crystallinememories

Sounds wonderful! I'm already looking forward to it.

it's a date!

bring an empty bag and an open mind. but also don't eat or drink anything i don't hand you myself because it might be tampered with hehe

I'm now also a tad concerned, but still mostly excited!

[wait hang on is this actually a date.]

[Depends on the vibe, honestly.]

i'll keep you safe, don't worry!

i'm not from the birthplace of alchemy for nothing

[He doesn't think he'd mind?? But also this is literally the second time they've spoken and spoilers, he really doesn't have much history with this kind of thing.

But it doesn't matter, really, doesn't change whether he'd go or not and he's plenty excited regardless. So he shows up at the appointment time and place, with a bag as instructed, looking around for his 'new' friend. Of course, given that he's only seen Amal's picture, Amal will have a much easier time picking him out of the crowd than vis-versa, even without the ears and tail.]

Edited (forgot to actually... label as action. whoops.) 2022-04-28 20:25 (UTC)

[Amal picks the other redhead out instantly and moves across the sidewalk to meet him. It's starting to warm up, so he's dressed more comfortably: an unbuttoned red nehru jacket over a black cotton shirt, jeans, and pointed-toe boots peeking out from beneath. He has multiple gold piercings in his obvious elf ears, and some matching layered necklaces, as well as jangly bracelets and a few rings... This is him dressing conservatively, believe it or not.]

Raha! [He beams brightly, always happy to see him even if it's... well, mostly one-sided.] Thanks for coming. How are you doing? Are you ready for a little adventure?

[One wouldn't know it's one-sided from the way Raha reacts; he immediately brightens when he sees Amal, smiling as the man makes his way over.]

I'm well! And it's nice to meet you in person. [He really doesn't get out much, aside from school things at this point, and Amal has been so kind already. He's excited for both the discoveries of the market and getting to know him a bit better.] Absolutely. Thank you bringing me along.

[He bows with a flourish and a smile that is just a bit too rogueish.]

And you as well.

[It's... weird seeing G'raha with round ears. He keeps staring a little too long, but might get confused for looking at his eyes instead.]

I thought it might be a nice introduction to a world you knew existed but hadn't seen. [He gestures for Raha to follow him and starts across the walkway... toward a closed-down subway station abandoned in the middle of construction. By all appearances it looks creepy as hell and empty, but Amal doesn't slow his stride whatsoever.] Looks like a dungeon, right? It's actually the entrance to where we're going!

[Or his Miqo'te marks, or the Archon tattoos... really there's plenty new to him on his face, so he assumes it's one of those and scratches sheepishly at his cheek at the attention.

He won't comment on it, though, following after Amal and looking towards the subway station. He's walked past here plenty, but obviously didn't have any reason to try and go inside.] Right in plain sight... I suppose that's often how it is, isn't it?

[Amal grins over his shoulder.]

You've got it.

[He peels back a portion of trashed chain-link fence so that Raha can duck inside. There's no light here so it's a touch dangerous to go down the stairs, but there's a soft blue glow somewhere at the bottom, distant, silently beckoning, like a will-o-the-wisp.]

I'd tell you to watch your step, but you probably see better than I can.

Edited 2022-04-29 01:01 (UTC)

[Raha chuckles, ducking under the chain. He's not going to say that he's never found his way into strange places he wasn't supposed to be, because it would be a lie and his curiosity has led him a few interesting places, but it is different to do it with someone else.]

Probably. Are you going to have any issue with it?

[Amal laughs, light like his steps on the stairs.]

I admit I'm a touch envious... It's so difficult to sneak around when you can't see anything.

[He falls into step at Raha's side, but just a step ahead, in case he needs to protect him from something.]

It makes me wonder what kind of things you'll do next.

Edited 2022-04-29 02:13 (UTC)

[Raha's keeping an eye on both him and the path ahead, to make sure Amal doesn't hurt himself. He's sure he can handle it, but--]

I'm sure you could learn, if you wanted to. I feel like you're giving me a bit too much credit.

[He's really kind of boring, Amal. Or at least, most people tend to assume he is.]

I think you don't give yourself enough!

[At last they reach the bottom of the stairs. From here the path winds a bit, but it cleans up into what looks to be your typical underground mall. There are shops loosely built into the cavern itself, and smaller stalls with vendors of all kinds. The lighting is low and kind of ambient, but enough to get around—perhaps not too bright so as to avoid inconveniencing the vampiric sorts.]

There's a book shop down here if we walk a little further. Or do you want to see something else first?

[Though is does look more or less like a normal mall, Raha still stops to take it all in for a moment. There was a place like this in London that he'd go to on occasion, and he knows enough about magic to know what he's looking at, but that does't stop him from near vibrating in excitement all the same.

He looks over at Amal with a bright smile and a nod.] A book shop sounds perfect.

[Amal is feeling very much like this wasn't a mistake. We'll see how long this lasts.]

I had a feeling.

[The place is bustling because it's the weekend. Amal catches a glimpse of a group of possibly werewolf kids, a few people dressed eccentrically, and one lady with a pile of books in her arms exiting from the bookstore.]

Ah, here it is. [There's a friendly little jingle of the bell attached to the door as he holds the door open for Raha. Inside the place is slightly brighter, so that one can see the titles of books. There are the usual fiction, nonfiction, self help sections... and ones for disciplines (potions, spells, enchantments, glyphs), reference books on strange flora and fauna, and the list goes on.

The clerk today is a young girl dressed in black reading a book on human sacrifice. She barely pays her new customers any attention.

They could be here for a while.]

[They are definitely going to ben here for a while.

Raha looks over the non-fiction books first, because while he doubts that he could actually use what he finds here for his research, it doesn't hurt to check (and who knows, it could give him some ideas). A majority of the time is spent looking over the spells and enchantments, a small pile building up- and if Amal is paying attention, he'll likely be able to tell that the majority are alined with Shadow oriented magic. Of course, Raha isn't ignoring him, by any means; though periodically distracted by something in the books he's scanning, he's happy to chat away with, explaining bits of history or rituals behind the things he's looking at.]

[Amal is happy to listen, as it so happens. Though he has a book about sword techniques, he's barely looking at it; he spends more of his time curled up on the floor nearby as Raha sifts through the books and talks about what he knows. Amal asks questions every once in a while about the specifics of a ritual, or what-ifs. He's got a curious mind too, even if he's not a scholar.

This was always his favorite part about spending time with G'raha Tia. But that was another time, another place, and he's starting from square one.]

A lot of these books deal with dark magic. Something about it interest you?

[Periodically, Raha will join him on the floor, when he wants to look more thoroughly for a book. Now is one such moment, flipping through and looking at various enchantments.]

Oh, the shadow books you mean? Shadow's my affinity... I don't know how much you know about the magic here, but people who deal with the paranormal acquire an affinity for one of the six elements, which... mostly means it's a bit easier to work with spells and such of that element.

[He chuckles with a sheepish scratch to his cheek.] Shadow's not bad or anything, I promise. It's... mostly about shadow manipulation and stealth and such.

An affinity, huh...

[He has some theories about that, but decides not to mention them.]

I wouldn't dare assume that it meant something sinister. It's just an element present in the world like everything else. My world is much the same.

[He hums thoughtfully.]

You know... when I was younger, I tried to be stealthy myself. Didn't work out, for various reasons. [He grins fangishly and points to one of his tattoed cheeks.] Turns out being a redhead and a loudmouth is bad for staying secret.

I still know all the cool knife tricks, though. And I'm very good at climbing and jumping, if I do say so myself!

[Raha relaxes a little and nods.] I just wanted to be sure. So many people assume dark and evil are the same thing, so they can get a bit upset about it.

I used to climb and jump on everything... not sure if I still could. But I certainly never learned knife tricks. You're going to have to show me sometime-- provided you promise you won't hurt yourself.

Every element exists in opposition to another one, and is balanced because of that relationship. Treating darkness like it's evil is simplistic and harmful. Of course, here, where you can't see the tangible effects of that... people wouldn't know any better. But some of us have seen a world where light was allowed to rule freely and prevented life from flourishing... and another where shadow caused the world to collapse in on itself, leaving a void. Neither is a good outcome.

[He rubs at the back of his head.]

I still have all my fingers, don't I? [He wiggles his hands, which have tattoos right up to the knuckles. This close, however, Raha might be able to tell that many of his tattoos sloppily cover or distract from lighter scars.] I had nothing better to do in taverns than learn stabberscotch while trying to get information. It was either that or start fights.

Really? [He has just... so many questions, he's nearly bursting.] How does that happen? I suppose if most people in your world have magic, there's more chance for it to be manipulated...

[He smiles at the wave of the hands, but pauses at the sight of the tattoos and scars. He almost thoughtlessly grabs Amal's hands, looking pointedly at the scars before back at Amal with a thoroughly concerned expression.]

Aether is in everything. The rocks, the air, people, plants... Natural disasters can throw everything into flux, just as much as people using magic or technology irresponsibly. Sometimes the real reason isn't quite so simple, though. The world full of light and the one full of shadow were both caused by bad people making bad decisions.

[He isn't expecting Raha to grab his hands. Were it anyone else he'd yank them back, but Raha has long since become one of the few people he trusts enough to touch him without warning. He can guess what that look means, even if there are no words; he can feel his face heating up, pinkening all the way to the tips of his ears.]

I-it's not what it looks like. [A pause.] Well, it is, kind of, but I can explain—

[He takes a deep breath. After a moment, he pulls his right hand back (gently) so that he can adjust his unbuttoned vest, deftly undoing the buttons on the cotton shirt with just one hand so that Raha can see the curved lines tattooed over his heart in the shape of a sun.]

When I was fifteen, a Garlean soldier on leave and I got into it. He stabbed me just above my heart. A fraction of an ilm and I would've died then. So I got a tattoo like the sun, because every time I fall I rise again eventually. [He tugs his left sleeve up a little and traces his fingers over some more vein-like tribal stripes criss-crossing over the top of his arm.] Claw wounds, from my first fight against a tiger. [Next he points out a circular scar on his hip.] Gored by a gaja here. Shot here, and here... [Another more obvious sun tattoo on his other hip.]

At first I thought I could hide what I've been through, but after a while I decided to celebrate it. There's no shame in having your story written where people can see. And, honestly, people usually judge me before I even open my mouth—so I don't really care what they think about it all.

[He squeezes Raha's hands and smiles.]

The scars don't hurt anymore, so it's nothing to worry about.

[To be fair, Raha wasn't really expecting Raha to grab his hands. Just, when he saw the scars just as Amal was trying to say he'd be fine... well. Too late for thinking about it now, he supposes.

He listens quietly as Amal points out his various scars, the myriad of ways that he got them and the tattoos with them. He still doesn't know much at all about Amal's life before here, but it seems when he'd mentioned 'adventuring' he'd done far, far more than just break some toys. It's not until Amal squeezes his hand that he realizes he's still holding it, and he immediately flusters, loosening said hold so the other can more easily pull away.]

Sorry, I-- I suppose that wasn't really any of my business. [But, still, when he looks up to meet Amal's gaze there's a soft smile.] ...I am quite glad that you've only got the scars to show for it and you're still here. That's certainly worth celebrating.

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