Seeker x Yvonne - Chapter 6
First / Previous AO3
The heat in Ank’Harel was punishing, as usual. No matter the time of year, the sun always seemed to have its eye on the Rumedan Desert. The colorful tapestries overhead that connected the stone buildings making up the narrow alley provided welcome pockets of reprieve as Yvonne weaved her way through the crowds. She adjusted her rucksack on her shoulders for the umpteenth time, feeling the stone tablets shift inside. She’d tried to tell herself that her nerves were just the result of being in a bustling city again, but as the Temple of the Mentor appeared on the horizon, those internal arguments fell silent. It was just her today. The rest of her party had split off to run errands elsewhere in town, and in all likelihood, get into trouble. She would be facing Seeker alone this afternoon.
There should be no reason for her to feel this intimidated, Yvonne tried to reassure herself as her feet carried her forward. Seeker was kind and professional, and she was just socially capable enough to have a dignified conversation with him. It was all in her head – anticipation of the way her heart would certainly flutter upon first seeing his handsome face, and the remaining twinges of embarrassment from that midnight conversation last year. Logically, there was nothing to worry about. She would drop off the tablets, they would chat about the journey that led to finding them, and then her party would pry into how her meeting with the archivist had gone, just as they’d done after their lunch three months ago. Is that why they’d all conveniently found urgent tasks that needed completing as soon as she’d mentioned going to the library of the Cobalt Soul? So it would just be the two of them secluded in his office again? Yvonne pushed the thought from her mind as she climbed the front steps to the foyer.
Whether through the use of magic or simply through the power of good engineering, the air within the Temple was significantly cooler than that on the street. Yvonne wondered if the patrons reading at the tables throughout the ground floor had come here through intellectual curiosity, or simply because this building was likely among the coolest in the Guided District. She supposed she would likely find herself sheltering here as well if she was a local. The archivists at the reference desk smiled politely as she approached. “Hello,” she said quietly, “is Seeker in today?” She’d given him a rough estimate of when her party anticipated arriving in Ank’Harel, but they hadn’t decided on a specific day and time to meet. She hoped he was available. The idea of needing to summon her courage a second time did not appeal to her.
“Ah, Yvonne, yes?” a receptionist said as he checked a list on his desk. “He’s been expecting you. I’ll show you to his office.” The young man stood and led Yvonne up the main staircase. She could feel her pulse quickening, but she fought to control it. He was just a man. She could handle this. The pair turned down the hallway and soon stopped in front of one of the offices. Her guide knocked on the closed door.
“One moment!” came a muffled voice from inside, followed by the gentle scrape of a wooden chair against the stone floor.
The wooden door swung open to reveal the towering form of Seeker Barrowwood. Good heavens, he was just as handsome as ever. His usual shawl was missing, leaving him in his tunic with the sleeve rolled up to his elbows. The dark veins of rock snaked up his hands and arms before disappearing under the pale fabric. His long copper hair was tied up into a loose bun at the crown of his head, likely to keep the heat off the back of his neck. “Yvonne!” he said, his face lighting up with a beaming smile. “Please, come in! Thank you, Weng.” The receptionist nodded and turned to head back down the hallway as Seeker ushered her inside.
His office wasn’t quite as tidy as it had been the last time she was here, she noticed as he closed the door behind them. It was clear he had been busy. Several open books and loose papers, including the rubbings she had sent a few weeks ago with her letter, covered the large table in the middle of the room. His desk wasn’t in a much better state. “My apologies for the mess,” he said with a sheepish chuckle as he quickly swept the papers off of the large table in the centre of the room and dumped them on a pile on his desk to make some room. “I have been rather consumed with my research since your letter. How are you?”
“Well, thank you,” she said politely, taking off her rucksack and setting it on the table to open it. “I have the tablets you wanted.”
Seeker moved to stand at her side. “I cannot tell you how excited I have been to see these. Thank you again for thinking of me. I hope they were not too much trouble to transport.”
She’d nearly forgotten how tall he was. At nearly six-foot-four herself, it was rare that Yvonne felt small. She couldn’t imagine that it was a frequent occurrence for Seeker either, hovering somewhere around eight feet by her estimate. She had yet to see another Firbolg in Ank’Harel. “Not at all,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “They’re fairly sturdy, but I bundled them up so that they wouldn’t get too scratched up on the way here.” She carefully removed the five stone tablets from her bag, each wrapped up carefully in a thicker article of clothing that she wasn’t using on account of the heat, and laid them on the table side by side.
Seeker eyed them excitedly with childlike glee. “May I?” he asked, receiving a nod before beginning to unwrap one. He untangled the thick stone from the heavy sweater and gingerly set it back on the table to appraise it. “This… My goodness, it is beautiful.”
“I hope they can be of use to you,” Yvonne said. “We weren't quite sure what to make of them.” The look of wonder and awe on his face was captivating.
“They already have been, more than you know,” he said as he unveiled the rest. “The rubbings you sent were clear enough that I have already begun to do some research, hence the mess. They offer some insight into an ancient giant settlement that was lost quite some time ago, of the same civilization that developed the runic magic I use. We know of its existence thanks to a number of other texts, but its location has remained unclear… until now.”
Yvonne’s eyebrows shot up. She hadn’t expected them to be of much use beyond general intellectual curiosity. “Really? I had no idea.”
“I have already spoken with the research team,” he said, gently tracing his fingers along the tablets, “who have approved an expedition, contingent on the acquisition of these tablets and upon verifying their authenticity. I will need some time to confirm the inscriptions in the areas that were a bit smudged in the rubbings, but I should have enough funding for myself and, as luck would have it, a guide who can navigate the Kaal Mountains.”
His mischievous smile made her cheeks warm. Her? She could only manage to point at herself as a question, eyes wide.
Seeker chuckled. “Yes. I am asking you to come with me.” He hesitated slightly. “If your party does not object, that is. We would be away for about a month, perhaps six weeks, if my research is correct, and you would be compensated for your time. You are under no obligation, of course. I understand that you may already have commitments elsewhere, and the Cobalt Soul has no shortage of contacts that we could call upon as an alternative, but I would personally prefer to travel with a friend. I felt we made a good team on our expedition, and the board was impressed with you in my reports.”
Yvonne couldn't believe what she was hearing. He wanted her to travel with him again. Just the two of them. Because he trusted her expertise. Because they were friends. “Oh! I, um…” What could she even say? The thought of being at his side for so long almost made her blush. She doubted her party would mind if she accompanied him. They didn't have any imminent jobs planned. In fact, they would likely be quite happy for her. She’d never admitted just how fond she was of the man, trying to keep the relationships with her party largely professional, but it was clear they knew. “I would love to.”
“You will?” Seeker asked with a broad smile. She couldn't tell if it was excitement or relief. “Come, let us have a seat and discus the details of our journey. I want to hear all about how you found these, as well,” he said, moving to the curtained alcove in the corner of the room and waving her closer. “Coffee?”
