2017-04-12: Whatever It Costs
- Log: Whatever It Costs
- Cast: Xantia, Kahm Yugh
- Where: City of Linga
- Date: April 12th, 2017
- Summary: After continued (failed) attempts to locate her, Kahm finally manages to zero in on Xantia, the other target from an operations run by the Black Hats. The encounter proves hazardous for his pocketbook.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
One who wishes to track Xantia's movements has their work cut out for them. She is a person of stark contradictions, clearly on display by how she manages to be simultaneously the easiest person to track down and the hardest person to track down.
The easiest, because there's a ton of people in the Lacour region who know her, in passing at least. Her 'bright hair, bright personality' combo tends to leave an impression, especially with her habit of introducing herself and having an uninvited chat with every stranger she meets. The top 5 adjectives used to describe her are 'cheerful', 'loud', 'weird', 'cute' and 'kind'. Closely followed by, strangely enough, 'hungry'.
The hardest, because she never seems to stay in one place for very long. There's no apparent rhyme or reason to her travels - it seems completely random, other than staying within a certain radius of the city of Adlehyde. Despite not living in the city, or apparently even staying the night there, she returns there often. Though many may have heard of Xantia, few know anything about her other than her name, appearance and general personality. Those that do know more details tend to only know the facts that she eats a lot, and that she's uncommonly good at performing tasks that require heavy lifting. Quite obviously a Drifter, if one who drifts a bit more haphazardly than most.
Perhaps the most interesting are the questions she's been asking lately. The questions themselves vary, but there's a common subject among them: Gears. She seems to be trying to learn as much about them as she can, and has more than once expressed the wish to see one in person. A fan, perhaps? Or could there be a deeper reason?
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Of the two atypical individuals identified in one Fargo Foobach's report on the Black Tie 'Operation' to knock over a local, Xantia had been easier to identify but harder to actually find. Indeed, the regulars at the Starfall Saloon provided Kahm with both a name and perfect matching description before he could even mention the strange bracer she was reported to wear. From there it had been a matter of collecting further information around Adlehyde and missing connections; the girl seemed to always be an hour or two away from wherever Kahm managed to be with such consistency that the Captain wasn't sure if she knew she was being followed or simply was that...well, random.
In any case, it turned what should have been a simple search into a backburner op that had run for weeks now, but Kahm Yugh was nothing if not tenaciously dedicated to every personal agenda he set for himself, diligently pursuing other tasks as they presented themselves while quietly waiting for an opportunity to follow up on this loose thread when it came.
Indeed, the undercover Gebler officer was in Linga for a wholly different reason, scouting out and gathering information regarding the nearby ruins in preparation for several expeditions he aimed to lead at choice sites of relics throughout the Adlehyde region. It was mere happenstance that he'd happened to overhear the owner of a local bistro talking about a girl who had nearly eaten him out home and hearth that very morning. A few pointed clarifying questions gave Kahm some insight as to where the mysterious girl might head next, and he went about putting himself in a position to be found.
The man currently sat at table outside a sidewalke cafe, fully ensconced in the guise of Marcus Rider, the alias he presented to surface dwellers while Solaris maintained a discrete presence in the region. A black, wide-brimmed hat sat ever more easily on his head along with a matching vest and set of boots that looked a little more worn than the day he'd bought them. A half-empty cup of coffee sat cooling by his hand as the other held a folded morning edition of the Lacour Times (The Headline: SEARCH FOR MISSING KING CONTINUES - CAPTORS AT LARGE in bolded letters), calm blue eyes lifting from the newsprint every so often to take a gauge of those passing by.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
The ones who described Xantia as 'loud' are the first to be proven correct, as she can be heard before actually being seen. "Sooo hungry," she whines, proving that descriptive adjective well-deserved as well. It's only then that she becomes visible as she rounds the corner, drawn by the good smells coming from the nearby cafe. Good call to position oneself near a common source of refreshments.
She's most definitely easy to pick out of a crowd, what with that fiery hair, the travelling cloak worn like a cape, and of course those accessories of hers. The thick choker is one thing, but even viewed at a distance it's clear that that bracer she wears, covering one side of almost the full length of her right arm, is out of place. It's not impossible for it to be merely decorative, but the odds are against it.
Xantia stops her approach some distance away from the cafe's entrance, fishing a handful of coins out of the left pocket of her shorts. It's not a fortune, as the girl herself is forced to conclude as well, letting out a sigh of dismay upon the inspection of her possessions before returning the gella whence it came. "I shouldn't..." It's hard enough to keep any money in her pocket as it is. "But... so hungry..."
Visibly torn, she seems unable to commit to either visiting the cafe or walking away. Though not an uncommon dillema, it never gets any easier to make these sorts of decisions.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Any sneaking doubt Kahm had of finally tracking down his target (And there wasn't a whole lot left after hearing here) was dispensed with when Xantia turned the corner. Even without the obvious ARM she was wearing...well, on her arm, every other noteworthy trait the girl has was a clear ringer for the one he'd been looking for ever since Kent Hauch's man had filed his report. Those blue eyes linger on Xantia's mysterious armament for a moment longer before they flitted back down to the events of the day. The report had said that was 'comparable' to Solarian technology, but had skimped on what it could actually do. The Captain maintained his position and listened; it would be best to play a soft hand here.
Thus, Xantia may stand there a few more moments in tortured indecision between the needs of her gullet and wallet before a calm, politely inviting voice cuts through her predicament with care of a threaded needle.
"Are you hungry, Miss?"
Should he looks in Kahm's direction, she'll find him with his paper down, gesturing to a seat at his table. "You're free to join me, if you like. I was just about to order." He said, remaining to mindful enough of her situation to add, "I know what it's like to have to decide between your next meal and, say, a room for the night. It'll be on me."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
The report definitely wasn't exaggerating. To the eye of those familiar with such, the 'bracer' certainly does bear quite a bit of resemblance to a Solarian ARM. At the very least, it's almost impossible for it to be some kind of excavated relic of the past. It looks far too... new. At best, it was made a few years ago. And Filgaia doesn't have the means to manufacture something like this. Doesn't leave too many possibilities.
As for Xantia... she can certainly manage waffling for a protracted amount of time. This really is torture for her, having to willfully make a decision that will mean 'no food unless you can come across it through some other way'. What she's not doing willfully is attract pity through the longing looks she casts in the direction of food sources. But charity ends up being given to her more often than not.
Today isn't any different, the redhead's attention immediately drawn to the nearby voice that echoes her thoughts. "I sure am! I haven't eaten since..." She pauses, not realizing she wasn't keeping track of time until it became relevant, as happens often. So she shrugs. "...dunno, a good while back!"
She doesn't think twice about accepting that offer from a complete stranger, like she's done many times before. "Really?! Thank you so much!" She seats herself in short order, all previously displayed concern dispelled and replaced with a bright smile. Even while she laments, "It's so hard to make enough money for food, I have no idea how other people do it!"
Spoilers: it's because most people only eat enough food for one person. Xantia is not most people.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
"No problem at all." Kahm dipped his head towards the young woman's elation with a surety that probably seemed fitting to his older age. As she came closer, the design of that ARM became more pronounced to the Captain's scrutinizing gaze. It indeed looked too modern to be a relic, of which even the most exemplary eschewed a certain design philosophy that would be at odds with what he saw before him. Was it their technology, or...?
He saves those thoughts for later as Xantia pulls up a seat, maintaining nothing but a congenial expression while thinking it couldn't have possibly been that long since the girl last had a meal, given what he had heard this morning. Maybe there was a connection.
"My name is Marcus Rider." He said, casually flagging a passing waiter to see them when they were done busking the table over, "I was just passing through town on a bit of business, I don't suppose you're from here? I might take some help with directions in exchange for the meal."
A waiter comes by soon enough to take orders from the menu. Kahm will take a fresh salad and soup with a glass of water, leaving Xantia to wherever her excesses lead her, likely to the regret of his expenditures account.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
On closer inspection, the ARM's design follows somewhat different conventions from anything that would be standard issue for Solarian military, but it does look like it would fit right in with them. A custom job, perhaps? All things considered, the opening at its far end likely isn't a muzzle. Xantia reportedly fought using martial arts, the logical extension of which would be some kind of arm blade.
The girl does have the build of a fighter, but she's done little else to suggest that she is one. Those used to combat usually have a particular way of carrying themselves, even under casual circumstances, but Xantia has been leaving openings left and right. Not even the slightest hint of being on guard. She really does seem only focused on the food, ready to trust Marcus before she even heard his name. To which she readily replies, "I'm Xantia! Which starts with an X, don't be fooled by the z-sound!" Because that never stops being important.
The question posed to her stops her cold however, causing her to lose her cheer and look pensive. Whether or not she's from here shouldn't have been a hard question, but apparently it is. In the end, she shrugs and smiles once more, giving an odd response as if it were perfectly normal: "Probably not!" She continues on, "I'm not sure if you want directions from me, anyway. I hardly ever know where I'm going!" She sounds... almost proud of that.
Eagerly flipping through the menu, Xantia may look like she's trying to pick something in particular. But when the waiter comes, it's pretty clear that she was just making a mental list of things, which she then rattles off in short order. It has a little bit of everything... three times. Three different soups, three different salads, three different full-blown meat dishes and one with fried fish... and a single glass of fruit juice. It would easily make up a complete dinner for several people. That's normal, right? Xantia thinks so. "This is gonna be sooo good! I can't wait!"
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Heavens help Kahm, because he might be starting to get used uncertain answers he got from people when he asked them questions these days. Xantia's (With an X, he mentally jots down) quasi-answer seemed just a shade too genuine for him to think she was trying to mislead him, inclining his head and intoning a deep 'hmmm' noise. "I'll take your word for it, then. Certainly don't need get more lost than I feel half the time." He said, gradually growing an understanding of why this young woman was so difficult to find.
He was sipping from his coffee as Xantia placed her order and....kept sipping as she continued to place it, the mug tilted in a perpetual limbo that would not end until the waiter finally got away from their table with a cramped writing a hand a fully beaded brow of sweat. The coffee came back down on the table slightly less-than-perfectly, the remaining brew sloshing semi-violently in the cup before it settled. That and a slight twitch of the finger where the only indication that Kahm thought anything of the ridiculous order the girl in front of him had just placed.
Sometimes seeing was believing. Perhaps -lambs- are not always given to exaggeration. Thought the Captain, quietly.
"Quite an appetite." He said at last, still politely, "You know, i'm starting to recall something....aren't you that girl that runs around Adlehyde here and there, helping people out with tasks big and small?"
Telling the target you knew about them already was a bit unorthodox, but Kahm had something of a plan here. "I operate there most of time myself." He explained, hands laying palms up on the table, "And more than often than not I hear talk about local drifters in the saloon. With your hair and that thing on your arm there I thought you seemed a little familiar, like someone i'd heard about."
As he mentioned the bracer, his gaze drifted to it again, taking casual note of the dimensions and seeming applications. "That is quite a thing. Can't say I've seen anything like it before. Did you find that in a ruin?" He asked with what seemed like normal curiosity, occasionally turning an eye the frantic kitchen staff behind the bar.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia grins at the acknowledgement of her words, then offers the perfectly normal encouragement, "Or, maybe you haven't gotten lost enough yet! Nobody ever made any grand discoveries by knowing exactly where they're going!" With mottos like that, no wonder she travels around so erratically.
Not appearing to have noticed anything was out of the ordinary in the reaction of either the waiter or 'Marcus', Xantia merely seems quite pleased about this whole situation. No guilt at all about ordering so much, either. It was offered freely, no restrictions were mentioned, everything about this is fine. 'Whatever you do, don't offer her any food' may have seemed overdramatic, but that warning came from a man who figured out the hard way that Xantia will take absolutely everything that's directly or indirectly offered to her.
"That's me!" she confirms happily, pleased that her reputation precedes her. Even though it's unfortunate, in a way... it also confirms that this isn't somebody who's seen her before. Well, sad as it is, she's starting to get used to it.
The story doesn't seem like anything out of the ordinary to the girl, who nods several times at what she's told. "I thought you were probably a Drifter too. I meet a lot of them! It's nice that people are starting to recognize me..." She trails off, not letting her smile fade, but some of the sadness slipping into her eyes. Would be nicer if people recognized her from before she started doing these things... but if word gets out that she's around here, maybe that will yet happen one day.
Not expecting a question about her bracer, Xantia blinks a few times, then raises the arm on which she wears it. "Oh, this? I don't know... I've always had it." This time, even she doesn't fail to realize that she's saying something that must seem strangely vague. So she decides to share the reason, speaking more softly and calmly than she has so far. "Well, probably not always... I just don't remember where I got it. I don't remember much of anything that happened longer than a few months ago."
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
"A drifter..." Kahm said, musing momentarily on the irony of that before continuing, "I suppose in a manner of speaking, I am. I represent the Smith & Luio Company, in Bledavik. We're a little more specific in what we do than the average drifter, but we take many clients." He'll go ahead an leave what they actually do up to Xantia's imagination, for now.
The mild shift in the girl's demeanor regarding his questions was curious, and further explanation leads Kahm to a few guesses why. No memories beyond a few months ago, and the ARM has been with her ever since. Amnesia?
The speculation is interesting enough that Kahm's questioning gets ahead of his rationale for once. "What's the first thing you remember, then?" He asks, then quickly adds, "Missing persons are something that we investigate from time to time. Families with the means are known to contact us when relatives or such go missing." Although he does not specifically say he can help, the door is certainly left open.
It's around this time that the waiter-several waiters, actually-return with their food. One plate is set down for Kahm and at least a dozen for Xantia, such that one might worry the table would go off-balance. Fortunately, the old girl seems read to hold.
"Thank you." Kahm offers the staff, dully running the calculations for the tip in his head.
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia only nods a bit at the extra bit of clarification she receives. It really doesn't make any difference to her. She knows what a drifter is. She has no idea what that company is, or indeed what most companies in the world are. She hasn't had much reason to look into that kind of thing, being mostly concerned with things that help her survive and things that might help her learn things about herself. Though she'll remember the name. She'll take whatever memories she can get.
Of course, when it becomes clear that she might have judged too soon, and this company may offer services that can help lead her to more answers, she immediately becomes interested. Interested to the point that she slams her hands on the table and leans forward with all due enthusiasm. "Really?! You do that? I didn't know there were companies that do things like that! Please let me know if anybody asks about me!" Leaning back, she adds awkwardly, "I mean, I don't have much money, but..." Then the enthusiasm returns with a balled fist. "I'll find a way to afford whatever it costs!"
The waiting staff begins to arrive then, leading to a pause as Xantia regards the approaching feast with starry eyes. All things considered, one would likely expect her to dig right in, but she manages to show some restraint, waiting patiently for the cafe staff to leave. After all, there's still an important question she has to answer. "Waking up in a bed," she finally replies. "That's the first thing I remember. I was in a Baskar village, they said they found me collapsed in the desert."
That's enough of a wait, though. There's eating to be done! And by the looks of it, it'll take her a while. Then again, given that she eats without bothering with cutlery, downing soups and salads in short order by bringing the entire bowl to her mouth, not nearly as long as you'd think. She only needs a brief pause to chew at times, where the salads are concerned. The occasional 'mmm' sounds are the only evidence that she's still managing to enjoy the taste, brief though it must be.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Desert. Baskar village. Bed. Kahm commits these facts to memory, all the while deliberating on how best to go about from here. "I'll certainly check and see if there have been any reports filed for someone matching your description over the past several months." He said, seemingly unperturbed by her enthusiastic outburst as he sipped from his new glass of water, "And I know money is an issue. Perhaps we can come to an arrangement of a sort.."
By then the waiting staff have left, and Xantia begins eating in volumes that...well..were certainly going to make it into Kahm's report. He knows better than try and continue while she eats, and focuses on his own meal while the young woman goes through plate after plate.
A SHORT TIME LATER
Kahm picked at the remains of his plate, eyes occasionally drifting across the table to Xantia's end. "As I was saying, being that we are both drifters, perhaps we can come to an arrangement of sorts." He said, crossing his hands carefully, "Would you be willing to do a job for me? It might be a little different than what you're used to, but I can pay you for your services in addition to providing any information I may learn about your past."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia wastes no time in polishing off meal after meal. It gets a little messy once she gets to the main courses, continuing to eat without the aid of cutlery. Most is eaten directly off the plate, using her hands if need be, without even bothering to take off the fingerless gloves. Given her situation, it's unclear whether she just doesn't know how to eat properly, or it's just that her priority is eating as quickly as possible. Either way, she's managing to eat for three in very close to the time people normally take to eat a single meal. One thing's for sure: it's definitely the right call to never get between her and a meal.
"Ahh, that was great!" Xantia superfluously informs Kahm once it's all said and done. "Thank you so much, I really needed that!" If she wasn't already willing to do just about anything for help in recovering her memories, food is also a great way to win her favor. Which adds up to her agreeing immediately, "Of course! Anything you need, I'll help!"
Only after already agreeing does she consider the 'different than what you're used to' part of the equation, causing her sheepishly admit, "I'm not sure if I can help if it's very different from what I usually do, though. I'm only really good at carrying or smashing things." After a short pause, she adds, as if it were an afterthought, "Oh, and hunting monsters, I guess. I can do that."
Given how her reputation includes tales about her easily moving boulders that three men couldn't budge, clearing a caved-in mine entrance with one swing of a giant hammer (which she doesn't seem to be carrying right now), the extermination of a pesky flock of monster birds in no time flat, and of course her actions regarding the individual who brought her to Kahm's attention in the first place... she might be selling herself short just a little. But then, to her, all of that is perfectly normal.
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
"You're welcome Miss Xantia, it was my pleasure." Kahm says when Xantia is all finished, quietly impressed at the volume of food the drifter managed to inhale without any sort of choking or swallowing difficulty. He taps his fingers when she lists off the kind of work she's qualified for, finding it roughly square with the talk he'd hear about Xantia in Adlehyde and elsewhere.
"Well, I do want you to find something, or someones." He said, clarifying midstream, "In that way, you could consider it something like hunting."
The Captain deliberating a moment, as if consider whether or not the task truly suited Xantia's displayed skills. In the end, he thought it would add a good variable to the resources he had already put in motion. "You see, there's been strange rumors lately of these....people. Men and women who seem like they're from somewhere else. They follow a Goddess named Althena, and have been posting rather large bounties for people-extremely large in fact. No one really seems to know exactly who they are, but we've been hearing more about them for the last few months." He said, brow raising just a hair, "In fact, that would seem to coincide with the amount of time that's passed since you were woke up in that Baskar village."
Kahm draws no particular connection there: he merely points out that the correlation exists. He leaned back in his chair as the waiter discretely laid the bill aside him-he did not particularly want to look at it. "In any case, i'd like you to find some of these people and talk to them. See if they tell you anything about themselves, their goddess, and what they're doing around here. Help them out if you think it'll make them be more open with you, they may well have some tasks you're more familiar with." Kahm said, leaning back forward with a quiet focus in his eyes, "I only ask that you come back and tell me whatever you've learned afterwards. Does that sound like something you can do?"
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Xantia can't help herself. When Kahm mentions he wants her to find something, she giggles. "I get lost more than I find things," she repeats an earlier claim, though she also has to admit, "I guess I might be good at stumbling onto things, though!" More often than not, she finds things by not looking for them. That's... something.
She patiently listens to the whole story afterwards, however. She looks like she might be mulling a few things over while Kahm speaks, but gives no indication of what she might be thinking of. There's no reaction at all to the possible implication that she might have come from elsewhere. She probably missed it completely. She's known for her strength, not for being particularly quick to figure things out.
So her reaction at the end of story might come as a bit of a surprise. "That shouldn't be too hard. I've heard some people talking about Althena before. I didn't really understand anything they were saying. I thought it was because I lost my memory... but if they're from somewhere else, maybe that's why I didn't understand much what they said." With a smile, she taps the side of her head. "But I remember everything! I'm not about to forget anything ever again! So you can count on me!"
Surprisingly helpful... but this is still Xantia. It's questionable whether she ever really knows what she's doing. Does she truly have the makings of a reliable informant?
<Pose Tracker> Kahm Yugh has posed.
Does she truly have the makings of a reliable informant?
No doubt this very question was turning itself over in Kahm's head as Xantia agreed to everything he asked with naivete that seemed almost childlike....not terribly inaccurate, given her lack of memories.
But if the Captain felt any guilt in his manipulations of such a good-natured girl, it didn't deter him from his goals. If nothing else, Xantia had more reason than the average person to remember everything exactly as she saw it. That could prove useful where others might gloss over facts and miss details.
"As long as you can recall it perfectly, then it doesn't really matter whether you understand it or not, no?" The man suggested, bill still untouched by his side, "Just do your best, and let the bartender at the Starfall Saloon know you're looking for me when you've found something. I contact him regularly." His face didn't smile the way hers did, but it always maintained that polite (if a touch neutral) appearance.
"Oh, and if you learn anything more about your past, feel free to let me know about that too. It may help me find something in our records." He says, not forgetting that the girl herself also represents a mystery he would like to unravel-discretely, for now.
With that, Kahm finally turns over the bill and reads with a stoic indifference that would no doubt have earned him praise back in Jugend. "Well then, i'm sure you must have plenty to do, no need for me to keep you any longer than I have." He nods at her, tipping his hat, "I'll settle things up here, so don't feel like you have to wait. Good luck with your travels, Miss Xantia."
<Pose Tracker> Xantia has posed.
Even to the matter of it not mattering whether she understands things as long as she remembers them, Xantia readily agrees, "I guess not!" Amnesia does have a way of making it seem like remembering is all that matters. The strong wish to remember is all that keeps driving her forward, at times. Having some more clear-cut goals to work towards, well, that could only be a good thing, right?
Her childlike nature shows again in how genuinely enthusiastic she gets upon the mention of the Starfall Saloon, just for being able to say, "Oh, I know where that is!" Such simple things have a way of feeling special, in her situation. "Okay, then if I hear anything that might be useful, I'll ask for Marcus Rider!" She says the full name in such a proud way, almost certainly she was thinking that a prime example of how reliable her memory is now.
She nods eagerly at the notion of sharing what she learns about her past. "Of course! Anything that may help!" She really will believe absolutely anything, won't she? Good excuses are just wasted on her, it's not even necessary.
Blissfully unaware of the bill's amount, she's free to continue smiling, hopping to her feet after this bit of business is concluded. "That's true, I always have something to do!" It's basically the same as admitting you have nothing in particular to do, but with her talent for stumbling onto things, she has little reason to believe things will stay that way for long. With a cheerful wave and a simple "Bye!", she's off, at a brisk enough pace to be almost a run.
...for about five seconds, after which she comes rushing back for a moment with an important addition: "Oh, and it's just Xantia. Miss Xantia doesn't sound right at all." Aaaand she's gone again. 'Exhausting' was also in the top 10 adjectives used to describe her, another one that probably makes sense now.