CORVUS HALCYON

corvus halcyon

I USED TO TRUST THE MEDIA TO TELL ME THE TRUTH

Corvus wasn't always a citizen of Selphia. He was brought to the land when he was a mere child, bundled up in his mothers trembling arms as she fled their homeland. Their home had burned to the ground as a result of his fathers long feud of angering monsters. The man had not survived the flames that devoured the large family blacksmith shop. Only his child and wife were able to escape both the element and the angering beasts bashing upon their doors and windows. Corvus never learned the tale of that night. From a young age he was taught the craft his mother and father had practiced and excelled in. One that had made them famous in their homeland. The ability to hone metal was never so easy.

He was young when he started to take up his mother's trade. Maybe six or seven, she had him working on handles and small tools that local farmers brought in for repairs. His hands were clumsy at best when he started. He'd drop things and burn his fingers. Generally, the job wasn't done very well. But his mothers kind hands guided him to finish the works with more skill and finesse. Amazed at her work, Corvus fell in love with the art of blacksmithing. Suddenly his mother couldn't keep him away from the anvil. He would shut himself into a small room and work on beautiful knives and blades and shields. By the time he was fifteen he had learned all his mother was able to teach him. On his seventeenth birthday she handed him a purse of gold, telling him to set off on his own and open his own shop somewhere. Corvus never hesitated. He left that night, a small piece of junked silver strung around his neck; a parting gift from the woman who had given him everything.

It was a rainy afternoon when Corvus entered Selphia. A decent sized town with various amenities and shops and people. The vibe alone was enough to make him stay. And so he purchased a small plot of land and materials and got right to building. For weeks he labored over making everything just so, spending his nights aching and soaking in the hot springs. And then, finally, it was finished. Corvus looked upon his new shop with pride and immediately set himself into his work. It is there where his new life truly began and where he resides today.


It was a nice enough day, Louie supposed. Sure, it could always be cloudier but he couldn’t complain too much. He poked his head through the curtains of the tavern to take a peek outside. Yes, it definitely was reasonable. The Rayquaza wasn’t the biggest fan of the sun and never had been to be honest. The clouds floating through the blue sky was what he liked to see, their fluffy whiteness morphing into shapes that the viewer got to decide what the finished piece may be. I was still rather early though and he silently hoped the weather might change to suit his tastes later on.

With a light sigh, he pulled away from the window, making sure to close the curtains just so no light could manage to peer through and ruin the current darkness the tavern held. He wasn’t open quite yet due to setting up and the general reluctance to be involved in conversation with anyone. Besides, the earlier he opened the more he risked someone walking in and getting into an early day drunken stupor that he’d have to boot them out for. He was mostly in so early to tidy, dust the place off and make sure everything was clean and such. That and he couldn’t sleep and had woken at the obnoxious hour of five am. After an hour of wiring himself up on the most caffeinated teas possible, he’d slipped on a green dress shirt, wrinkled from neglect after washing, and a simple pair of plaid pants before trekking out the door and arriving at work at seven am.

Running a hand through his rather long hair, he realized how silly he must’ve looked. He hadn’t even remembered to brush the green locks and tie it in the back with various scaled fasteners as he usually did every day. Instead his hair lay loose running down his back with strands rebelliously flaring every which way, the length of it reaching just past the tops of his thighs. Even his eyes were displaying the slight exhaustion he was experiencing as light shadows lined under them.

Louie bit the inside of cheek irritably and made his way into the employee bathroom. It was a rather large area for just a bathroom, but he had demanded it when he’d taken ownership of the place. There were a few stands tucked in the corner, as well as a much larger one on the opposite end with his name written in fancy cursive on the mirror propped on top. He promptly stalked over to it, opening the drawers and searching through the various things inside. To put it simply, this was his boudoir. Yes, he had one of those. Both at home and at work he felt the need to have one. Reason being he took a lot of pride in his appearance and felt the need to be ready if something were to happen. Like, for instance, waking up too damned early and looking like he’d crawled out of a horror movie.

One by one he opened each drawer until he found exactly what he was looking for. He set down four hair bands, each resembling the scales of a Rayquaza, a rather fancy brush, and four smaller gold bands. In swift, practiced motions, Louie ran the brush through his hair before bunching it in the back and holding it in a prepped pony-tail. He tugged on one of the scale bands, then another, then another, and then the final one until his hair was perfectly dangling down his back like a tail. He slid the gold bands, two on each side, onto his bangs and stood back to admire his work. Satisfied, he set the brush back into the drawer.

Exiting, Louie set back to work on tidying the place up while he got the chance. That notion, however, didn’t last long. He heard her coming before she reached to knock on the door and his body turned to ice. Without a second thought, the Rayquaza flung himself behind the bar counter just as the door slammed open, banging into the wall. He held his breath and covered his mouth with one of his hands, trying extra hard not to make a peep. He knew exactly who had just entered. Jamie. Perhaps the only person he found himself trying to escape on a regular basis. She was just so... so... he couldn’t even be a jerk to her because she’d interrupt him every time he tried to get a sarcastic remark across!

He jumped as she set something on the counter and had to refrain from groaning in annoyance. Firstly, that area had just been wiped down. Secondly, he feared she may be getting... comfortable. Chewing his cheek now, he could feel the irritation bubbling in the pit on his stomach. Leave it to Jamie to show up uninvited. Every. Single. Time. He didn’t ask her to bother him all the time! She’d just taken up the liberty and made him want to bash his head on the counter with some of the things she did. Louie didn’t even want to think about all the terrible things she tried to give him.

The Rayquaza rolled his eyes then, hearing her speak aloud to some imaginary person. Again, he had to try not to growl when she used that horrid nickname for him she insisted on. Lou-Lou. Seriously, did he look like a girl? Well, maybe more than she did sometimes... A small snicker. He paled. Please tell me she didn’t hear me... Please tell me she didn’t hear me...

The sudden shattering of glass and eruption of wine splashing all over the place was enough to set him into an immediate, thoughtless rage. He growled under his breath and slowly rose from his spot on the floor, covered in the liquid and his now ruined clothes.

********! Jamie! What the hell are you doing?!” He wiped at his face, trying to get the wine off before it could dry and stick. “What gives you the right to come in here and start blowing things up?” The ground shook threateningly beneath him as he spoke, warning of perhaps a potential earthquake to add to the damage done. Louie shook as he tried to restrain himself. The last thing he needed was to have to rebuild the place.

He took a deep breath, but still held his glare deep and true before walking over to her. Louie took her hand and tapped the back of it in a scolding manner. “Bad girl! Learn some manners!”

[b]DRAGON AGE, fenris[/b] as [i]corvus halcyon[/i]