"Of the Wastelands"

[achelord]

-1: He's back-

As anyone who knows him can attest, Ziel was not the most social of men. His gloomy demeanor gave him limited energy for dealing with others, and he often spent whole days in private, reading or meditating or just staring at the ceiling grappling with depression.

But it had been about a month since anyone last saw him. His room still had a few personal effects lying around it, if anyone cared to investigate, implying that he was PROBABLY planning on returning, but there was no information left about where he had gone.

As winter started drawing in, and both the Corsairs and the Empire bowed their heads to the greater power of Shit Weather, Ziel reappeared just like he vanished, with no fanfare at all. One day he was just back, trudging the halls of the Vault with clothes looking even more threadbare and dirty than usual. He even had a beard.

-2: He was busy-

The Corsairs are perpetually short on supplies of various kinds, so any kind of salvage that members brought back from excursions were usually welcome. There was probably a specific department dedicated to handling it. That's where Ziel was now. He looks like he's been living in the woods for a month, and smells like it too, but he has several bulging bags he's turning in.

Wandering the world of Esthere, aside from people and mundane animals, are various powerful beasts infused by so much ether that only the most skilled and well equipped hunting parties would consider taking them on. But to those who can face such beasts, the spoils are great.

Ziel's bags were full of hides from behemoths that could be tanned into leather armor harder and lighter than plate mail, tusks and fangs that could cut like the finest of blades, ether crystals that formed in the bodies of monsters with unique energy signatures, dried meat that would infuse anyone who ate it with ether, rare medicinal herbs (though not a lot of those. Ziel wasn't much of an herbalist.), and other such grisly trophies.

The woman behind the desk was staring at the pile of loot with a mixed expression. On one hand, this was undeniably a large amount of extremely useful materials. On the other hand, the aroma rising from Ziel and his bounty was...intense.

-3: But civilization makes its own demands-

Eventually, someone discreetly brought up with Ziel that living in the wastelands by himself for a month had had a few minor effects on his personal hygiene.

Fortunately, Elysium had facilities for that.

Armed with a heavy wallet from his...findings, Ziel decided to actually enjoy himself for once and went for the FULL spa treatment. Massages, extensive bathing, a full shave, a good sauna soak. Ziel even had a visit with a tailor.

The tall, good looking man in well cut robes who returned to the Vault afterwards was barely recognizable as the stinking caveman who had lurched in the other day.

Comments

Even The Most Civilizing Influences Cannot Hide A Wolf

[theriflespiral]

It's after hours. She has finally availed herself of coming to the Five Winds. God above, it had felt good to rinse off the salt and road dust, and as soon as she was done in the sauna, she planned to wash the sweat off properly and go home feeling clean for the first time in... God. Months. Since before leaving the village she'd been packed off to.

It would be worth cleaning the place up for the morning.

And then there was this man, who must, by the way Deedee had offered the spa, be a fellow Corsair, but not one of Natalia's acquaintance, yet.

She poured some water on the coals. Clearly this was some intended meeting. Vague images of someone with those horns played back-- one of the many things in the blur of activity that went mostly unnoticed in her rush to prepare everything for the fireworks.

But she would wait for him to speak.

[achelord]

Ziel briefly opened one eye when he heard the young woman come in, double checked that his towel was keeping him properly modest, then closed his eyes again and went back to soaking in the heat and sweating it out, paying her no further mind.

But years of battle had ingrained a certain predator's instinct into him. One that perked up when someone was watching him, and the girl was definitely paying him more attention than he felt like he merited.

So, after a couple of minutes, he finally opened his eyes again to look at her. He didn't say anything just yet, but the expression was clearly one that asked "What are YOU looking at?" in a very low key kind of way.

[theriflespiral]

A more careful look would show that she, too, was a predator, of sorts. She kept looking towards the door, when she wasn't waiting politely for him to speak; and for all her pose might looked relaxed, there's a certain tension in it, like a coiled spring waiting to be loosed, or a tiger in ambush.

At his expression, her eyes turn back to the door. She hadn't expected him to say nothing. Instead, she ventures a paper boat into the conversational waters. "Good night to sweat, eh? Miserable out there."

And then, she ventures even further: "One could swear the sky was red with anger."

It was a blatant sign, and inwardly, she cursed herself for being put enough out of sorts by the awkwardness of the conversation to not blend it in more carefully.

[achelord]

Ziel didn't know this particular code phrase, but that didn't sound like casual conversation.

"I thought it looked more like snow was coming." Which was part of what had encouraged him to actually come back to civilization. His body was enforced enough that he probably could have survived a blizzard, but he wouldn't have enjoyed it.

[theriflespiral]

... Shit, was it just happenstance?

Of course it would be happenstance, people probably came here to recover from their injuries. God damn it. "Yeah. Storms have been happening a lot lately. If it's not snow, it's freezing rain."

Time to play it off with Craft. "Forgive me. I've been a little jumpy lately."

Nailed it.

[achelord]

"I can see that." Ziel said, wryly. "I would be too after spouting out passwords to strangers in a sauna."

[theriflespiral]

"I had figured the meeting was intentional. I think I saw you arguing with one of the clerks I know. Something about pungent monster bits." In the Vault.

"But, since I had been told nothing, obviously you'd be briefing me."

[achelord]

"That was me, yes. Part of that whole transaction was a reminder that I hadn't had a bath in a month."

Thus, his presence here.

"I wasn't told anything about briefing anyone, but since you're asking my first advice is to not admit you're from the Vault to a stranger who didn't respond to your pass code."

[theriflespiral]

Therefore, someone she could blackmail, if not be on friendly terms with. "Regardless, we have established connection, and need speak no more of how."

"Natalia Koutolika."

[achelord]

"Ziel."

He doesn't have a last name please don't ask about it he's just Ziel.

"Unfortunately, I'm just here for the sauna. I have no secret orders for you."

[theriflespiral]

"It turns out, I am the same. You'll help me clean up the place after, then?"

[achelord]

Ziel leaned back and closed his eyes again.

"I guess that would be the polite thing to do."

WHOOPS THAT DOESN'T GO ON THE MAIN COMMENTS

[theriflespiral]

"Look forward to it, then," she nodded, leaning back and letting the heat remove the little things from the past several weeks, not least playing the delivery girl all over Elysium.

At least it kept her in shape.