you possibly imply you were kicked out of Mulkol. Correct?>>

Jythan sighs a bit. <<Well, I wasn't officially kicked out, as far as action by the barryd leaders goes. It was a personal dispute, and they didn't care that much.>> He pauses for a moment, scratching at one of his ears. <<My family disowned me for being weak, after the misadventure that cost me one of my paws. They threatened to kill me if I stuck around; I happen to enjoy not being dead, so I left.>>

Vayen makes a quick note before replying. <<I can understand a lack of loyalty, given the circumstances. Are you hoping to make Telka your home? Or move on after training? And why Telka, when Ekaokai is a short flight away and specialises in healing?>>

<<Well, flying for one's life can kind of provide a good distraction from certain things,>> Jythan says evenly. <<For example, choosing a destination. I was here before I realized I was even out of Mulkol territory, and I was rather tired.>>

Vayen frowns, and makes yet another quick note. <<No particular reason then,>> he summarizes. <<Taking into account what you've just told me, I'm not entirely convinced you'll be absolutely loyal to Telka, but I still want to hear more from you before making a decision. What was your life at Mulkol like? From what I have here,>> he indicates his notes with a finger, <<you passed basic military training but nothing further. Is that correct?>>

Jythan nods to Vayen. <<As far as official training, just the basics. I spent my spare time from core training learning to treat wounds. I spent my spare time from either of those, though, wrestling for fun, and later on in tournaments now and then.>> He frowns, and twitches his tail. <<I won most of the time, too, at least when I still had four paws.>>

Vayen nods. <<Alright. But no further military training, or training for administration or any leadership positions?>>

Jythan shakes his head. <<No. I did want to teach like my father does, but his advice was to learn how to do something first, learn how to teach later.>>

<<Sound advice,>> the warbreed replies. He glances at where Jythan's missing forepaw should be. <<How did you lose the paw?>>

<<By behaving stupidly, is how.>> Jythan frowns, <<I suppose you want more detail than that, though. I'd gone into the forest with a female. Our usual private spot was taken, and it was such a hot day that we didn't feel like finding another proper one. We ended up in a stand of bushes that was far enough from the path that you couldn't see or hear it. I suppose we distracted each other pretty well from our surroundings. I don't remember it happening, but she told me later that we got attacked. I was too exhausted when we talked afterwards to catch all the details, but it was some poisonous local thing, almost killed me. My paw was fairly rotten from the bite, and they had to take it off before they did anything else.>>

Vayen winces momentarily. <<At least you didn't lose the entire limb,>> he says. Flicking through his notes again, he continues. <<We haven't talked about your family, though you did mention your parents. I assume they are both still alive. Any siblings, or extended family? And did you know anyone here before you arrived?>>

<<Well, when I left, they were still alive. My parents, that is. Syatheran was my father, taught unarmed combat and handled the common weapons for the barryd. He's not very nice, but smart enough. I owe him a lot, good and bad.>> Jythan frowns thoughtfully, before shaking his head and continuing. <<My mother, on the other hand, was at least civil towards everyonemost of the time. She's a first acolyte, Azheria. I had no siblings, because the supply of lita sacks started to ebb when I was young, and my mother decided setting a good example would change that.>>

Vayen raises an eyeridge at the mention of Jythan's mother. <<Ah, Azheria. I've heard that name before, although I have not had any dealings with her.>> He briefly looks at the file again. <<Alright, Jythan. I don't have too much more here. You mentioned a female... is there a chance she would be looking to relocate?>>

Jythan sighs. <<Well, to be honest I'm not that sure. She's a Fourth Acolyte, for one thing, and she takes the duty seriously. Her parents threatened me into not talking to her after the accident. I took the blame for that at the time, but if she left, I don't think her parents would be very happy about that.>> He looks up at Vayen. <<In short, if you invite her, she'll come as likely as not, but if she did, you'd probably be seeing attempts to cause trouble here before long.>>

Vayen tilts his head. <<Indulge me here. Would you like her to be here? And would she like to be here?>>

Jythan frowns. <<Well, I like her enough. I don't know if she would leave or not, though.>>

Vayen nods. <<Finally, what do are your intentions here? You've told me you were planning to be a healer. Is that something you're planning on doing for life, or are you wanting to move into other areas?>>

Jythan ponders this for a moment. <<I really don't care for healing that much, I just do it because it's what gets me by. Or did, back home. Healers here seem to be rather passionate. I know I'd like to wrestle competitively, but that's probably no longer possible. So I suppose I'm not really sure.>>

Vayen sets the file back down on his desk. <<Indeed. Healing here is a very different art to healing at Mulkol, it's seen and approached in a very different way. Would it be fair to say you don't really know what it is you want to do in the long term, but for now you're happy being here and playing things by ear?>>

Jythan nods a little bit. <<That's as fair a way to put it as any. I still find the ways that most things are done here strange, and I'm not sure where I fit in it.>>

Vayen nods. <<Well, I'm done. I have nothing further to ask you. I'll review all of this information, talk to my colleagues in Mulkol and the barryd administration here, and you'll hear from me within two weeks. Is there anything you want to say or ask me?>>

Jythan says, <<No, sir, I think I've said everything that I should by now.>> He stands, and bows carefully, but then remembers something. <<Oh, I should have brought this up earlier. I was known at Mulkol as Kaethan; my parents made me swear not to use that name wherever I ended up, but the records there likely have my old name.>>

Vayen inclines his head slightly in return to Jythan's bow. <<I'll make a note of that,>> he says, then quickly jots down Jythan's previous name. <<Thank you for mentioning it.>> He looks up. <<Good day, Jythan.>>

<<Thank you, sir.>> Jythan stands again, turning to the door slowly. <<I hope the rest of your day hears more pleasant stories than this,>> he says, leaving the office quietly.

Vayen looks up at Jythan speaks, then watches him leave and gazes at the open doorway for a moment, as if thinking, before sighing quietly and returning to his files.