Though her eyes were cast upon the room before them, observing the drunken nature of the townspeople, Razhiel was indeed listening to her companions. She was not entirely clear as to what Tracen was getting at. The mask was not to hide his identity. So that meant the name Eclipse was not an alias. He does not want to be recognized… as Tracen? Starting afresh? Her thoughts wandered, pondering the puzzle of Eclipse. He was a prisoner of Valland, yet holds no loyalty towards those in power in Fiore. When he stuttered however, her eyes traveled to his face. She wondered at his uncertainness in regards to the girl beside her. Granted she held the appearance and demeanor of a teenager and was seemingly a power house giving hints to not being human, Razhiel did not understand his hesitation.
And Tyr’s persistence at prodding and needling Tracen was unsettling if only because his actions were unpredictable. Though unsettling usually meant interesting, so long as it was kept from lethal action. Razhiel could not explain the abhorrence she felt at the thought of the two of them full on fighting. Thoughtful glance transferred to Tyr as the green haired girl spoke to her. The apology had her eyes lighting with amusement. Tyr’s stomach growling had Razhiel flash backing to her own similar situation with Kotone. A quiet chuckle escaped from between her lips as Tyr shifted, making herself taller yet still below Tracen and herself. Honestly she could not see someone looking at Tyr and getting defensive. Her child like appearance and disarming personality made for quite the incautious response.
A raised eyebrow was her only response to Tyr’s playful teasing with Tracen. It was like watching a mouse toy with a cat, a very large cat. With a watchful eye, Razhiel was prepared to... Hmm she was not exactly sure what action she would take should the worse come about. In any case she was alert.
A slight smirk played upon her lips as the waiter appeared and apologized, his movements a bit fidgety. A side glance at Tyr before her violet orbs continued to watch the waiter. “Fish, I’d assumed cooked however you would like from grilled to breaded. Other water delicacies like clams or lobster. Venison or elk either in burgers or steaks. Chicken. I will have steak, rare with ice water.” She answered Tyr before telling the waiter what she wanted without pause between the two, her gaze still focused on him.
Tracen just sighed at Tyr's placeful response. He never claimed to be anything except a man in a mask, but he could be something more. His hands folded, leaning against his mask as Tyr answered the lesser important question. Well, 'answered' was a bit subjective. Tyr's reasonings were extremely vague, until she admitted to looking for him. The wind brushed against his mask; he instinctively held it in place with one hand. His nerves were already sky-high from their past encounter and the conversation. She said she'd come here to 'make sure he was okay', but what she really meant was that she'd come here because of him. His free hand slammed down against the table, an audible breath breaking his silence.
It was unfortunate timing that the waiter had come right at that moment, and was clearly alarmed by the display. Tracen's intended words died; he wasn't going to cause a scene in front of strangers. Especially one that already seemed petrified of him. He fell silent again as the two worked out food, hand retreating back from the table. He didn't bother looking at the waiter. "I don't want anything," he said simply when Razhiel had finished. Tyr's observation had been spot-on: he couldn't eat while wearing a mask. And even if he could, he wasn't hungry and seriously doubted he could eat in front of them. He waited for Raz to order, and for Tyr to finish hers, and for the waiter to disappear.
When they were finally the three of them again, he spoke his original intention, albeit with not quite as much frustration as just a few moments prior. "What's your fixation with me?" He asked Tyr. She hardly made it a secret that she was there for him, and the only questions were how far it went and why.
Tyr settled on lobster, clearly not unsettled by Tracen's display with his fist slamming the table. she'd never eaten lobster, and the idea of it was actually rather exciting. She would just have to figure out how humans got past the crunchy part. Her human form had more human tastes and limitations, and that meant the shell wasn't exactly going to be appetizing to eat. She doubted she'd have cared if she were in her natural form.
She tilted her head at Tracen's demand. "Thank you for the help," she told Raz. One could never be too polite! When they actually thought about it. Sometimes she could be rude, but it was almost never on purpose. But hey, being on her best behavior could only help the situation, right? If she was going to accidentally meet with Tracen (and cooincidentally Razhiel), she might as well make the best of it. "If you want some of my lobster later, I'll try and share~" she stated as she moved to get more comfortable. She crossed one leg over the other and laid her elbow on the table, cheek resting on her fist. Human etiquette was not something she was too familiar with.
With food ordering off of her mind, she finally addressed his question. Her relaxed, almost lackadaisical pose combined with her cheerful grin made her seem like she was making simple dinner conversation with old friends or family - people she was happy to be around. It was true; Raz was nice and poking Tracen with new and vague information was fun. "Have you ever asked yourself how you woke up and got free of all those security measures back at that laboratory in Valland?" The way she phrased the question made it sound like she thought the answer was obvious. It was to her. "Well! A certain green-haired girl with a cute smile knows how~ And she wants to see what a certain masked man with a silly code name will do with his second chance."
Eyes upon the room, she did not expect Tracen to slam his hand down. A bit embarrassing she jumped slightly. Directing a glare at Tracen, she said nothing even after the waiter disappeared.
Her attention turned to Tyr when the young dragon thanked her. “You are welcome.” She didn’t expect the offer of sharing. Tyr seemed to have an insatiable appetite so she appreciated the offer. “Thanks, same goes for you in regards to what I ordered.” Razhiel normally lived off of rations she bought and whatever she found and caught on the roads in between the time spent in civilization. Though she had recently fought off a Wyvern and other beasts and was hungrier than normal. Razhiel held a likeness for Tyr, if only for the fact that the girl said what she felt. It did not seem there was a filter between what she said and did, it was refreshing.
Raising her arms above her head, she clasped her hands together and stretched. Turning from side to side, audible cracks could be heard. Razhiel would splurge and find a reputable inn to stay in for a few nights before moving on. A nice bed, a hot bath, and warm food would do wonders. Tyr seemingly had a very happy go lucky nature. Razhiel was curious how she reacted when angry. The mention of Valland had her tensing involuntarily. The fact that Tyr was admitting to being the one to break Tracen out was… almost unbelievable. But Razhiel believed she had the power… but what reason could Tyr have to do such an act? Silence was her best action as Tracen needed to decide what he thought of it all and the conversation was essentially between them. During that time she was on the very edge of the broken Valland, all trace of her disappeared as she went underground.
Violet orbs took in the curious scene in the great room of a local attempting to lick his elbow. The man was literally trying to bend all kinds of ways in his sure confidence he could do it.
It was like he and the girls were on two different planets. Tracen was visibly upset, and Tyr and Raziel just talked about sharing their food. He hung his head while they continued like nothing was wrong. Part of him was frustrated at how they acted, the other wondered if he was making this a bigger deal than what it actually was. Until Tyr started teasing him again, this time with clearly sensitive information from his time in Valland. Tyr's question was enough to make him pause. Was there more that he didn't know? It was from a time period that felt more muddled than other areas in his life, but he thought he'd been able to piece together what happened. But now Tyr was making him second guess his own past.
“That... that was because of the Templars...” He answered Tyr's hypothetical question, even though she claimed to have the answer. Was this whole thing about getting free not even a reality? What if he'd been let go on purpose? He could be acting out Nox's will without even knowing it. Having Tyr around and watching him was making him nervous. She wanted to see what he'd do with his second chance? What did that even mean? Maybe this whole dinner thing was a bad idea. Being around Tyr was probably a bad idea in general.
“How can you even talk to her like she's a normal human being?” He accused Razhiel, who seemed content to watch. It was more out of frustration at this point than any true amount of anger. But any thoughts of pretending things were normal was gone. He couldn't go on like this. Even though the two were still eating, he rose from his seat. “Whatever you expect from me, you'll get nothing,” he glared at Tyr one last time, before leaving the table.
The food had just arrived - much quicker than a normal human might have liked for seafood at that time of night. It didn't bother Tyr though, and she was just about to dig in when Tracen decided he just couldn't take the craziness any longer. "Hm?" She blinked in what would be a stretch to say was mild surprise when Tracen displayed his predjudice against her before storming off from the table.
"Aw. I was hoping he'd let me eat slower first," she grumbled. She used her magic to quickly pull the meat from the lobster and shove it in her mouth before deftly hopping over Raz and landing on the other side, light as a feather. "Excuse me," she waved to Raz, swallowing the food. She turned to go after Tracen and called out "Hey wait!" before turning back around. It wasn't like he could escape her anyway.
"Er, actually," she blinked, looking between the two humans. "So uh yeah I've already admitted to not being human," she told Raz, rubbing the back of her head with a nervous chuckle. "IIII'm actually a dragon, and he's more or less a dragon slayer. Think I should follow him? I mean, you know humans better than me. He's fun to poke and all but I'm actually trying to poke him in a positive direction... overall anyway."
Razhiel had just taken a bit of her steak, glorious in its taste when Tracen answered Tyr’s poke with an exit but not before accusing her of sleeping with the enemy. That got dramatic fast. The green haired poker in question jumped the seat and took off to leave before turning back to her with a somewhat nervous explanation.
Giving her plate a forlorn look she murmured, ”I know a dragon. She is a lot meaner than you. I believe you are an exception to the rule. A welcomed exception.” Her tone offhand before she sighed and stood. Tossing a jewel to a passing waiter she stated, ”I still want that plate, keep it warm for me Ill be back later.”
Violet eyes on Tyr, “Though you are a dragon it is like a mouse poking a lion. Tracen being the lion… I think the overall may be the death of him. I will go talk with him first, do your stealth mode and make an appearance whenever. Maybe I can play interference though I have sucked at it so far.”
Turning, she followed in Tracen’s footsteps.
Razhiel began to talk without waiting for him to look at her. “Most human beings annoy me, so I am usually rude or haughty given my ex royal status. That is my normal, being nice generally only applies to children. Plus, ever since entering Fiore I have had to deal with a ton of crap. Between Wyverns, dark magic, dragon slayers, and monsters it is actually nice to have someone with power not want to kill me. To sit and eat a meal, which I did not get to do, is not normal for me.”
Razhiel was on a rant. She would place the blame on her weariness. It continued, “You act like your completely human or normal for that matter. Your not. I’m not. Embrace it. I had a sword teacher once, his motto was ‘Embrace the suck.’“ She turned and went to walk away. Done. Poor Tracen.
Turning back around she continued… again. “Tyr is a damn Dragon. Dragons were not working for Nox, they were being experimented on like most everyone else. In the end they suffered the most, having to battle the children they raised for that very reason. Only sadistic, twisted souls worked for that monster, or let him be for that matter. Did that little girl seem to be either of those? That is why I believe she is more innocent than I. If she did save you it probably was because she had escaped as well or maybe she did it because it was the right damn thing to do. Why is she following you? Who knows, only she does which you wont know unless you ask her.”
When Tyr called out for Tracen to wait, he of course completely ignored her and continued to storm off. He'd only gotten right outside when Razhiel caught up with him. He was convinced that no matter what she said, he wouldn't go back, not with Tyr there at least. So the first few moments Razhiel's words, both were still walking. When she mentioned him not being a 'normal' human being... he stopped. Actually taking the time to turn to her now. If this was what she thought he thought, then she was going completely in the wrong direction.
"What does it mean to be human?" His question was unusually calm, despite all the information that Razhiel had just given him. Tyr was a dragon. It was a surprise, and yet expected; a possibility he'd been trying not to think about. "Is it a simple matter of having human form, communication, rationalization? Humanity is so much more. It's not the embodiment of what is, but the journey. It's one's life, their joys and sorrows, the limitations of a fleeting journey that makes us human - regardless if that man is remembered as 'good' or 'evil.' But the dragons aren't like that. They're close to immortal, and don't understand our struggles. And yet they still think that they know what's best for humanity, yet never understand what it means to be human to begin with. What gives them the right to appoint dragon slayers, and to meddle with our history; to direct history in a manner that they think is best?" He only spoke so much because he hoped that Razhiel could understand - he believed that she could.
"Tyr is a dragon," Tracen repeated, still calm but his tone more ominous than before. "I don't care what her reasoning is. Victim or ally of Nox, she has no right to interfere with my life - even if she doesn't intend any harm. It doesn't matter what her reason is for following me. But because you seem so sure that she's worthy of pity, I won't raise a hand against her until she attacks first. My main concern is for the dragons that are trying to control Fiore, and their chosen slayers. Don't part of you want to go after them, the dragon slayers Kotone and Raven?" He remained almost perfectly stationary as he posed the question, blue eyes staring behind the mask. "They're my targets, as well. Not for revenge or a score to settle, but to get rid of the dragons' influence. We could work together to eliminate them." He'd gone from walking out earlier to offering her an alliance. Their reasonings differed, but he felt like the two of them could become a team, united with the same goal.
When Tracen stopped and turned, Razhiel had been walking behind him and stopped a second too late. So she took two steps back. She was ‘all ears,’ as Tracen began to talk if only because she wanted to understand him more. His reasoning was that dragons and their ilk were the puppeteers of Fiore.
“If not for the slayers, Fiore would be part of Valland right now. Or the two would be so war torn they would be pickings for others. If not for the slayers, Nox would have conquered all with his dragon controlling device. Are those not positive directions?” Razhiel found it odd at describing the fall of her empire in favor of Fiore. She was not siding with them but rather trying to clarify. “Were the dragon slayers not appointed to protect humanity? And were they not human themselves? Though I do agree dragons cannot comprehend the rush of a short life. To try to find your purpose and make an impact upon this earth before your bones return to it.”
Razhiel had an unnatural desire to protect Tyr or rather defend her. She could not be sure the true basis for it, whether it was instinct or the ‘other’ part of her. “I do not believe in pity. I am sure she is worthy of not being hunted like an animal. The rest is between you and her. Maybe if you allow her to talk to you, she will leave you alone. Just a thought.” She stuck her thumbs in the pocket of her jeans, putting most of her weight on one leg.
His question about Kotone and Raven caught her off guard. His invitation to work together caught her further off guard. Eyes widened slightly, despite the fact that he was watching her closely. “I am hunting Raven currently, he is the reason I am in Eastern Fiore to begin with.” She made no mention of Kotone. Nor did she elaborate as to why she was looking for Raven. “You realize that you by default have dragon power. Forced into you by Nox. So since your power was given to you by Nox does that mean you are exuding his influence? My point is, you are who you are, not always by choice. What happens if you come across a ten year old dragon slayer whose power base is in Fiore, will you eliminate him or her? Just because you have a certain power does not mean you are acting on behalf of the origin of that power.” Devil's advocate. Her father used to do it in their arguments just to make her provide further proof and think more clearly about the side she was on.
Post by Tracen Tenshou on Aug 18, 2015 19:08:33 GMT
Tracen had least expected Razhiel's defense of the dragon slayers. Well, maybe defense wasn't quite the right word. There was no possible way Razhiel could have any love for Fiore. It was more like she was questioning his resolve. With everything that had happened, his allegiance might seem strange. But in terms of countries and politics, he had no 'side'. What had happened to him in Valland, just happened to be in that country, and he didn't hold the country responsible for individuals' actions. It was the same for Fiore and its heroes. "Who can say whether it was positive or not?" He wasn't offended. If anything, he was grateful that she was even considering his words. "No one can say what would have happened otherwise. It's not about whether what they are doing is good or bad, whether they're thought of as heroes or villains. It's about freedom. I would rather have a worse fate and be free, than a fake peace that the dragons envisioned for us." It was an ideal he knew could not be fake. There were times where he faltered and doubted why he held such hatred for the dragons and their slayers. But freedom, it was possibly the most important to him, and he was certain that this was his dream that was worth fighting for. Even if he would be seen as a villain for it.
Tyr was definitely a subject that both clashed on, more directly than just their goals. If Tyr had really gone out of her way just to see Tracen, then he doubted she would just 'leave him alone', as Razhiel had put it. And she wasn't this helpless thing that Razhiel seemed to think Tyr was. But for now, he'd stay true to his word. Unless Tyr attacked him, Tracen would leave her alone. The matter of trusting a dragon, however, was a different matter.
“Raven...” Tracen repeated. Razhiel hadn't exactly said they could work together, but neither had she refused him either. Giving out her current plan was also like an indirect invitation. However, Raven was more difficult to track than Kotone, who never hid her presence. The two were almost complete opposites in that regard. The only response that earned Razhiel a somewhat glare was when she asked about 'exuding Nox's influence.' “Power doesn't choose where it comes from. It's not a person's ability so much as their choice on what to do with it. Dragon slayer is a chosen title, different than being born to nobility or possessing some skill.”
He fell silent for a moment, contemplating on how best to word what he was thinking. “I know that I must seem untrustworthy.” The questions that Razhiel had asked, seemed to be asking more about his character than about the actual questions. “I'm not even sure what choices I'll make in the future. But I know there's something wrong with this world. If you didn't think the same way, you wouldn't be in Fiore.” He was starting to get frustrated again, both with himself and Razhiel. He couldn't seem to find the right way to speak, and neither did she completely understand. “Anyway... you don't need to decide now, but keep my offer in mind. If we're going after the same people, we'll run into each other again sooner or later.”
Razhiel listened carefully. She could understand and did agree with his viewpoint on freedom. Though freedom could be defined as many things. Take the dragons out of the picture, would not the Governing Council of Fiore be hindering a person's freedom? You need authority to prevent chaos but at which point does that authority intercede with one's freedom? And who decides that line? What did Tracen believe the dragons would be working towards that would take away the peoples' freedom?
His description of dragon slayer being a chosen title was interesting. The fact that Raven was on his list, a slayer who purposely hid his identity was even more so.
Trust was a fickle thing. Razhiel did not rely on it, though she did take her instincts into consideration when partnering up with another. She almost smiled as he pointed out her reasoning for being in Fiore. There were a few reasons, but essentially yes. She could tell by his tone and body language he was getting upset again and she knew he was going to disappear soon.
Razhiel was glad that he didn't expect an answer right now. Besides the fact that she knew the small dragon was ease dropping, she did not know exactly how she would answer. "I will keep what you said in mind, and I am sure we will.." About to turn and head back, she paused. "Feel free to stalk my steps. I expect I'll run into Raven sooner rather than later." It was in indirect invitation to randomly follow her and show up whenever. She would welcome his company, if only to get to know him better.
Post by Tracen Tenshou on Aug 27, 2015 3:06:24 GMT
Razhiel's assessment of Tracen was pretty much spot on. He was annoying and frustrating himself a whole lot more than what Razhiel had. And possibly one of the main reasons why he got so frustrated with Tyr was that she made him uncomfortable about himself. "Stalk you...." He repeated her odd choice of words. Very odd choice of words, it was almost alarming. Considering their earlier meeting in the alley, Tracen was starting to wonder if she welcomed the idea of danger. He already felt like he was too close to the verge of begging as it was, asking her to understand only revealed how much he wanted. "Yeah. Sure." His intonation pretty clearly meant the opposite. For now backing off seemed like the best idea, not to mention it was already a ridiculous hour in the morning. "Just one last thing before we part..." He had to make sure, on the slim chance that it happened. "What I said earlier about the mask being part of my identity, I meant it. If you ever think you see me without it on... that's not me; not the real me. This invitation to hunt is only between you and Eclipse." He also turned.
There were times where his memory would blank out, but he could recall those points clearly. Perhaps it was a result of what happened in Valland, or maybe his mind was still recovering. The blank mind couldn't recall being sentient, but the sentient could recall being blank. If Razhiel or Tyr ever found him when he was blank, there would be little he could do. But hopefully even his fake self would recognize danger when it presented itself. Both Razhiel and Tyr were dangerous, though in different ways. For now, all Tracen could do was use what time he remembered to his fullest capabilities, to take out the dragons and help Fiore.
Well, that exchange had been... interesting. It was really super easy to hide from these two. Or, well, anyone really. Despite her childlike ways, Tyr was the perfect predator. No one could detect her if she wove her spells right, and she had used that to her advantage during the entire talk. It seemed Tracen was off to find the dragon slayers, most of which had been nice but weird so far. It wasn't exactly her business what he did, but she did hope he didn't actually end up causing too much trouble. He was stronger than he knew he was. Also a lot crazier as far as she could tell.
Raz, in the meantime, seemed more willing to go after a dragon slayer than she'd meant to. Raven? She was after Raven? The guy who had weirdly cooked food on his hand? He'd been one of her first human experiences since coming to Fiore, and she'd been a little disappointed to find out that not all of them were so eccentric. It was the little things that made humans so great.
But that wasn't the point. She was pretty sure Razhiel wasn't a bad person, regardless of what she thought of Raven. Tracen... well, she was going to have to keep her ear to the ground and keep an eye on him. She lightly touched down while Tracen turned to leave, landing between the two of them as they walked away from one another. She'd whispered a message into a ball of concentrated magic - one that would activate if Raz tried to poke at it too much. She slipped it into Raz's pouch, tugging on it enough so she'd know to check it. She then slipped away quietly, desiring not to be seen or heard by Tracen until he was calmed down.
-EXIT-
The Message:
"Sorry for the quick departure. It was great getting to eat a human meal with my new friends. I know Tracen doesn't know it yet but we're totally friends. Anyway, we should talk again real soon. I just think you should know to be careful with Raven. I met him once and I think he's really confused about life. You'd have to ask him why, but I like you so I don't think you should go getting yourself hurt since he's a strong dragon slayer and all. Anyway, I think I'm out of message space. Ciao!"
A raised eyebrow at Eclipse’s words about his double personality but she remained silent. If he knew just how much she could relate, he would probably run from her and never look back. Considering his view on dragons… Complicated all around. She felt for him, truly. It was a different kind of helpless, locked within your own mind. But than what of Freya? While Razhiel volunteered for the merge, the dragon was forced. Great, that was all she needed. Sympathize with Tracen/Eclipse and she ended up feeling for the spirit within.
She watched him walk away. A not so subtle tug on her pouch had her hand automatically grabbing for it. Finally turning from the now vacated street, she pulled the ball of magic from her pouch. Dragon. Indeed, with enough poking it relayed Tyr’s message. She couldn’t help the grin that appeared on her face. Eclipse would have a dragon friend whether he wanted it or not. The grin dimmed at the mention of Raven. The concern on her behalf was touching, if not a bit misplaced. She knew the risks and willingly accepted them.
Walking back to the bar, she sat back at the now spacious booth. A slight whistle in the direction of the waiter and he brought back her plate, warmed. She took her time eating, not bothering to observe the humans around her. It was a decent meal, even if it was reheated. Once finished, she stood, placing jewels to cover both her and Tyr’s food before walking out without a backward glance.
Some good bloodhound work with her nose and she ended up at a horse stable. Shy, easily scared horses do not take a liking to her, the more bold ones however are normally curious. A few neighs accompanied her arrival but otherwise remained silent. Using the ladder, she climbed up to the loft and promptly passed out in a pile of hay. -exit-
