01 - a retired lord commander walks into a bar

[thunderwarden]

01 the market stalls

Freedom tasted sweet, and since the moment he was brought to Flotsam, he got the impression he was going to like it here. Striding through one passage or another, listening to the erratic but somehow melodious sounds of Flotsam, he knew he could find a place here. It was busy, there were parts of it that smelled, but it was free, and it was populated by an eclectic bunch of renegades that reminded him so much of his own it made him homesick.

Which meant ploughing on until he secured his own space to brood in and hopefully acclimate to this place. After months slaving under Imperial lashes working on their machines, being here seemed like something of a miracle, and while he was bone tired, soul tired even, he couldn't very well leave the lot of them to their own devices. That meant he needed to be prepared, he needed to figure out what his role would be in this place, and he needed to meet the locals. So, top of the list? Preparation. The Empire had stripped him of all he'd had on him at the time, and that included his swords. They'd need to be replaced, which meant a trip to the market stalls for gear and armor if he was going to be of any use to these people who'd given him a chance at freedom.

He started at a weapons stall, testing the weight of swords with the skill of a man who'd done so all his life, sighting down the blades, one after another, feeling their weight in his hand. "Fine craftsmanship, mate." He smirked at the vendor, "less, of course, you don't make 'em here, then good eye, I guess. Either way, I'll take it."

He spends a bit more time browsing wares, getting a feel for the place, the sorts of goods that cross the decks of a floating city and the sorts of conversations that are had among the market stalls, finding a blessing by the end of it: a satchel of tobacco and rolling papers. Maybe fate's smiling on him after all.

02 waterlogged row

Taverns the world over, and those from another world he used to call home, shared common threads: people unwound there, they drank some kind of swill, and they talked. Where normally Cid would be taking this as an opportunity to learn ought that was going on around the realm, his knowledge of this world he'd found himself in was still limited to the point that he was just absorbing pieces: geography, politics beyond what little he'd been able to glean from overheard conversations from his captors, and anything else that might be useful.

Or rumors of where he could be useful. By the way he strode into the tavern in question, he knew how to use the swords at his hip, but he wasn't walking in threatening people with them, either. Instead, he makes to prop up the bar, so to speak, lighting a freshly rolled cigarette and ordering whatever's on tap while he keeps an eye out for any interesting individuals who might stride in.

03 wildcard

( ooc: Cid can be found in various places around Flotsam, as he's getting acclimated. I'd be totally down you you setting your own scene, or if you'd me to write a prompt, drop me a line! )

Comments

[straykitty]

"This is home to me," Renne says with a slightly wistful smile. "My family lives here, but I've been studying in the Vault so I haven't been around as much."

[thunderwarden]

"Your family's rebels too, then?" He nods his approval. That's better than the alternative. He'd seen enough of that first hand, both at home and here, and he wouldn't wish it on anyone, especially a young lady like this one. "And seeing to your education." Yes, he approves.

[straykitty]

Renne's smile becomes a bit sharp.

"Something like that. I didn't begin as a rebel, I became one when they saved me. My education came from... other elements, initially. I am simply continuing it here."

[thunderwarden]

"Other elements, is it?" He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You're an Imperial, at least you were, that about right?"

[straykitty]

Renne smiles a bit vaguely. "Not exactly. The Society, as they often refer to themselves, usually support the Imperial Agenda, inasmuch as they believe they can control it. Before that, well, let's just say there are things in this world far worse than Imperials."

[thunderwarden]

His green eyes are sharp as he regards her while she speaks, making mental notes about this 'Society'. It was a name to watch out for.

"Maybe we ought to do more than just say it." He's not a stranger to things going on behind the scenes, far from it, and he doesn't like he hasn't caught wind of it before now, either. "Or are you leavin' it at that for now?"

[straykitty]

[ Renne seems to ponder for a moment. Has it been long enough? Can she talk about it? Her expression becomes more firm, as a bit of her playfulness leaves her ]

"I was 'raised' by a cult in my early years, before the Society liberated me. They experimented with ability-enhancing drugs and ran brothels with the children they had kidnapped. Although they were mostly destroyed, I'm sure some of them are still very much active."

[thunderwarden]

[ Cid's a sharp one under all the bluster. He can piece together the parts she's not saying, the ones she's making sound like aren't connected to her. Knew a lass like that, when he was younger and more stupid. Would he have done anything different, if he found Benna now instead of then?

Nah. Not on your life.

When he speaks again, his tone is softer. She's clearly got her act together and he's not going to shower her with pity, but he feels for her, for anyone who was subjected to half that. He takes a drag from his cigarette before he says anything. ]

No lack of power-hungry sods who don't give a whit what happens to the tools they use to get what they want, no matter the world. [ He looks over to her, frowning as he takes another drag. ] Is it vengeance you're after, then?

[straykitty]

[ She laughs politely ]

Revenge is rather tiresome, I think. I have a home here, now, and a family. Fighting for them feels far better than fighting for my past. I can't change that. The future, though? Who knows.

[thunderwarden]

Good. Vengeance doesn't solve anything, lass, and it's not going to stop the Society, either. [ Or the Empire. ]

You do want to stop them, don't you?

[straykitty]

The Society and I have... an understanding. I am retired as an Enforcer, but I still have a lot of my old contacts and we generally leave each other be. When conflict arises, we deal with it then. If I were to encounter the D:G Cult, however...

[ The tone in her voice leaves very strong implications for how bad that would go for anyone standing in her way ]

[thunderwarden]

I can see how that'd be useful.

[ But the cult? Anyone who calls themselves one openly is a stain on mankind. ]

Then you'd have a hand dealing with them, lass, and I may not be what I used to be, but I reckon I could fry a few cultists.

[straykitty]

Well, aren't you just the sweetest?

[ She gives him a pretty little smile, but she seems at least half-serious in her praise ]

[thunderwarden]

[ He smiles in response. ]

What a allies for if not taking out ne'er-do-wells together?

[straykitty]

It's certainly been one of the better parts of having a place to belong, that's for sure.

[thunderwarden]

Tell you what, lass. We go out together and you see any of your old mates, you let me know. I wager you can hold your own, but you don't have to.

[straykitty]

I'll hold you to that. All that said, I've spoken quite a bit about myself, but you've yet to offer much in the way of your own information.

[thunderwarden]

[Noticed that, did she? She chuckles with a nod.]

Turn about's fair play, eh? As you wish, lass. What do you want to know? I'm not from around here, mind. Bloody Empire saw fit to yank me from home with their portal, clapped me in irons and a regulator cuff, and put me to work in their forges until this lot found me and gave me a new lease. Hard not to repay that.

[straykitty]

And yet you seem completely at ease among a group of ragtag rebels. You wear your sword with practiced skill, and speak like a grizzled veteran. I would think that warrants SOME degree of explanation.

[thunderwarden]

Not my first group of ragtag rebels, but that's a long story, Renne. Starts 800 years ago when some sorry sacks signed a compact that declared some men worth less than others just because they could do things others couldn't.

[He smiles.]

As for me? I was just trying to help. Built a place where people like us could die on our own terms. [He shrugs before taking another pull on his cigarette.] As for the rest? I was a mercenary, then a military commander, then an outlaw. You pick up a few things.

[straykitty]

[ This elicits a bit of a puzzled look ]

Less because they could do more? How curious. Here, the nobility rule in no small part due to their heightened Ether capacity. Establishing a world like that must not have been easy.

[ She returns his smile, hers a tad sweeter ]

So a veteran of the fight, then. I imagine you must have quite a few thoughts on our little organization here.

[thunderwarden]

I never said it was a compact that made sense.

[Cid had never agreed with it. Of course, he wasn't from Valisthea, which meant he wasn't raised surrounded by slaves who were raised to believe that's all they were worth. They tested infants and Branded them immediately, taking them from their homes, and most parents were glad to have the burden removed. It was disgusting, but he also meant to change it.]

It's easy when you take the babes from their trundle beds and raise them with the idea they're less than, just for breathing.

[There's an anger in his voice as he explains, the sort that speaks of rebellion.]

I do, aye. There's a reason I signed up and it's not just because of what your Empire decided to do with me.

[straykitty]

Ah, of course. A systematic approach. The Imperials use similar methods to impose their class system.

[ She watches him with amusement. He keeps it closer to the chest, but his passion is much like the more noble and hot-blooded members in her family ]

You'll find no shortage of those with a similar drive to fight here. I'd say you're in good company.

[thunderwarden]

Aye, I noticed.

[It's one of the reasons he's already dedicated himself to this place. He nodded at her words. He wasn't the spitfire he used to be, when he was younger and less worn by the weight of his Eikon and the world around them, but he still had a fire smoldering deep down.]

I just want to help, lass, however I can.

[straykitty]

I'm sure you can do quite a lot for us. You're actually rather capable aren't you? One of the few with the ability to wield Ether from your own world... and I bet that's hardly all there is to you, is there?

[ Her smile is slightly smug but her eyes are sharp as she probes ]