#{lol noah it's a diner not a tavern}

[tarnishedxknight]

❛  why  are  you  still  here ?  ❜ (Leah to Noah; @mxrvelouscreations

@mxrvelouscreations

The first day was nothing but confusion. The second, frantic denial. On the third, Noah had begun to accept that, through some strange magical happenstance, he was no longer in Ivalice. And by the fourth, he'd begun mourning the loss of his son and, yes, his brother as well. Done alone in the seclusion of the forest, tears were shed, trees punched, and teeth gritted. He vented his anger and grief so that, when he emerged into the public eye, he could be as controlled as he needed to be.

Thank the gods for the forest nearby. Or at least a part of one. It was maybe too small to be a proper forest, but at least it afforded him some privacy and a means of escaping into silence and anonymity. He needed a way to stop the world from spinning, to cease the chaos, so that he could keep himself stable. Sane. The forest provided that and a place to sleep that didn't have people constantly milling about. He was an extremely light sleeper, but even so...

Noah knew he would survive this. He'd survived countless other hardships and losses before, and he'd survive this too. But he had to adapt, and quickly. The only way he could see to do that was to study the people here and become one of them, at least outwardly. And what better place to do that than at a local tavern? There was one close to where he had been camping at night, just a short walk away. He couldn't read the establishment's signage, the alphabet was completely foreign to him, but he could smell food and see through the windows that people were sitting down to eat.

In such a place, there was bound to conversation, gossip, and all manner of information being shared. Noah had simply walked in and sat down, the first day at a table and the second day at a booth, and merely people-watched. He watched, listened, observed... but he didn't order anything. His body's strange physiology due to the nethicite poisoning left him not needing food as often, and besides, he had no coin at present with which to pay. Serving wenches attempted to take his order but he waved them away, trying to focus on gathering information to better understand this world he lived in now.

This... seemed to annoy them, for some reason? The people who worked at the establishment began implying that he couldn't stay there unless he actually ordered something, to which he replied that he wanted to be left alone. When they began talking about calling "the authorities," Noah had looked at them flatly, saying, "I am the authorities." It was perhaps a reflex response on his part, for whatever authority he had in Archadia was likely gone here, however it seemed to work well enough. They left him alone after that, save for saying that strange guy is here again every time he arrived for a new day of reconnaissance.

There was only one serving wench who wasn't afraid of him, and because of that, she intrigued Noah. She seemed to be equally as intrigued by him, though, and that had him on edge, although outwardly he remained calm. After several days of this, she asked him the inevitable question of why are you still here?

"And who are you to question me?" Noah asked, sounding gruff but also a little weary. "I am here because I wish to be. That is all that should concern you." To be quite honest with himself, it was nice to be spoken to. As much as he loved his solitude, he'd had too much of it of late. He couldn't tell her that would like her to stay and talk to him, though. Admitting a weakness like that was dangerous.