Kassandr placed two wooden goblets down on the table, both carved from an attractive olive wood with a rich, deep grain that spiraled throughout the goblet's bowl. “It's a good thing you aren't particular,” Kas remarked softly, bringing out a pitcher filled with a deep, crimson-colored liquid. “The wine I have is the best I can afford on little coin, but it is still nothing to brag about. Around here, though, the wine is safer than the water. You'd be a fool to drink anything else.” The rich alcohol swirled inside of the goblets and the pitcher was set aside in case his guest desired more. Kassandr provided Sivan with a crust of bread, soon followed by a hard block of a cheese and a bit of dried, salted meat. Foods that were easy to store and didn't rot so easily. Fresh meat and vegetables were luxuries Kassandr only spoiled himself with every so often, preferring to save his coin to spend toward his collection of magical tomes.<br/><br/>His chair thumped against the ground as he tugged it, situating himself across the table from the obviously nervous Sivan. Kassandr's fingers wrapped around the crudely carved goblet and lifted it to his lips, where he took a long sip of wine. His bright, crystal blue eyes took in Sivan carefully, now dressed in his clothes that seemed to fit Sivan even better than they fit Kassandr's own body. The young Empath looked healthy, with a broad chest and well-muscled arms that tested the strength of the tunic's fabric, stretching it out ever so slightly. Kassandr couldn't have guessed that the young man's fit body was most likely due to long stretches of emaciation paired with never-ending fighting and traveling. The world Sivan had come from was so drastically different from his own, certainly, but decoding the inspiration behind sending the red-haired male to this time period was something Kassandr did not believe he had the power to do on his own. He watched as Sivan downed his first glass of wine. Whether rattled from his journey through the portal or simply adjusting to the strange situation, Kassandr did not know, but generously filled the man's goblet once more without hesitation.<br/><br/>Disappointment crept across the edges of Kassandr's curious visage as his ears tuned into the sound of Sivan's voice. Sivan's lack of information about the portals was discouraging; it seemed as though a group of distraught sorcerers had thrown Sivan into the portal sans any useful knowledge. Kassandr could only surmise that the sorcerers, whomever they were, had been short on time. Why else would they toss an obviously unprepared Empath through a mysterious portal to do... something? It all seemed too bizarre and too chaotic to him, but he sat and listened despite this, sipping his wine.<br/><br/>“I am sorry to hear this,” Kassandr replied softly, lowering his goblet and shaking his head in mild confusion. “Your Ederas must be an awful place for such powerful beings to sacrifice their lives in what could have been a futile attempt.” Restless fingers stroked the golden stubble lining Kassandr's sharp jawline, simply something to do while thoughts and questions sprouted from the rich dirt of Kas' mind like saplings. His lips parted to query further about the state of Sivan's Ederas but was quickly interrupted by the Empath's warning:<i>Whatever curiosities you hold about these portals, I suggest you forget them.</i><br/><br/>Kassandr's dark blonde brow furrowed at the recommendation, distracting him from his train of thought. “Please don't misunderstand me,” he began, lowering his gaze to follow the hypnotic grain in the wood of the table between them. “While I respect the effort and sacrifice it must have taken to send you here, I simply cannot abandon years of magical study on the word of a mysterious stranger.” Kassandr lifted a hand, waving it in a wide arc at the piles of books surrounding them. “I have read every book in this shack from cover to cover in an effort to bolster my skills and understanding of these arcane arts. I am seduced by magics both difficult to comprehend and nigh impossible to master. I have no desire to be some magician on the streets doing parlor tricks for spare change. I strive to be greater than that, and these portals are just a small piece of the puzzle.”<br/><br/>A gentle, sad smile took hold of Kassandr's face, and a haunted look shone in his eyes as he directed them back to Sivan. “It is apparent I'm nowhere near skilled enough to manipulate these portals on my own, so you can rest easy in knowing you won't be returning back through one anytime soon. Whatever your quest is, dear Sivan, it has brought you to me. I do not know if that was intentional on the part of your sorcerer friends, but if there is any way I can help you, I will. I imagine it is disorienting being here, in this foreign Ederas that is so different from your own.”<br/><br/>Kassandr licked his lips, remembering now the questions Sivan's vague explanation had planted into his mind. “You've had a difficult journey,” he said, more so a reminder to himself than to Sivan. His curiosity was gnawing at him like a dog on a thick, stiff bone, but he had no desire to wear his guest out with an endless string of probing questions. He decided he would ask once, and if Sivan did not desire to speak more, he would respect the Empath's wishes and return to such difficult conversations at a later time. The sorcerer cleared his throat, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table. “And yet, despite your hardships, I confess I yearn to know more about where you've come from. Please, Sivan, what terrified the sorcerers so that they would risk sending you back here? What horrors loom on the horizon for Ederas? This is my home as well, as impoverished as it is, but if there is something I must be wary of, I crave to know.”