middaeg | [ CLOSED ] breaking the ice

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[ CLOSED ] breaking the ice

Who: Anyone who works at Inkchanted, plus their Bonded if they want to tag along! (and anyone who works at The Sly Seadog, too!)
When: early Septeril
Where: at The Sly Seadog in the Harbor District
What: Inkchanted recently got some new employees! This is a mingle for all employees and anyone who they have invited to hang out.
Warnings: please post any necessary warnings in the subject lines!

It's uncertain whose idea it was first. The Sly Seadog is a convenient gathering location, lunch spot and after-work watering hole for many businesses around them in the Harbor, and the Monsters and Witches who work at Inkchanted are no different. The suggestion was floated around after some new employees joined their ranks, someone (Caster, probably?) insisting on a welcoming celebration of some sort for them, everyone else jumping on board either enthusiastically or out of politeness (the latter in Waver's case, though it's not like he hates the idea).

The invitations are informal: all employees strongly encouraged to come, and feel free to bring along your Bonded or significant other if you like! The only thing formal about this is the fact reservations were made at all. Then again, at an establishment like the Seadog, it's not so much reservations as a takeover of the back few tables-- with the owner's understanding, of course.

There are plenty of drinks and food-- with an emphasis on the drinks. The barmaids are generous, and depending on who's ordering, so is their cleavage. Though the place generally stocks cheaper fare more in line with the expectations of the rough-handed sailors who frequent it, tonight there's wine and some finer (maybe middling-shelf, honestly) liquor, on certain people's behest.

Sometimes, a shanties break out among the other patrons, surging through the tavern in a drunken, off-key sway. A fiddler comes around here on occasion, playing for spare coin, and when he does there's always somebody who leaps up, starts pushing aside empty tables and trying to get people to dance.

But the main goal of the evening is to greet the new employees, make sure everyone has a chance to get to know one another... and of course, to get drunk off their asses. Because that's the best way to make new friends!

(( please feel free to make your own top levels, mingle, and start shenanigans! ))

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[ There's a faint pause after that reply before Yona starts giggling, fingers pressed to her lips as she shoots him a bemused glance, understanding in her gaze. ]

They are rather lively, aren't they? [ Especially the large man, and Cu. ] I take it you're not used to these sorts of celebrations?

[ Neither is she, technically, which is why tonight has proved so enlightening. ]

No, not really. But you could say I've been getting used to them. Both the celebrations and the people.

[ It's... odd, isn't it? To find a place to fit into like this, familiar faces to surround himself with. Why, the whole reason they're celebrating is because they want to welcome him in. They're no Greil Mercenaries, and there's no Ike, but... perhaps it's the next best thing. Why, even Ranulf is here. He looks away from her again because he finds a smile threatening to break through. ]

But I'm no stranger to lively groups, really. I'm just content to occupy my own corner, that's all.

[ His lips don't curve up, but his smile shines in the back of his voice and the nostalgic gleam of his eyes. ]

[ Her smile softens in understanding at that, a hint of wistful nostalgia in her own expression as she glances around the room at her newly-made companions, and her Bonded.

Although his statement does get a small laugh from her as she arches an eyebrow at him. ]

And how long do they let you hide in a corner before trying to entice you into joining into their shenanigans? They are very diligent in making sure everyone is included. [ Even her, when she, too, would have melted into a corner to observe. ]

Oh, I can hold my own against their efforts to recruit me. For a while.

[ He props a hand to his hip and releases a sigh, narrowed eyes upon Caster in resignation. ]

But I've been inflicted with a particular weakness for his brand of horseplay. I'm sure you feel it tug on you every now and again, too.

[ Soren's moods are easily influenced by those of who he is Bonded to, in other words. ]

It's only a matter of time...

[ His longsuffering air just has her laughing, soft and delighted as she watches him narrow his gaze at Caster. ]

Oh, I do. Quite often, in fact. But there's no harm in his mischief and I find his humor to be warm. Reassuring. There's something about him that just seems to... hmm. Light up the entire room. He feels bigger than he looks.

[ She doesn't know quite how else she could describe it. But people often find themselves drawn to Caster's light and energy like moths to a flame. She's been no exception, and she suspects Soren isn't either. ]

Besides. Is being drawn into his 'horseplay', as you call it, really so bad?

[ She might be teasing him a little, as she glances over at his exasperated stance. ]

[ Listening to her take a shining to his positive attributes encourages him to reflect upon them while watching him, too, and with the way she decorates him from a spot in her heart Cu must have moved, he swears he can catch a twinkle of that light. He might add sarcastically that the bigness she experiences is just his penchant for being loud or obnoxious, but he doesn't. There really is something about the man that is larger than life. He's felt his warmth before, too. His kindness.

But it hardly compares to the radiance Soren sees in Ike. Still, they are completely different heroes, different people with different stories. Cu's radiance is all his own.

Yes, he can agree that there is a vitality to Cu that brims like an aura. No, he's not going to say it. He's going to flip this back onto her instead. He hums thoughtfully, a faint and airy teasing note drifting along his otherwise serious tone. ]

What flattering words. You must like him quite a lot indeed.

[ There's a faint flush on her cheeks as he turns that around on her, but she just smiles, giving a light laugh as she inclines her head. ]

He was one of the first people I encountered here, and he'd been very kind to me from the start. I'm indebted to him - to Archer, as well. I don't know what I would have done if the pair of them hadn't taken me under their wing, so to speak. But yes, I like them both a great deal. I think I'm fortunate to call them friends.

[ Does she have any idea that his question had other connotations than the simple friendship she'd just explained? Perhaps. But that's... a complicated topic she hasn't exactly delved into with either of them yet.

But, keeping her playful tone, she presses a finger over her lips as she gives Soren a teasing look. ]

But shh, don't tell him that. He gets enough flattery as it is and he's already quite impossible.

It goes both ways, doesn't it? [ The flattery, that is. ] But don't worry. I only use flattery sparingly.

[ He really has demonstrated a nature of kindness, hasn't he? From offering him protection in Dorchacht to helping him when he was worried about the consequences of going Bondless for too long... among other things. There's something to be said about those actions. He's still not completely sure why people like Cu take a liking for him — for a while, Soren even suspected it might be based solely in attraction, given the flirtatiousness he dons at times — but it's not so bad to be liked. ]

Enough about Caster, though. We're unintentionally flattering him by gossiping about him. I'm curious to get to know who else he has attached himself to.

[ That would be you, Yona!]

[ She laughs because he's not wrong, but she leans back in her chair to take another slow, measured sip of her wine. Pacing herself - just in case. ]

Ahh, well I can admit to the same sort of curiosity, in fact. What is it you'd like to know?

Your life before Aefenglom would be a place to start. What you did, what you were a part of, what mattered most to you... Things of that nature.

That's.... [ She pauses. She needs another drink. ] That's a lot of things, Soren.

[ But she laughs softly, shaking her head at herself before taking a deep breath. ]

Well, then I suppose I should start with the first one. I, ah... I was a sheltered princess for most of my life, honestly. But I've spent the last year or so before coming here... just being me. [ She's still a princess, technically, even though she is one exiled and on the run. ] I traveled to many places in my lands. Trying to get to know the people, to understand them. There were troubles and strife, sickness and fighting, and I wanted to learn how I could help.

I had some close companions who traveled with me and I couldn't have wished for better or more loyal friends. I wouldn't have made it without them, any of them. [ Her voice is soft with fondness as she thinks of her dragons, of Hak and Yoon. Of all the others they'd met and befriended along the way. Some in the most unexpected places. ] I suppose... I've been working towards bringing back as much peace and happiness to my people as I can, with whatever skills I have available to me.

[ Which had been a poor few, at the start. It's been a long year, however, and she'd learned so much along the way. ]

[ She was open to pace herself, thinks the dragon, but he lets her open up and talk until she's satisfied to pause. Soren listens patiently the whole way through, but he holds onto the curiosity that sprouted when she first began to speak. ]

It seems risky to let a princess roam across perilous land like that, even with trusted companions. Was there some catalyst for this that goes beyond yearning to understand the troubles of the people?

[ She hesitates but gives a soft laugh, though the sound holds no humor. ]

My father was murdered. [ It's stated with surprising bluntness as she takes another deep swallow of her drink. ] His murderer now holds the throne in my lands.

...

[Why did he ask? Soren's gaze falls down. He had a feeling something bad had happened, and yet he went ahead and satisfied his curiosity anyway. The dip in her mood and the decline into grave subjects settles uncomfortably in Soren's chest. But he's accustomed to the grim trials of death and orphans, war-torn kingdoms and even the struggles of a sheltered princess and the murderer king who usurped her father's reign, so he regards her and her story with no shock, just a somber, accepting sympathy he has trouble knowing how to navigate in conversation.]

I see. I'm sorry, both for that and prying into sensitive matters. I may have gone too far with my questions. Maybe we should talk about your... ah, nevermind.

[Faraway friends could end up bittersweet.]

[ His words - and more, the tone of voice they're spoken in - has her taking a wavering voice for a moment before shooting him a small smile, even though it doesn't quite reach her eyes just yet. She's trying, though. ]

I don't mind answering. I'm just afraid that not all of my answers about home will be... pleasant. [ Which is quite possibly the understatement of the year. And it had been a very busy year back home, before her arrival. Sometimes it felt like so much longer, since that terrible night. ]

Besides, [ she continues, and this time her smile is a little more genuine. ] If we are to be friends, then that includes knowing of one another, does it not? Both the good and the bad. But I hope I didn't ruin your mood in the process...

[ His regrets wash away. Having normal conversations with others that last longer than a few exchanges has never been his forte, so when she reminds him that her life prior to this had been difficult, makes it seem like she's the one who has to worry about revealing something too unpleasant for common company, something in him relaxes. It helps in that regard that he's been soused up. Hegives an easy shake of his head. ]

No, not really. I prefer it when people are honest about themselves, even when the subject gets unpleasant. So thank you for answering. Besides... [ He glances back down at the table, but instead of growing pensive, he raises his eyes back up to meet hers unabashed. ] I will almost certainly spoil the mood if I delve too far into my past life, so there is no point in feeling bad about enduring what you had to. I know what it is like to struggle. Many of us do.

[ She gives him a small understanding smile at that, taking another slow sip of her drink. ]

Mmm, I think that's what makes a connection so much easier here among some, don't you? And so much more important. [ She glances around the room, her gaze lingering fondly on her Bonded a moment before drifting on. ] So many here know what that feels like. How hard it is to overcome impossible odds, or just to go on surviving. I think, having survived something so terrible in our past not only forges us stronger going forward but gives us a level of... hmm. Empathy? When we meet others who have endured the same.

No two hardships are the same, and no two people who suffer through them are the same, either. But... I believe there is some merit to your observation.

[ The people who called him cold and dismissed his capacity for empathy didn't know him well. The ones who did remarked upon how strong it was. Both assessments happen to be true, for if Soren allowed himself to be so soft and receptive to the moods of others all the time, he would surely be hurt, and it would get in the way of the impartiality of the decisions he had to make. ]

However, our experiences don't seem very similar at all. Yours sounds more like the current ruler of our kingdom, Queen Elincia. She was a princess so sheltered from the world that her identity had been kept a secret from all but the royal family. Her parents had been killed by the tyrant from the kingdom to the east, and while she was seeking refuge in an allied kingdom to the south, the mercenary company I was a part of chanced across her while we were fleeing. Her escorts had all been slaughtered, so in her desperation, she enlisted our help.

[ He takes a sip and swallows it down thickly, a thoughtful expression on his face as he recounts the past. ]

I... was originally against helping her. Getting mixed up in all of that was far and away from our best interests. But in the end, she amassed enough support and military power to reclaim the throne, and we were behind her the entire way.

[ An example of his empathy being overridden by better judgment and a sense of self-preservation for him and their group. How would things have gone if Ike and Rhys had heeded his advice not to help the unconscious young woman by the roadside? Poorly, for all of Tellius, most likely. But back then, there was no way even Soren could have predicted the sheer scale of what would follow whether they helped her or not. ]

[ She listens to him intently, a look of fascination on her face as he weaves a tale of a long journey of his own. He's not wrong, she can certainly see the similarity between herself and his Queen. Which placed him far more deeply in line with one of the roles of her dragons. Or perhaps Yoon would be a better comparison? It had been he - and Jae-Ha - that had been the most resistant to offering their help at the first, and understandably so. But she couldn't have made it without either one of them.

But there's something wistful in her expression at the one notable difference there. A matter she hasn't even decided for herself yet. She's not ready and there's still so much she doesn't understand. Most of all if she has any right to take back her father's throne. Or what had pushed Soo-Won into such action in the first place. ]

So she succeeded. She didn't have to hide any longer. [ That's perhaps where the hint of longing lies at its core. But she offers him a warm smile all the same. ] I'm glad. I'm sure it was a great struggle along the way. Such achievements are hard-won and often come at a high cost. She sounds as though she earned your respect, though, despite your reluctance to aid her.

[ This isn't something anyone has ever confronted him about, especially since he always made it clear that his feelings toward Elincia were chiefly of business-related interest: it was her or hers supplying him and his with payment for jobs well-executed. It has been a couple of years or so now that he's even seen her face or heard her name.

She belongs to a time and place he yearns for, so perhaps that helps to color his current feelings toward her, which have evened out since his initial dislike. He'd hated how it was because they decided to help her that they lost their leader, and Ike was left to pick up the pieces of their fragmenting group, a pillar of his family collapsed... how getting involved with her led them into what Soren thought could easily be their demise numerous times. Then there was the meaner part of his cold feelings, a sliver of jealousy and a dread he didn't really analyze nor want to, especially since he had so many more pressing topics of self-analysis to sort through on their journey during the Mad King's War to worry about how a wayward princess could serve to impact him.

Soren takes a while to respond as he ruminates on his opinion toward her, gazing off into the dim shapes moving about the pub as he traces the rim of his glass with his sharp nail. ]

Respect... Hmm. I don't know if I can really say that from the bottom of my own heart. But she has certainly earned the respect of many, including the rulers of other nations. [ He focuses on her again. ] I believe that as she continues to earn experiences, she has the potential to be remembered centuries later as the queen who helped usher in a golden age of peace and prosperity. She could never have gotten to where she is without the sacrifice and toil of others, though. If she were here, she would freely acknowledge that.

[ Ike had done so much for her. She had better not forget that for as long as she lived. But he has a strong feeling she never will. ]

I think that is a part of what makes her well-loved.

[ She doesn't interrupt him when he gets lost in thought, instead just taking another slow, measured sip of her wine. But when he answers eventually, a pang of sadness flickers across her face. There's something in how he phrases that that helps her peer between the lines a little. ]

She wasn't the only one who had to pay a high cost, was she?

[ She could only imagine the type of sacrifice he hinted at, what it might have cost her and those allied with her to ascend to where they were. It was something she both feared and dreaded - another reason she had not yet pursued either vengeance or justice - especially when she was not entirely certain which one was the more pressing. She hated the thought of someone else bearing the price of her words or actions, even though she knew it was a very real possibility. ]

Of course not. Wherever we went, the land would be soiled in the blood of those who fought with or against us, and even those who weren't fighting at all. That is just the nature of war. If she had given up, though... the cost to all nations would be far greater than if she had rolled over and let herself be captured. There were darker, direr schemes at play than just a twisted despot bent on forging his new world order. With no one to stop him, humankind itself would have most likely been erased.

[ For the most part. ]

[ Those were different stakes than she faced back home. But the threat to innocent lives remained just as high. The picture he painted was a grim and stark reality of what could very well lie ahead of her, too. Unless she could find a different path. But she was hardpressed to find one yet. ]

...I keep hoping there will be another way. That I won't have to choose that path. I'm not certain yet that the consequences will outweigh the cost, but I fear... [ She stops, trails off, and then shakes her head, offering him a wry smile. ]

We've gotten too serious again. But I appreciate you telling me your tale. It gives me much to think about. I hope in the aftermath of what your lands and people have endured, that they have a brighter future ahead of them for it.

I believe that they do.

[ He's good at darkening conversations simply by holding honest ones. He withdraws his focus down to the table, understanding his foible and how misplaced he is in even company that is supposed to be jubilant or full of life and spirit. It reminds him that he is out of his element here, drinking and merrymaking, socializing with no purpose beyond fortifying the bonds between everyone. If he can turn this around to something that won't sink her into a spell of gloom, that would be better for everyone. ]

There is little point in worrying too much about the fate of all that is riding upon you. What will happen will happen. Especially here, while you are separated from it. [ He stops peering contemplatively at his scaled and folded hands, remaining calm and measured as he speaks. ] If you want a positive outlook to finish this thought off with, I can give you one. Your time here will allow you the opportunity to mature and grow in unique ways, should you go back remembering all of this. If you forget Aefenglom upon your return, then at least the burden of your position is lifted for now. You can do things you could never have dreamed of as a sheltered princess. And you've already gained some trusted companions here as well, it would seem.

I have. [ She can't help the way her gaze drifts automatically to where Archer and Caster are, fondness softening her expression for a moment before she looks back to Soren.

His manner is serious, but his words are encouraging in their own way. It's the way she's tried looking at all of this, all along. She doesn't know what the future holds for her - whether it be here in this strange city of magic and monsters, or back home among her dragons and friends. The reminder from him is appreciated, and he's offered a warm smile all his own. ]

And finding more in unexpected places all the time. Thank you, Soren. I'm grateful for the reminder.

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silentsavant - 2020-12-13 08:05 (UTC) - Expand

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