Drae took note of Naota's interest in the silver and gold tree, and almost took a wary step closer as the God of Light stepped closer to the gold and silver tree, ready to intervene if it was necessary. He had seen the effects and temptations of the Tree of Knowledge in the past, and it was interesting that the former God of Knowledge still held such sway. Naota however proved to have a stronger will than some others had and Drae was relieved when he stepped back. 

His question as they turned away from the tree made Drae smile. "No, not yet. But I expect that will change before too long," the Keeper chuckled as they continued to step through his ever growing collection, walking past the various items. He paused and raised an eyebrow at the shiny man walking with him as he was questioned about his findings and dealings in the Iria black market. 
"That's an interesting line of inquiry, Naota, and certainly not something I would have expected you to have any sort of interest. Might I ask why you ask? I have no shame about my business dealings, but I have a feeling that you are asking with something specific in mind. I've dealt in everything from spices and silks to contraband weapons, alchemical ingredients, and ancient relics. And I still do business in Iria on a regular basis while my Head Librarian Magnus keeps things running here," he explained. He snapped his fingers and immediately they were transported back into the Occulus. "Are you looking for something specifically?"

His eyes glinted as they walked and so too did his smile, with some hidden meaning he wouldn’t utter any time soon. As he listened to the other speak, he looked forward; eyes landing over the intriguing collection held here. Some things he recognized, others were like items from another world and his heart lightened to know how much Revaliir still held to offer. The face of immortality was sometimes more terrifying than that of death, and knowing that the world was finite while he was not, could leave a heavy feeling. Boredom was the most dangerous sickness one could fall ill too, and he’d make sure he wouldn’t be one of those. The closer he got to his first century, the more his anticipation towards that built. His children would appear older than him when that time came, and the realization horrified him.

None of which could be seen in his eyes as he comfortably answered him, “My time spent there is unfortunately not only from my recent years. I don’t speak much about what my life and profession was before my ascension. Though,” His eyes shifted, keeping them forward as he tried to find the right words to describe it, “I kept my reasons for being there as a means to a happier end.” Even now he knew he wouldn’t cower or hesitate to use his past connections should the need arise, “We’re stupid when we’re young.” The comment was abrupt, but honest. As they were taken back to The Occulus he looked over at him again, his eyes soft but face serious,

“The difference between light and darkness is a finger snap. Sometimes you have to spend time in the dark to truly understand the ground you normally tread.” His eyes lifted back up to the spheres, watching the lights as they lazily spun, “At this point in my life I just need to have the confidence in myself that my intention will overtake any power I might borrow.” Magick came from many places, and he knew Drae understand that better than most being what he was. And he’d have been lying if he were to tell him that he, the God of Light, had never once thought about how easy it would be to give in to less savory practices to meet a goal. For every holy weapon, instrument, power, he had, he had just as many unholy in his repertoire. Both needed to be understood, if nothing else so that he would know how to combat his opposite.

“If I were to tell you the very long list of things I’ve searched for, already found, and am still seeking…Well we’d both have plenty of time to fill the rest of our endless lives, wouldn’t we?” He smiled over at him, his voice shifting back to a lighter tone. It wasn’t often that he was so serious, “On the more gentle side though, currently I’ve been studying and looking for anything to prolong life and restore health. To citizens, the world as a whole: I find myself flickering all over these days. There are times that I feel as though it’s a second job to my godly duties.” Not that he was sorry about it. He never would have pictured himself as an environmentalist. Humanitarian yes, but in search of ways to help the planetary ecosystem as a whole? His twenty-year-old self would have laughed.

Drae chuckled as he flopped down into his armchair throne and summoned an equally plush chair for Naota to sit in, while a crystal decanter appeared on a small table between the two chairs, complete with glasses for the pair of gods. The decanter would pour a beverage specific to each deity, and in Drae's case from the crystal tumbled some of the finest wine from the Awakening Gardens before he offered it to Naota. 

"Please, help yourself," he said. "But what point to immortality is there if not for the pursuit of things that mortals might otherwise not be able to obtain?" he asked throwing his hands to the sides in a questioning gesture. He listened to Naota as he sipped his wine and almost scoffed at the shiny one's current goal. It was lofty, but noble. Drae had little tolerance for nobility, but he wasn't about to disrespect another God. 

"I do hope you've consulted Angela on such study. In the ways of healing and prolonging life, would not the MOTHER OF LIFE be the one to speak to of that, or better yet, leave that to her?" he asked Naota, his brow quirked while giving the God of Light a skeptic glare. "Not that I want to put upon my beautiful wife, but…. that is her thing, after all."

Then a thought occurred to him. "Unless you are specifically referring to the citizens of OUR beautiful continent. If that's the case, I wish you luck. The fact that WE are tolerated here in this land at all is a Celestial sent miracle, regardless of any… noble intentions," he said, his face suggesting he took a bit of dislike to the word. "Forgive me… nobility and chivalry are traits that I was never endowed with, nor have they served me anything but a sucker punch," he said, grinning enough so that it was clear his teeth were no longer all that humanoid. 

His lips parted when a chair was summoned for him, and he politely dipped his head and sat down. The cushions hugged around him, but not so much that he didn’t feel supported. It was very comfortable and welcomed against his muscles. When the decanter was offered to him, he took it gently and nodded another thanks to him before pouring some for himself. From its mouth flowed a dark and rich tea, one he often had in his childhood. The leaves were kept at his temple, usually for newcomers that needed an extra shot of warmth against the blistering cold that surrounded his home. He smiled, wondering what enchantment he had used to have such a thing, but he’d politely ask later. For now, he drank from his cup, enjoying the warmth between his palms as he listened.

A soft laugh escaped him, “Yes, in some ways I can agree…” That was to his question of immortality. He and the other deities had been blessed with this lifespan, but he’d decided to try and learn as much as he could with his newfound and infinite life. Revaliir was like them: constant, unending, what better way for him to spend his time than by learning it and trying to help it? Though he reminded himself not to talk at too much length with that for fear of sounding like an overenthusiastic environmentalist. There was something in the other man’s gaze when he had spoken of his efforts, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it and decided against analyzing it too far.

His lips parted with his next words though, and he couldn’t help but think he had said something he shouldn’t have. What could it be though? Despite himself he grinned with a brief and short laugh, slowly nodding as he mulled over his next words, “Leave such things to Angela? Of course not. She has the power to heal and give life as is her domain, but there are multiple reasons I would not just cast aside such efforts.” Oh no, here it came, he hoped he wouldn’t sound like a wide eyed and hopeful youth. His mouth took the more logical route rather than emotional and his eyes softened as he thought of The Mother,

“She has not put all of her energy and time into healing the world and restoring it which tells me it's one or more of several possibilities.” he held up a finger each as he listed, “ One: it's not as simple as her snapping her fingers. Two: if it were then she would have done so by now and for a particular reason she has not. Three: her efforts are needed in other places and she has not the time or desire at this moment to pour her energy into mending the world and its woes.” The fourth he kept to himself, and it had more to do with worry than anything. Healing an entire world by yourself…? It had to be unfathomably draining, and he’d never wish such a task solely on anyone, not even someone as strong as Angela who already did so much for everyone.

His eyes moved down to his mug, watching the grains swirl in the hot liquid before softly continuing, “All of those reasons aside though,” he paused for only a moment, “Just because someone has the ability to do something doesn't mean they should be the world's crutch. There are many mortals that are working to help the environment and keep it clean and safe. Many that are trying to figure out how to help.” His eyes lifted back up to the other’s, searching them briefly, “Should we tell these people to halt their efforts and no longer care about helping the world's ecosystems just because a deity holds life and could solve it herself? Of course not…” It wasn’t fair to anyone if you did that, especially Angela.

His lips upturned in a gentle smile, and so too did his eyes brighten in their emerald glow with pride, “Just as I'd no sooner tell a cleric or paladin to stop their pursuits simply because I am the end all to holy magick.” Quite the contrary, he heavily encouraged any and all that were curious in the ways of his domain to learn and train. Teaching was one of his favorite things to do, and he was so lucky to be able to do it every day that he was at his temple.

“For me, the question isn't if a deity can solve all of the world's problems alone, it's if they should. Because then what are we but slaves to Revaliir and its citizens…?” His eyes saddened ever so briefly and his voice quieted again, “It's a damaging road to walk down for both sides. Would you tell a scholar to pack up his books merely because you hold domain over knowledge? I'd like to think not and that you would encourage people to quench that thirst, just as I would always encourage someone's holy pursuits so long as they hurt none…just as I'm sure Angela would never try to stop someone from trying to better the health of the world if they held the ability.” He could imagine Angela standing with them, her eyes bright with pride and amusement and he felt his own softening again.

It was then that he realized he’d hunched against his knees; elbows propping him up as he held the mug between his hands. He sat up straighter, his voice returning to its usual volume though soft as always, “And either way, I would never task another individual with my own pursuits, and I've already thought many times of going to Angela for aid,” Which was of course true, “But I will only do so when I have findings to present to her so that any help she may give will be much easier and less time consuming for her.” Her hands were already so full as is, it was one of the main reasons he had hesitated in going to her for help as of yet.

“Being the deity of knowledge you are familiar with the scientific method…so surely you can understand this process.” Aside from that, he knew that his love for his wife was great, even if he had never met the man before today. Ah…it had happened, too much talking. He wasn’t used to talking at such length and instantly felt warmth rise into his cheeks. He cleared his throat and turned his eyes away before drinking down more of his tea: giving his mouth something to do other than talking.

A nervous smile edged at his lips as he tried to bring the mood back to the lightness it had held before such a heavy discussion, “If someone being noble and chivalrous bothers you then I'm afraid you and I are in for a very awkward reign because those are two words I hear others use to describe me on nearly a daily basis.” He laughed a little and returned his gaze to Drae before setting the now empty cup onto the table.

Drae leaned back and listened as Naota explained what it was that he had in mind and how he wanted to take upon the undertaking rather than ask it of Angela. Drae watched and listened in interest with raised eyebrows as he gave his reasoning as to why he would not put upon Angela for any of what he wished to accomplish. He made perfect sense, and it almost made him feel bad that he suggested he take the query to Angela to begin with. It was true, if she tried to fix the world in one fell swoop, it would drain her, possibly to the point that she fall from grace. He hadn't considered that. The shiny one also made an excellent point that just because they as gods could theoretically do something, it was more a matter of whether or not they should.

Drae chuckled as Naota posed the hypothetical question of telling paladins and clerics to stop their work just because he held a monopoly on the divine magics. "I can't argue with that. I would rather go bald and blind before I have to step up and do all the research I see the mages and alchemists of Iria doing on a regular basis. You are wiser than I might have given you credit for," the Keeper admitted and raised his glass to Naota. "It was foolish to imply that it was an endeavor that you should not pursue. I meant it more as a caution, but it seems you have already taken my wife's motivations and feelings into account on the subject. I commend you for it."

The nervous smile on Naota's lips as he tried to bring a touch of levity back to the conversation made Drae chuckle. He waved his hand to dismiss the comment about their opposing views of nobility and chivalry. "Meh, Kid, I have nothing against you chivalrous types. If anything I have to give you credit for it, the world would be a lot better if there were more of you about. It just has never done me any good. And I joke not, it has literally come back and bitten me before," Drae chuckled as he revealed a fading silvered scar on his right leg. "I don't think it daunts my opinion of you, just be aware that I might mock you for it later on if it turns back on you."

His eyes softened, taking the compliment even if it hadn’t been meant that way: a deity of knowledge calling you wise was always something to have pride in. Though of all the sins, pride certainly wasn’t his own. He nodded slowly, eyes flicking down to Drae’s leg with a silent wince. It was clean and healed, but still he imagined getting such a wound wasn’t fun on the day whatever it was tore through his flesh. Scars intrigued him, reminded him that at one point all of them had been mortal and easily extinguishable. Many of the crescent bites of vampire and their kin had faded from Naota’s skin, especially with the spread of holy markings: that much celestial energy drained away their undead touch. At this point he wondered if simply touching a vampire would be enough to destroy them.

In a sickening way it disappointed him that the challenge was next to nothing in comparison. Not that he enjoyed hurting people, but finding a difficult task was seldom these days. Part of him wondered if that was another factor playing into why he did so much out of his comfort zone and domain to help. Yes, he wanted to aid Revaliir, but aside from it stretching his own horizons, it wasn’t easy for him: that in itself was relieving.

Even so, the light came back to his otherwise dulled eyes; a common occurrence when he was getting lost in thought, “Tell me, how exactly did you get that…?” He nodded towards the scar Drae had shown him on his leg, “Nearly all of my scars have healed now, leaving no story of combat left on my flesh, so forgive me if it comes off as a bold question…” He was hoping it wasn’t since he had been comfortable enough to show him in the first place, coupled with a laugh at that. “I never asked…Before you ascended, what did you do?” His own life had been turned upside down with his ascension, and while he knew that some deities kept large pieces of their past lives, he hadn’t had that pleasantry or sense of stability during his transition.

As long as he had known Angela, practically from his childhood in comparison to his age now, it still shocked him that he knew next to nothing about her husband. How had it taken nearly six decades for the two of them to even sit down in conversation? Then again, while he had known Angela as both mortal and immortal, Angela had always been The Mother in his whole life: there were many things about her even that he didn’t know. Well, all of them had ‘til the end of eternity now.

Drae tucked his pant leg back into his boot and rubbed the scarred limb as he considered how to answer the question posed about it. He sighed heavily. 
"I was in the swamps of Koschei. It was after I met Angela and had become one or her more regular consorts. Mind you, back then she had a harem to fill the needs of a husband so to speak. I wanted to get her a gift that might enhance her powers in Parvpora, so I was searching out the remains of Verya to retrieve one of its petrified twigs for her. I ran into a young woman and her dragon there. She had gotten quite lost, and as we went her dragon was forced to take to the sky because there was not room enough for it to follow through the swamps. While there, we ran afoul of a freshly afflicted lycanthrope of the bear variety," he explained. "Now, normally werebears are much more controlled and very rarely attack as this one did, however, because the curse was so fresh, it had no control, and rushed us. The idea was to get into a higher spot so I could barrage it with spells to drive it off. Unfortunately, my companion was having trouble climbing the trees. So, in a rare moment of chivalry, I put her safety ahead of my own and helped her higher into the tree. I almost made it out myself, but the werebear got a good grip on my leg and tore it up really well before I drove it off with an energy blast," he regaled. 

"We were too far away to get any real help from a healer or cleric, so by the time I was able to get back to the Awakening Gardens, the curse had sunk into my blood," he said. "Angela could have healed me, but I decided to keep the affliction, as a reminder," he said as he brushed dust from his boot. He grinned slyly at Naota as his occupation in Iria was questioned. 

"I was and still am for the most part, a black market fence and merchant. I don't suppose you've heard of one Duke Greer by chance? He would have died a couple decades ago now?"

((OOC Duke Greer is just an npc I made up for Drae's background. There is some info on him in my profile)

All of it moved in silent flashes in his head as he imagined the scene of a younger Drae in such a situation. The more he learned about the other deities, the more he realized all of them had less than pleasant pasts. Though Drae seemingly had found a way to keep his own as bittersweet. Seemingly. Now he tried to picture the man before him as a looming bear and he was very glad that he hadn’t seen him pushed to that side. In truth the only form of lycanthropy he’d seen were the usual lupine variety, so while he was fascinated to know someone afflicted by another form of it…it wasn’t something he’d want to see up close and personal any time soon.

From his not so pleasant past he’d found his own way, and commended him for his choice to not be healed by Angela when it would have been so easy to be rid of that part of his life. Unlike Drae, he preferred to keep his past where it was without too many reminders and seldom few even knew about it save for Angela. Then again, Angela seemed to know each of the conclave intimately as every Mother should. Still, the darkest part of his own past was still living and breathing somewhere, and he was comforted only by the fact that he could pinpoint him at any given moment.

He could take a lesson from Drae in this, but be it stubbornness, fear, weakness, denial, or a combination of all of that, he wasn’t able to. He’d made many strides since his ascension, but in truth he felt as if the weight had been lifted from his shoulders by The Voice and Great World Tree. Maybe it was their way of telling him he wasn’t strong enough to do so on his own…? He didn’t like going down that particular path and freed it from his thoughts with his next exhale. Doubt wasn’t a feeling he encouraged in his pupils, not to a damaging level, and one had to practice what they preached.

“You’ve done something most others can’t, I commend you for it…” His eyes flicked down to his leg, the wound now hidden by his pants leg once more, and then looked back to his face. And even though he didn’t fully agree with it, from this story he could see why he had spoken of chivalry and nobility so bitterly previously. At least he could take his curse and wound in stride, though he hoped it wasn’t a reminder for the wrong reasons.

“I can’t say with certainty if I would have done the same thing. Save the other in place of myself? Most definitely. But keep the disease when I could have been healed?” He shook his head gently, with light uncertainty. Most likely he wouldn’t have. Either way he would have accepted his fate. But he’d lived long enough with a curse, and wouldn’t have wanted to be afflicted by another if he could have been rid of it.

It was very brief, but there was a gentle flicker of envy to learn that he’d been able to keep his previous profession. That bitterness was in no way directed at Drae though, and it was gone as soon as it came. The question of a name broke him from it even more and his eyebrows furrowed gently as he repeated the name, “Duke Greer?” His eyes grew distant for a moment, thinking back, but he couldn’t put a face to the name. He might have heard it in his younger years when he was able to spend more time at home before his ascension, but that was all. “Perhaps in name only, but even then I’d be grasping.” His lips parted as his eyebrows rose, “…should I know who he is? Was he someone important?”

"I wouldn't be surprised if you knew him by name at the very least. He was a powerful Irian man who held most of the black market trade in his grasp up until  put him in his grave about twenty years ago," Drae explained to Naota. He looked ahead and rubbed his chin, debating whether or not he wanted to actually divulge the whole story. 
"After I left Sidhiel, I ended up in Iria running small cons to pay for food. Greer found me and saw that I had a natural talent for talking to people, so he hired me and started teaching me the ways of the Irian black market trade business. I was REALLY good at my job, and after just a couple short years Greer made me his full parnter. Being his partner meant keeping business running while he traveled to Kometeia, Kurayo, Koschei and Abed for various business affairs, and I handled his estate. He left Eva, his wife, behind on these ventures, so we became close," he explained. He scratched the side of his face. "You can probably imagine what transpired after that. Long story short, the one thing Greer could never have was a child, and always blamed Eva for that, so he was always stepping out on her. Turns out… Eva wasn't the problem… and Greer found that the child, well…. wasn't his," he said harshly. The Keeper rubbed his face vigorously. 
"Eva and the baby didn't survive…Cyprus Rose siphoned their life force and put it into me so that she could use it to manipulate me in the future, otherwise I would be with them in the Soul Stream right now," he said, his face showing a touch of sadness and regret but it passed quickly. 
"Greer's manor is currently a charred and overgrown skeleton of what it once was, and his soul burns in one of the levels of Circulorum Inferni for eternity, and I took over the Irian black market," he said concisely. 

He pulled his legs up into the chair, his boots removing themselves as he did so in order to keep them from getting on the seat. He recognized well the look in Drae’s eyes. There had been so many that had come to Naota wanting to talk, or having a story of their own to tell, and that same look was there in the other man’s gaze. So, he wanted to be comfortable. He had become accustomed to this, for one reason or another people were able to tell him things with great ease. And so, he poured himself another steaming cup of tea and leaned back in his seat, drinking it quietly as he listened.

Very rarely was there a story he heard from someone that was a happy one, and his eyes saddened as he listened. This Duke was dead and gone now, but that didn’t always heal all wounds. He knew well how happy Angela and Drae were, how he had pushed on through all of the hardships of his life; the man was sitting right here in front of him obviously safe and sound and yet…And yet, with each harsh pass of his fingers across his cheek, he wanted to touch him. Offer some form of comfort, but knew better than to bring physical attention to someone you had only just started to get to know. There were some that fell into him, to their knees, needing the embrace or gentle touch of someone, anyone, this was not one of those situations.

Cyprus, so many lives, so many futures tainted. He was not the first to mention her by name, and he knew this wouldn’t be the last time it was uttered. She was hardly the villain in this tale, to him at least. She was a symptom of transpired misery, but not the cause of it. There were many years, decades, millennia to get to know Drae, but he knew that personally he would never fully get over the murder of his lover and unborn child. He wondered briefly how much of Drae’s heart was taken by that loss.

His gaze was constant, but so still, to the point one might think he were a tapestry of himself as he allowed the silence to linger for a moment; for his thoughts to mull. Finally, he drank down the last of what was in his cup and had it float back to the table between them to rest there, and asked only one question, “Did his death help?”