aterat | Pulse 003

Entry tags:

Pulse 003

Who; Everyone
What; Monthly Pulse!
Where; Throughout the City and Beyond!
When; Throughout September
Warnings; None as of yet, will warn if this changes.

As Summer Fades

The winds from the sea and from the north are chilly as the month changes and life in the city seems to fade back into a sense of normalcy from the celebration last month. The sun is setting earlier in the day and rising later, signs that the summer months are coming to an end and autumn is approaching. Milder temperatures aren't the only suggestions that things are changing in the city. Beginning with the new month and growing in intensity as the month progresses, those sensitive to magic, psychic imprints, or the dead will have a growing sense of foreboding. If observed, the barrier encircling the cemetery, once a nearly imperceptible sheen in the fading light of dusk, wavers like heat off hot stone, and if observed for long enough, it happens in a pattern, as though the wavers have a rhythm. Will the barrier keeping the undead at bay in the cemetery hold?

A Pulse of Business Opportunities

With proof the new arrivals from other worlds are here to stay, several places around town have opened their doors, and their employment opportunities, to all the newcomers. The Guard are hiring patrolmen to help keep the city streets safe. Patrols will be regular and will include keeping the peace in nearly ever quarter of the city. Craftsmen are needed at the Carpentry as rebuilding amps up. A huntsman's lodge has even appeared at the edge of the southern forest, with a working tavern and a room full of gossip.

Another notable addition is the Notice Board that has appeared outside the Market District Pub. It seems to be a place where anyone, natives and foreign arrivals alike, can use this as a place to solicit aid in whatever endeavor they may have at the time. There's a bounty there from the Guard, and also advertisements for local businesses as well as a few choice criticisms on various things in the city, posted by "concerned citizens" (you're free to use your imagination for this graffiti).

Aside from the above mentions, the City and its Environs offers a lot of fodder for exploration and play, and all players are welcome to devise their own encounters and locations as well. In fact, if you want to make them official, you can always submit them to the Content Submission!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yuna continued to walk between the Cemetery, the door located down in the sewers and the Gullwing Office over the course of the month. She hadn't heard about this key and she hadn't been able to contact Athony. [yet]

It was only a matter of time now. She felt it in her bones, her powers calling to be used. The sensation reverberated through her and with them the subtle feelings of the trapped souls began to ache within her chest. It had been diminished at first but with each passing day she felt the shield fail and the feeling grow.

They were ready... as ready as they were going to be but that didn't mean that Yuna could relax. She had to keep an eye on the cemetery.

She could be found in any place between the Cemetery, the sewers and the Gullwing's office. Yuna always looked worried. No matter how much time passes, she's never been good at hiding how she's feeling.

Edited 2020-09-09 17:14 (UTC)

Ignis wasn't sleeping well as of late but that didn't stop him. He grabbed a cup of coffee at the local tavern as he did just about every morning before heading out for the day. The weather was noticeably cooler which he was thankful for even if he worried about the boys back home and wondered if they were okay.

Today though as he walked his usual path, he caught sight of Yuna as she walked along and she wasn't that far ahead of him. She seemed troubled and when she stopped, Ignis went to catch up to her.

Taking one look at the lady as he caught up had him wonder so the advisor wasn't about to inquire about what was wrong. But of course one look at her face had him concerned. "Is everything alright?"

Because focusing on others was Ignis' go to.

"Huh?" Yuna turned towards Ignis; only noticing him once he'd spoken. "Oh. I don't know. Not alright but not... not alright either. It's complicated. And I am worried." She wondered if anyone else could feel the unbalance. There had to be others here with the powers of a Summoner.

But, maybe there wasn't.

"I can hear the spirits in the cemetery." She could feel them pressing against the barrier. "They want to be freed and the shield around the cemetery... I think it's getting weaker but I'm not sure."

A lot of this world was new to her and she didn't know if it followed the same rules that she was used too.

Concerned green eyes looked at the woman, but then Yuna's answer sounded troubling and hearing she was worried didn't help matters either. This of course compounded as the summoner went on and mentioned spirits in the cemetery. "Spirits of the deceased wish to be freed here?" And that question had him thinking. Were they going to end up as things like daemons or would they become something else entirely?

Then she mentioned a shield. "What sort of shield is it?" The more she went on, the more questions seemed to come to his head. And then she said it was getting weaker. He'd sensed something amiss but wasn't able to ascertain as to what it had been and had dismissed it.

"Then how best can we help those that need our aid?" Wasn't that part of the whole thing? Live and help and they could go home?

"Yes but they aren't free." She shook her head. "Even if the shield were to fall, they are being controlled by a powerful creature called a Lich. If we are to free them, then the Lich needs to be destroyed." It wasn't the spirits who were trying to find a way out of their cage but the undead woman who controlled them.

"It's magical. I don't think there is a way to break it. One of the Aspects put it in place to contain the Lich but I think he was just buying time." The Lich was growing stronger.

"I don't know. We need to fight this thing but I don't know what that means for us."

This got worse the more Yuna went on. Regardless he wasn't about to let her think she had to go this alone. Unleashing undead spirits might bother the general populace but he withheld that thought as she then spoke of the lich.

The report of the Aspects had him concerned. "I do wonder if there's any chance they could be communicated with." Back home only LunaFreya and Noctis (after she'd made her covenant with them) could talk to or be listened to by their deities.

Ignis nodded to Yuna. "We should devise a plan to vanquish this lich then. And we would need to secure the people here." The advisor had purposefully said 'we' so that she would know she could count on him.

Yuna inclined her head in a gentle nod. "I can usually communicate with spirits but its rare that they know themselves well enough to respond. I don't know for these spirits." The shield made it difficult for her to feel their presence.

"I have been forming a plan." She looked up at Ignis and smiled. "We just need people to help keep the city safe. I won't let anyone else get hurt."

Yuna's ability was certainly intriguing and Ignis thought it was a useful thing, especially if somehow she could get the dead here to talk to her. But it would be dangerous, especially with so many of them and a ringleader controlling them to boot.

There was a small nod at the part about keeping the city safe but he was concerned about her safety. Taking on a lich singlehandedly wasn't the best idea if she didn't have back up. "The townspeople will be safe, I will ensure that." This part was easy enough because he'd had to do that before Leviathan would be summoned. The problem was, what happened to the Oracle after that. "Have you enough protection to tackle the lich?"

She wasn't going to her death because Ignis had seen that already back home.

She looked up at Ignis with a small warm smile. "Will you?" Her smile widened. "Thank you Ignis. I would feel better knowing that you were there to help the city remain safe. I was thinking of taking a small group to fight the center of this mess but if we fail... we'll need another defense."

She already knew that the shield protecting the city was failing.

"I should but I won't be going alone. I'm hoping three of us. If those I have in mind say yes. This isn't the first time I've fought this kind of create." She somewhat knew what she was doing.

All he could do was smile to try and reassure her. "I've..had some experience with evacuating a city when danger reared its head shall we say." Nothing like literally speaking from experience. "So if I've a small team to work with, I can clear the city, then come back to help you should you require further assistance."

He'd been through this sort of thing before so he was well versed in how to get this done. But he nodded even if he was silently worried. "It's good to hear you won't be travelling or facing this alone." Unlike a certain king who'd tried to face Leviathan by himself and ended up knocked out. "And should one of them bow out, my offer stands."

She inclined her head in a nod. "I'll let you know when I learn more then." Her expression widened. "Thank you Ignis." She was happy to know that there were people here that she could depend on. They were all new friends but that didn't make them any less precious to her.

"I should get back to learning more. If I don't contact you it'll be Caelan or Jagger. They will be helping me too." At least come up with some semblance of a plan.

"Alright." And it was delightful to see her face light up so, but here he was, simply trying to help at all if he could, wherever he could. Yuna was doing something pretty important and if he could do something he would.

Ignis nodded. "Just keep me posted, I'll wait to hear back from you then." With that, he turned and walked away.

It was where they'd first met, investigating this barrier, and now it seemed with brief pulses to be weakening. Nothing magically suggested this, but the flashes were repetitive enough to suggest whatever was caged in there wanted free. It was only a matter of time before it succeeded. He'd been watching her coming and going for a week from his own surveillance perch atop a roof across the way. She'd piqued his curiosity with her fervent dedication when they'd first met, and it seemed it hadn't flagged as time has passed.

He jumps from the building, landing near silently on the flagstones as she passes by, crossing his arm and looking over to her.

"Do you know what's changed?"

Yuna continued to stare at the cemetery as Vincent landed at her side. It wasn't that he hadn't caught her off guard but she was distracted and Yuna had a tendency to form a one track mind about these kinds of things. She didn't want to get too involved in the cities secrets, not like when she was a summoner in Spira, but this worried her.

People could get hurt.

"Oh." She snapped to attention and turned towards Vincent. "You felt it too? I think they're looking for a way out. The barrier, it's weakening." It wasn't weakening in a sense that Yuna understood but she could hear and feel the dead more than she could before. That meant that there had to be less between them.

He'd felt it, yes, but he'd also seen it. The flashes of light from the barrier weren't easy to miss.

"It seems Athony's barrier isn't infallible."

"It isn't." She had Athony's promise to give her the key to the door in the sewer but Yuna didn't really have a plan. She missed Riku and Paine and the rest of the Gullwings. She'd feel better if she had her friends at her side.

"There is a way inside, down in the sewers. I'm going to open the door but there is no guarantee that the barrier will continue to hold, even if I lock the door behind me."

He leveled his gaze on her for a while, eyes slightly narrowed. There was a confidence in her voice he didn't feel belonged there, but that was more for a lack of knowledge of her than anything else.

"What makes you think you can handle whatever's in there?"

"Because I have experience with the dead." She looked back at Vincent and for the first time, there was a dark painful shadow glimmering beneath her mismatched eyes. "I was a summoner. It was my duty to guide the dead. Through my journey, I learned that it wasn't that simple. Those who have the will for it can stay and even use the spirits of the dead to gather power. I've fought people like this before and I can do it again."

It was different but the differences were minimal; at least from what Yuna has learned.

"So do I." Memory was powerful, indeed, and the monsters spawned from it were fearsome. "They don't go down easily."

"They don't but I won't be alone." She looked back at Vincent and smiled. "I hope I can call on your help too. When we're ready." When she opens the door.

As Summer Fades

As August fades into September Athala starts to venture out into the City more and more often. Most of the time this culminates with Athala in her full plate armour running herself repeatedly through her axe skills, the sounds of buzzsaws and eruptions clear to anyone near the edge of the office.

Any of the early risers among the residents of the city who head down to the docks will encounter a very different side of the gruff Hyurian woman as Atha settles onto the rickety wooden docks to meditate.

Business Opportunities

Atha isn't exactly an inconspicuous figure as she fills most of the free space in front of the pub's Notice board. She has been there for a while and it didn't look like she was going to be moving any time soon as she attempts to set the many notifications alight with the power of her glare alone. Why did the handwriting on some of these notices have to be so bad? Reading was hard enough anyway when it was printed, this chicken-scratch was nearly incomprehensible.

Atha sigh is long, drawn-out and put-upon. Maybe she should go and drag Aragibal over here, he was always better at this than she was. But he might be busy... Atha sighed again and remains stuck in a cycle of indecision outside the pub.

Edited 2020-09-10 21:02 (UTC)

Aragibal - ever the early riser - had gone for a run before the sun's rays touched the morning sky. He took a different route every day and used it stay in shape and get to know the city. He slowed to a walk and then a stop as he noticed someone sitting on the rickety dock, seeing to meditate. The sun had started to rise he could see the gleam of glass beads and the blue of her hair.

He did not conceal his footsteps as he walked onto the dock and next to her, but he made a point not to disturb her as he sat down next to her and assumed his own meditation position. It was almost like being back at home. Almost. He would meditate next to her until such a time she stirred.

She would be greeted with an easy going smile from him. She might even forgive him for not wearing a shirt on his morning run. "Good morning."

The act of meditation is still somewhat novel to Athala, the way it redirects her normal tenancy for hyper-vigilance towards the gentle whistle of the wind, the sqwauking of the gulls and the rustle of the tide instead of the barrage of 'How far away is that person from me? Are they armed? What direction are they heading in? Posture? Mood? Do they have coin or food?' that normal occupies her head when out in public. Atha barely even twitches as Aragibal settles down beside her bringing an extra source of warmth and a sense of his usual steadiness and calm.

Opening her eyes slowly at the half an hour mark of her meditation Atha turns to her partner and drinks in the sight of him in the early morning sun rising over the water that is doing a rather excellent job of highlighting the Xaela's beautifully toned body. She smiles as her gaze roves across Ara's chest.

"Who knew there was an even more magnificent glittering view here than the sea, maybe I should have been meditating to the sight of this instead of the docks for the last half a bell."

The teasing compliment felt somewhat odd on Atha's tongue but it made her happy to give as a show of her appreciation, she could see why Ara tended to give them and she wanted to continue getting better at expressing herself to him. It was safe, it was alright to feel vulnerable here.

Those reasons are exactly why Ara pushed to shard for Atha to start meditation. He hoped that it would allow her to quiet her mind and maybe relax some of her paranoia. Aragibal, on the other hand, was quite the pro when it came to meditating. He was relaxed and still next to Atha, a faint smile on his face. He loved the ocean breeze and the sound of the waves.

Ara didn't stir as Atha did, but he couldn't stop himself from grinning and opening his eyes to look at her. In how she just drank him in, he drank in her face. She had always been so beautiful, and the morning sun only accentuated it. The happiness and love on his face is immeasurable.

"Imagine my surprise to be on my morning run and to find the most beautiful jewel of Limsa sitting here."

Chipper as usual, even for so early in the morning. It was almost like home: early morning run, early morning meditation, get home in time to make breakfast as the kids roused...

"I should have come sooner, but then I might not have borne witness to Azeyma clearly showing who she favors this morning."

Atha's jaw drops as heat blazes across her face, her tanned skin taking on a deep red hue that almost manages to disguise Atha's face paint with its intensity. Atha quickly snaps her jaw shut shut but has no control over how her gaze raises to Ara's and then dips to the side nor the way the edges of her previous smile has softened even as it grows and grows and grows.

A bashfully delighted Atha and Ara is the only one privileged with such a sight in the early morning sun.

"Well, I don't think I'll top that." Atha scoots over so that she can press a tentative kiss to his cheek and leans against him, "You continue to flatter me with such sweet words and we'll have to find more privacy than this you soppy bloody git."

"Gods I love you."

Ara couldn't stop himself from laughing as Atha admitted she couldn't top his compliments. The fact that she tried filled him with joy. She had grown so much since they had formally met each other. He gave her a side hug as she leaned into him and kissed her on the head.

"Oh heavens no, I want all of the different worlds out there to see you as I do." He gave her a little squeeze as she had whatever reaction she was going to have, chuckling quietly. "I love you too."

He let her out of the hug and leaned back so his weight rested on his hands and she could continue to lean on him as he looked out over the ocean.

"I'm glad this place has the docks and the sea." It was something she absolutely loved while she was at home, so having something familiar was nice. A level of familiarity helped create at least some stability. "It's not quite the same, but... It's still nice."

"No-one else could ever see me the way you do and I don't want them to." To emphasise her words she relaxes completely into the kiss and lets Ara support her weight as she continues to lean on him. Nobody outside of their family would see her like this if Atha had anything to say about it.

"It is nice but we are two too few for it to be perfect," The absence of Ahweh’a and Xahqoh sat heavy in Atha's gut. "I keep expecting to hear them splashing and playing about. It makes me itch. I need to do something."

Ara knew that having anyone see past her rough exterior was always going to be a trial and a half: they would need to be around her long enough to get her to trust them enough to let her guard down even a little. His hope in getting her to meditate was to help temper that even more than he already had. He did have an appreciation for it though. She'd pulled him out of a mess a time or two because of it.

He sighed as she mentioned the kids. "I know. I wish they were here too. When we get home at night I keep expecting them to run up to us asking for whatever trinkets we found for them." Little grabby claws reaching for whatever trinkets or treasures from the market, from the path they traveled that day: a cool rock, a flower, maybe some new colors for them to draw with, or a snack from the market. He looked sad. "I miss them every moment of every day." His heart hurt.

"But, until things are done here, we may as well try to do our best not to be too down. They're being well taken care of." Of that he was certain, but he knew that they weren't being taken care of by their parents, and he knew that distinction was very important. "We'll be home soon, I'm sure."

"...I've noticed that they have put up requests for help. Perhaps joining the city guard could help with the idleness. I was thinking of applying to be a cook at the Hunter's Lodge that's recently risen."

Atha's hands tightened into fists and trembled almost imperceptibly as she closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. "I know know we can trust Cherry and yet...I want them to be here but I also don't." Atha is a woman of few words and it's clear from the frown now marring her face that she's struggling to find the right ones, "We don't know this place, it wouldn't be safe for them but I still want them here."

Atha forces her fists to uncurl as she pulls a slightly dog-eared sheet of paper from her pocket, showing Ara the crayoned family portrait drawn by two enthusiastic sets of hands. "I hope so."

"...Maybe I could help the Guard. Dunno how well the whole orders thing will go, you know I'm not so great with that."

He agreed with Atha's general feelings about it: he wanted the kids with them, but this place was strange and new and who knew what sorts of trouble could come to pass. They also had an entire support network back home in Eorzea: the entire warriors of light, the rest of their own party, Cherry, the entirety of the Kha tribe, Lhaminn... The list was pretty extensive. Here? They had each other. The others were likely good people, but they were unknowns. At the end of the day, though, Aragibal felt that Atha and himself were their best protection.

He reached out and gently touched the drawing, but didn't try to take it from her. "I agree. I wish they were here too." He could only imagine the amount of trouble they'd get scaling the buildings here.

Ara was quiet for a moment after her comment about authority. She was right: she wasn't very good with it, but it would be an excellent opportunity to grow in yet another way. There's a twitch on his face as he remembers another detail.

"The Huntsman's Lodge is also looking for hunters." He offers it in place of the guard duty. He'd be more inclined to push for her to work on her issues with authority, but there was too much going on now. Not being home, not having the kids anywhere accessible. "Certainly more like what we're used to."

(Pretend I didn't fuck up the Lodge's name in previous post haha heehee)

It's probably for the best that Ara doesn't mention the kittens scaling buildings to Atha. Their children might be Miqo'te but that certainly doesn't stop Atha's heart rate from spiking whenever she finds one of the tiny children perched precariously in a ridiculously high place. But Ara's solidarity is soothing and Atha warms with the confidence his emotional agreement brings about the current separation of their little family.

"Hunting." Atha perks up, "I could do that. And you'd be a good cook." A gleam enters Atha's eyes at the mention of Ara cooking, one the man would be very familiar with from their years together. "They'd let you bring home leftovers right?"

The way she perked up brought relief to Ara. He could have kicked himself for not thinking of that first, but, well, he'd had a lot on his mind even for being here this long at this point. Finding ways to fill their time would be a good thing so that they didn't dwell on what was bothering them for too long at a time.

He smiled at the gleam in her eyes, recognizing it as he chuckled. "I'd like to think they'll let me bring leftovers home, but if they don't I'll cook for you anyway." He very gently, playfully elbowed her in the side. "That might be better anyway - I could make all your favorites without having to subject you to whatever the menu was for the day then."

"I'd probably eat it whatever it is," Atha mutters mutinously at the playful elbow and returns it with a poke to Ara's side, "If you cooked it it would be pretty decent regardless of what you had to cook."

All the talk of food interrupts whatever Atha might have said as her stomach inserts itself into the conversation. Atha pushes herself up to stand on the dock, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "It's breakfast time now ain't it? Come on, you owe me food."

Her compliments for his cooking always warmed his heart. He admitted he was no slouch in the kitchen, but he always likened himself more towards that grandmother that is a super good home cook. "You flatter me as if I'm the master of the culinarian guild." He gave her a wink.

With a laugh he stood up next to her and reached up into a big stretch, even rising up onto his tip toes. He grinned and started towards the apartments, his tail swishing cheerily behind him as he walked. "What do I owe you this morning? Feeling sweet or savory?"

Atha scoffs as Aragibal stretches, "The Culinarian Guild think they're all that but no-one who makes such tiny dishes should be considered a good cook. How in the seven hells is something the size of my toenail and so bloody expensive suppose to feed people?!" The concepts of fine dining continue to pass the Highlander by.

Sweet or savoury...Atha takes a moment or two to think about it before responding "Both. You could do both right?"

For the most part Illyana attempted to keep her emotions locked inside, hidden by a blank expression or a smirk here and there. Her interactions with people here had left her acutely aware of just how long she had spent away from people. The idea of just pretending to be a normal girl had seemed so easy when she'd first presented it to Pixie. Yet, now that she was here and making actual attempts she found it vexing to say the least. If it was this difficult with strangers, how hard would it be with her former friends and family back home? Was it even possible for her to be normal now?

More than anything it made her want to just retreat to Limbo. That was what she had done so frequently back home. Here though she wasn't having much luck reaching it. She tried. Those who can sense magic or have a particularly strong sense of smell may pick up on the scent of brimstone coming from remote locations around the harbor and forest at night. The results of her opening her discs up in attempts to teleport into Limbo. Visible frustration appeared on her face at every failed attempt.

During the day she could be spotted occasionally by the notice board looking at the new posts. Her expression changed to something visibly concerned and startled while looking over one particular posting.

"Missing children...?" Now that certainly struck a nerve or two.

While Jagger lacked tact and faced the world with sarcasm and nonchalance, he'd begun to embrace using his ability to track people using psychic imprints to help others. When he'd heard of the notice board, he'd begun making it a point to check it regularly as well, to see if anyone was in need of his particular brand of expertise. He hadn't expected to find Illyana there but his brief bout of surprise was quickly darkened by her comment as he moved to read the notice as well.

"Well, that's a thing. I happen to have a knack for finding missing things."

It took a moment for her to actually turn her attention to him. Instead she found her mind preoccupied with her own past. It seemed there was no escaping the strange feelings that seemed to overwhelm her with that particular topic. So many memories of being a scared little girl washed over her. Memories that she did not want others to know still held power over her.

"Do you?" Her voice held a slight waiver to it, revealing more hesitation than normal. "Even children?"

"Anyone who's touched something recently." He nodded. He noted the quaver in her voice and his brow lowered slightly in concern. "Everything alright?"

"Anyone? How useful," she replied in the most casual tone she could muster. It was difficult to try to seem unbothered when the truth was quite the opposite. Yet, that was precisely what she was attempting to do. At least until he asked her if everything was alright. That caught her by surprise. Why did he care? Why ask at all? She looked away from him and refused to lift her head when she answered.

"Yes. I simply...know what it is like to be a missing child."

"Well, I can at least get an idea of where they are. If it's not something I'm familiar with or can't piece together, I might as well have known the question in Jeopardy without having an answer."

He watched how she responded to his question, his frown deepening, and then two thoughts connected that he hadn't realized fit together before. She'd been in Limbo for years. She led a hostile takeover. She couldn't be older than him, and seemed a bit younger in features.

"You were a child when you were taken to Limbo."

She blinked at his statement and for a moment seemed almost caught off guard by it. The fact that it was a statement and not a question made it appear as though he were quite certain he was correct. Was there any getting out of this now? Yes. She could just teleport away. Run away from questions and facing truths as she so often did back home. There was no Limbo to escape to here though and for some reason she didn't quite feel like running. What a strange and confusing feeling.

"I was six," she said quietly. "Belasco took an...interest in me. Love he called it, but, can one with no soul love?" she let out a strange chuckle and looked down. Perhaps that was a question she should ask herself. "He took mine. Piece by piece to create his precious Bloodstones. Stones he would use to summon his Elder Gods." She shook her head. "I know what it is like all too well to be missing, alone, and scared. To know that no one can come save you. Or perhaps that no one is even trying to."

He frowned as she spoke, but he wasn't disbelieving. He hadn't been in business long as a private investigator, even less so as a paranormal one, but he'd spoken to clients who were lying, who were trying to find sort of attention but had nothing to back it up. He'd also spoken to clients who'd had such traumatic things happen that their emotions were impossible to fake.

Illyana had experienced something he could never fathom, or, more to the point, he could, and all it would take was removing a glove, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. There was a part of him, the part that willed him to use his abilities to help others finds closure, that even urged him to, but he wouldn't violate that trust. That, and he'd felt the auras of demons. He was pretty sure he didn't want to feel Hell.

"I'm sorry that you know that." He nodded, though, serious. "But I know what it feels like to be cast off, and I'm not leaving them to it."

There was a certain degree of awkwardness to having said so much only to get such a simple response back. A response that she could not help but feel as though there was pity in his response.

"I do not need pity," she said with her head down slightly. Her tone lacked any signs of annoyance or too much emotion at all. "I should not have..." shared so much. She cut herself off and shook her head. "If we know where they last were, you could find things out about them?"

He kept people at a distance. He knew that about himself, but that didn't make him any better and allowing them closer. There was something about Illyana, though, that made him want to break that habit of pushing people away with noncommittal responses and he frowned as she withdrew...exactly the way he'd made her.

"It's not pity. Sympathy, maybe, but...you deserve better than pity." He didn't know how long the children had been missing, but he had a feeling they'd wait just a bit longer. He didn't reach out to her but that was more out of habit than a desire to avoid the contact. "I can't imagine how lonely your life must have been. For what it's worth, I don't think it defines you."

"You would not know what I deserve," there was some bite in her reply, but less than it might be expected. There were many things she probably deserved, the top of that list was more than likely distrust. Perhaps pity was among those as well.

"I was not completely alone there. I ...escaped eventually and found... teachers," she said hesitantly. Friends. That was more accurate and yet she could not bring herself to say the word. "I survived because of what they taught me. One taught me white magic and the other taught me combat. Without them I would not have stood a chance against S'ym and N'astirh," she closed her eyes as she remembered both of them. "Without them I would have never taken Belasco down." Thoughts overwhelmed her and she opened her eyes with a perplexed expression. "This is...odd. I am not usually so sentimental." And yet all she could feel was this strange overwhelming sadness and regret. Both of those teachers had died for her. Because of her. One by her own hands.

She frowned and then a white disc began to form around her feet. Running seemed like the best action here before she said too much.

"It sounds to be like you've done a lot of things you had to do to survive." He watched the disk appear, remember watching her use them to, what, to teleport? That was probably one of the less weird things in this place. He could get used to it. He wasn't going to stop her. It was clear to him she hadn't talked about this with a lot of people if anyone outside of those directly related to it. He'd give her space.

"And someone who's done a lot of things because they were forced to or else and can still keep it together doesn't deserve pity."

He stared at the building, at the notice, with a certain amount of distaste. The Guard.

And yet, what choice did he have? What he was practiced at seemed of little use here, and while he'd done a small amount of pickpocketing to feed himself, it wasn't something he liked to do. He had, however, killed more guards in his lifetime than he wanted to consider.

Was he turning himself into fodder for someone just like him?

Altaïr's nose wrinkled, but he knew how this would end. It would keep food in his stomach and keep him from having to deal with the thought of... Of the place where he was raised.

"Khalsini," he grumbled, for once not bothering to hide or attempt to blend in. Though if they tried to give him a uniform...

He had limits.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Pulse 003

As Summer Fades - Cemetery/Gullwings Office [OTA]

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Cemetery

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Meidtation - i wish i could make him look soft and not like he's about to kick a kitten

The curse of the angry Au Ra face

i'd say that he's the one with resting bitch face and she looks nice but atha's glares can kill

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A Post-Prog gift <3

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A Pulse of Business Opportunities

notice board

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Business Opportunities