Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth had spent about a day in the castle. After being brought up to speed on the recent developments within Astoria, Dayveth had returned to his old laboratory. There he found Mara, who was just as upset about his fleeing, and even less forgiving than his queen. However, she was professional as always and put aside her frustrations to work with Dayveth. 

Hours had passed until the sun had lowered beyond the horizon. Dayveth, tired both physically and mentally, decided to wander around the castle. He hadn't planned on it, but he ended up in front of Anyanka's quarters. Dayveth decided he might as well talk to her. He approached her door and knocked. "Dayveth Coren, Your Grace. I had some more questions and thought you'd be the most reliable source. If I have come too late I apologize."

Dayveth glanced at a nearby guard who was glowering at him. Dayveth had earned a certain reputation, one that would take time to repair if that was even possible.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

The guards were under strict orders to not let anyone see her tonight. She was exhausted, she'd spent too many hours awake and running around putting out the fires that arose with the passage of the Order through Astoria. 

She was right in thinking they would try to stay, and Zane flushed them out with his network late last night. It has taken the threat of death and more than half of her guard to personally escort them out of the city and across the border, and she'd spent all day doing damage control. 

_No, Astoria wasn't under investigation. No, there's no one who can hurt you, you're all protected here, by law and by myself. We do not let fear into our home or lands, please rest assured._ 

It felt frustrating to have to say it a thousand times, and she'd wished her voice would have carried on the wind to bring assurance to everyone who needed it. 

So when a knock sounded on her door, and Dayveth spoke, she contemplated ignoring it. Her head was aching, and she didn't want to talk politics anymore. But, she pulled herself from bed and moved to the door, pulling it open wordlessly to let him inside.
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth startled slightly as the door in front of him flew open. He was greeted by Anyanka with an emotion he couldn't quite place, though he could certainly tell it wasn't enthusiastic. Dayveth accepted her invitation inside, however, but he didn't move too far from the door. 

"I heard you've had some success with the Order. Congratulations." Dayveth put a decently warm smile on his face, trying to read her reaction. He did have questions, but most revolved around Mikhail. "I'm sure they've been one of, if not, your biggest worries."
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan 
Zahrada, Astoria

He stepped inside, and she could tell by the way he hovered by the door that she hadn't given him the warm welcome he'd hoped for. It wasn't intentional, she'd just figured it was easier than explaining to the guards through the door why she wanted them to stand down for a man who was, in all technicality, not supposed to be allowed back inside the castle to begin with. 

"Yes, Harmattan managed to prove me right, for the first time in my life." She confirmed, and pulled tighter the robe that wrapped around her frame. The fire was going, and a few months ago she would have jumped at the chance to curl up with him before it. 

"You have questions?" She prompted, shifting a bit on her bare feet.
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth couldn't help but to remember all of the time they spent together in this room. He examined Anyanka in her robe, though not quite the same as he did months ago. The fire threw strange shadows across the room and Anyanka's face. His eyes caught her's as he glanced at her face. 

"Yes, though if this is a bad time they can wait. They're about the past few months, the state of Astoria, and Mikhail." His tone was light and friendly, and he was hoping she wouldn't shut it down, though Anyanka had every right to.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria. 

Her brow rose, but only slightly. "The middle of the night seems to be an odd time to want to discuss these things." She noted, but didn't turn him away. Instead, she motioned to the sofa that sat before the fire, taking to one side of it and tucking her knee carefully to not allow the robe to part. 

"Ask away, Dayveth."
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

"I apologize, I didn't realize it was so late. The working mood strikes late, I guess." Dayveth moved to sit on the opposite end of the sofa. He was dressed lightly in a loose shirt and pants, held by a loose belt and clean boots. 

"My first question is about how Astoria is doing, on a grand scale. As well as its ruler." He had heard of the Order of course, but how Astoria had actually felt about it, or handled it. Dayveth had been busy on the road and reinstating himself as Anyanka's doctor. "Her well-being is one of my occupation's top priorities, after all."
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

He asked about her, in a roundabout way, and she shifted to let her elbow rest on the back of the couch. Her temple rested on the palm of that hand, and she inhaled deeply before responding. 

"Astoria is fine. We've been working towards the partnership with South Feyshore, working to make sure their farms are up and running before the winter sets in again. The spring was promising, and if the harvest goes as planned this should be the first year in several where there's enough internal goods to survive the winter without importing." She said plainly. "The Order was a misstep, but not one on our part, and it's been handled." Thinking on it, she paused, and a small smile graced her features for a moment before she let it fade. 

"Things are actually going _really_ well at the moment, all things considered." She mused, and lifted her gaze to him when he asked about her herself and not just Astoria. 

"I'm not physically ill, nor have I been lately. Put your mind at ease in that regard."
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth listened intently to Anyanka as she talked. He was distracted when she smiled, because it was the first time she had since he had returned. He thought about what she had meant by saying "Things are well." Did she mean that things were better because he had returned, or that she had found someone else, and that Dayveth was no longer needed? Both questions ran through his mind as he returned her smile. "That's good to hear. I'm glad you're doing well." 

"I had several questions about your son, Mikhail. I was hoping that they would help me reverse whatever condition he has." Dayveth kept his time light, as he knew that Mikhail could be a sensitive topic, as well as that when he left, Dayveth was needed for an important attempt to help Mikhail.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

"I don't take your questions as insult, so you don't need to be so hesitant about asking them." She reminded him. "You don't sit before me, an inquisitor looking for a reason to take him away from us. Nor are you one of the several enemies I've seem to gather over the years who want to see him dead. He's a sensitive topic, but he's also," And she hated to admit it, but after seeing him last night- tipsy and with short dark hair that somehow suited him just as well as his long golden locks of his youth "Almost a man. I can't protect him forever, so if your investigation leads to some hard questions, please don't be afraid to ask. All I want at the end of the day is for him to be happy and healthy." She explained, and then straightened. 

"So, what questions do you have?"
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth allowed himself several seconds of lip-biting thought before asking his question. "Well, I've not exactly experienced or examined him, but from the small tidbits of information I hear, I'm not quite sure what problem he has that you wish me for me to help with. I'd like to know more about him, his health and otherwise." Dayveth didn't remember ever meeting Mikhail, though he felt he might have once. 

Dayveth couldn't help but also admire Anyanka in the room's flickering lighting. The robe complimented her, and it was a familiar piece of her wardrobe for Dayveth, or at least it used to be. Randomly, he wondered, if her alcohol was in the same place, as they had enjoyed peaceful nights sipping on it. Dayveth didn't feel that it was the right time to ask and reminded himself why he was there in the first place.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

Anyanka blinked, and realized that Dayveth and Mikhail _hadn't_ actually interacted much, if at all. She settled back into her seat, and gave a huff as her eyes hit the ceiling, trying to decide where to begin. 

"Well, as you know, he was risen from the dead. I had made an effort, less than a month after his passing, but I suppose the spell I'd used to do it wasn't the right one. He's told me since, that he remembers watching me preform it. But he was taken to the Witherlands. Nathaniel Vivayn stole him, and raised him using some unknown magic. He's not a magic user, at least from what I know of him." 

That definitely felt like something that would have come up at some point. Like when she was trying to escape his keep.

"So I can only assume he used a third party to do it. But I don't think it was done correctly? Or maybe it was intentionally botched. When I went to the Witherlands to retrieve him, he _seemed_ alright. A bit lethargic some days, and fully restored others. It was only after we left that he started getting worse." At this, she straightened, taking an active position in her storytelling as her hands moved in front of her, motioning as she spoke. 

"Which makes me worry that Nathaniel did this intentionally, that he'll only be whole in the Witherlands? As some tactic to assure I stay in the North and marry him." She admitted, the words coming in a rush. There were a million thoughts she'd never been able to address with anyone. "Or, Mikhail said when I preformed my spell, that it was actually a 'restoration' spell and not a 'resurrection', and it had pulled some magic from all the Durkhan ancestors. He said it's the reason I can see the dead now, and have the scars, what if _I_ stole some bit of Mikhail's soul in that ritual?" Her eyes lifted to him, and she paused. 

"What if he's not right because of me? "
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth listened to Anyanka speak. He enjoyed listening to her tell the tale of her son, and move her hands as she spoke, despite how troublesome the topic was. It reminded him of their older days. He didn't let this interfere with his purpose though, examining each part of the story she told. 

"If this ancestral magic truly drew from all of your ancestors, then their seems that there was literally no option for you to avoid it. It would've affected you dead or alive, but you can't do anything about having literally existed." Dayveth held her gaze with a warm smile, hoping she would catch the message that it wasn't her fault. "As for his condition about being in the north, I haven't heard of it before, but we can look into it. However, you said you can see the dead and have new scars?" His tone shifted from caring and supporting to slightly worried.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

She gave a small chuckle, and waved her hand in dismissal. "That's off topic, Dayveth. But Mikhail can see them too. I haven't... Seen any sigils or markings on him, but it's not exactly as if I've asked. I've seen the wound that killed him, and the scar it left, but I don't know if there are others."
Irene
Dayveth Coren 
Zahrada, Astoria 

Dayveth bit his lip for another few seconds before speaking. "Interesting. I've always assumed you have no other relatives, but do you? And I think I'll need to examine him, and possibly you if you're willing." Dayveth meant professionally, but he knew an inevitable snarky comment was on its way. 

Mikhail's case was truly a strange one, with few obvious leads and hints. Dayveth had experience with a good bit of magics, but not any that sounded like this. Not for the first time, Dayveth cursed the very thing that had been with him for his entire life. Magic was almost always a tricky thing, in his experience.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

"We don't. Mikhail and I are the last of the Durkhan bloodline." Not that she hadn't tried desperately to change that. At his omment about examining her, she scoffed, rolling her eyes upwards. 

"You'll be disappointed to find the sigils are on my arms, not my ass, Dayveth." She reminded him. "And as for Mikhail that's a question for you to ask him, I can't imagine he'd protest, but I'm not forcing him to feel like a monster any longer."
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth couldn't help but roll his eyes at her comment about the sigils. "I didn't expect them to be, Your Highness. I was being professional." He hadn't meant to, but Dayveth had allowed a teasing tone back into his voice with his "Your Highness." 

"Then I imagine I'll need to finally meet him." Dayveth felt awkward about at least not having a true conversation with Mikhail. He just didn't see him very often. "I assure you, one of my last intentions is to make him feel like a monster."
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

She pressed her lips together to try and repress the smile that tried to rise, and when she couldn't actually keep it down, she lowered her head, letting her hair fall forward a bit to hide her face. A moment passed with just the cracking of the fire, and she nodded finally, inhaling deeply. 

"I'll ask him to meet with you tomorrow, if he's not running around with his new friend who has introduced girls and alcohol and who knows what else into his life." She huffed, and with that and the relaxing of her shoulders, the tone in the room shifted from two people straining to be professionals to two people who were easing back into a friendship.
Irene
Dayveth Coren, 
Zahrada Astoria

Dayveth thought he saw the smallest sign of a smile on her face before she lowered her head. He suspected she was trying to hide one from him, but who knew? He couldn't help but smirk as she explained Milhail's new friend. Dayveth felt the tone shift within the room, and was glad for it. 

"Good luck with that. Girls and alcohol are what fuel most men's ambitions." Dayveth remembered when he was first introduced to the pair. Well, he tried to anyway. He didn't remember much of that night.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan
Zahrada, Astoria

She let out a breath, and let her gaze linger on him a moment. He looked just like she remembered, and after a long moment she finally asked.

"Why did you come back, Dayveth? You called yourself a traitor, why risk met hinking the same?"
Irene
Dayveth Coren
Zahrada, Astoria

Dayveth tensed slightly at her question. He wasn't ready for it, so it required a few more moments of lip-biting before he was ready to respond. "I believe I just told you." He certainly knew what fueled his ambitions. 

Dayveth leaned back, his face holding a patient expression. He wasn't sure whether they were about to fight or have another conversation, but he was going to avoid insulting her.
Joseph
Anyanka Durkhan 
Zahrada, Astoria

Her brow pressed together at his response, and she tilted her head to the side, her voice soft as she questioned him. "You _really_ came back because of me?" She prompted, and added. "What if I'd turned you away, or ordered your execution?"