A Favor [Rhode]

[Seven Xu]

"I found myself unable to continue protecting my last employer ..." That was awfully vague. A silence festered between them. What did that even mean? Seven's toes pressed against the stony bottom of the pool and he briefly licked his top lip in thought. There were things he wanted to know about the Eypharian, but he would have to be patient.

Seven had never regarded himself as a determined individual. Obsessive, yes. Even a bit neurotic. But underneath that unassuming gaze was a man that had crossed the continent, gone through hell and came out unscathed on the other side, all in the name of finding a woman he had never met and didn't even know was alive. Their only connection was blood. You'll find her, if you try hard enough. Rhode's voice warmed his face and forced his thin lips into a smile.
The following question, however, made Seven entirely forget the pang of uneasiness he felt when Rhode had answered his own question so cryptically. No one had ever asked him that. They were often content with the shallow reasoning behind why a creature so exotic had found himself on their side of the world. In a moment of forgotten willpower, Seven let himself slip ever so easily through the water in Rhode's direction. Not far, or overly intrusive, but the water lapping against their skin and the distortion of rippling reflections made it painfully obvious that Seven was now on Rhode's side of the pool. Now it was impossible to make eye contact without that blush threatening to blossom into its full, ugly red glory. If he doesn't recoil in disgust, Seven thought, I will regret this a bit less.

"I am going to ask her why, first and foremost." Seven whispered, peering down into his own ghostly reflection. "Admittedly I am just looking for answers. A reason I am who I am, or who I really even am to begin with. I am not even sure how I will feel when I see her for the first time. And I am afraid of what she will feel when she sees me." Seven reached out of the water to scratch his right shoulder, exhaling in a defeated sigh. From his new position Rhode could see what he was picking at. Crimson ink stained his otherwise smooth, pale skin. A tattoo in the shape of what appeared to be an ornate crown was etched in his shoulder blade. Not a Gnosis mark, that was obvious at a glance. The hand fell back into the water with an unpretentious plop.

"After that ... I will attempt to build a relationship with her, I suppose. I just know I will not feel right until I find her." A scowl. "This all sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud."

[Rhode]

"It is not ridiculous," Rhode stated firmly. He had watched Seven stoically as he moved through the pool and stated his intentions, but now he looked away. "Most people I've met, they know how to get through their lives, but they don't have a clue where they're going. They lack...real goals. You, Seven, seem to be the other way around. You know what you have to achieve, but you don't know how to get there. When you have a goal, and a path," Rhode paused, splashing his face with hot water with one set of arms, while smoothing his fine black hair down with another. "It won't sound ridiculous anymore." He turned towards the edge of the bath and grabbed one of his towels, and began patting his hair dry, while calmly turning back to face Seven. "At least, that's my experience."

Rhode knew now what it was that had driven him to follow Seven. He had no doubt that the boy was being kind to him when he had apologized, but it was more than that. It was like looking in a warped mirror; despite the obvious differences in size, race, and demeanor between the two of them, Rhode and Seven shared a few key similarities, and just as someone looking in a warped mirror would know that despite the disfiguring reflection, they were looking at themselves, Rhode couldn't help but see a bit of his own determination in Seven. He too had a goal that he had to accomplish, he too wasn't entirely sure of how he should go about reaching it, and he had to do it alone, without involving anyone else.

Rhode turned his back to Seven and began climbing out of the bath, covering himself with his second towel as he stepped out. The similarities had unnerved him, but he couldn't just leave him alone. He's not just some animal, living for the sake of living. "I plan to bathe here every evening, near the 21st bell, in the public baths," he said with a thin smile, turning to face Seven, still standing in the water. "If you decide that you cannot continue alone, then do not." With that bit of advice, he nodded slightly, and made his way towards the lockers where he and Seven's belongings were waiting. "I don't think it needs mentioning," he shouted back, his voice reverberating slightly in the near-empty room. "But try not to fight people who are bigger than you, if you can help it. You'll likely die," he called out, as if it were common sense, and then left Seven alone in the bath.

[Archon]

Illumination of Development Dra-Seven +3 Rhetoric +1 Interrogation Lores: It's good to pay attention when walking, Suffering racism, Getting punched really hurts, Eypharians (Basic) Care to see more? : Rhetoric experience for the conversation, and a bit of Interrogation experience for your questioning. Rhode +3 Rhetoric +3 Intimidation +2 Bodybuilding +1 Interrogation Lores: Racism in Syliras, Interest in lesser races, Symenestra (Basic), A distorted reflection Other: -12 GM, -1 SM, and -4 CM for cost of bathing and healing Care to see more? : Rhetoric experience for the conversation, Intimidation experience for making the crowd stand down and back off, Bodybuilding experience for hauling Seven, and Interrogation experience for your questioning. Notes: A nice little introduction thread, it got me very interested in how the relationship between these two will develop.