bastian kelmendir is probably chilly (heiau) wrote in emillion, @ 2013-10-26 14:54:00 |
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The city of Emillion! A teeming metropolis, the seat of the Church of Faram, a bustling city of countless dynamic individuals each going about his or her day, a cog in the intricate, busy, whirring machine that was their urban home. Also: a very confusing place to be as a complete stranger. Bastian Kelmendir knew that he had to find his way to the Fighters' Guild. Unfortunately, while the letter of welcome from the Riskbreaker had been full of useful information about the guild's inner workings, it had neglected to provide a map. After coming upon an impressive manse that he took for a guildhall but soon discovered to be a brothel, he had wandered back to the city center and decided, though it stung his pride a bit, that perhaps it might be best to ask for directions. I will look for a person with a weapon, he resolved, peering into the distance with a hand above his eyes to block the midday sun, hoping some warrior would reveal themselves in the crowd. To his good fortune, across the street he saw a girl peering into a window, a sword strapped to her side. "Greetings, warrior!" he called, raising his hand in the universal sign for 'hey there.' Juliette heard the greeting, certainly. She just didn't think it was meant for her. It took her the few subsequent instants of no answer to turn and realize that the strange, shirtless man (shirtless! In late Libra!) was, in fact, looking at her. She turned away from the bakery window display as the man approached and raised her hand in turn in a tentative wave of her own. She barely managed to keep herself from saying, are you quite certain you mean me? Instead, she said, "Good day, sir." He seemed by both dress and diction to be foreign, which probably explained the strange greeting (though it was very hard to mistake the word warrior for anything else in the common Valendian), and she supposed the short sword strapped to her waist -- a concession to the fact that she had to train with the accursed thing later this afternoon -- was deceiving. "May I help you?" "I am called Bastian," the man said, tapping himself on his broad, bare chest. "I have noticed that you carry a weapon, and I thought that perhaps you might be knowing the way to the Guild of Fighters." A sheepish grin, then, as he gestured vaguely around the square. "I was told I must go there to register my talents as a monk, but I have been searching the city to no avail for quite some time now. I was hoping perhaps you could be my guide." Frowning, he decided this might not be the most polite way to phrase it. "If it is not too much trouble for you, of course, miss." "A pleasure to meet you, Bastian. I am Juliette." The answer came easily, automatically, though she did not mimic his exuberance, making do with a polite and restrained nod of the head. She could not help brightening somewhat in curiosity at mention of his class. "You are a monk from outside the city?" She could think of at least a dozen questions she would like to ask him -- and, as he continued, she thought she might even get the opportunity to do so. She had at least an hour and a half before she was meant to be back in training -- surely long enough to play guide briefly for a friendly and curious stranger. "I am a member of that guild," she told him. "I would be glad to direct you. Were you told which guildhall?" She had to assume a newcomer should first go to Bahamut, but she could not be certain having never been a newcomer herself. "Yes! Far outside the city, in fact. I am from Kolokaui, by Ordalia." Bastian pointed into the distance, as if indicating the location of Ordalia. He was pointing in the right direction, at least. "I am on a pilgrimage with many of my brothers, though I have come to Emillion alone." After a moment's thought, he added: "Your city is very beautiful." Procuring the letter he had been sent, he traced the script with a fingertip for a moment before looking back up at Juliette. "Bahamut Hall, it says. Are there many halls? Back home we have but one monastery -- at least, only one on each island." Kolokaui. A place so far away, she had never heard of it -- for all that she considered herself moderately well-versed in Ordalian geography. More and more fascinating, this stranger. At the compliment, she smiled, nodding again. "Thank you. It is very large." A pause, before she settled on what appeared to be the correct thing to say: "I sometimes lose my way even now, and I have lived here my whole life." That he was lost was not terribly surprising; if Kolokaui was anything like the Sako Island of Alys' stories, this all would seem quite unnecessarily huge, she imagined. "Oh!" She flushed, realising suddenly that in her attempts to assuage his discomfort she might have in fact painted herself a very poor guide indeed. "But I do know my way to the guildhalls. There are nine in all, one for each district of the city." Fortunately, it seemed he knew which one he needed. "We are closest to Ringwyrm Hall now, but I can take you to Bahamut. It is a bit of a walk," she cautioned. "Would you prefer a crystal, perhaps? It would cut our time by more than half." Not that she minded the walk -- the Theatre District was always a fascinating place, even in passing, and she knew a number of shortcuts through the Nobles' District -- but she was not certain whether Bastian was really interested in an unscripted, hour-long tour of the city, either. "Nine guildhallds! Truly, a most impressive city. I am honored to have found one who can guide me through its many roads." The question took a moment to sink in. "Oh, a crystal! Interesting." Bastian looked a bit uneasy, but managed another bright smile. "I have never used a teleporting crystal before, though I have seen them. I do not mind a walk myself, though I would hate to inconvenience you for very long." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, clearly curious but also nervous. "What is it like, using a crystal? It is not dangerous, is it?" Juliette tried and failed to imagine a life without the convenience of teleportation crystals. They made life so much simpler, especially when one was in a hurry. She would certainly never get to a decent grocer's and back within an hour without one! It was only her carefully cultivated politeness that had her suppressing a smile at his question. "It is quite safe, I assure you. The guild mages are very skilled." She paused a moment, trying to come up with a proper description of the sensation before she settled on, "It is rather like having a very dense fog settle upon you before retreating." A little uncomfortable, if one stopped to think about it, but not painful. "I do have the time for the walk, however," she assured. "The crystal is not a necessity." She gestured back the way he had come, making certain not to point, and said, "This way. Shall we?" "Oh, I do not wish to keep you so," Bastian said, shaking his head firmly. "I should like to try the crystal, with one such as you -- who knows its workings -- as a guide. It would be best for me to know how these things work if I am to live here in Emillion for a time, yes?" He grinned. "I cannot imagine I will always find an accommodating guide when I am walking about on foot. I am very lucky to have found you this time, Miss Juliette." Now his mind was racing with all the questions one could have about a crystal that teleported you through time and space. "Do they go anywhere? Or is each to a specific place? I have not found a moment to ask before." "Very well then." It would hardly take twenty minutes this way. She kept herself from correcting him -- Miss Juliette was a strange moniker for her; she was far more accustomed to Lady or Squire Coulombe -- as she set their course. "They go to any of the other crystals in the city," she answered. "One selects one's destination at departure. They are all interconnected, as I understand." An impressive magical feat, if one stopped to really consider it. And now that they were on their way, she felt she could dare to, perhaps, exhibit a little curiosity. "You said you are on a pilgrimage?" "Yes!" Bastian said, brightly. All that crystal business was settled, so far as he was concerned, now that Juliette had confirmed it was safe. She was from around here, after all, and she had no reason to lie! He was very impressed with the whole system, though it seemed to him rather ostentatious. That said… it was preferable to being lost in this labyrinth of a city, so he could understand the utility of it. "My brothers and I are traveling to learn more about magic and the divine. It is an important mission, but we all have different ideas of how best to complete it. I feel the best place to learn is here, where so many people from around the world have congregated." "Magic and the divine?" she repeated. What an interesting way to put it. "Have you thought of visiting the Mages' Guild library?" she asked after a moment of thought. "Their archives are quite extensive, and anyone may visit, with a chaperon. I can point out their tower -- it is not far from Bahamut." She sped her steps as they cut through a corner of the Tenements. This was the quickest way to the nearest crystal, but that didn’t mean the neighborhood was a good one. She kept her hand on the hilt of the sword as they passed through it, only hoping that she would not have to draw it. "Oh, I have considered that, yes. I would be most obliged if you were to be showing me where it is, certainly." Bastian smiled amiably, following Juliette through the tenement district toward the awaiting crystal. If he seemed perturbed by their less-than-genteel surroundings, he didn't show it. "But, truly, I think the best way to learn is by working with people, walking alongside them. Seeing how people live, how they know the world, how they know their gods. It is a matter of feeling more than a matter of reading, you know? Perhaps I am strange." “I suppose I have never thought of it that way,” she mused. But after all, did they not all learn by doing, to some extent? A book was good for many things, but some knowledge was ingrained in the body. This was why she trained. Was his way of thinking really so different? “There are… many different kinds of people in the Fighters’ Guild. I do not believe you will find yourself lacking for… alternative viewpoints.” She was but a squire, but even she realized that some people in the guild only made a show of mutual tolerance because it was illegal to kill each other in plain sight. She relaxed as they passed out of the final tenements alleyway into the Theatre District. They were accosted immediately by noise and color. She spared a glance to a circle of children performing some intricate dance on a corner and wondered idly if any of them were among Seloria's chosen students. "It is not much further now," she reassured. "Five blocks until we reach the crystal, and then we will be in the city center." "If they are all so helpful as you, Miss Juliette, I think I will like it here in Emillion very much." Bastian's smile widened into a grin, toothy and broad. "I have been to many strange cities, but rarely have I found so accommodating a guide." The monk waved to the dancing children, not seeming to notice when his scanty attire made one of the little girls blush. "Thank you for guiding me through this labyrinth! It had become most frustrating." "It was nothing of consequence," she said, suddenly embarrassed. She had wanted to question him, after all, so she, too, had had something to gain from the exchange. And it was uncharitable to leave someone wandering aimlessly when one had the means to assist. The crystal came into view ahead, surrounded by a small wrought iron grate. This time of day, there was no line, for which fact she was grateful. "Let us go, and we will be at Bahamut within the half hour," she told him. As they approached the glowing magicite, she began to explain, "There is a nominal fee for crystal use; however, most find it is quite reasonable when convenience is considered..." |