#grymfared 01

[hcrpyiia]

@grymfared

It's rather interesting how she only started embroidering for one specific person, but it has gradually become a newfound hobby of her's. Yumine has been at this work for what seemed like hours. Had she taken a break yet? Probably not, but while she worked her piece, she's listening to something on her phone. A kind of music that could put anyone's mind at ease and she hums along the song being played.

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "Hey, any way I can help! What kind of hero would I be if I didn't help out someone who needed it?" Ignoring that initially he was only watching and observing the new visitors that poured into the populace, he was going to help, Malchior just beat him to the punchline was all.

"Oh, yeah, it was pretty nasty. Came back with a broken arm too, it was reaaaaal bad. Def if you can help it don't make a habit of it. The place you get thrown afterwards is a real creepypasta of a labyrinth." But that was enough of elaborating on something Hawks didn't want to recount, "Mages, though? Sounds cool! Like a fantasy tabletop rpg or something!...Though, that's just reality for you, ain't it. No rpg about it, that's for sure."

"Mmmmm!!! It's kinda random who shows up here!" The avian explained with a satisfying stretch as they walked along the sidewalk, bustling with new residents, "But yeah, my pupil was here for awhile. So, def not out of the question: but don't get your hopes up about it, you'll get stuck in your head if you do that I think!"

"And uh. I don't think so: to the dream thing. It's like this is it's own reality separate from the one's we hail from! Pretty neat, right?"

Lips drew in a content 'v' as he peered up at the other, holding his phone up to Malchior, implying he should take it. His phone had maps pulled up, pins littered the map, notably in clusters. It seemed like they were restaurants and businesses for him to visit, meticulously organized by color too. But, that's not why he passed his phone up to the other. "Here, can you place a pin on the ward they've got you staying? It should be on that brochure they gave you in the cab ride."

You'll get used to this place in due time says the winged man- Hawks ⎛ another bird, and there's something bittersweet about that, isn't there? ⎠ and Malchior gives a small nod. At the very least, it seems he'd found someone willing to help. Hawks had that sort of aura about him, not unlike Raven's friends. Weren't they all young heroes? Too young to be fighting like that, although he'd met knights younger- and Rorek had been young ...

He follows Hawks closely, observing the other using the phone- Malchior had been given one of those when he'd arrived, but he hadn't taken time to figure it out yet. Maybe it would be helpful considering- people probably weren't going to send messages to others by using familiars.

As they continued to walk, Malchior took time to really try to process what he was being told. People were taken from their home dimensions- if he had to guess, Herald had sent him here with that trumpet of his- but wasn't that his own fault for working with the Brotherhood? They'd offered him a form of freedom ... he should've simply left. And despite everyone being displaced from their homes, it seemed they carried on. Getting jobs, having relationships, a fresh start, perhaps.

❝ That is still quite a bit to take in, but thank you Hawks. ❞

The part about dying, though- that one hits hard. ❝ I take it you speak from experience on that one? Of coming back to life? ❞

❝ Many mages have tried to master death, but I know of none who have succeeded, at least not from where I am from. Temporary existences are possible, but they are far from the same thing as that which they were when they lived. ❞ Still, it's somewhat comforting to know ... this life that he has been given is truly something new.

❝ If we are all from different worlds, it would still be possible to run into others from the same world, right? There is someone who I would like to meet again ... although with how disorienting this entire thing is, perhaps it would be better to know if there's a way to reach those who are not here- perhaps through dreams or the like? ❞

[aurelsabre]

starter - @grymfared

Meeting new people after being got here for a long time isn't so bad as long as humans aren't as annoying as last time she was here. Narberal was here to investigate a little hence wished she can sense magic but not sure if she can. Doesn't matter.

"Pardon me, are you also a magic caster?" Curiosity abound the adventurer. Had to stop strolling for a while.

[hanabisays]

He must miss her a lot. The way he talked about her gave Hanabi that impression. It was similar to how she missed her father. Maybe there was a hint of difference, but man. MAN, she missed her dad.

She wants to ask this stranger what happened. What caused him and his apprentice--this important person to him to have separated on bad terms. It isn't what he said, but if it wasn't a good one then surely something had caused their falling out. She doesn't dare ask though. Opening wounds that perhaps were in the process of healing was never fun.

"I'm sorry that the two of you had to part ways though." That was at least the only thing she could offer him. Maybe in the future they'll meet again?

Hanabi shakes her head, "I have to be." She tries to sound strong, but....well, her voice quivers. "I have to be strong all the time. Anyway! Being strong is my absolute specialty. I'm built different, you see?"

Malchior's tempted to reach out to her, because this was how Raven was when he first met her. A gloomy girl, lonely. She'd wanted a friend; he'd wanted ... what, another Rorek? So he'd told her stories of days long since gone, of things that had been, of things that never were. Belatedly, he realized that she had been rather smitten with him. He knew she had cried after everything. He'd heard her even from the chest she'd locked the grimoire in. What would he say if he saw Raven again?

Was she a friend of yours?

❝ Raven was my ... apprentice. All mages seem to have at least one or two across their lifetimes. She was my second; I doubt I'll take another ... ❞

❝ She is someone important to me. I would like to think that we had been friends. ❞ She'd laughed with him. She'd told him her secrets, her hopes and dreams and fears. When they started working together, she was always so blue- and when the day came for her to uphold her end of their bargain, she was dressed in white.

❝ We ... parted ways, I wish it had been on better terms. ❞ The way this girl holds herself reminds him so much of Raven's early days- Malchior had wished to give her comfort; that part had not been a lie, even if most everything else had been.

❝ You most certainly aren't okay, but no one can be strong at all times. If there is a grief you carry, don't hide it, don't let it fester. I am here to listen, if you would like to get it off your chest. ❞

[weavebcund]

GALE IS GROWING ACCUSTOMED TO THE ODD LOOK OR TWO. His attire, he'd learned very quickly, isn't standard for the people of this city ( for the most part; what with so many of them being brought here from more familiar lands, he strangely enough feels less and less out of place ) and even if it were, the denizens here seem to have a way of sniffing out newcomers, so to speak. He must look like something of a tourist. The notion isn't appealing.

This, though, is new, the intent stare that drills into the back of his neck, focused enough to cause him to search the smattering of passersby. A noise draws his attention more readily to the source— there, the man with the cat; no, a tressym. Gale feels a lurching tug in his chest. He does miss Tara, terribly so.

Transfixed by the animal, it's a moment before his gaze wanders to the face of the stranger at her side, the stricken look on his face, the glimmer in his eyes. A flurry of emotions descends upon him, confusion and worry ( has he done something? Is the man hurt? Gale hasn't got a single healing spell in his repertoire ) before the other seems to come all at once to his senses, drawn back into reality from whatever moment he was just caught in. Understanding dawns, the wizard's brow furrowing.

"Appreciated," he lifts a hand, as though to ward off the apology, "but hardly necessary. And I am sorry." It's nothing he's done, he knows. Nothing he could prevent. Gale... he thinks he might respond similarly, in other circumstances. Has before. A glimpse of long hair, a scent on the wind. She would never be drawn to the places Gale has gone, lately, but the thought of a clandestine encounter does linger. The absence aches all the more at such reminders.

"Let me buy you something? I've taken your time," inadvertently, and hardly more than minutes, but it feels wrong to leave someone so distraught and then run off. "The least I could do is pay you for it." An arm sweeps out towards the street - there's a bookshop in the area he's been visiting far too often, cafes on most corners - before he then offers the tressym a small wave. Clever creatures, they are, and too dignified to accept an offered hand without first passing their own judgment on those before them. Or perhaps Tara is just particularly uppity ( whether Gale got that from her or vice versa is a matter of ongoing debate ).

❲ @weavebcund ❳

This strange city was a far cry from the familiar surroundings of Baldur's Gate, or in fact any place in Faerûn that Malchior had ever been in. Well, maybe that was a lie- there were some similarities, but not enough for him to feel any sort of comfort- he'd been able to navigate somewhat ⎛ mostly with Raven's help- truly, the tressym had been his saving grace after he'd fallen into such misery ⎠ - the locals found him handsome and charming, he had caught a fair amount of people looking his way, and wasn't that nostalgic?

He and Rorek had been rather well liked back in Baldur's Gate. And speaking of Rorek ...

Brown hair with a gentle wave. The garb of a wizard- Malchior's heart skips a beat and he snatches Raven up from the spot she'd chosen for a quick nap ⎛ much to her chagrin- ⎠ and the tressym lets out a startled meow as she's squeezed a little too tightly.

Numbly, Malchior loosens his grip and allows her to land beside him as he simply stares at the man before him. Upon closer inspection, the man is most certainly not Rorek, but ... perhaps in another lifetime ...

He sees himself growing old with the wizard at his side. They spend their youth exploring Faerûn, considering following the path of the city's founder- deciding against it in favor of simply settling down, because they've earned it. Rorek is older, but no less handsome, and Malchior's white hair doesn't look so out of place for his age. Two tressyms are curled up by a warm hearth- In another life, they're happy.

The vision fades and he's faced again with the situation at hand. Raven looks up at him with no small amount of concern, and Malchior realizes that he's crying. ❝ Sorry- I ... ❞

How was he supposed to explain this one?

❝ You ... I thought you were someone else- an old companion of mine ... ❞

[atokrina]

       SHE HAD NOT EXPECTED TO be interrupted, to be faced with another by the stream she had crouched by. but even as neytiri had lifted a cupped hand full of water to her mouth and let the coolness wash down her throat, her ears had flicked at the sound of a branch snapping across from her. the beads in her hair had clattered sharply as she'd whipped her head around to face the new threat, eyes narrowing at the sight of a sky person emerging from the trees. neytiri had tensed immediately, hand ready to snatch her bow at a moment's notice.

    instead of attacking, though, he'd simply begun to speak, soft tones directed towards the sky. words that made a low, raspy growl ripple up from her chest and her eyes to narrow further. whether he knew it or not, the topic of discussion wasn't one she was particularly fond of. ❛ Those that come from beyond the stars bring only pain, and suffering. The do not respect the balance of life or those that follow it. ❜

    her nostrils flared, bringing the scent of smoke and fire. ❛ My people are of the earth, of Eywa and her gifts. That is all I care about. ❜

malchior isn't unfamiliar with beings from distant stars- if that's what this one was. certainly he'd never seen any being on earth like her. she holds herself like a warrior and a wise-woman, a favorable combination if he had to say so himself. both sides seemed rather clear in the way she looked at him with curiosity, yet seemed to take note of every other movement around them.

could she tell that he wasn't human? maybe that was what was causing her to seem so tense. or was it simply that she was also new to this realm? as he'd seen, plenty of people of all sorts had arrived with very little explanation-

❝ they say that we were brought here by the stars, ❞ he begins, turning his gaze from the tall alien to the heavens- clear skies that had not so long been darkened by an eclipse.

❝ where i come from, people have many different beliefs on the stars. some say that they were made by the gods, some simply say they came to be on their own. we mages used them to guide our magics- ❞ at least, he'd watched rorek draw magic from the stars long ago ... in a different time. a softer time.

❝ what do the stars mean to you? ❞

❲ @atokrina ❳

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ "Don't worry about that, then! Everyone here's far from home, you'll get used to this place in due time." Adjusting his visor to now sit atop his head, "You're definitely not alone there, so everyone can understand you and your plight."

"Malchior, huh?" A bit of a dramatic name, in all honesty, but, it was one Hawks could commit to memory pretty easy. "Everyone 'round here calls me Hawks." The heteromorph gestured for Malchior to follow him, already padding away at his smartphone while he walked and talked with the other.

"Well, for starters, once you come to terms with this place being your new temporary home, it moves a lot faster for you." Hawks had accepted it easily enough himself, but, he had many things holding him back at home which just simply didn't exist here. So, it was easy for Hawks to just be Hawks with no expectations or strings attached.

"As far as the city goes, it seems like we're all from different worlds or dimensions, seemingly spirited away for no rhyme or reason." The avian began to prattle on, "But, don't mistake it as some inbetween of life and death, you're very much alive here. If you die here, you actually die...Though, you will respawn for some reason. Speaking from experience: take my word for it." His free hand pointed towards his gut, only implying he'd been impaled in the past.

"Spirale's pretty chill, once you get over the initial shock factor. A lot of us do our own things, run our own businesses, start relationships, all that jazz. I think you'll like it if you give it a chance."

The red wings certainly catch the mage-dragon's attention. He hasn't seen something like this in quite some time ⎛ because the winged ones of the past are long since gone, and even if they existed in the era where he had been freed ... they were likely far from the eyes of humans. That was probably for the best. ⎠ and he can't help but give a small smile. Plus, this winged-man was being considerate, and Malchior had learned his lesson about first impressions time and time again. ❝ Ah, it is not such a bad thing to be curious, ❞

❝ I suppose I am frustrated, though. I am far from home and know not a single person here- it is rather lonely. ❞ The enchanted tome is forgotten, the dragon-mage's attention now fully turned to his companion. ❝ To think that the greater powers of the world would send me so far ... I am out of time and out of place. ❞

Blue eyes reflect a deep melancholy, and this time, it isn't an act. Malchior hadn't been aware of his loneliness on this level in quite some time. In truth, he had always been lonely, except the brief time in his long life where he had a companion- Rorek was long since gone, now, and when he had tried to re-create the archmage in the girl with the bird's name, things had gone poorly.

Had he been the one seeking freedom, or did he just want to gain something else from all of that?

❝ I am Malchior, Archmage of the Kingdom of Nol- ❞ The easy lie, but it might as well be the truth now with the tome lost ⎛ and Rorek was his better half, he remembered how they laughed together, looked up at the stars and understood their souls would always be connected ⎠ - ❝ I seek guidance of what to do now that I have found myself here. Can you tell me of this Spirale so I may learn how to find peace with it? ❞

[hanabisays]

If anyone were to ask her if she liked this whole color thing, she would say Not really. On a deeper level though, she didn't like that she could be perceived. People can see the thing she's hidden so hard. Buried deep within her core. Not even her best friend Haru could spot the inner war she has with herself and now...now everyone can see it.

She isn't the only one. She knows that much, but damn. The guilt of feeling that she wishes she WAS the only one who didn't have to go through this is so, so strong.

And here, she isn't even alone. A stranger sees her. TRULY sees her and she feels vulnerable in his eyes. He's right to think that she'd wrap her arms around herself because that's exactly what she does.

"I'm really okay." She attempts to reassure but fails miserably.

"That person....was she a friend of your's?"

❲ @hanabisays ❳

There's sorrow that radiates from her, it's permeated the space around her, and Malchior simply watches. Because of course he does. He's distant and proud and so very numb, because very little has been written in any color on his pale gold ⎛ parchment ⎠ body. He's dipped his fingers in various paints he's seen around the Ward, but he's yet to truly stain- to be filled with anything other than the base magic of a dragon. Not that it's such a bad thing, but ... it's so strange not being able to feel much at all. He has to re-learn emotion, a rather important thing to have in the first place.

❝ Your soul aches, ❞ he says, because he's felt in in the color as he's walked over it. It's dull, but he pities her for it.

Her color feels like the weight of the world, and Malchior wonders if he'll be filled with something like that, too. Surely, if he stays too long, if she reaches out to grab him- although she seems in a state where she'd be more likely to wrap her arms around herself. ❝ Carrying such pain at your core ... I once knew someone else like that- filled with a burden that was not meant to be hers. ❞

[wingherc]

｢𓆄｣ Whenever an eclipse brought new residents to the island, Hawks had found himself perched at vantage points well above the ground and out of sight to get a feel for what the new wave of residents would bring. And sure, maybe he did find the other's movements more suspicious than the rest.

But, he wasn't jumping to any conclusions...And then he was called out to. Which, if you asked Hawks, he thought he was pretty well hidden, but maybe this guy had some acutely heightened sensitivies just like he did!

So...He wasn't going to stew in it for long. And it's not like Hawks was plotting anything, just simply watching. The pro-hero rose from his perch and stepped off, hands in his pockets and wings flared to slow his descent and catch the wind.

"Hey. Sorry, couldn't help myself, you seemed particularly frustrated, and I got curious." Coy eyes traveled upwards to meet Malchior's own, them slightly closing in delight with a chill and relaxed smile.

"What's got you so worked up? Maybe I could help."

It must look rather unbecoming of him, scowling at the vibrant journal that seemed to have been enchanted to sing- which perhaps would be charming to anyone who wasn't Malchior, last of the great Fire Drakes of the northern mountains, chiefest and greatest of calamities- and maybe if he had a way to break the enchantment on it, he'd feel less annoyed. He'd considered throwing it into the ocean, but ... it had been given to him when he'd found himself in such a daze ... when he'd been brought through a city full of light to an apartment ... of course he knew what that was, and certainly hadn't asked the odd guide who had been so kind as to drive him there. Of course he knew what a car was- he didn't ask about that either! That would be rather foolish if he didn't know- but he certainly did, and he was most certainly not suffering in the way of a man who had been thrown so wildly far from his own era! By his account, everything was just fine, thank you very much!

He wasn't very convincing in that regard, and deep down he knew it. But if nothing else, he had always been rather skilled at pretending, and why would it be any different now?

It's different because he's defenseless and he knows he's being watched. Not because he sees anyone directly in front of him, but because he's a dragon, and dragons were always aware of their surroundings. In order to protect their treasures from thieves, or to detect the presence of those who would wish to take their heads back to kings and queens in exchange for glory- ❝ I know you're there. Are you simply content to continue watching, or will you show yourself? ❞

❲ @wingherc ❳

[aurelsabre]

Narberal blinked twice as he gave her that. She does have a keen eye when it comes to some stuff. A maid must know her surroundings fully, after all. Now to hear his life story.

It seems that he had lost his kingdom, probably many years ago or depending on Malchior's timeline on his world. Much like reminds her of how Re-Estize falls into rubble. She listened to it. All of it.

Whatever his magic is, surely powerful. Possibly stronger than hers.

"Curiosity. Here, rarely seeing magic casters around." She was honest about this. "What kind of element does your magic have? I only use one element, which is thunder."

She wished to show her stuff but they're locked at this moment.

It's not the first time he's been asked such a thing. Malchior had crafted his human body far before Rorek of Nol had been a thought in the universe- the dread dragon had seen those whose lineage would cumulate in the archmage grow old and die; a thousand years in a tome was still such a brief part of his long life- for dragons were made of magic. It reminds him of when he first went to the kingdom-

Are you also a magic caster? He can't help but smile.

❝ You have a keen eye, then, if that's the first thing you ask of me - ❞

❝ Long ago, I was a great mage, yes, but the kingdom I once lived in is long since in ruins. ❞ It's the story he had told Raven, too, and it wasn't the true story at all. He'd romanticized everything that happened back then, because what sort of person would have let him out if he hadn't altered that, too? Because Rorek was not quite the hero he wished to make himself out to be, and Malchior was, of course, the dread dragon. It sounded much better if the story was one of a brave archmage who went to slay a dragon instead of the tragedy of the dragon who watched the only mortal he had ever loved succumb to a sickness of the mind-

Here, he had no need to spin the tale, but it came naturally to do so. Some habits were hard to break.

❝ Are you seeking a mage for a certain reason, or is it simply curiosity that makes you ask? ❞