+1 bard. No, make that +2.

[kitty_of_light]

C'taqa has returned to the Nexus. As he does.

This time, however, he brings a friend! Or, well, from the looks they keep giving one another, more than a friend. Ah-heh. A tall man with tanned skin, one eye - nearly one half of his face, really - covered by a large leather band, hair so brightly blond it's nearly white and tied back into a small tail, and an outfit that really would not look out of place in any general fantasy world (but for all the knives in his belt.) Well, since that is where they come from...

He's also human. Well. Eorzea's equivalent thereof. No cat ears and tail to be found on this attractive dude.

"--so this is it," C'taqa can be heard explaining, a little sheepishly, his tail waving behind him in obvious contentment. "It can get very strange here, so..."

"No stranger than what you bring down on us just by existing," the man teases him, giving him a little nudge with an elbow.

"...That's beside the point." C'taqa tries to look properly indignant, but his grin spoils it. And then he's too busy asking his question to be indignant. "What's everyone's idea of a good day? A relaxing one. Where you don't have to do anything you don't want to."

Seems he's just had one of those days himself.

((Here there be dragons spoilers! Meet Thancred, who C'taqa has finally managed to drag into the Nexus with him. Things may contain plotbits of FFXIV's most recent (as of now) story quest.))

Comments

[kitty_of_light]

Perhaps they will come back with stories next time, then!

"I'm not really...not personally. It's just the stuffed shirt scholars who get huffy." C'taqa's tail flicks in amusement. "It makes sense to me that we'd be related to cats."

[brave_heart_verity]

That would make her very happy.

"Cats used to be worshiped as gods, where I'm from. Your scholars should like that part."

[kitty_of_light]

"Really?" Intrigued C'taqa is intrigued.

Thancred snorts and gives him a playful thump upside the head. "As if we need to make your ego any bigger."

More pretend-indignant kitty! "What ego?" Hmph.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Oh yeah. They were allowed to do whatever they wanted, and hurting them was one of the worst possible crimes. When they died, sometimes they'd be mummified like the kings and queens, and given fancy burials in the royal tombs." Or something like that, Egyptology isn't really her thing. Wrong pantheon.

[kitty_of_light]

"Huh." C'taqa's head tilts slowly back and forth as he ponders that. "Sounds kind of neat, actually."

"You would think so." Thancred gives his hair an affectionate ruffle, laughing as his ears briefly flatten.

((so sorry for being slow as a slow thing. just so busy ;;))

[brave_heart_verity]

"I think most people would think that sounds like a good life, at first." It's what comes after 'at first' that's worrying. "You've never wanted to live a life free of consequences?"

((No worries!))

[kitty_of_light]

C'taqa hesitates a looooong moment before he answers that. "I have," he says quietly, but there is a very big 'but' trailing silently at the end of his sentence, which takes another long moment to make its vocal debut. "But even if I want to, I know I can't. Everything has consequences. Even getting out of bed in the morning has consequences. I could be killed by a rogue primal, I could get robbed just walking through the streets - well, you get the idea." He sighs, lets his shoulders slump a little. "I don't think I ever realized how bad the consequences are until I started adventuring. Until I started...healing."

"I really haven't the slightest idea how you tolerate that stress." Thancred is idly inspecting one of his knives as he says it, careful not to make any moves that could be taken as threatening. Very sharp blade, after all, and he doesn't want to scare Verity just by checking his weapons.

[brave_heart_verity]

People with weapons don't bother her much. As far as she knows the anti-violence field is intact and in effect. Plus, she's had a lot of training. He'd regret trying anything. (So would she; she's not that good. But he'd suffer too and that's almost like winning.)

"They say that nobody's given a gift in life that they aren't strong enough to bear." She doesn't believe that, but she sure can sound convincing when she wants to. "We endure because we must."

[kitty_of_light]

C'taqa's convinced, at least. It helps that he's generally not distrusting of people anymore when they say things like that. "I guess you're right."

Thancred slips the knife back into its belt-sheath and removes another for inspection. "I would agree." Then fake-confidentially, as an 'aside' to Verity, "He is one of the strongest I have ever had the honor of meeting. Yet he never believes it."

Rude noise from the kitty in response, though he's blushing.

[brave_heart_verity]

She gives C'taqa an encouraging smile before looking over at Thancred. "People keep telling me I'm brave. I don't get it. The person people see and the person I know I am aren't always the same."

[kitty_of_light]

"They rarely are," is Thancred's answer, his eyes briefly lifting from the blade to glance at Verity. "But I oft find that no matter how different they seem, they are still the same person."

"Since when are you philosophical?" C'taqa teases him.

[brave_heart_verity]

"That'd be nice," she admits quietly.

"Maybe you're a bad influence."

[kitty_of_light]

"I am not." C'taqa doesn't sound terribly convinced, though. In fact, he sounds rather smug, like he's pleased to be a bad influence.

Thancred just snorts.

[brave_heart_verity]

"Uh huh." Suuuuure she buys that. Yup. It came nicely bundled with a bridge. Useful stuff!

"So are you two going to go sightseeing while you're here?"

[kitty_of_light]

A bridge and the river it spans, even.

"Basically," C'taqa nods, looking a little sheepish. "I was going to show him a couple of my favorite places here. But talking to friends is more important."

[brave_heart_verity]

"Ah. Go on, then, have fun. You two deserve it. It was good to see you again, C'taqa. And nice to meet you, Thancred."

[kitty_of_light]

"My pleasure." Thancred sketches a small bow.

C'taqa rolls his eyes briefly, but he's smiling, nodding to Verity. "All right. We'll see you later."