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Post by opius on Apr 5, 2022 8:43:23 GMT -5
The Red Coat:
+Sae had found herself dinner at a tavern on the way back from the Chapterhouse and to the castle- not looking forward to another fancy meal with their multiple forks and Rules of Varying Importance. Her timing was good- she found what she was looking for. For a coin and a smile, the young woman in the low cut blouse was more than pleased to share a glass of wine and a meal with the gunslinger, and more than willing to educate the ignorant Mareki on how humans of this region viewed nudity, physical contact, and gender norms.
With eyes thoroughly widened, Sae had thanked her dinner guest and let her get to work, heading once more towards the castle. Of course Alistair was embarrassed about being seen naked- Sae had basically stolen a secret away from him.
That being established, she dropped her new wares and armor into her room and headed to Alistair's room, giving a quiet knock on the door. She knew how to make it up to him, but she wasn't sure she wanted an audience for it.+
Opiii:
The quiet knock was heard easily by the room's sole occupant. Alastair's familiar brogue met the summon only a few moments later. "Just a minute!" He called from the other side of the room.
Moments later, after some shuffling and clatter, Sae saw the door open to reveal a somewhat surprised Ginger looking up at her.
"Oh, uh, hullo Sae." He responded, somewhat surprised to see her. She'd disappeared early in the day, and her companion Talesin wasn't really around either. It seemed the group had gone on every which direction to pursue ways to kill time for three days. "Did you finish your errands too? I figured everyone else would be out until the evening."
Sae's experience offered her a keen perception. Enough to notice that Alastair was as unkempt as the room behind him. From her position she saw a number of kits set up atop the table and bureau and floor. Materials and parts were littered about on the desk, bed, and bureau. In on the bureau parchment was piled alongside graphite writing tools and a wad of pale gray rubber. There were no less than seven brass cogs strewn about seemingly at random.
As for him, half of his bangs were gummed and upright with a thin sheen of some kind of grease. His fingertips were smeared in graphite, some was even on his face. He seemed unaware of the mess in his tunic and thin trousers- likewise tussled with signs of work showing visibly.
The Red Coat:
+Sae waited patiently at the door as she was told, rolling forward onto tiptoes and the back again as far as she could before she would fall, then forward once more. Alistair managed to catch her on her tip toes, and she fell back down, flat footed, once more, giving him a friendly smile.
"Yes- a few. It didn't go as bad as it could have, nor as well as I'd let myself hope- do you mind if I come in?" Peeking over his shoulder, she gave him a grin. "Looks like my dorm at the Black Tower when I was designing Retort- except fewer scorch marks." She was, in her own poor way, attempting some humor to lighten the situation.+
Opiii:
"Inside? Uh.." he glanced over his shoulder before nodding, opening the door wider. He shrugged slightly. "I'd say something along the lines of... Amin eska naa lle eska." He scratched behind his head, holding the door for her. His smile was crooked and a little goofy. She'd recognize the demeanor as relaxed, at least by Alastair standards.
"But one, I'm probably butchering the dialect, and two, it's not my home to offer up. Have a seat if you like. Or, uh, not. There's room at the table if you don't mind pushing around the tools to make space, though."
The Red Coat:
+Sae grinned, slipping into the room and moving to the table, carefully moving the tools to the side- she was precious with her own tools, and careful with others. You only had to spend an hour with the dwarven Master Katul at the Black Tower to learn that particular lesson.
The space clear, she hopped up onto the table, giving him a matching, friendly look.
"I wanted to apologize for what happened in the bath- I wasn't aware- I.." She paused for a moment, thinking of the best wording. "I spoke to someone today, who explained that humans keep their bodies hidden and showing them is a, err... well. A secret of a certain sort." She waved off the image and explanations that had been given by the more experienced girl.
"Traditionally, with Mareki, my insulting you by taking such a liberty would be met with a duel, but you don't seem the dueling type. So, I thought since I stole a secret from you, you should have one from me. So.... I'm an open book. One question, one secret, answered honestly as an apology."
Sae seemed pretty proud of the plan, and was being open and genuine with the whole speech.+
Opiii:
Alastair blinked and glanced away, continuing to scratch his head, "Oh, uh, the bath, yeah..." He trailed off. She continued speaking. Little by little a bit of pinkness touched his cheeks, ears, and nose. He rolled his shoulders and laughed. "Whah, It's not really a secret, it's just a private..." He was muttering quietly, not quite finding the gumption to correct her on the finer points of human interaction. When she finished, he watched her for a few moments more before letting out a long, exasperated sigh.
Elves were... Elves were tricky folk. There seemed to be this constant dissonance between what elves considered normal, and what... the rest of the world considered normal. to Alastair, this wasn't normal. But he tried his best to be accommodating- A decision he was trying to stick to since the night before.
"Honestly, really, it's not a huge.." He ran a hand through his hair, sighed, and laughed. "Listen, I overreacted last night. I wasn't insulted, or slighted, or whatever you think happened. I was just... shocked." He sighed again. "At the time I thought it was the end of civilization as I knew it. Elves looking over eight foot tall barricades, men bathing together with the women outside of wedlock- Who then turn out to not be men to begin with..."
He then shook his head. "It was a kneejerk reaction born from old-timey ideals. Something I should have unlearned ages ago. If I'm going to be going adventuring, I should be mentally prepared to see a naked rear end, and for my own to get glimpsed at without popping a gasket."
The Red Coat:
+Sae listened to him, watching him turn bright pink again, frowning slightly. Had she misspoken again? Mareki justice was pretty straightforward. An eye for an eye seemed the best option here.
"If it makes you feel any better, I am as confused by human things." She said, as he seemed to stumble as much as she did.
"I do try to pretend I know what I'm doing, but I was prepared for a life in the service of Talos- probably as a military priestess, if my mother had any say. I really- I never expected to leave Illyria. So I never really bothered to learn how to deal with people outside of my own. I suppose we'll just have to learn together." She swung her feet for a moment, shrugging her shoulders.
"Though, to be honest, I think Jennar might be their own thing altogether. Might be best not to think on that one too hard. That might be the sort of chaos that resists order outright."\n\n
Opiii:
He rubbed his head, frowning some at the mention of Jennar. He nodded his head slowly. "Jennar is... yes, I'm starting to get that to. Kind of a chaotic... ball of... stuff, that one."
He finally stopped scratching his head, turning to face her fully. He slid his hands into his pockets, back against the door as he kept a comfortable distance from the gunslinger sitting on his temporary table. "Funny. I never really expected to leave Liore, either. I've met my share of gnomes and halflings and elves, but never.." He gestured toward her. "The more... y'know, authentic ones. Just the Liore folk from liore, who all kind of act the same and all look just a little different."
"It is a little reassuring.. And surprising.. to hear you say something like that. You always seem to be super ahead of the game. Like, from Donal's crossing to here you've known what to say, who to talk to to get things moving. And then the tailor, you pointed out a whole bunch of my own missteps that I hadn't even considered. You seem good at talking to people and dealing with the group. Well, aside from a couple of small things, like parkour in the bath house."
The Red Coat:
+Sae smiled, nodding. "It's a bit weird, being with people from completely different continents. I imagine we'll all step on each other's toes at some point, I suppose. I guess as long as we all just have to get used to a little bit of embarrassment."
And it seemed that was that, as far as apologies went- certainly a lot easier than she had expected, given the seriousness of her transgression. She did blush a little as he said she seemed to know what to do.
"War, attack, siege, retreats- that's all different. Those are the things I am trained for. Evacuation of non-combatants, navigating in the woods in the dark and setting up quick camps. I mean, I'm no Alurani, but we did have to learn to recognize Alurani traps, so I know how they generally made them."
Ah yes, the Alurani. Indeed.
"Everything else has just been bluffing or pretending I know what in the nine hells to do. Except the tailor's shop. He was a Deori elf- artisans. My family runs a shipping company, and Deori woven fabrics are a specialty. I apprenticed in one of our warehouses for a year, and learned what I like. Some Deori will talk your ear off about fabric, cuts, dyes, and materials if you let them, and I just let them." She shrugged her shoulders.
"I'd bet a gold, by the time we reach the White Tower, you will have learned at least as much as I know now about road travel. You have a lot of book knowledge- you just need to connect that to the practical stuff, and once it clicks your skills will grow as fast as weeds." She smiled at the thought, and of her own failed research from earlier- as well as the way the words in the books made her head swim and hurt.
"Oh, I asked around about Alain. All I managed to find out was that he isn't an official council member."\n\n
Opiii:
He laughed a little, a flicker of excitement in his eyes hard to hide. Hearing about her upbringing, things she'd done was interesting. He'd never put much thought into fabrics, dyes, and the like- that much was evident by his shoes. Eventually the conversation turned.
His interest went from passive nicety to full on absorption. Eyes widening, he glanced over his shoulder as though to check for someone listening in. Arms folded, he moved from the door toward her, looking... excited, but slightly nervous.
"Get out- Is that for real...? Then what is he? A private contractor-" He paused, shook his head. No, even a private professional would have some record on him. "How does someone end up in the kings council unofficially? That close, even, he was practically sitting next to him in the meeting."
The Red Coat:
+Sae nodded. "Exactly my thought. I don't know about Astorrean politics, but I can tell you that if someone was that close to an Illyrian king, and not any sort of official..." She frowned a little.
"He could be the King's personal friend and, or, adviser. Either way, that means that he serves at the King's discretion. A very dangerous enemy, and possibly a very good, or a very dangerous friend." She rubbed her forehead, shrugging uselessly. "He hasn't much of a reputation in town either way, at least among my, admittedly, very limited contacts."
She paused a little. "It sounds like the height of hypocrisy from me, as generally I'd be the one grappling him if you wanted to interrogate him, but it might be best to move slow to get the answers you're looking for."+
Opiii:
His lips tightened into a fine line but as she spoke more, he slowed more, showed more caution in his steps. He grew close enough so he could talk quietly. "No, you're right.. Jaeger said something along the same lines. Move slowly until I've got some kind of leverage."
His arms unfolded before sliding into his pockets. "It's... Frustrating. But if this guy does weild that kind of power, well there's not much I can do to circumvent that."
He took a seat on the corner edge of his bed, facing her sat the table only a few feet away. "Maybe while we're traveling I can get some answers, but I'm not going to push and cause undue annoyance to the King's councilman. My search is important, but not worth bringing that kind of ire down on everyone else. "
The Red Coat:
+Nodding, Sae gave Alistair a sympathetic smile. "Trust me, I prefer the holding people down and punching them tactic, so I know waiting is a giant pain in the ass. But... twelve days on the road is a long time. Hell, we've only a week and some change now. The time will come when he will let his guard down, or misspeak, or say 'I owe you one', and then you call him on it and get him off balance. Here? It's..."
She paused, trying to find a way to word it before shrugging. "You're fighting a battle on his land, with his rules of combat. Jaeger is exceptionally wise- and right. On the road, we outnumber him, we are less bound by castle propriety, and while it would be foolish to underestimate him... anyway. The road will breed familiarity, and with that comes leverage, like Jaeger said."
She let the silence fall for a moment. "Speaking of familiarity, I think it's probably time I clear the air with Tali. Talos knows that it's been awkward as hell between us since before we arrived, and twelve days on the road with us will be nothing but awkward silence and sniping if the two of us don't talk or fight it out properly." Hopping lightly off the table with barely a sound, she'd head towards the door.+
Opiii:
He nodded some, brows lifting as he glanced away. "Oh. Yeah. I thought I sensed something rocky between you and your boyfriend, huh? Ever since it came out that he was, uh, a priest, or something like that..."
He scratched nervously behind his head again. " You should definitely try and patch things up. Gods or tenants shouldn't be there force that drives people away from one another. Heck, maybe you can use that to bring you together? I mean, what you believe in is in the same Pantheon as his, then things should still work out, right? I mean, iffin you're both really connected with that kind of thing."
Rambling. He recognized he was rambling. "Uhh.. uhh." Change of subject. His blueprints! Right, he'd meant to bring this up to her later, but, "Hey, so before you go... Would you mind terribly if I uh..." Lips pursed. Oh this was silly, asking a gunslinger such a thing. "... Would you mind giving me a closer look at your pistol some time? I know it comes apart, but I'm really curious about how. Whether the pieces are modular, stuff like that."
His lips tightened again. "If it's okay. And you don't mind. Down the road, I mean."
The Red Coat:
+Sae's entire body froze instantly, like a rabbit who had just been sighted by a hawk. Every inch of her flushed bright red, and she opened and closed her mouth several times.
"Tali isn't... we aren't... he's..." She took a minute, trying to find the right words. "He's... made it pretty clear that we are just allies. Even used that specific word. Ally." Her jaw clenched for a moment, and it wouldn't take an insight check to see that was a raw nerve. "That's why I lost my temper. It... it wasn't about who he worshiped- as long as it isn't some sort of darkness he's sold his soul off to, then it's just what it is. But he kept secrets from me, and then he called me an ally, and... then I accidentally insulted him further, because of more secrets he was keeping from me." She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat.
"We'll figure it out. Other than a few years where he was traveling with his father and I was finishing my conscription, we've been side by side since I was eight. This is just a rough patch." Seeming like she was trying to convince herself, more than Alistair, she shrugged her shoulders, welcoming the change of conversation.
"I wish I could, Alistair, but if anyone- literally anyone- found out that I even hinted to you and Klinkle the recipe for black powder, it'd be my head on a pike outside the Black Tower, and probably each of yours to either side. To be completely honest, the fact that Ruin's forces didn't butcher us when they had us pinned in that bowl was a tactical error on their part. I literally thought we were going to die that day. I am still very confused as to why we didn't. I would love to show you my pistol- I bet if I could, you'd point out a million ways that I could have designed it better- but I can't break that trust again. I'm sorry." +
Opiii:
"Oh." Well. That was embarrassing. "See, I thought with the temper and the fight between you two, it was one of those, uh.. lovers.. quarrels." He grew quieter and quieter throughout the statement, a quiet mutter by the time he hit "quarrel." She talked, explained. He listened. With the explanation of Talesin, he showed understanding and acceptance.
With the mention of the gun, he frowned a little, unable to really hide his disappointment completely. "I... Can understand that. Secret society of monster slayers. Even good intentions would get us into serious trouble if anyone found out." He pursed his lips.
"I'd wanted to offer my tinkering services. I sketched a few proofs of concept... But they're really just concepts, I'd still have needed a good smith, and a better understanding of the tool to really turn it into anything." He looked down slightly as he spoke.
Buuut after a few moments collecting himself, he was plucky, discoordinared Alastair, smiling his crookedy smile, standing straight with his arms behind his back. "But hey, maybe down the line I'll show you the concept, and you can pass it along as your own- so the chapterhouse folks can make it real. Like a ghostwriter kind of thing."
He then approached the door, taking the initiative to politely see her out.
The Red Coat:
+Sae blushed deeply, bowing her head. "No, I.... " She let the thought trail off. What could she say? All of it was ridiculous, sentimental nonsense. Nonsense she'd put away a long time ago. Hells, she was supposed to marry someone else, once upon a time.
"Just a pair of war dogs snapping at each other. I'd love to look over your sketches though- I'm competent enough, but you're clever- and clever pistols do more tricks." She gave him a good-natured grin, ruffling his hair as he saw her out.+
Opiii:
He chuckled. "Well it's good that you two can rebound from that kind of arguing. I guess it's a warrior thing..." He smiled, but it faded. Steadily.
"But yeah, he uh, seemed pretty upset about something at the tailors. You probably should talk it out with him. Hate to think the guy's suffering alone with whatever's on his mind. I've been in places like that, and y'always need a good friend to get out of it."
He scrunched his nose and laughed a little when his hair was ruffled. He saw her out, standing at the door. "Give him my regards too, when you see him."
The Red Coat:
+Sae smiled softly. "Yes- I wouldn't let him suffer alone. Even if I have to beat what's wrong out of him." She gave Alistair a chummy wink as she slipped from the room and back to her own- the next round of conversation would probably helped by wine. "Quel du." She said informally, giving him a wave as she slipped into her own rooms.
Time to fetch the wine, some snacks, and face down a grumpy Alurani.+
Opiii:
Alastair waved and smiled, watching her go. So soon as she was out of earshot, he muttered and puzzled over the phrase. "Quel du, quel du..." Reminding himself of the meaning. He had butchered the dialect earlier, and now here he was tripping over context clues.
He returned to his room to stay up another several hours. He wasn't done planning or tinkering for the evening.
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