Closed Late Night Flight of Fancy. (Faradae)

[Alexander Faircroft]

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"

The soft winds of the city rolled through a darkened sky cloudy and overcast began to break through as the true light of the night sky rolled through. Only then did he get a truly good look at her face. Tanned skin smooth and scar free, large and inquisitive almost like they were constantly searching for answers. Despite their frosty beginning to this encounters things had warmed significantly. Alex smiled faintly almost to the point where it was too soft to be seen. Still as they walked the city began to fade back into more familiar surroundings of the mains streets and open avenues.

Her words then cut through the mulled silence of the night one more. Saying that they’d met at the gates and she’d helped her through a less than fortunate situation involving clothing. The guards on duty as usual were doing their job but sounded a little insincere. “Sorry to hear about the guards not allowing you entry. And what exactly do you mean “an unfortunate situation clothing-wise”?” A curiosity sparked over him did she turn up in some brightly garish colouring that wasn’t allowed within the city? Was she wearing a suit made out of the skins of her slain enemies? He was genuinely curious about this fact and then she continued noting that Vivi was more tactful. A small cuckle escaped him before he could bite it back. “Vivi is a little formal but it’s not a bad thing. It’s nice to see someone that young with such good manners.”

A certain air about her was right from what he’d read from her eyes. She was inquisitive. Alex shifted his mind’s way of thinking upon her asking him what his fighting style was when he was unarmed. Could it be used at speed? He wasn’t small so why did he use it? Alex paused a moment his face growing a little harder thinking back. “It’s a style that I learnt from my mother, Rebecca before she…died. It’s something that I use as part of my memory of her and it’s more of a style about redirecting your opponent’s force, so it doesn’t matter if you’re big or small, it’s about using your opponent’s strength against them. I’m not all that strong myself so it’s a good thing for me to know. And because Vivi is so fragile having her learn a style that doesn’t require her to hit anything is a good thing for her to learn.”

A certain ring of honest followed his words as he spoke, truth and simplicity was all that filled his soft voice’s tone, but upon hearing her saying she wished he could stop for a dinner with him, he paused a moment. “Well I’m not technically on duty I’m just out patrolling. So I could join you.” Giving her a small smirk and stepping in the direction of the restaurant, he stepped in looking at the waiter, giving him a few small words, and then moved to find a table. Pulling out a chair he allowed her to sit down first, if she chose too he’d push her seat in lightly with her on it. Then he’d step around and sit himself down. “So how long are you in the city for?” A harmless question more curious than much else but at least now they had somewhere to sit and talk.

“From where we are as well the main gates are directly south of here and to the west is the inn and the tavern if you have a room there already.” A small shift in his weight and a soft clank followed. With all of his armour and weaponry he sat a little uncomfortably but it was nothing he hadn’t grown accustomed too.

[Faradae]

Faradae “Well, I…”, Faradae began, genuinely embarrassed and looking for the right words to describe her arrival at the gates, but finding none, “I wore no clothes. At all. In retrospective, I guess the guards were right to doubt me. I wouldn’t let naked people into my city. But my case is…special.” She tried to think of a way to drop the subject before revealing her nature to yet another stranger, but it was hard to defend the truth against a squire as curious as Ser Faircroft. “I’m a Kelvic.” She hoped for this statement to suffice, that he knew what a Kelvic was, or would not ask about it. Maybe he could see how uncomfortable she felt about it. She moved on, happy to have something else to talk about. Her journey to Syliras had taught her that her fighting skills were definitely alack, and that she’d have to find a technique to wrap her mind around sooner or later, preferably unarmed since Kelvic shifts usually left her without weapons. “As squires, you probably practise your style with swords and shields,” she assumed, eyeing him thoughtfully. “But could your style be used in unarmed combat, as well? If you ever have some time when I’m in the city for longer than a couple of days and you don’t have dozens of other squires to train, would you mind giving me a lesson?” Slightly afraid that he might reject her request, she quickly added: “Only if you don’t mind, of course. And I’d pay you.” Somehow. She’d have to make a couple more deliveries in order to stay alive, let alone pay any lessons, but the hardships of travel would not keep her from doing so, and learning some simple fighting basics would greatly increase her chance of surviving in the vast, treacherous wild. Finally inside a warm restaurant, some tension fell from her, but the way she sat down on the chair Ser Faircroft offered her still was a little awkward. Faradae was used to many things, but not to the ways of gentlemen. “Thank you.” She folded her hands underneath the table while they waited for their waiter to make his next appearance. “I’m not staying very long,” she admitted, “I made my delivery, and I have to get the reply back as soon as possible. I have a few errands to run in Nyka, things that I need to see to. I’m also planning to stay there for the remainder of the season.” Making her first real journeys during winter had proven to not be the best decision she ever made. Actually, it was one of the worst ones so far, but she had to get back if she wanted to retrieve her belongings. “But I won’t stay any longer than that. I’m already tired of Nyka. But Syliras…”, and here she made a small pause to find the right words,“Syliras is so very different. It’s magnificent. A little restricting, true, with all this ancient stone. But it also has so many little places to discover, and so many different people to meet. I’ll stay here for a while, hopefully meet some people and witness less hostility than I did at home.” A tinge of sadness found its way into her voice, both for the unforgivingness of the Nykan government and the fact that she’d leave her family far behind for good. She was planning to pay them one visit when she was back in Nyka, just to let them know she’d survived her first adventure. “So I’ll be back.” The waiter arrived with carafe of water and the question of what they’d like for dinner. Faradae ordered fish and fried potatoes, a reminder of home, and poured herself some water while waiting for Alexander to pose his order.

[Alexander Faircroft]

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"

She began to answer his question as to why she was barred from entry. But as the words found purchase she paused a moment and turned her gaze to the side. She arrived at the city gates in the nude?! The guards would have been right to doubt her however the very least they could have done was toss a cloak over her shoulders. Though at the contemplation of the image, a flash of colour appeared in his face. “That’s…An unfortunate situation to find yourself in. Did they at least give you a cloak to cover yourself or did they just leave you standing there in the cold like that? I mean before Vivi came up to help.” His question was met with a further bit of information he hadn’t planned on gathering she was a kelvic? Alex smiled lightly a genuine unfamiliarity on his face. “I’m sorry I’m not all that familiar with kelvics. May I perhaps ask what kind of kelvic you are?” Mo malignant intent behind his words purely curiosity.

She was right though as she continued, he did practice with a sword and a shield. Alex chuckled slightly at her ask of whether or not he could teach her his style and whether or not it could be used in unarmed combat. He nodded lightly finishing. “Yes it can be used that way but I’m not sure I’m skilled enough with it yet to be able to use it well.” Though at her request to learn and if she would be willing to pay he shook his head lightly. “I’d be happy to teach you. In truth it would be good to help me re-affirm how I use it myself. And as far as payment there goes don’t worry about it. I don’t do what I do for money.” He held his hands open in a gesture of “don’t worry”.

As she sat down he caught the polite response to his actions. First time for everything he supposed. She wasn’t staying very long though. She needed to make the return trip as soon as she could. Alex sighed slightly. Listening to her words on the city and it’s state, it made Alex realize just how lucky he was to be doing what he was in a city like this. Despite the downsides. And despite where he came from and what he came from. “It’s a lovely city…And I’m quite happy to hear that you’ll be back soon. I’ve been to Nyka and as much as the city itself is beautiful, the monks there are a little…Aggressive in their peacekeeping. Whilst the Knights are simply militant. Peace is the goal but violence only begets violence. I wish that I could say we live in a world where we didn’t have to resort to violence but…Sadly this isn’t the case. I wish I didn’t have to carry a sword, or know how to strike someone.” He paused a moment looking at the table between them briefly.

He heaved out a sigh as the waiter arrived. Looking up at him he put on a smile. “Yes...Two of the house special and mine will be on the knights. And I’ll be paying for hers.” He gave a small nod and provided the name of his patron and rank within the knights. The waiter nodded and motioned away to the kitchen. “So I take it you have family in Nyka? Why leave for here, again I mean?”

CreditMassive thanks to Fire for this awesome template.

[Faradae]

Faradae She took a sip from her glass before continuing, cleared her throat once and started answering Alexander’s numerous questions. She could see the discomfort written in pink across his cheeks when the mention of nude people at the front gates came up, especially when the person he shared his table with was the subject of said encounter. She guessed that his latest questions were the mere attempt to avoid uncomfortable silence by simply blurting the first things that had come to his mind, but he had pushed the matter, so he’d have to deal with the answers. She convinced herself not to feel ashamed. Nothing was worse than two people brooding in bashful wordlessness over things that had not been said. “Actually, they were too busy staring at me to show any moves of common curtesy.” She sighed. “You bet it was cold. Vivi was the one who ended up saving me. Soon as she laid upon the guards and myself, she approached us and gave me her cloak. She also took me into the city. Should have seen those fellows’ perplexity! They looked like dead fish, mouths agape and all. Definitely worth the effort.” She drank another mouthful of water and smiled. The way he replied, it sounded like he knew what a Kelvic was. That was something she’d had to explain to most of her recent acquaintances, and she was growing tired of explaining her nature. “I’m a bird. An eagle, to be more specific. It’s really useful when it comes to travelling. Not so great for battle, however, which is why I’m genuinely interested in learning your technique.” She was surprised to hear that Alexander did not only want to teach her, but also downright refused to take any money for it. She was not going to argue the point, of course, but she was still astonished by his selflessness. “I shall find you the next time I come to Syliras, then,” she said. “Hopefully you have some good patience.” She could completely relate to the way the squire felt about violence. She’d experienced it first-hand, in Nyka as well as in the open land. “Agreed. We live in a dangerous place, and in troublesome times, it seems. Ancient wars wreaked havoc over our land, and our generations have to deal with what little the Valterrian has left for us. All this twisted life out there… The living nightmares.” She grimaced. “I’ve seen it, you know. Out there. When I came here, from Nyka to Syliras. It took that small journey for me to realize what we’re missing out on, and also that we can consider ourselves lucky for the havens we have. And still, people have not learnt. They fight, they tyrannize each other, when they really should be uniting against everything that’s working against us.” They shifted to a topic that got her less agitated, home, and family, and her expression softened when she thought about her parents and fields of gold. “Home is wonderful,” she admitted, “but I’ve had it for all this time, and there’s little else I’ve seen. I want to be free, see the world. That’s why I’ve come here, and that’s why I’ll brave the wilds again. I wish to fly and learn and see it all.” She eyed him with curiosity. “Have you never felt that? An urge to go elsewhere, to change perspective?”

[Alexander Faircroft]

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"

The small stint of awkwardness, broken again by her words recounting that the guards of the gates that say were as he’d feared, slack jawed idiots. Though he feared in the same situation he wouldn’t have fared much better. He couldn’t help finding a smirk across his features as she mentioned their faces. “Not the best folks then. Still At least Vivi was there.” He lifted A hand to the loop of sigils around his neck. Her kelvic form was something that he’d suspected but couldn’t be sure of. She was an eagle. And that was how she crossed the distance from Nyka, he’d possibly assumed she could have been a horse. Not great for battles but good for travel. Very true.

“I completely agree there, sometimes being able to travel is more important than being able to fight.” She’d find him next time she was in Syliras, so she hoped he had patience. He smirked and lifted the symbol of izurdin. “I hope I do, I do ask for it often from Izurdin.” He paused as the plates were placed in front of them. Her words on violence was something he understood all too well. He hung his head lightly listening to her words mirroring his own thoughts. She followed his train of thought with every word about the world he’d seen. “In all honesty. People are more vicious than any wild animal or monster. After all an animal or a monster will just kill you and/or eat you. Where as a person will manipulate you. Use you, and bend you to their whims, twist your thoughts until you’re nothing but a shell of your former self.” He paused a moment and realized he’d gone much darker with that than he’d intended too.

“Sorry. It’s just I’ve seen a lot of the world in my years and not all of it good. And as for an urge to change perspective I’ve changed cities four times in four years. So yeah I’ve felt that need to just change perspective and I think I may have finally found it here. Within the walls of this city.” He smiled lightly and sighed heavily. He started to dig into the simple meal in front of him before pausing to swallow and ask another question. “I know you want to travel as I’ve heard you say it. But how will you deal with leaving your family? Sometimes it’d hard to leave the ones who love us the most.” He’d phrased what happened to him differently to ask her how she’d feel leaving. He didn’t have a choice either time.

[Faradae]

Faradae Faradae smiled back at Alexander while shoving a bite of vegetables into her mouth. The food was well-prepared, with a sauce so mouth-wateringly delicious she had to blink before swallowing to verify her experience before immediately taking the next bite. She hardly remembered her last real meal that had not been a hasty intermezzo in between two excursions, and this was truly stunning. Rendered incapable of talking for a moment, she had time to listen to what Alexander was about to say. A piece of meat stopped halfway across the distance from her plate to her mouth when his words took a direction towards the dark, she was too astonished by his dark view on humanity. She was unnerved by the pettiness of their quarrels in Nyka and everywhere else, by their rank systems and elites, and by the way they manipulated the masses. But she did not share his sentiment about the extreme, and caught herself wondering what exactly the poor squire must have gone through in his earlier youth to be so pessimistic when it came to humanistic qualities. She did not press the matter, but softly remarked: “But knowing how bad the world can be, it seems that you have chosen a better path instead of turning bitter.” She then proceeded to stuff herself with dinner. She considered his last question for a little while before replying. She had not spent too many thoughts on leaving her parents. She had always planned to do so, eventually. It seemed natural that she would leave her nest and spread her wings. Her father had travelled all his life, and so had her mother. Both of them had been aware of their daughter’s nature from the start, and the outcome had been predestined. She’d return for visits, but someone like her could not spend their entire life in one place. “That’s never been a problem, really. I mean…of course I miss them, but doesn’t everyone? They’re family. I’ll see them sometimes when I’m around Nyka, but adventure is calling, and they know what it’s like. My father used to be a sailor. I know he sometimes longs to be out with the waves again, so he’d never hold me back. My mother is…like me.”

[Alexander Faircroft]

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"

Alex paused a moment listening to Faradae’s words. She was right about somethings He did see the worst parts of it and it’d changed him. For better or rose he couldn’t say but he always had the hope that it was for the better. “It’s true I’ve chosen a better path but that’s mostly out of a want to help others not have to see what I’ve seen.” He paused a moment and continued eating before saying in a rather dark but meaningful way. “When you stare into the abyss long enough, eventually it’ll stare into you.” Words of warning. Less of caution but just a simple truth that the more evil that is witnessed the more likely one is to do evil.

A moment of pause passed between them Alex wondered if he’d said the wrong thing and then she spoke again taking a few moments to formulate her response to his question. She missed her family, she’d see them again but her family were adventurers. Of a sort. Alex smiled lightly and nodded, With-out even thinking the words seemingly just fell out of his mouth. “And by like you, you mean she’s pretty, charming and easily lost?” Almost as soon as he’d said it he wished he could will the words back into his throat and stifle them. Still they were now out in the open and nothing he could do could drag them back.

“So…” he spoke with an air of trying to pass off what he’d said into the aether. “Today is your last day in syliras isn’t it? At least for a while.” Alex agave a small smile trying desperately to shift the conversation away from his small slip up. Alex shifted his eyes around the room half unable to now look Faradae in the eye. But still half talking and defiantly listening. “If you do return to sylirass when will it be roughly?” She’d most likely told him before but right now he was just trying to change the topic any way he could. Even half picking at the plate of food.

[Faradae]

Faradae Faradae thought Alex’ words a little too dramatic to be true, but she nodded anyways. He did have a point, did he not? When bad things happened to people, they were likely to grow bitter. And bitterness, she imagined, made people forget their values and do things they would have frowned upon otherwise. But not everyone compensated the evil without by building up the evil within. Alex was an exception, as was Imass, who had treated her with all the kindness imaginable. His next remark, as blunt and thoughtless as it was honest, caught her completely off-guard. Flatterer. She was not the sort of girl who turned pink from ear to ear upon hearing a compliment, but it still rang strange. If there was anything that gave away her perplexity, it was the small pause it took for her to compose a reply. “Not as easily lost, I assure you, and not quite as charming. She has the felicity of a common docker at times. I got that from my father, who ironically was a dock worker once.” She noticed his sudden discomfort and had to stifle a chuckle. ‘Careful with the remarks, darling. Don’t say things if you’re not ready to deal with the reactions.’ She spared him the embarrassment of further witty commentary, instead enjoying his desperate attempts to bury the situation in innocuous topics. “Right,” she replied, “I’m about to leave. I’ll be back in spring, if everything goes according to plan.” Her plate was almost empty by now, and her belly felt comfortably warm and full. With a content sigh, she leaned back in her seat. “Maybe I’ll find another delivery to bring along, but if I can’t, I’ll come anyways. I need more time to explore this city. I imagine that my journeys will become much easier once ice and snow are gone and the temperatures have risen.”

[Alexander Faircroft]

Description "Alex Common" Alex thoughts "Myrian" "Fratava" "Others"

A simple momentary pause between the finishing of his words and her passed. The blank space filled with a mutual understanding of what he’d said. He gave a soft smirk and looked down towards the table. And much to the adversity of his hopes she’d picked up on the comment he’d made. He’d hoped it’d slip by unnoticed or un-gripped however that appeared at least partially to not be the case. Not as easily lost? And the eloquence of a dock worker. Much like her father. Quite possibly the thing that brought them together. A small smirk of understanding plied Alex’s face as he lifted another fork of food to his mouth.

The inconsequentiality of his next remarks were something that seemed to ease the brief rise in awkwardness, and changed the topic in one swift motion. She was leaving today but she’d be back in spring. That was good to hear. She reeled back into her seat seemingly letting the meal rest whilst he was lightly nursing his food. “Well perhaps when you come back the city might be a little brighter and warmer. The sheer cold this time of year is something…I haven’t fully experienced since my time north. And from the looks of the snows. It’s only going to get worse.” Alex paused staring out of the window for a brief moment.

Taking the last bite of his meal he gave her a small nod and walked over to the counter. Handing over the coin for her meal and the simple nod about his status he offered her a way out into the streets. Trailing shortly behind and within a tick beside her. “Well then Miss Faradae. Perhaps next time you arrive at the gates of the city. I’ll be able to welcome you back in. Hopefully…fully dressed this time.” A small smirk of remembrance. He didn’t forget many things. Or really anything. He supposed that was his one power over regular people he wasn’t fast, nor was he strong, and as his past showed he had no real encounter with magic, and apparently no aptitude for it. It seemed to him that his mind was his one and only tool. And that was the tool he took to using the most. Even if it didn’t have an off switch or a major filter to his mouth.

[Faradae]

Faradae She smiled at him with the satisfaction of a cat after finishing a bowl of milk. The evening had turned out far more pleasurable than she’d anticipated when first spotting Alexander in his worn squire armour, out in the coldness of the night, questioning her like a common thief. And while she let her dinner sack, he stood up and made physical amendments for his earlier discourtesy by paying the bill. Oh, the perks of being young and pretty. And witty, if she was to believe his words. She had no objections to keeping what little money she held, and she only rose to her feet when he returned, his pouch a few coins lighter. “Thank you,” she said. It felt right to show a little bit of gratitude. “Don’t tell me it’s going to snow even more,” she said as they made their way out, and a cold breeze tickled in her nose when the door of the inn swung open. Her inner warmth was restored and burned against the harsh climate like a small internal oven and she hoped it would last until she was back in her hostel room. “I’ve had my fair share this year, and I’d rather return to Nyka safely. Enough options to get myself killed out there, I don’t need freezing or drowning in an avalanche on top of that.” Alexander guided her down the alleyway until they reached the next larger street, where he said his goodbyes. “I shall seek you out the next time I come to your beautiful city, Ser Faircroft,” she announced as they parted ways, “but I can’t guarantee for the clothes.” And with a wink, she turned the corner. What a friendly person he had turned out to be, with an honest heart. Unlike many others, high in ranking, he would make a good knight, one day. If all authorities shared his values, she believed, the civilized world would be a better place.