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Post by Vespyr on Feb 6, 2013 15:08:15 GMT -8
"i think i can heal… with water? and i can control water sometimes." the boy explained, though he seemed unsure. "it's only happened a few times."
…And half of the instances he could hardly remember, wounded and delirious with fatigue. Aside from his own half-assed experimenting, he only had what Teal told him to go off of and he wasn't sure he trusted the man. After all, the German's methods of testing Ari's healing ability had involved cutting the boy in his sleep. It wasn't exactly the most heartening thing to wake up to after everything that had happened. Also Teal was just kind of an asshole in general, so Ari's reluctance to seek answers from him was reasonable. |
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 6, 2013 16:25:35 GMT -8
Lucien frowned at this. A water user? That was interesting. Though, after seeing his own power, and the extraordinarily unique powers of people like Raikotsu and Delilah, it wasn't that far-fetched. Water was a source of life, after all. And, Lucien thought there was something more to it than that, at least for him.
"That's interesting. So," He suggested, "If you want to train your Qi, to be able to use it proficiently... Why not go stand in the ocean? Just in the shallows, so there's no danger, but if you're going to train how to manipulate water, it might as well be where there's lots of it." He smiled.
His facade was failing, he knew. How else would he know this much? But, at this point, he might as well keep it up as long as he could.
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 7, 2013 0:45:07 GMT -8
Ari stared blankly, his brow a little tweaked as if he didn't understand. But then he said, "that's... genius."
He didn't seem to catch on that though simple, it was certainly a wise piece of advice coming from someone who allegedly had no Qi of his own. [/blockquote] |
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 7, 2013 1:00:55 GMT -8
Lucien grinned, once he saw the boy's reaction. He felt a little proud of himself for giving such advice to someone who apparently needed it. Though it was obvious for him, for someone like Ari, who wasn't around it as much, and didn't know how to train it... Well, it was a nice feeling.
"I'm glad I could help," He said cheerfully.
Before he could say any more, the bartender walked through from the busy concourse of the pub, into the small room. A large bowl of greens was set on the table, in between two glasses of water with coasters underneath.
"Will there be anything else... Sir?" The man looked to Lucien.
In response, Lucien smiled and said "No, thank you much." The man walked off. Lucien began to take a sip of his water, feeling it flow down his parched throat. Since he started eating, he'd been drinking less water. It was kind of a toss-up. Though, drinking a nice glass of water always made him feel refreshed. Now more than before, though, which was interesting...
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 7, 2013 1:57:43 GMT -8
Ari didn't realize how thirsty he was until he gazed upon the fresh glass of water, beholding the condensation on the glass in all its glistening detail for a few moments before he reached out to scoot it nearer to him. All the discomfort of running and panting and sweating seems distant, although he still felt slightly faint from attempting to raise the water out of the puddle earlier. He raised the glass to his lips and gulped down at least half the glass in one go. Okay, a little too much. Ari set the glass down and inwardly winced at the rush of cold in the back of his throat. He sighed quietly, as if content, and let his grayish gaze drift back to the busier area of the pub. The rest of the place seemed strangely distant despite the fact that they were here amongst everyone; the feeling of being an outsider, which Ari felt deeply but wasn't so sure it was a bad feeling. It was just… unfamiliar. For a fleeting moment, the teen even found himself missing the dead silence of home.
"how long do you think this all will last?" he asked, without looking back. His voice seemed to have taken on a more pensive tone and his brow appeared slightly tensed with darker thoughts.
"i just wonder what the world will be like, from now on." |
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 7, 2013 12:53:50 GMT -8
Lucien watched as the boy gulped down half his glass in a single pull. He smirked, remembering that he used to be like that. Though, even more so, since water was his whole unbalanced diet. Lucien wondered how he could have ever gone so long without eating. The last few months, eating, training, he felt alive again. More alive than he'd felt in a long time, he noticed.
While lost in thought, he heard the boy's simple question. He let out a "Hmm?" before the boy continued.
He smiled as he formulated his answer. "I think that the world will go on how it should, once we rid it of sickness. That's the way of things, right? Living things die and return to the soil, and create more life. Cities crumble to the ground, leaving bedrock for new structures. When forests catch on fire, the fire opens up certain seeds that would otherwise never open. These seeds ensure that the forest grows anew."
It wasn't often that Lucien got philosophical like that. In fact, only a handful of times in recent memory. But, it was the boy's question, and Lucien had a bright, and rare, outlook on things. Aside from the obvious optimism, Lucien thought it would bring the boy a sense of hope. Something to look forward to other than more destruction.
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 7, 2013 14:39:59 GMT -8
"hmm." Ari thoughtfully hummed, really without much to say. His stormy gaze turned back to Lucien as the man expounded quite poetically, slight admiration for his elegance. The teen couldn't quite bring himself to see such a rosy view, but he appreciated it all the same.
"thanks for bringing me here. it's a nice change." he said, staring into his cup. "i should probably go home soon though." |
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 7, 2013 15:25:30 GMT -8
The way Ari spoke, it seemed rather like he was trying to change the subject. Maybe even that he was trying to get away. But, Lucien still wondered about the boy... He hoped Ari wouldn't run off or anything.
"Where is home, Ari?" He asked, concern showing brightly in his mellow green eyes. "I've answered your questions, but I still don't know a thing about you."
He put his hands on the table in front of him, leaning on it. His elbows were almost on the table, but not quite. This is not a horse's stable, after all.
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 7, 2013 15:37:30 GMT -8
"uhh…" shit.
"i just kind of live… around. there are some places the soldiers never seem to patrol and i don't get bothered." he answered, honest, but in a roundabout sort of way. Lucien would probably sense that the teen was being cagey. His shyness wasn't exactly discreet. |
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 7, 2013 15:43:54 GMT -8
Lucien knew he wasn't being totally honest. In fact, he probably wasn't even being partially honest. And, even being the one to usually let these things slide, he didn't this time. He had more questions, after all.
"You must spend a lot of time at home, if you didn't know where Crow Territory was... Hm. Do you live with anyone?" He asked, confusion overriding the concern on his face.
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 7, 2013 15:52:18 GMT -8
Ari glanced up for only a moment, feeling scrutinized. The best he could do was hold his confidence, like he'd been trained… he'd been trained. Yes.
"yeah, i don't go out much," he conceded, agreeing with Lucien on one of his points. "i live with…"
The teen trailed off, his eyes narrowing as he found himself at a sudden and uncomfortable loss for words.
"…my roommate." he finally said, baffled. There wasn't a word in existence for what Cain was, but it certainly wasn't friend. Ari never had reason to explore that concept until now, trying to see it and explain from an outsider's point of view. |
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 7, 2013 16:12:20 GMT -8
And, after that quite suspicious explanation, Lucien's eyebrow raised. But, his story did make sense. At least, the parts that he was telling. Still, something didn't seem copacetic. Lucien continued to eye the boy intently, though his face seemed light, like he was just asking about the weather, or which sports team is going to win the post-apocalyptic super bowl.
"I see, and this roommate, is he who you were running from?" More questions. Ask, ask, ask. Lucien felt a bit like a broken record. But, it was necessary.
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 7, 2013 19:24:35 GMT -8
"yes. no-- i mean, not exactly." Ari stuttered, affording a nervous laugh that quickly faded back into seriousness. "he wasn't chasing me or anything, he just freaked me out a little."
The teen spoke with his head bowed toward his drink and he trailed the tip of his finger along the surface of the cold glass with apprehension. A palpable aura of unease radiated from his inwardly sagging shoulders. He seemed reluctant to glance up or look at anything but the water in his half-full glass. A touchy subject, perhaps. [/blockquote] |
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Post by Lucien DeChain on Feb 8, 2013 12:40:29 GMT -8
Freaked him out a little? Lucien frowned as the boy became reclusive in his chair, wondering if that was really what happened. But, if Ari obviously didn't want to discuss the altercation he had experienced, then... Lucien knew when to stop pushing.
He relaxed in his chair, and leaned back, feeling in that moment like an old-world businessman about to make a reluctant offer. And, in fact, he was.
"Well, Ari, it seems like you're used to taking care of yourself. And, if you are comfortable going back home to your roommate, you're free to do so. But," He added. "If you don't want to go back, I can offer you a new home, with power, warm beds, and every old-world pleasure we've come across. We have food to spare, and there will be plenty of opportunity to train your Qi. And, you'd be free."
He watched for the boy's reaction, especially to the last sentence. If he took at least a slight shining to that, it might be an indication that something was awry.
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Post by Vespyr on Feb 8, 2013 14:51:37 GMT -8
Lucien had Ari's attention, but he didn't have the the boy's head lifted again until the very last selling point was on the table. His implication was clear and Ari felt cornered for a moment, confronted with the enticing offer for a brand new life over his current situation with the Rogues. He could escape the everyday savagery that was rampant in the streets that he called home. No more forced fights down in the bunker. To never have to deal with Teal again. Saul would understand; maybe he'd even join him and the two could be Crows together, away from all the violence and horror. Two friends sitting in a pub like this one, warm and well-fed and complacent, having said their good-byes to the fearsome lifestyle of ferals--tamed, unlike Vespyr and Cain--and to get away from that man, finally. Ari's choice was clear and he'd known it all along.
Free?
"it's very nice of you to offer, but… it's not like that. he's not so bad." Ari said, his blue-grey eyes focused on Lucien with a knowing look, and a feeble but assured smile pulling at his lips. |
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