abraxaslogs | WELCOME TO SOLVUNN!

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WELCOME TO SOLVUNN!

WELCOME TO SOLVUNN!

Welcome to Solvunn! Bright suns and merriest of welcomes to you! The portal opens in a vast field on the western side of town surrounded by cattle, with a distant view of the bustling marketplace. The first impression of the settlement is one of idylic, country charm. There are no looming structures or crowded streets. Instead, there are cozier houses on wide streets and community buildings made of stone and wood. A gentle breeze rolls across the field and the sun is high in the sky.

There's not as much magic here as in other locations, but it's there. No one will be stopped from entering Solvunn, though suspicion will be cast upon new arrivals. Citizens will be friendly and welcoming, but curious about their new visitors. It isn't often that they welcome new folks- especially not so many at once!

With tensions between the other communities, Solvunn will not be keen on ratting out those who fled Thorne, but with the knowledge that sanctuary will not be given for free. Everyone does their part, whatever that part may be.

Asking questions will result in being told to find Rowan March, one of the council members, somewhere in the marketplace.

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[ That's not a typical observation for someone to make--or to seek out, really. It's enough for Himeka to frown slightly, cocking her head to the side. ]

People that need killing?

[ It's not a sentiment she hasn't heard before by any means--and certainly not one that's been expressed to her in no small amount due to her reputation--but that isn't here. And it's not something someone normally says to strangers. ]

The only blood I've spilt have been a handful of chickens and a boar for some coin and a share of the meat.

[His already ruddy face turns a blotchy red as he folds in on himself a little, clutching the books to his chest.]

Sorry. [And he does sound a little remorseful, immediately less tetchy.] Everything's just happened all at once and it's... you know, a-a lot.

[He's not great at change.

But he takes a deep breath and stands up straighter: he does recognise the elf, a little. Saw him enough to know his face, but he never got a name.]

I think most of his interests can be summed up as chaos and violence. He's bored out of his skull here trying to behave. [Which, he won't deny, was amusing in the same way it was worrying.] I, um. I offered to stay with him, actually, which is probably why he's not bothering you so much. He's already got a willing target.

[There's a sort of resigned, grim cheer to the way he says that.]

"Hmph."

The idea has occurred to Estinien, but he would feel remiss giving them too much credit, despite having seen similar tactics bear fruit with his own eyes. Aymeric accomplished so much while trying to play by the See's rules. Yet, though he doesn't want to admit it... part of it is that though he can think that way about it, he doesn't want to right now.

He's still too angry, too bitter and hurt. In some ways, it's easier to lump those that fought him in with the rest. After all, they've yet to give him a reason to think better of them. Still... there is a grimness to the memory of just how angry he felt while staring them down.

"...I would have killed them all, if I could," he says more softly. While the shame of it is not overt, there is a hesitance there - as if he's worried about the implications. Like he's worried about what she'll think of him. "Every one of those bastards defending him. For a moment, 'twas all I could think of."

Yup. Apparently, there are some pirates that are about and the unlawful are always ripe for target practice.

[ Did anyone tell Nero specifically that they wanted them killed? No. Did anyone insinuate it? Not really. They're a nuisance but some of those that couldn't make it in Solvunn joined said pirates' ranks; there may be some hard feelings but not hard enough to be happy about them being hunted for sport like the elf is doing.

To his credit, Nero's also aware he can only do so much stalking and killing before he has to stop -- which is a crying shame, but at least he'll get his jollies off for a bit. ]

Well, isn't that nice? Did you have fun with your hunt?

Not all pirates are unlawful. Are you sure these are?

[ She says like that should be obvious, even...to the contrary that most are. Spending in a time with loosely lawful pirates had changed her opinions just a tad. True neutral pirates. And some chaotic good pirates. ]

Most would consider a striking dummy or wooden target good enough for practice.

[ Is this that sort of moral ambiguity that everyone turns a blind eye to it if you're offing the right people? She can't exactly admonish anyone for that, even if that does seem like the right thing to do. Himeka doesn't fancy herself a total hypocrite and it wasn't all that long ago that she was forced to reconcile her own actions over the past several years.

Still...

She shakes her head. ]

Oh, I didn't do the hunting, just the butchering. Though I am looking forward to fishing as I hear there is something of a challenge of it out on the Tertiary Settlement.

She can sense the thoughts that are brewing without him needing to voice them. She shakes her head, even though he can't see it, slowly moving her orb of healing light up along his spine towards his upper back and neck.

"There's no sense in feeling guilt over something that hasn't happened." It's really as simple as that. They have plenty enough to worry about with what has transpired.

"If you really are in need of something to dwell on, I can offer a few suggestions."

Why?

[That's the most straightforward thing he can think to ask. He'd certainly got the impression that Nero was unhinged, though maybe not quite in the murderous kind of way. It doesn't particularly surprise him, though. His demeanour alone was offputting.

But, why, though? Why would Martin sign up to be the playmate of a person he ostensibly finds wearisome if not actively threatening?]

[ His shoulders, again, lift and lower in an easy and casual shrug. Whether or not they are or not, it isn't a matter that concerns him. ]

I'm afraid that I'm not most people, sweetie.

[ The tone that he uses surprisingly is not condescending. It's more teasing and filled with cheerful mirth, like the two of them are carrying on some friendly banter rather than dealing with Nero's general disregard for all life around him. ]

Shame. [ The elf adds, when she says she didn't do the hunting. But he supposes that he should have guessed. It isn't like a person can hunt chickens. ] Ah, so that means that you're not living out there in the sticks? Here I was hoping that we were gonna be neighbors, cutie.

But yeah, there's a lot of fishing that you can do out there. It's quiet and peaceful... and pretty much so much of it is falling apart. [ Is it? Not really. It's more like the homes and land need a little more TLC than the other areas. However, he doesn't feel like putting in the time and effort with it. So his mangy little home is going to remain mangy. ]

He does have the expression of someone going down a rabbit hole, thinking of the moment he had sworn to them that they would fall alongside their masters. He felt like he was speaking as him, the beast that lurks within his soul. Almost as if some part of the wyrm had awoken in response to his sheer hatred.

He's done that sort of thing before, of course. When he calls upon Nidhogg's power it was, in a way, calling on his spirit, and asking it to bring vengeance. This time, though, it had seemed to speak through him, in a way it hadn't since they were truly one. Maybe it's because he hasn't been this angry since the day Nidhogg died.

He stares down at his feet, covered in scales and twisted into claws, and wonders if this is the simple result of him giving into that bloodlust. Was the relative ease of his life before all that was holding it back?

When she speaks to him, he's obviously distracted, finding sliding over the scales of his ankle. He hears her, though.

"Well, let's have them," he murmurs.

He offered to help me out of jail. A-and even though that didn't necessarily, uh. Pan out the way anyone expected, he still came to check in with me, and even brought me some new clothes.

[They’re even quite nice clothes, a pleasantly soft tunic with a thicker linen overcoat and delicate sunflower-yellow details in the trim. Around the collar of his tunic the symbol for the Empress is a repeating pattern in white.]

So, I figured I might as well keep him company for as long as he'd have me. It's better than being alone, really.

[Estinien would definitely disagree, which might not be surprising if he were still wearing a 'Hermit' emblem - which he's not! He's found that arcana to be fairly worthless to contemplate, but it's accurate. He'd rather be alone than with someone who annoys him.]

Ah. He made me the same offer. He seemed convinced it was a promise he'd be able to deliver on, as if it were only a matter of time till its completion... but I suppose we'll never know if there was any truth to his arrogance.

As it is, I find the man concerning. A degenerate, to be sure.

[He won't get over the comments Nero made about the women in his cell for some time.]

[ She narrows her eyes slightly--not in anger, but in thought. What is his angle, exactly? Is he truly so unconcerned about the repercussions he doesn't mind sharing these sorts of plans willy-nilly? Or does he also feel that sort of kinship with other nonhumans, or perhaps anyone who has escaped Thorne?

And what is her responsibility, now that she knows? Pirates will be pirates no matter their position on the lawfulness scale and she isn't under the sort of delusion that she can nor should resolve their conflicts, no matter those she has made friends and allies of. They have their own code and can certainly defend themselves, though this Elezen man is showing his confidence in his nonchalance, isn't he? ]

No, I suppose not.

[ Himeka sizes him up, from the toes of his shoes all the way to the pointy tips of his ears. She raises a single brow. ]

We'll have to see if that's good or not. But then again, neither am I.

[ There's a swish of her tail at that. ]

I'd heard it wasn't as...put together as the town here. But falling apart?

[ Does this mean they're in need of...crafters? Now if only she had actually learned something other than cooking, she would be golden. ]

[Martin just gently bites his lip.]

I mean-- he's not th-the most... the most upstanding of company, he's a little, uh-- [A fresh brush of red coats Martin's face.] He very much enjoys physical affection, which is fine, I-I'm just not used to that. But he seems like he's trying to do right by me, at least, which... well, I suppose at the moment that's really all we can ask.

She can offer no real explanation as to why he changed. They have theories, similar ones in all likelihood, but no matter her mastery of aetherial manipulation, she is by no means an expert on the philosophy and mechanics of aether itself. It's simply a natural thing to call upon it and have it obey her command.

What would cause it to shift Estinien in this way...is it just the remnants of Nidhogg? Or have their forays into Horizon be part of this as well? She isn't sure either answer would please him.

She's not a philosopher. All she can do is offer some reprieve from the pain and maybe a few moments of distraction.

"How many sheep do you think are outside? I counted at least ten."

[Nero has, by the grace of the gods, not had the opportunity to express physical affection in Estinien's direction. The idea chills him.]

Hmph. Speak for yourself. I would personally ask he refrain from directing perverse comments towards my comrades.

[He huffs.]

...But as you said, you are not his keeper. I only wished to better understand his aims by hearing another perspective.

That's... not what he was expecting. He huffs out a reluctant laugh. She has a way of catching him off guard like that. As he works on healing, he falls silent and stretches, taking a moment to contemplate his answer.

"Many more than that, I expect. To make a living off sheep, one would need a herd much larger than the one I tended to as a boy."

Their herd was supplemental income, from milk, wool, and meat. This is a full-fledged farm - the sort that would require more sets of hands. With that in mind...

"Was it really just the two of them, living here?"

That seems far too few.

The laugh is enough to tell her that her attempt was successful and she smiles to herself. Slowly, she spreads her hands apart, drawing the ball of light wide cross the width of his shoulders.

His question is a decent one, though. She doesn't have all the details as Maeve had not been keen to share all of them, but she does know a few things.

"Mhm," she hums an affirmative. "She'd said that Declan's injury had been making things difficult, so the faster he is out and at it, the better off they will be."

She'd been tired and stern in the market, not something that would put Himeka off anyway, but it became clear that Maeve was managing more than her fair share on the farm. They would likely get a better look at the full run in the morning.

"It's so quiet, isn't it? I don't know where the rest of their family is, but I get the feeling they're all each other has." Her own tail curls forward to rest beside his. "Not just for their kindness to us, but I get the feeling we can do something really good here."

Estinien nods his head, knowing from experience how much losing a person in a farming community could multiply the load on those left behind. Normally, he was much less of a 'helpful' person than Himeka. He didn't always see a tragedy and assume it was his place to do something about it. Yet, in this situation... because of the way Solvunn is, and what they've left behind...

He does want to help. It's because they have already earned his aid with their kindness, but also because he sees something of himself in this place. Coming from a prison, where he can been almost certain he would die, only to stumble upon a farm raising such familiar animals...

He remembers Himeka talking about fate. If he were to take anything as a sign from Halone, he guesses it would be something like this.

"I know enough to take on some of the load as early as tomorrow," he says. He's still starved and exhausted, but he's never been one to spend much time recovering, either. "They need only tell me their routine."

No, that's-- um. That's fair, actually.

[He'd also like the weird pseudoflirting to stop.

He drums his fingers quietly on his books, casting his gaze aside.]

To be honest, ah- I'm not... actually really sure? What his goals are? He rather likes me, actually. [Only this time he doesn't seem too pleased by the notion.] Which-- I don't particularly want to imagine how that plays into all of his... everything else.

I'll save you the trouble. It isn't good.

[ With the locals, Nero plays nice with them. He smiles an empty smile and plays completely by their rules; the killing of pirates is just a treat for him until he can't do it anymore. But why do the bare minimum to get along? Because it'll fuck up the chances the other summoned have to live in Solvunn.

It isn't out of kindness or camaraderie. It isn't out of sympathy or empathy. It is because he simply sees no reason in doing so. If there's no reason, he won't do it.

Which is about the same reason why he cuts through the bullshit and simply tells her that he is not a good person. What's the point in hiding it? What gain is there for him? He hates the idea of people hiding behind ignorance. When some shit hits the fan later because of him, he wants to look them in the eyes and tell them, "You knew what kind of person I was," and they didn't kill him when they had the chance.

So, when she looks at him -- she'll see his easy smile and the confident manner in which he stands. His head cants to the side as he looks her over; his eyes pausing to stare at her chest longer than necessary before returning to her pretty face. His lips curl into a wide, pleased smile at the swish of her tail.

Think the two of us are talking different when it comes to the sort of people we are, but who knows? ]

Anyway, yeah... the area hasn't been given the tender love-making that it needs to make sure that it stands erect and proper. At the moment, it's a bit of a limp dick that's pushing rope. Doing the job but not satisfying anyone.

Edited 2021-09-06 05:10 (UTC)

She's unsurprised that Estinien would be eager to get started, nor that he would feel a connection to this sort of place. She hadn't asked for his thoughts on it nor had she been aware of exactly what kind of farm they had, but once she saw the sheep she couldn't help but spare a number of knowing glances his way in addition to a handful of cheeky grins.

It does feel a little perfect, doesn't it? Perfectly imperfect.

"Considering it will likely be a few weeks before his arm fully heals, I'm sure they will be glad for it."

Despite being a healer, Himeka isn't the sort to admonish him from wanting to get right into things. They are both eager to stretch their legs both physically and metaphorically.

"I'll be up as well, though I'd like to go back into town tomorrow and see what I can do to earn some coin."

She had managed to get them a few things to eat in the interim before she eventually found Maeve, but knowing that their hospitality won't last forever, they should start gathering some currency and supplies to eventually set out to do...whatever it is they're going to do. It's just nice to have the luxury to do that.

There's a lot that Estinien can handle when it comes to hardship, but as it turns out, complete lack of agency over his fate is not one of them. The helplessness of being imprisoned had hurt him more than any other part of it, and fear of having it happen again will stick with him far longer than this accumulated frailness. It doesn't help that, in the end, he wasn't the one to surpass their condition. They had to be saved from the outside by individuals with yet unknown goals.

He shakes his head a little, trying to dispense of the thought. He hates the idea that, despite being free, none of it was by his own merits. He escaped because he was set free and that's it. Nothing more.

It's the kind of thing that could easily set off another burst of restless anxiety, but he's trying not to do that right now. He wants some peace, if only for a night. He wants to feel as if things might work out, despite all the things he can already imagine going wrong. Can't he worry about something as simple as earning coin, instead?

He can't stop it from making him frown, though, too many worries lurking around each corner. As her hand passes over his shoulder in her efforts to heal his bruising, he reaches up to grasp it with his own. For the moment, he is silent.

[ She raises her other brow at the admission.

It is, admittedly, curious. Himeka isn't known for being the best judge of character--too ready to trust and assume the best in everyone, despite the bits of skepticism she's learned over the past few years. She could chalk it up to a secluded childhood, but the reality is her village is often far too skeptic of the outside world. Mayhaps that's why she never needed to be.

So it should be refreshing that someone is putting it plainly that they shouldn't be trusted, shouldn't it? ]

You're rather personable if that's the truth.

[ But she isn't saying she doesn't believe him, either. She'll just need to keep it in mind, should she run into him again and end up on the wrong end of his blade. Or if she hears about some sort of great piracy massacre on the high seas nearby. (Are there any seas nearby? She's fairly certain they are a travel away...)

Would Estinien be interested at all to hear from one of his estranged kin? Supposedly there a few around.

Of course the way he describes the Tertiary Settlement is...well, hard to ignore, even for someone who had completely missed every innuendo Haurchefant had thrown her way. (How was she suppose to know that he wasn't talking about mounting actual chocobos? She looks nothing like one, thank you.) ]

Ah, is that so? What a shame. But I do happen to know a remedy for that.

The silence isn't something that concerns her at that moment, not when it begins. A bit of quiet to fall between them is how most of their interactions go and feeling that she's successfully dragged him out of the deepest trenches in his mind, she's happy to concentrate on the rest of her spell.

This, at least, she can finally do. She can finally be useful again. Beyond being the Warrior of Light or anything greater, she can finally do something for the people she cares about. And that feels the greatest gift of all--well, that second only to their freedom.

Heavy though her thoughts have been of late, she sees their escape as nothing but a boon, no matter who orchestrated it.

So when Estinien takes her hand, she pauses instantly, blinking and a little confused. But it dawns on her that a few words do not do it all justice. That no matter his fears and no matter her hopes--they're here, right now, in all the impossibility of it.

The magic beneath her palms dies down as she twists her hand a little to more securely squeeze his back in return. She leans forward then, resting her forehead on the back of his shoulder and placing her free hand on his upper arm.

"We made it. That's what matters, isn't it?"

I like people.

[ This much is kind of true. Nero generally doesn't see the reason to dislike anyone; he doesn't see the need for revenge or hate. A person could royally fuck him over and he won't carry much anger in his heart about it.

Yet again, it's another why should he? In his mind, everyone's wishes and hopes will amount to nothing. Everyone has the capacity and willingness to ruin someone else's life if it means that their justice and beliefs are realized. People will trample all over each other but what of it? That's just how people are and he loves that about them.

He likes people, but he only cares about maybe one person.

Nero continues to smile, easy and pleased. ]

That so, sweetie? Well, if you come to fix things up, I'll take care of you proper. [ The elf laughs. ] It's only the right thing to do since you've helped me out.

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WELCOME TO SOLVUNN!

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