Stargazer

Look into the depths of the sky, past the obscuring light of the well of possibility and consider the cosmos. A stargazer is a celestial mathematician who is master of their craft. With study required for years, a Stargazer must etch to Binding a new and peer reviewed theory of the cosmos or astronomical finding.
  With the telescope out of Saburra and the libraries and information centres across Levis, discovery is the by word of the stargazer. The biggest achievement of the Stargazer of older Saburra was designing the mercurial material that lines the base of the Saburra telescope, allowing the lenses to catch the images of deep space and allow mathematicians to plot the sky using the magical laws of the universe.
  Modern Saburra lies host to Stargazer Kaelin, whose binding on the movements of Infernus in the night's sky and how their celestial dance matches their style of magic has given demon-orientated Levis diplomats such a helping in their drive to bring the seperated communities together towards understanding.
 

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Kaid Renn was on the land train to Saburra, countryside zooming below and around him as the near invisible walls of the train let him see the rushing forests and plains below, darting over the mountain pass and down the other side, steam billowing past the walls containing him as he rushes towards the desert and the next part of his path. He seeks an audience with the Stargazer of Saburra, in an effort to both progress his future and possibly pull his boss back to this realm. Again.
  Beside him sits the massive Satyr from Thalia's last visit to the far reaches of space; bought back by adventurers and now very firmly squeezing his hand to reassure his shot through nerves. Between them sits a small bag, containing some of Pan's tools and some of Kaid's clothes, a binding and beside the bag a massive set of reed-pipes, remade in the Levis way to Pan's exacting specifications, but fresh and almost alive between them, like the desire that simmered between them constantly.
  He had sent a message through the Br1n Network ahead of time and had been told he would be met at the station by one of the Stargazer's attentant-come-lovers. Certainly something to gossip about, but not that stunning given the prestige of the role. Still the journey had him nervous with how everything was on the line for the man.... again.
  Arriving at the station was a dervish of activity, people embarking and disembarking, goods being loaded and transported around as stationside trades were going on all around them and all this just outside the footprint of the raised city of Saburra that rose in sandblown and sun-hardened bark and massive vinular sails, casting shadow over all but the spire of the Network and the dome of the telescope - pushing out hope even as Kaid stared.
  A cascade of silks and enthusiasm interrupts his distraction, and a surprising loud but polite cough drives into his thoughts. "Mathematician Renn? Mister Pan? My master requires your presence and welcomes you to this city. I am Aeris and I am your guide."
  Both men are shocked, eyes dragging up the ethereal waif of a man, out in this scorching heat in an outfit made entirely of Sakur-pate and virtually invisible. Kaid feels his ears grow heated, and along his nose, looking away as Pan reaches for his hand and squeezes, his eyes seemingly locked on their guide. Their skin seems chemically bleached, the palest of green, with long flowing and beaded hair in an artificial blue. "My Guiding Star should be in the courtyard beneath the tower, if you would come with me." He offers a hand, one to each of them breaking Pan and Kaid apart as he forces them to walk with him between, humming slightly the entire time.
  Kaid is familiar with the tune, something played on Luna on some of the warmer nights, a song about blazing heat and blazing desires, and the Mathematician thinks in this case it might be in poor taste. Pan needs to talk half steps to slow down to stay with their guide, and Kaid takes quick peeks from time to time to see if he is ok. He's said that he's from a place with a free-er stance on exposure, but it has been enough time that Kaid suspects Pan might be going-native on this big beautiful realm. But the locals seem to be pointedly ignoring all that Aeris is, so this guide, this sprite of mischief must do this on the semi-regular.
  The sand that dusts every inch of Saburra stings at his feet, only the small amount of natural callus from walking the steps to the hill outside Natare to use his own star-watching device prevent the heat from scorching his soles right to blisters. Pan's hooves seem fine here, letting a soft click with each step they walk. They pass from the train retrieval area, through the market, staying on the lower levels as browned lower levels reach slowly upwards, to those massive vibrant green sails, and Kaid almost swears he can see the webbing of faint shining fungi that connect back to the solar cells that keep this entire city powered with magic and potential.
  Traders surround them, and Kaid is tempted to stop the three of them to trade some fallen meteorite shards for some dry fruit that has been pressed around thick nuts. At least that is what it looks like. Still, they continue on, Kaid's stomach rumbling as the need to snack rises. Some have said behind his back, that Kaid is made of decadency these days - an easy job that keeps him well in trades, a strong mate-to-be in Pan, with several of the male mages around the academy known for being into all Kaid's whirlwind of focus, and an endless need to snack and nibble and taste. If those critics could only see him now and marvel in his discomfort.
  Soon they pass through an arch of stark white plant matter, some sort of protective layer coating the plants as far as the eye can see and leaving Kaid's brain haunted. Occasionally bare shoots jutt up, too young to stifle, too thin to make use of and they explode in little puffs of green. They keep going, heading through the thicker open areas now, folk working under smaller, retractable sail, out in the open and on tables that have been lifted here. Shadow casts over most of the expanse here, as above the giant star-watching machine looms, grown and interwoven with hyper complicated circuit magic - a supermassive extension on the device he has at home.
  He's not even looking when he hears the voice, smooth as septum and just as rich. "Welcome to my city, boys." Kaid's gaze leaves the massive machine, dragging down to see the academic before them. Stargazer Kaelin stood, resting lightly on a cane that seemed to delicate to do its task. Long flowing sleeveless robes draped off a scrawny body, though he makes up for that in height - that seems to transfer into a sense of superiority. His colour of choice is midnight pink trimmings over deep purple (almost black) and hyper specific constellations seem woven into the fabric itself. His angular face seems to fix them with a smile as fake as his cane, even as his voice continues its languid caress of their ears.
  "I hear that a Mathematician is coming to my city, assistant to the great cosmic wanderer Thalia Moondance and of course I have to invite them to my abode. It is but a humble thing, for truely I live inside my telescope with only my many attendants to tend to my needs." The drama, its killing Kaid and not even slowly. Every word is overemphasised, and Kaid has to cough to stop himself saying more.
  Pan bows slowly, massive form casting even more shadows into the space as attendants scuttle from the corners of the courtyard, ready to both attend to Kaelin's every whim and also show off his status and prestige. Kaid reaches into the satchel he carries at his hip, pulling out the second copy of Kaelin's mighty work - the primary in Natare's Great Library in the academy. Pride and self importance cannot help but make their way to their host's face even as a twinkle enters his eye. "I see you have a fine taste for literature and the thoughts of the mind. And is that a SECOND copy? My my, I wonder how that came to being."
  "The binders of Natare now allow reprints, as long as sufficient trade is given. I had a theorem on heating septum to produce a kind of hard tack that I had acquired for such a worthy moment and I gave it freely so that your majesty might be seen by more. And now it is here, with you." Kaelin is not the only one who can speak in flowers and hollow vines, letting the vacancy carry the subtle messages Kaid wished to impart to Kaelin - you are important to me, you are important to the world - I am not a threat.
  Attendants pass the three of them drinks of bubbling mead made from some Amheriste liquor, tart and dancing over the tongue, as Aeris drapes himself over Kaelin, the former now in a corest of black, a shirt-collar connected to no shirt, and pantaloons that seem almost painted on for their tailoring. Kaid is reminded in that moment that he does need to update his tailor if he is travelling this much. Certainly those are his only thoughts. But back to stars.
  "I have come to request access to the archive. Your mapping of Infernus has led to my seeking out the lands named Parnathum, to do the same marvel that you have performed for the demons on the satyr and their like - so that I may retrieve my employer before I go mad with requests for her time." Kaid decides to stay with the formal, for while their first greeting was familiar, the status of master and trainee has slowly settled between them, even if the visual mood of the moment does not match such formality.
  "Would it not help to use Saburra's glorious telescope as well? A simple trade might help draw my curiosity into helping you as well in this scintillating endeavour." Kaid is tempted, the expertise would be a not insubstantial amount of help, but there would ever be the suspicion that Kaelin would steal the discovery for himself and rob Kaid of his victory to Stargazer of Natare.
  But silence! And is not Kaid assistant to the traveller first and his own academic second?
  Pan moves closer to Kaid, providing support silently as he also brings the message - 'look what I have'. Kaid feels floated by this display, a small smile etching his face - Kaelin cannot steal the enterprise for Kaelin cannot steal Pan. "I think, Stargazer Kaelin, that we have a deal."