Moving House

[Vereshin]

t H e M e​

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Since his ascension to the rank of Sith Knight, the sorcerer Vereshin secured the means to find himself a more suitable place to live and work. He moved into a decrepit tower on a street corner in the academic sector of Bastion. On that same day, he received a visit from a colleague, the alchemist [member="Jacob Crawford"] to discuss their respective pursuits in magicand how each could potentially benefit the other. Now employing one servant, a scruffy woman name Ana, the eccentric warlock scribbled in his study while she pulled luggage through the door.

The house was narrow and circular and possessed three stories and a tower room for Vereshin to conduct cosmic experiments. In the living room on the second floor, silverware was prepared on a round table in front of a chaise and chairs. A music box chimed away from a surface covered in candles. On the floor above, Vereshin scrawled fervently across paper and ignored the gong of the door knocker a few times before sighing in annoyance and rising to his feet. He wore a beige and black cardigan over suit pants and a shirt. One his shoulders sat his cat, a tortoiseshell with long hair. He scaled the stairs just in time to see Ana greeting Jacob at the door.

"Oh hello Mr. Crawford, it's an honor to meet you. Welcome to my home." Vereshin began to walk down the staircase while his cat closed his eyes on his shoulders, seemingly drifting away to sleep while his owner casually walked around. He moved into the rug on the floorboards and extended a hand for Jacob to shake. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, along frames holding violet energy and devices of the arcane.

"Please come upstairs where there is a fire." Turning around, he lead Jacob up the stairs while the corseted servant continued bringing in suitcase from the car (which inexplicably still had wheels). Vereshin walked up the stairs and allowed the alchemist to follow, before entering the living room where a fire burned the wall. Chairs sat around a table on top of a rug covering floorboards and silverware covered the surface, lined with a small variety of cakes. A desk, because Force forbid Vereshin needed more than one, sat at one end of the room, lined with papers and candles drooped over the hearth. The sorcerer sat down in one seat, before his chemical counterpart joined him on the opposite side.

 

[Jacob Crawford]

For a while now Jacob had been bouncing back and forth between his duties to the Sith Empire and his own personal work on Maena. With the latter having been kicking up some more steam as of late, and led to most of his time being spent there. Despite it though, he had always made time to leave whenever the Empire was making a significant move to expand their reach.

This time however, he was travelling to Bastion on a personal invitation.

[member="Vereshin"], a sorcerer that Jacob had encountered a few times now, had invited him to visit his newly acquired home. And if his information was correct, the younger man had also recently risen to the rank of Sith Knight.

After arriving on Bastion, Jacob had made his way straight to the address he had been given. Before even knocking, he took a moment to look at the residence Vereshin had acquired. Taking a curious glance around at the exterior.

He eventually moved to the door, using the knocker a few times before simply waiting. The door opened to a rather unassuming woman, Jacob raised a slight eyebrow and gave Ana a curt smile before looking over at Vereshin.

"And you, Vereshin."

As he followed the younger man up the stairs, Jacob looked around at the interior noting particular features that seemed to stick out. Namely it looked and felt fairly quaint, which was a perfect match for the sorcerer, at least in Jacob's opinion anyway. Once they had entered the living room, he took the seat indicated and got comfortable.

"You've certainly picked a lovely home."

 

[Vereshin]

As Vereshin welcomed Jacob into the small living room on the second floor, his cat leaped off his shoulders and made itself comfortable on the chaise. The house was a single tower of several narrow floors and winding staircases. Rugs covered bare floorboards and black and grey wallpaper chipped off the walls. He sat on the black chaise next his cat and leaned coyly on the armrest, parting his thin lips in a smile towards the alchemist. Alchemy was a craft Vereshin did not possess any knowledge of, the chemical arcane did not interest him as much as the metaphysical. The skill of alchemist in that regard, was one he could use where he lacked.

"Well thank you." The dark mage spoke to Jacob while he sat down. "Ana please bring us tea. Black for me, otherwise I won't be able to stay awake." He said a slight fluster towards the woman as she left and carried her black dress away. The furniture, rugs and walls were all inky black, the only contrast being the olive wood of the floor and bare walls. Vereshin's cardigan and suit pants were black and tiny silver studs ringed the collar above a grey shirt. A pendant with a deep purple crystal hung around his neck. After the assault he conducted with the Dark Lord on Telos, he lost even more weight and found himself tired, replying on black tea to stay though the day. He needed to eat more despite how much he did not like eating.

"Tell me Jacob, what projects are you currently working on. I have heard only promising news of your talents." Fiddling with the spikes on the collar of his cardigan, Vereshin's eyes darted across the walls as he tried to maintain contact with Jacob's gaze, something he struggled with when making conversation. "I do not possess any skill in alchemy myself and am looking into the pursuits of one to assist with my own work." Ana soon arrived carrying a try lined with silverware baring tea and food, although Vereshin did not ask for any. The woman set black cups decorated with silver before each of the Sith and filled with the dark brown liquid. As she motioned towards the sugar, Vereshin extended a hand and stopped her, preferring to add his own.

"I work with otherwordly energies and I am interested in a series of amulets designed to contain spirits and dark matter." Vereshin spoke while he reached for the sugar, adding one spoonful and a single drop of milk. He picked up a spoon, a dark crystal fashioned into the end, and stirred while gazing almost hypnotically over the rising steam. "Demons, in particular, are of great interest to me as of now." A thick and arched eyebrow raised in Jacob's direction as his host set the spoon aside and raised the cup to his lips, taking a light sip of the dark tea. "As well as the possibility of creating one from the Dark Side itself." He continued. Books lined shelves baring titles of Vitiate, Ragnos and Nihilus among other Sith beside spellbooks, scrolls and a variety of colored crystals for a variety of mysterious uses.

[member="Jacob Crawford"]

 

[Jacob Crawford]

Jacob gave a small nod, taking a seat where Vereshin had indicated and spared a passing glance to Ana as she hurried off to fulfil her master's order. It was a bit of an odd sight to see non-droid staff, but that was primarily because Jacob used droids for a large portion of his. It was a necessity given the line of work that went on in the Asylum, best to avoid any potential minds getting addled should something go wrong and escapes out into the Lower Levels.

Having taken off his coat before heading upstairs, Jacob revealed a black buttoned shirt, that matched with his pants and boots. The sleek silver of his right cybernetic hand stood out the most against the dark colours.

"Nothing of any particular note, just simple trinkets I've been testing to see if my thoughts and idea can become reality." When you explored a subject as broad as alchemy, one tended to find specific areas that interested them. Little things that managed to hook the interested party in, dragging them along until they found that spark that interested them. That had been Jacob's experience with his interest in blending alchemy with mentalism. "My main project is still very much in the examination phase. Testing out various drugs and their effects on a person's mind - ranging from those inebriated already right up to those whose minds have never interacted with technology."

He watched the sorcerer with hidden amusement, noting the way the young man seemed unable to keep eye contact. Part of Jacob wondered why that was, something in his mind - part of his past that still affected him. The mentalist quickly pushed the thoughts aside, now wasn't the time to be speculating.

"What about you, Vereshin. What have you been focusing on?" When Ana finally returned with the tea, Jacob raised a similar hand as Vereshin had, stopping her from adding the sugar and leaving them to their devices. Opting away from the sugar, Jacob took the milk and poured a bit in. Enough to just lessen the strength of the tea. With a quick stir, he brought the cup to his lips and took a sip.

"Sounds like you don't do things in half measures." That brought a smile to his face, Jacob was much the same - most of the time anyway. The mention of amulets and spirits had particularly interested Jacob, given that was one of the few ideas he was personally invested in. He had his own demons, mental and otherwise that haunted him on Maena and even here, right now. Meditation kept it all locked up in the deepest recesses of his mind. But it wasn't a viable solution in the long run.

[member="Vereshin"]​