Closed Path of the Wolf

[Valo]

Out of the void of the sea came a great boat, lazily rocking on the water surface like a baby in a crib. It eased into the docs and as the ramp went down, men of all shapes and sizes began spilling out of its bowels. "There goes the peace and quiet." thought Valo as he observed the sailors and newcomers. But from the crowd a single figure had caught his eye. A slender youth, with lovely auburn hair. It was the closest colour that human hair could possibly be, comparing to that of Inarta.

Maintaining a substantially balanced step, the boy came towards Valo who replied with a smile, before realising he was doing so. Ah the pleasantries of social behaviour, how easily they become rooted in one's very core, until they are nothing less than second nature. But the man seemed friendly enough, so instantly Valo had deemed him worthy of his smile.

Nodding his head, Valo stood up to greet the man with a hand shake. "I am at your service." Valo replied with a note of joy, to his soothe voice. "Might I enquire as to where you came from? And perhaps your name, sir?"

[William Hague]

William’s spirit lifted as the man flashed a white smile in his direction. The man’s grin seemed warm and genuine, at least in contrast to the faded yellow leers of the sailor from the ship’s voyage. As he grew closer he fully appreciated the man’s shock of long red hair. William considered his own auburn hair quite unique, but he could not recall witnessing anyone bearing such vibrant red hair and pale skin as the man before him in Sylira. He truly was in foreign lands now.

As the man inquired of his origin and name William readily replied, “Hague. William Hague. From Stormhold in Sylira.” He held out his hand to shake.

This truly was a lucky start. But a kind welcome was not all that he needed, though it was appreciated. What William needed was a guide for the city, one that would not leave him dead in a ditch or cost him the entirety of his meager fortune to employ. In Stormhold the knights enforced a policy of providing guides to newcomers in the city but William knew of no such organization in Zeltiva. In fact he did not know much about Zeltiva at all. This was the problem he would need to overcome and he needed to do so quickly. Hopefully this man could help with that.

“I come to Zeltiva in search of knowledge. But I must admit I bear little knowledge of Zeltiva. What is your name sir? And do you care to help a stranger in a strange land?”

He knew it might be a bit naïve to admit his ignorance but frankly William felt he had little choice. At worst he could ditch the man if he felt his motives were insincere and at best he might make friend. The trade off seemed worth the risk.

[Valo]

Valo grinned as he repeated the man's name in his head. He was usually so good with names, but several days back he had somehow forgot the name of a young Kelvic girl he had the pleasure of meeting. This got to him a little and he was not going to repeat that mistake again.

"The name is Valo and if it is knowledge you seek, providing that you have the mizas, you should enrol your self at the university. And since you just arrived I take it, you don't have a place to stay for the night. And the inns here are expensive. The university will provide you with lodgings as well as knowledge." he he explained, trying to be as friendly as possible without freaking the man out. He remembered the first time he stepped onto Zeltivian soil and oh, how a guide such as him self would have been helpful back then. Someone who would keep him from wasting his money on alcohol and courtesans. "Of course it is quite expensive, so you should think it over before you make such a commitment. But if you need a guide around the city, I guess I have nothing better to do, so I'd be glad to help." he added swiftly.

He had taken an instant liking towards William. Perhaps it was his first for knowledge, which made Valo very happy inside. He naturally gravitated towards those who were enthusiastic and well educated.

Suddenly Valo realised he had forgotten the reason he was here. Alex and that girl! He felt like he needed to know what happens to them. But somehow his view was now obstructed by the crowd, so instead he directed his full attention to William.

[William Hague]

William felt a great load lifted from his shoulders as the man now known as Valo offered to serve as his momentary guide and companion around the city. William was not certain if it was all the time bereft of reasonable companionship, the great favor the man had given him, or simply Valo himself, but William found himself feeling liking the man more in a matter of moments than he had liked most of the men he knew over a decade back home.

The chances of encountering a friendly individual’s in a world overrun with wild beasts and the forces of nature were slim. The sheer amount of luck involved with encountering such a rare individual at this exact moment in time, as he stepped unto crowded docks in foreign lands, told William he had made the right decision. He was one step closer to fulfilling his goal.

“I cannot even begin to relate how grateful I am to you for your offer to assist me Valo and I will take you up on your offer. For you to aid a stranger such as me, on a whim, is truly representational of the immense character you must possess,” William replied sincerely.

A small part of his mind, the wary pragmatics drilled into him by his father, urged caution. It was rare for an individual to be so helpful. That did not rule out the man from being genuine but it warranted greater investigation.

“Valo, I have stated my intent for being here but I am curious as to your own?” he asked politely before adding quickly adding, “If you don’t mind saying that is.”

[Alex Cromwell]

OOC: seeing as Tabitha is no longer posting on this thread, I will continue posting but will give her a swift exit. Then, I am going to close the thread, so that no one else will join.

BIC: Suddenly, Alex heard voices coming form the alleyway. He craned his neck to hear the conversation. It was between two human men, one of whom had just come off of the boat. He smelled the air. The other male smelled like a mixed human. It smelled familiar. The bar! He had followed him from the bar. Alex pushed past the girl who had followed him after the fight, leaving her at the the docks.

Alex pushed his way through the crowd, making a beeline for the human. There was no way that he was going to get away without Alex getting some answers first. If this guy was another hunter in disguise, there would be blood.

[Valo]

It was luck indeed; that Valo just happened to be there at the docs. Most men would be itching to exploit a newcomer, but not him. His mother had drilled manners and honesty and helpfulness into him from a very young age and this made him a truly honourable being. But there was indeed a hidden agenda behind his actions towards William. One that Valo would not admit, for he was a lonely man and he grabbed at any chance of relieving his loneliness.

“Valo, I have stated my intent for being here but I am curious as to your own?” William asked politely before quickly adding. “If you don’t mind saying that is.”

Valo smiled warmly. The gentle crescent of his lips was like glowing embers of a hearth in mid-winter. Once again his openness shone though, or perhaps he just enjoyed talking about himself. He didn't spent a good few years on the road to just keep it all to himself. Adventures need to be shared. "I am here for the exact same reason as you, only without the means of achieving my goal just yet. You see, an artist lives his life in poverty and madness. That's just the substance of this world." he replied. "I live in a little flat in one of the residential quarters. Perhaps you should visit me some time, once you settle into the spirit of Zeltiva." Valo added.

A shape appeared in his peripheral vision; and it was times like these that Valo thanked Mother Nature for gifting him with impeccable eye sight. At first it was just a silhouette among the crowd; but as it came closer, its features became clearer. It was Alex and there was something about his body language that made Valo momentarily consider a swift escape.

None the less, he stood there, half facing the man in the fur cloak. A crescent of a smile upon his lips. If it comes to conflict, he will handle it like a gentleman.

[William Hague]

William allowed himself to relax a bit as the man explained that his motivation was the same as William’s own. This made sense as most folk rarely travelled. It was simply too risky and expensive to do so. That left a limited list of motivations. He couldn’t be absolutely sure Valo wasn’t lying. But he decided that as long as Valo did not lead him down any lonely dark alleys in the immediate future that he would take the man at his word.

As Valo spoke further and offered for him to visit him at his flat, William became even more flattered. Unfortunately it also caused his stomach to tighten once more in concern. He needed to find viable lodging for himself as well.

“Thank you for your offer Valo, I am positive I will take you up on it. Is there any place here that a man might find reasonably priced lodgings for a night? I must admit I have little coin to my name and I must dispense of what few mizas I have with as much prudence as possible.”

It was only as he finished speaking that he noticed the man in the fur cloak approaching, William’s considerable height allowing him to see over the crowd but a sideways glance told him that Valo had already picked up on the man before him and that he seemed relatively unconcerned. Believing it some acquaintance of his new friend, he simply quieted and waited for the man’s arrival.

[Alex Cromwell]

Alex reached the two men, momentarily coughing due to the strong smell of salt coming off of the man who had just disembarked from the boat only moments ago. The man on the right had long red hair, and his finely tailored clothes made him out to be some sort of high class citizen. The man on the left stank of the ocean, and he was clearly not from here. He spoke to the red-haired one.

"I am Alex, of the Cromwell family. Do you work for the hunters? Why are you spying on me?"

[Valo]

There was a cheeky smile on Valo's face. Perhaps this wasn't the smartest of moves, but he found the whole situation insincerely amusing. "No I do not work for the men who attacked you; those hunters, as you called them." he replied before adding. "But then again if I did, would I really tell you? Hmmm..."

Upon his travels in his earlier years, Valo had once came across a very wise woman. Incredibly wise, beyond her years some might say. She once told him "Do not play with the wolfs if you wish to keep your hands Valo." He never quite understood the hidden message. Little did he know that in this case there was no hidden message.

[Alex Cromwell]

Alex's eyes narrowed. The color of his eyes became a brighter red. It only happened when he began to morph. He glared at the man who had taunted him. He lowered his voice to the deep growl of the Kelvic wolf.

"I will ask you one more time. Who are you and why are you spying on me?"

Alex had little patience for humans who played games. He would get the information, one way or the other. Alex fingered the sword on his belt, and cracked his neck, waiting to see if the human would buckle under the pressure.