2017-06-27: Wind Friends
- Log: 2017-06-27 Wind Friends
- Cast: Cyre H. Lorentz, Rose
- Where: Adlehyde - Starfall Saloon
- Date: 2017-06-27
- Summary: Dezel makes a new friend.
=========================<* Adlehyde - Starfall Saloon *>========================= Located in the southwest quadrant of Adlehyde, the Starfall Saloon is situated next to the local Adventurer's Guild outpost and kitty-corner from an ARMs Meister; the mostly-happy not-at-all-coincidence has turned the Saloon into a popular gathering place for Drifters. Even in the wake of the battle of Adlehyde, the Saloon continues its steadfast tradition of serving some of Adlehyde's finest foods and beverages. The building has largely survived the wrath of the Demons' attack -- minus the shaved off shingles that have fallen prey to dragon fire, and a breached room up top that ate a cannonball to its balcony. The Saloon's proprietor and bartender is known as Honest Tom; this is a bit of an in-joke among the regulars, as the man rarely speaks more than a dozen words over the course of an evening. The cook is known to most as 'Aunt Hilda', the woman who, along with waitress Lunata Croze has concocted many delectable, mouth-watering specials and soups. The Starfall Saloon was widely known among Drifters for offering warm beds, cold beer and wonderful grub for a fair price... ...and now, it is serving as an additional hospital and clinic for the injured in the wake of the battle of Adlehyde. Most of the showfloor has been converted into a sick ward with plenty of gurneys and cots tending to the ill and injured -- and rooms are at limited availability with priority going to those who need intensive care. The sign reads: 'DOCTORS AND MEDICS WANTED', along with 'STILL OPEN FOR BUSINESS'. Certainly, they have a downsized menu mostly sticking to mass-produced, but still delicious nurturing foods. A cup of warm, comforting soup to recover from a disaster... won't you have some? BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MQRL7xws7w
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
THE STARFALL SALOON, home to the Adlehyde-famous SAUCERY GLOBE and the local watering hole for even MORE of the city's denizens with the loss of several other culinary establishments. Right now, though, it's the middle of the day, and the restaurant is actually relatively unpopulated, except for the usual regulars and bar-flies. One in particular is a distinctly becloaked man with a cup full of dark, vaguely spicy-smelling brew and a cowl pulled down from over his head. A pair of distinctly fluffy, triangular ears twitch this way and that, listening in on whatever conversations are going on around him.
He seems to be... Reading a book? A guide to the deserts of Aveh? Perhaps he's going to be doing some travelling!
Not now though.
Right now he's enjoying his SPICY HOT COCOA.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
In a matter of hours, Dezel'll have to catch the road. The Sparrowfeathers've already left Adlehyde and he doesn't trust Rose to stay out of trouble longer than a day. If he hopes to regroup with the caravans before they reach Lacour he'll have to walk at a brisk space.
He could use a drink before leaving, though.
The Wind Seraph enters the saloon - invisible to most of its patrons - quiet steps that make unnaturally little noise, like the wind doesn't carry the sound of his feet. His black hat, worn so low that it flattens his green and white hair in front of his eyes, gets tipped up ever briefly to feign a look around the saloon, before the Seraph sits down next to Cyre, not expecting the fuzzy-eared man to even be able to see him.
There's a brief, almost imperceptible breeze around him - it blows in the direction of Cyre's book, not even hard enough to turn a page.
"Don't know why anyone'd want to go to Aveh with the war there. Like desert weather isn't enough of a reason to avoid it," he says to himself, idly - and maybe, just maybe, to see if Cyre can hear him. If he can't, he might help himself to a drink.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
Seraphs are invisible to ninety-nine-point-nine percent of Filgaia's commonfolk. The remainder are either touched in the head and only SAY they can see angels, or have some kind of genuine magical talent that they're using on, for example, cheese-making, rather than going off on any AWESOME DRIFTER ADVENTURES.
Some would call that a waste. Those people have never tried Trillarius McGee's Magical Cheddar.
Cyre's ears flick attentively when SOMEBODY settles down in the chair next to him. It could maybe just be that they turned in response to something in the air, or maybe a distant conversation, but... "Can't exactly help but to go, stranger," Cyre says, instead, amber eyes glancing up from what looks like a relatively up-to-date map of the Avehan region. A little penciled-in dotted line demarkates what is probably a journey to some distant, desert city. "The wind's blowing me westward. Can't just sit lazing around all day, you know?"
Even if that sounds TOTALLY AWESOME. Get a nice sunbeam and a big cushion and--
Uh.
Hem.
"Besides, the desert's not so bad. You wear the right clothes and it's pretty tolerable, actually. The trick is to go baggy and loose. Keeps the sun off of you, and still lets the wind through."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
There are a lot of cons to being seen, for Dezel. Humans aren't the company he prefers, and there's freedom to going around unseen. Taking whatever food or drink you want, spooking people off, not having to explain yourself, napping in peace. Not getting betrayed.
None of them matter as Dezel realizes, in some streak of incomprehensible luck, that he stumbled on someone who lives like he does. A grin forms on his face, those pointed shark teeth making him look maybe a bit more hostile than he'd rather come across right now.
"Oh? So it's the wind calling you, huh. Don't know what you think you'll find there, but can't find it in my heart to tell you you shouldn't let the wind guide you. You gonna stop by Dazil on the way? Hear it's a nice little town, not caught in the war of that region yet."
He's not honest like this often.
"Name's Dezel. You mind ordering for two instead of one? They won't take my orders." He doesn't clarify what that means, but it probably won't take Cyre long to notice there's something off about his temporary companion.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
A shark-toothed grin!? A fellow breezy-hearted soul!? Cyre's lips spread into a similar smile. Beastmen have pointy teeth-- or at least, this one does. It's painfully obvious, but at the same time, not really as threatening as it aught to be. "Hah. Well, it can be pretty inconvnient, you know?" Cyre gestures vaguely into the air over his head. "Sometimes you're just starting to settle into a nice new place, and all of a sudden the wind's just like... 'Nope, you gotta go now.'"
He shrugs an exaggerated shrug. "Ah, what can you do? At least I get to see all kinds of things, and meet all sorts of people. Way more fun than sitting around in some podunk town in the middle of the wasteland, let me tell you."
"Uh, not that Adlehyde is that," he says to a nearby stink-eyed patron. "I mean where I'm from. Ahem."
Cough.
"I think that's the plan," he nods, then. "Head out towards Dazil and then from there figure out where to go. Plus there's a pretty neat machine-market over that way, so it makes for a good pit-stop before heading off again."
"The name's Cyre, by the way," Cyre says with another grin. It doesn't take him long to identify just what this man is. He's met his kind before, after all. "You don't mind spice, right? This stuff I'm drinking is pretty great."
It smells... Cinnamon-y. And chili-y.
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"This place isn't exactly a high luxury town either, 'specially after the fire from the sky invasion. Podunk town's not too far off the truth," Dezel says, still grinning, not especially fond of Adlehyde to begin with. Or high population centers, really. He's a Wind Seraph to the core - he'll settle with a handful of folks, but never a city full of them. Nomads're better, like the Sparrowfeathers. Like the ones before them.
"I know how it goes, yeah. Lucky enough I can make my own wind if I want, but there's always that breeze trying to guide you somewhere even then. Not a fan of the hub cities, more of a remote village person myself. S'the small towns that have the most interesting sights. The big ones, they just all build with the same template, the air gets still, uninviting." And if this were Lunar, he might even mention Malevolence. But refreshingly, that hasn't been as much of an issue on Filgaia.
"Spice's fine. S'your treat, so I ain't gonna argue about free food either way." Then he circles back around to Dazil, ponderous. "Machine-market? You mean those car things, Gears and all? Not a fan. They're kind of noisy. Interestin', maybe, but noisy."
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
"Hmmm, that really depends," Cyre makes a little circle in the air with a finger. "Most villages and towns are pretty sleepy places. Pretty, sure, if they're built in the right place, but a lot of them are surrounded by nothing but empty wasteland. Some of them are even more restrictive than the big cities can be, and likewise, some cities have the kind of workmanship to them to be beautiful even in harshest deserts."
A shrug. "I take it as it comes. Some places are good, some are bad, it just matters where you go and how you see things, right?"
Cyre flags down the bartender and puts in an order. Soon, there's a second steaming cup of delicious, spicy cocoa at the bar.
"Besides, I don't exactly get to pick where I end up going. Well, I do kind of. I sort of go to places that are vaguely around the direction I end up travelling, but where I stay is more about who's there and what's happening, you know? It gets boring when everything's all quiet for too long."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"Guess that's true. You won't be seeing the big, unique constructions in the backwater villages. Pros and cons 'ta every place." As the spicy cocoa arrives, Dezel wraps his gloved hands around it, lifting it up to his nose. To people around Cyre it may well look like the glass is floating, but surely they've gotten... somewhat used to that. Enough to not start screaming about ghosts. Unlike a certain merchant.
"Gets pretty bad when everything's all noisy though. Sometimes you just want to kick back and relax. When the wind stops blowing even 'fer just a day, you can stop and breathe. Don't want that ruined by some guy and his noisy equipment."
He takes a sip of the cocoa, between sentences. "Then sometimes you just get unlucky and it's rainin' Metal Demons."
In so many words, are they just agreeing past each other? There's not much to say between people who live by the wind. Sharing stories and sights, maybe, but that wasn't really Dezel's style.
"Me, 'm stuck going to Lacour. Got some people to keep an eye on. That tournament might be pretty interestin' to watch too. Not everyday something that big happens. Worth going against the wind for a couple days to see something like that."
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
"Hah, that's true. These things can pick up pretty much anything," Cyre lifts a finger to the twitching triangles poking out of his hair. "Loud noises are the worst. High-pitched ones are even more awful. And when there are enough people around, it's inevitable that SOMEONE is going to try and grab them. Like, there was this one blonde short-stack with an attitude. Just reached right into my hood like she owned 'em. Rude, right?"
Rude. Synonym: Edna.
"Hmm, well the Metal Demons are actually one of the reasons I'm travelling west," Cyre explains. "Aveh's desert is a great big place, but there might be a few ruins out there that I'd like to visit before things get too violent. Sure it's a warzone, but it's better than being torn up by literal demons from the sky."
There's a beat. Maybe they really are just talking past each other at this point. Small-talk is fine, though.
Cyre takes a sip of his cocoa.
"Lacour, huh?" He mutters, knitting his fingers over the bridge of his nose. "...Hm. Maybe. It depends. I'm going to be helping a few friends navigate the wilderness on our way westward, but they need to finish with their preparations first, and that seems like it might take a while, so... Maybe I'll head down that way for a little while, too."
Beat.
"People to keep an eye on, huh?" His ear flicks slightly. "You uh. Friends with that Shepherd?"
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"There's a lot more upsides to bein' invisible than downsides. Not dealin' with people trying to touch you is in the top five," Dezel says, not even turning his head to look at Cyre's ears. Actually, if there's one thing that's been consistent with the Seraph it's that he's not really moved his head much, except to drink. No looks, no stares. Then again he probably doesn't see more than his hair and hat given how he wears them.
"S'for the Metal Demons, I'd guess it doesn't matter where you go, if they're serious about things they'll hit anywhere they please. Might hit the warfront as a show of power. Don't mess with us, we can mess with all of ya at once. Wouldn't consider much of anywhere safe now." Pessimistic. Probably realistic, though.
Another beat. Dezel sips his drink.
"Tch, no. Friend's not the right word. Y'might say I'm interested in that power of his', but not in him. That attitude of his', it'll just get 'em killed one day. You can't change the world with a good mood and some hope. He's gonna have to bend to how the world really works or break under the pressure sooner or later. He's dragging the group I travel with into his messes, though, so I can't avoid it. Why?"
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
"Hahahaha, that's true. Being invisible would make it pretty easy to get out of uncomfortable situations too. And it probably means you can go basically wherever you want. Though I imagine it can make conversations a little awkward, and commerce. Can't exactly buy or sell much of anything when you're invisible, unless you get REAL creative."
Cyre takes another sip, draining the last of his drink. He orders another. The latest haul from Rujm can pay for that much.
"Yeah, it's like you say. They can go wherever they want, so I want to get there first. If they blow everything up, we might lose something important. So it's best to go there and liberate whatever might get caught in the crossfire, and then amscray." Beat. "Or, you know. Stay and fight. It all depends. The last time I listened and fought, though, I almost got cut in half, so maaaaybe not for a little while at least."
His second drink arrives, same as the first. Cyre cups his hands around it. "No reason in particular. You kind of... Hm. You remind me a little bit of this girl who was following him around. Not, like, in terms of looks or attitude or anything. You've both just got this peculiar feeling to you, like I'm catching a whiff of something, so I figured maybe you might be associated. Hmmmmn."
"He does kind of seem... A little on the strange side, doesn't he?" Cyre frowns into his cup. "Like he's in his own world sometimes. That's the vibe I got, anyway."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
"Yeah, basically. But since I don't seek out human contact a whole lot I don't really care that much. Must be hell for city Seraphim though," Dezel remarks, perhaps even rolling his eyes at the thought there are those Seraphim who still think living alongside humans can work out. "So, you're one of those Drifter-types then. S'not just the wind that guides you, it's the ruins and what might be in them. I can see why it'd allure to people. S'not my thing, but I get why it's other people's." Dezel was more rooted in the present than most Drifters, having ever so little interest in the past.
He drinks the last of his cocoa, setting the empty cup back down. The pause is longer than before as Cyre immediatly likens him to Rose. The Seraph clicks his tongue in annoyance, looking as surprised as he's annoyed that this was pieced together so quickly.
"S'who I travel with. Not that they can see me. Old family thing, not friendship. Kind of like... a debt to repay, y'might say." He glances down into his empty cup. Well, probably glances down? The head movement doesn't quite match. He's looking down for sure, thinking.
"And yeah, that's about right. He's some sort of idealist. The kind who thinks everyone can be saved and tries to shoulder the weight of the entire world. It's dangerous, gettin' involved with that. One day he'll get in over his head and drag all his friends with him." Very pessimistic.
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
It may be for the best that Dezel doesn't realize Cyre was actually comparing him to Edna.
She's kind of... Unique.
"Well, not exactly. I mean, sure, I like a good payday as much as the next guy. Can't exactly make it far out here without at least some cash or a lot of luck finding the right people. But I guess you could say my interest in those ruins is more uh. Spiritual? I'm what I guess you could call a priest, kind of, though it's really more of a thing I was born into than anything else." Another shrug. "Anyway. I'm pretty much one of the only Zoa Priests I've seen around these parts. There are a couple of others, but I haven't seen 'em in a while. So much as I'd like just letting things be, I'm pretty sure I'd get a hell of a lecture if I didn't go."
So it's more of a... Responsibility than anything else? Or more of an obligation, maybe.
"Sounds like you know a little about that kind of thing, yourself," he chuckles, calling over the barkeep again. Another drink for the invisible man! MORE CHOCOLATE. "I know how that is. Debts can be kind of a pain in the ass, especially when everyone knows it. People start expecting things, or thinking you're a certain way. And then you have to deal with all the stuff strung along with it. I guess that's another advantage of being invisible, huh?"
Beat. Cyre leans back atop his stool, popping a few of the bones in his back and shoulders. "Seems to me you might be right. But at the same time, whoever pulls their ass out of that fire would probably be in his good books forever, I'd wager."
<Pose Tracker> Rose has posed.
It is for the best, yes.
"Never been into religion," Dezel answers flatly. Which might be an odd thing for a Seraph to say all things considered. "I read ya though. Lots of reasons for Drifting, I suppose." As many as there's Drifters.
Another cup. He's not about to refuse. Dezel wasn't fond of humans, per se, but their food was a weak point. Much like every other Seraph in existence. There must surely be a reason why earthly foods taste so good to them? Ah well. Free spicy cocoa.
"Yeah. Besides, it's not that kind of debt. There's no payment attached. More of a moral obligation. Dead mentor sort of story, you know? Just without the dead mentor. S'a bit more complicated." And a bit more personal than Dezel cares to be for a first meeting, too.
"The thought'd crossed my mind," he answers about the last part. That's a plan he'd already put in motion, so to speak. It was the most obvious way to get on the Shepherd's good side. "Doesn't much change the direction he's headin'. He's a kid. He'll have to grow up sooner or later."
<Pose Tracker> Cyre H. Lorentz has posed.
"Neither am I," Cyre laughs. "Like I said, born into it. And the folks I met doing it helped out. I don't mind working for the guy I work for; The Wind and I seem to get on pretty well; but all the trappings and the hooplah, count me out."
"Yeah, I hear you. It's kind of the same way with me," Cyre gestures. "Lots of expectation, no real reward waiting at the end of it. That's just kind of how life goes sometimes, though. You get enough debt with someone, or you get them thinking you owe them, and it becomes a problem. I don't mind if it's like... Genuine I-Owe-You-For-Something obligation, or the My-Conscience-Would-Kill-Me kind. But someone expecting something for no good reason is another thing entirely."
"Well, anyway. Shepherd's probably going to have to grow up, yeah. But some people grow from an idealistic kid into an idealistic adult. Conviction and faith aren't always so easily ground down, you know? Some people have enough of either or both to flip the world the bird and do what they're going to do regardless. Dangerous, maybe," Cyre shrugs. "You could call it suicidal. I think it's pretty foolish to be that stubborn, but I can admire that kind of courage, too."