Completed A Night of Ease

[Ricky Maze]

A Night of Ease
Summer 6th 513 AV, 20th Bell
Location: The Kelp Bar

"In truth I'm just rather scared. After everythin' I've done I don't wanna lose the things important to me, s'why I chose to get my act together. Find out who are my real friends, and hopefully know who will have my back should a dark day decide to come."

Ricky sat in the corner of the dimly lit bar all the way at the back, a couple of mugs full of Kelp Beer just waiting to be ingested and create their intoxicational effect. He hadn't the chance to indulge in the piss tasting green sludge this place served in quite a while, long enough to actually miss the taste that filled ones senses when they took a swig. Drink it hard and drink it quick some say, but real sailors took the challenge to drinking it slowly. Prove themselves man among men or so they believe, for Ricky it only seemed like a drink to drown sorrows and misery in... or cause fun rebellious nights.

Tonight though he didn't know which way it would go, the acquaintance he invited being a man that definitely enjoyed the humor of things. Ricky didn't want to necessarily turn this night into a sob story night or anything of the sort, but if the chance to share a few troublesome thoughts would occur then he'd weigh in his options. He dressed himself in simply his shoes, pants, and vest tonight, his arms bare as was the middle of his torso. One could see the claw marks on the left shoulder from his earlier journey, a time that which he felt he was truly young. Strange how time flew by. He actually missed dressing in such an old fashion he had, it came off rather nostalgic when he wore the vest he had for so long.

With elbows rested on the table and hands cupped together in front of his mouth, Ricky watched the door for his expected company. Castor was bound to arrive soon, and then the two were to get their drink on and let the night just go away. This would probably be the only time he'd do this in the summer, as he only had a limited amount of funds after all. That would he his business to keep of course, only when he felt close enough to share such a fact would he do so. Trust came hard these days in Mizahar, and with a new family on the way Ricky had to know who his friends were. Hopefully he could do more than just think Castor a friend, but feel that the two of them were before the night was over. It all depended on how this night would turn out, and it was almost time for it to begin.

"Ricky's words.", "Ricky's thoughts.", "Telion's words.", "Hannah's words.", "Other's words."

receipt-1 Nilo for Kelp Beer

[Castor Riley]

Castor walked swiftly through the warm summer streets of Zeltiva, headed towards the Kelp Bar. At least, he thought he was headed towards the Kelp Bar, as he had been told it was down that street, but he couldn't be sure, since he had never actually been there before. He almost walked straight past it, but the bustle of people from within made him pause, and his eyes were then drawn to the sign, hanging almost hidden in the darkness, with "Kelp Bar" imprinted onto it. He entered the dimly-lit establishment and immediately got the impression that conversations had stopped mid-sentence as he'd done so. A local haunt, if he'd ever seen one. Castor scanned the bar, searching for the familiar face of Ricky. Just when he'd begun to think he'd arrived first, he noticed the man sitting at the back, beers already on the table. He carefully squeezed through the tables to get to the one the Wave Guard had chosen. "Hey Ricky! I see you've started without me, after all!" he said with a grin and extending his hand for a shake. He glanced Ricky up and down. He looked very summery, arms bared, torso showing. Castor had yet to actually purchase anything of that sort since coming to Zeltiva, and he'd only travelled with the essentials that he could carry in his backpack from Syliras. The shirt he had was stained at the sleeves with ink - stains which he now noticed on the underside of his wrists as well. He'd at least tried to put his messy hair in order, with moderate success. He then pointed at one of the beers. "Is that for me, or is someone else joining us?" he asked the man. He pulled out the chair to sit down. The feeling of being watched became particularly intense. Truly, he could feel all eyes on him. Conversation had stopped and it was beginning to make him feel rather uncomfortable. Then, suddenly, he found himself careening backwards with the chair and onto the floor, to the raucous laughter of the regulars in the bar. Belatedly, Castor realized that the chair was missing quite a bit of a leg, a fact that obviously was a source of endless amusement for the sailors of the Kelp Bar. After his initial shock and mortification, Castor looked at Ricky and began laughing as well, rubbing his head.

[Ricky Maze]

A smile cracked from behind his lips as he saw Castor finally slip into the bustle of the bar and search for him, the spare mug slid over to the side where he would sit so the two could get to know each other for who they were. Now that they weren't in the middle of some aisle in the library he didn't have to worry about any indecent topics to share with pryful ears, not that it was an absolute concern with him to begin with of course. Modesty did have its respective boundaries though, and such places as libraries just didn't seem like the place for that kind of dirt. Now the Kelp Bar, any kind of 'dirt' could be shared here really. The place had a certain air to it that Ricky couldn't help but just relax in, practically not give a rats ass on what would be said. Here in the bar things just tended to come out as they would, as the patrons hardly ever gave two shykes about anything; so long as the beer kept flowing in their mugs.

"Aye, just bought these and waited for ya. Pro'lly fermented a bit now they sat there waitin' on ya." He teased with a light hearted chuckle, still curious as to where the night could take their friendship. "It's yer mug mate, if I'd invited another I'd have sent another note. I figured yer confirmation was enough to simply go by." He admitted with a nod as a hand grasped his mug, fingers inside the handle as they tapped at the side with ease. "I wonder how many drinks it'll take 'fore he's hammered." He mused as Castor took his seat and got comfortable, a steady look went to his mug then to Castor's as well as he remembered the last time he got so damn drunk. It was the most beautiful, romantic, drunken, magical, and petched the void up nights of his life. The night Hannah slipped a drug she carried called "Love Dust" happen to be potent enough to make Ricky and Telion see their world in a newer, colorful level that he never experienced before... which led to the very resolution of their "beautiful accidental" as he called it now. Then again it wasn't so much of an accident if Hannah planned to hook them up now was it? So in reality Hannah did them both a grandeur favor by setting up this miraculous night, and if she did it to pay off her debt to Ignotus and finally leave Zeltiva... then that meant...

The thought that the man coordinated the entire thing was enough to sicken the pit of his stomach, Ricky couldn't come to terms with accepting that it was him who could be responsible for the whole event. Yet he actually felt thankful, even respectful to the damned lunatic! Such idea's made him grind his teeth as he tried to figure out just what the petch was wrong there, clearly he still needed to cool his heels before he thought anymore. Thus he kept his focus on Castor and the Kelp Beer before him, a challenging smirk on his face as he aimed to outdrink the man. Kelp Beer was a drink that was almost completely nothing but alcohol, it could knock a sailor flat on his ass in one mug if too much had been ingested to quickly. Many nights of depressed drinking had helped Ricky learn this, nights wasted away because he dawdled on the past due to the lost of Odis. Ricky himself could handle two and a half mugs if he could take it carefully, but considering the amount of time he had his last Kelp Beer that likely reduced a bit. Nothing he couldn't work past of course, he felt more then confident he could manage with the beer somehow.

"Glad ye could make it by the way, been lookin' for a guy to kill time and share some stories with." He assured Castor with an appreciate nod, unaware that Castor would slip back in his chair. When the chair gave way and he fell on his back, Ricky looked over the table to check on his aquaintance and see the damage. Castor being fine, far from hurt in fact, Ricky allowed himself to laugh along with the other patrons. The sailors and drunkards all roared and thought it to be funny, but Ricky kept his laugh at a respectable level to avoid damaging Castor's pride. "Just shake it off mate, they're nothin' but a bunch o' blokes anyway." He assured him with a grin, getting up to lend Castor a hand with standing up. When the two found their seats and Ricky though Castor's to be safely grounded, Ricky then proceeded to grab his.mug in the same fashion as before.

"So mate, how'd ya wanna go at this? We simply have a drink and toss question, or wait till we're drunk off our asses before we do any talkin'?" He inquired ready to start with the first swig, the stench of kelp filled his nostrils as the beer bubbled in its mug. Yes it had always been the same, Kelp Beer would never change that's for sure. Ricky felt game for either challenge, as it fell upon Castor to decide where this night would turn. He watched the man with curious intrigue, eager to know just what Castor would choose.

"Ricky's words.", "Ricky's thoughts.", "Telion's words.", "Hannah's words.", "Other's words."

[Castor Riley]

Castor was still a bit embarassed to be making such a fool of himself in front of Ricky, even if their first meeting had been equally, if not more embarassing. He shook the feeling off quickly though, and returned to his good humor. "Well, I'd say we talk while we drink; I want to actually remember getting to know you in the morning. Otherwise it sort of defeats the purpose, even if we do bond over waking up in the same pool of vomit," he said jokingly. Then, he took the mug Ricky had put aside for him in his hand. "Thanks for this, by the way, mate. The next round's on me." He looked over his shoulder at the bar, to see if he could find the price listed anywhere. Sure enough, there was a large sign with the words 'KELP BEER, 1 HALF-NILO' written on it, in large black letters. Castor turned to Ricky anxiously "Shyke! Please tell me they accept mizas here!" He felt truly foolish to have come to such a famously local bar, and neglected to bring nilos with him. If Ricky told him they definitely didn't, Castor would ask him to exchange a couple of his gold mizas for nilos. Otherwise, he'd breathe a sigh of relief, and begin drinking.

[Ricky Maze]

"No worries mate. Cheers." He held the mug up in a simple toast manner and took a slow swig of the beer, and did his best not to grimace so much in the process. The beer itself made that a challenge, as the salty slimey beverage burned down his throat and esophagus. He could feel the bitter sting bubble in his stomach as though it were already poison to his liver. "Yeah they take Miza's here, coins coin and I don't think Zeltiva is picky about which is given." He mused with a warm chuckle, a hearty grin given to Castor. "I wonder what he thinks 'bout the potluck." He didn't really intend to play matchmaker as that was business only the two should handle, to be involved in such affairs just came to be too plain nosy and rather rude. Then again he chose the perfect place to ask about it, since the Kelp Bar did have its lax sense of social privacy. At least it wasn't lacking in modesty like Loveless was.

"If ye feel fine 'bout buyin' the next round, I ain't one to turn it down. Just hope ya can stomach the fish piss on the second go." He teased with a wink, as he relaxed in his creaky old chair with the mug comfortably in his hand. "So tell me 'bout yer self Castor. Ya work in the library and attend the University I bet, but what is it ya dream to accomplish one day?" He took another sip of his beer, mind wide open as to listen and learn every detail about Castor. That is he wouldn't just be the one listening too, he would in fact relate and share parts of his life as well in the process. Such was the way of getting to know another person, you meet and you interact until you're either sick of one another or, what he would hope, you were one step.closer to being close pals. For Ricky this came with a bonus, Castor would begin to earn is trust and very much likely fall into his protection. Whether the man wanted it or not, Ricky would be there for him should he have need. Hopefully the same could be said in the future, if that time Ricky felt was truly coming. He feared it would, in fact it was only just a matter of time.

"Ricky's words.", "Ricky's thoughts.", "Telion's words.", "Hannah's words.", "Other's words."

[Castor Riley]

Castor laughed "That sounds like an accurate description. No need to worry though, I've familiarized myself with its... distinct flavor at Leila's party. I'd brought the cask of the stuff, you know, and once I'd tasted it, I felt compelled to drink more of it, just so that other people might not have to. It's got such a strong alcoholic taste, it almost covers up the... other one." Castor then turned his attention to Ricky's question. "Well, that's a pretty broad subject. I suppose I don't really know yet. I once wanted to travel Mizahar, seeing all there was to see, but that plan got... postponed by some circumstances with my father." He knew Ricky would want to know what he meant by this, but he couldn't bring himself to broach the subject of his father's illness, not without getting a bit more alcohol in him. He looked at Ricky apologetically, and hoped he would see the trust placed in him just by letting him know there was something to know. Ricky had been the first person in Zeltiva he'd talked to about his father, or his death at least. Perhaps he could eventually open up about the events leading up to it. He took a swig of the foul concoction at that time, taking the opportunity to drown the dark thoughts out, before carrying on. "Now, I just know that I want to learn as much as I can about the world. I'm currently looking into various magical disciplines from a theoretical standpoint." He made an "X" with his hands, continuing "I'm not interested in practicing, I've read too much about the drawbacks." He then added, as an afterthought "What are your thoughts on magic, Ricky? I've always been too intrigued by it to be scared, but I understand why people find it frightening."

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky chuckled a bit as he found Castor's way of describing Kelp Beer interesting, indeed it did have that flavor one could do not to have again... that is until that one found they strangely could do with another taste. He took a drink out of his mug and when the liquid flowed past his lips he swallowed it hard, his expression revealed a little disdain as the beverages alcohol gave its kick to every corner in mouth. He listened closely as Castor went on about wanting to travel, but an observant eye on the librarian proved he wasn't ready to go any further on that subject. Ricky only showed an eased grin of course, as he could understand Castor would still likely be dealing with the loss. In his days as a fisherman he too lost his dad, so while he hadn't felt the same pain as Castor the guard had an idea on what that pain was like. It was pain after all that brought understanding in this world, but compare pain to love and you can see which was truly the more powerful connection.

Castor mentioned now that he was more or so interested in studying the world rather then seeing it, which Ricky could agree to be a much easier and less expensive route to take. Travel these days was expensive in Mizahar, and with his plans to buyout his future property Ricky found that simply staying in the city to work and earn some savings was best. Castor definitely seemed to come off rather as an interesting fellow for Ricky now, the man had a good heart and good spirit inside him that was certain. Now it had fallen to Ricky to speak, as it was his turn to answer Castor.

"For me, it's not the magic that we should fear but the mind that uses it." He mused with intrigue, as he remembered his initiation with Ignotus. The way he felt after the dark ritual was past terrified him at first, but eventually he learned how to surpress those foreign feelings he had developed. Of course he hadn't really practiced his craft since then, because he wasn't ready to handle the responsibilities of that power just yet. "Me pa raised me to respect magic as it comes with great responsibility. Many find it somethin' to fear yes, but really it's the user we should be afraid of when ya think on it." He actually impressed himself for a bit there, as this perspective was coming from a new experience he had. That day when he first created a sheen of light over Tel's adbomen was a real eye opener at first, but seeing that there was magic that could protect as well that had to mean magic wasn't all bad. Its purposed for being used is what generally decided that benefactor... "I've to admit that I," He looked past Castor to see if anybody may have decided to easedrop on their conversation, not a single person seemed to shoe interest in the two now as they continued their own topics. Still Ricky leaned in a bit and spoke low so only Castor would hear, "I me self have taken an interest lately." He admitted as he eased back to relax in his chair. He then took another good drink out of his mug, the bitterness of the bear nearly made him shake his head in pleasurable disgust.

"Ricky's words.", "Ricky's thoughts.", "Telion's words.", "Hannah's words.", "Other's words."

[Castor Riley]

As Castor listened to Ricky's response, he sipped at his beer. He smarted at every swallow, so he decided that drinking it slowly was worse than doing it quickly. He was starting to get the pleasant numbness that alcohol brings, and he'd only had half a mug of the stuff. He considered what Ricky had said, and felt that it was a very wise attitude to hold; magic was just a tool and it could be used for good or ill. Ricky's father sounded like a very open-minded person. Still, he knew that magic came with many side-effects, and though it could do wondrous things, it could also take a terrible toll on its user. When Ricky leaned in conspiratorially, Castor was very intrigued at what the man might have to say. He would have never expected what he heard though. Castor's mouth formed a silent "o" of surprise, at the unexpected information. He would have never pegged Ricky as a magic-user, but, then again, they didn't go around with signs over their heads. Castor's surprise quickly changed to curiosity, as it frequently did, and he asked Ricky, whispering "How so? What disciplines do you practice? Personal or World magic?" As curious as he was though, a small flicker of concern was also forming. Magic was dangerous and he didn't want his new friend to be consumed by it. He didn't seem the type to do so, but his research indicated that the risk was always there, regardless.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky smirked when Castor showed astonishment in the secret that he too could use magic, he could honestly admit that he was pleased that his acquaintance took it quite well. Not many, really nobody, hardly knew he could use magic what-so-ever so when it came to the idea of sharing it he normally shrugged it off, aware that anybody could just as easily find themselves in a panic if they feared magic. Ricky took a good swig out of his mug and leaned in once more, a low voice for only Castor to hear. "I'm not sure what magic is which mate, but I'd guess its more so personal since it comes from me." He could only assume that's what personal magic was, since he hadn't a clue what all magic was out there.

"I haven't really practiced it since I'm not ready to face the risks, but I picked up the ability to use the element of water in winter." He rememebered the initiation once more. It had changed a part of him inside that was in fact far from the same part of his nature, where as caution and care completely filled his mind a part then found he wanted to lose himself to a hunger. A desire to give into the power he received. Of course he had managed to surpress that part of him now, then again he hadn't practiced the use of his magic since. "Lately somethin' else happened too. I... made some sort of protective ward over Telion. I had me hand over where the baby would be, and the next thing I know there's a sheen of light layered where me hand was." He looked to Castor intrigued at what the magic he used was, curious if he happen to know what it was called. "Ye seem to know a bit about magic mate, what's that ability called anyway? Can ya tell me what magics are out there?" He didn't plan to turn this meeting into an educational drinkfest for the two, but his curiosity had gotten the better of his nature now. He took a good gulp out of his beer and noticed he had started to feel the effects, the warm light headed buzz that made the body tingle into ease. His mug was only a tad bit less then half empty, which could only mean he'd be drunk when he finished the rest.

"Ricky's words.", "Ricky's thoughts.", "Telion's words.", "Hannah's words.", "Other's words."

[Castor Riley]

Castor held his mug in his hand, but it remained largely forgotten as he focused all of his attention on his new friend's whispers. When Ricky said his magic was personal, because it came from him, Castor's heart dropped a bit; personal magic was by far the more dangerous type, as it carried the risk of overgiving. He clarified the distinction for Ricky's benefit. "That sounds like personal magic all right. Personal magic is the type that uses the practitioner's djed, while World magic draws its power from djed existing outside of the wizard. Have you used your magic much?" He feared that Ricky might be haphazardly using his magic, not knowing the repercussions of such an act. When he said he hadn't used it much, he breathed a sigh of relief. He took a quick gulp from the mug, listening with interest as he explained a different use he'd recently discovered. It seemed that Ricky was a practitioner of not one, but two separate disciplines. He considered Ricky's description against his own limited knowledge of magic in order to answer his question. "Well, I've only extensively studied Auristics, and I'm only just beginning to learn a bit about Flux and Glyphing, but I do know most of the disciplines by name. Logically, I'd say what you describe sounds like shielding, but I'm far from certain about that. As for the rest of the magics out there, there's quite a few." He closed his eyes then, thinking back to the list Mr Sol had sent him, straining to remember. Then, it was clear as day, and he began: "Personal magics are Auristics, Familiary, Flux, Hypnotism, Leeching, Morphing, Projection, Reimancy, Shielding, Voiding. World magics are Alchemy, Animation, Glyphing, Magecraft, Malediction, Spiritism, Summoning," he said, reciting from memory. "So, what's it like, using magic? I've never even seen someone using it," he said, his curiosity tinged with a more serious interest. His mug had only a quarter of the original amount of kelp beer left.