guy. (inspirers) wrote in emillion, @ 2014-01-08 07:46:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, !log, guy lenard, zacheus aleyne |
Pour a little salt we were never here.
Who: Guy Lenard & Zacheus Aleyne.
What: Celebratory drinks.
Where: A tavern in the Commoners District.
When: Backdated to last month, post-plague.
Rating: Mild.
Status: Complete!
Guy hadn’t finished acclimating back to normal life as yet, one out of the sickbed and well away from death’s door, but he at least pulled off the effort to look a great semblance similar to his former self. Being around healthy and by all means happy people once again (and far away from the sight of healers) would certainly did aid the process, and so he reminded himself of this while waiting. And at least this evening he wasn’t going to look so terrible in front of Zacheus. In fact, Guy had made something of an effort to clean up his appearance and erase all recent memory of him ever having been amongst the infirm. He tapped his fingers against the table as he waited, gazing around the room for the first sign of his friend and offering a cheery word to others passing by. The world seemed to quickly pull itself back together once again as well, it appeared, even after such troubling circumstances. Pondering over these most recent events had been put on hold, however, saved for another day--and another report to the Bureau, who had put their claws back in him the moment he could reasonably walk out of bed without aid. For now, his mind was trained on more personal matters. With his gaze trailing around the room and never settling for long in any one direction, Guy perked up suddenly and leaned over the table. Red-faced from the biting cold, Zacheus did his best to hurriedly (and politely) maneuver past patrons and waitresses to Guy’s table. He rarely seemed very enthusiastic about going out, even with close friends like Rictor, but it was his first time seeing Guy since he’d been healed, and he wasn’t doing a very good job of suppressing his nervous excitement. (Lille had teased him mercilessly after catching him warily mulling over his reflection.) His stomach was in knots by the time he reached the mage, and he was irritated with himself for being nervous in the first place. “Evening,” he said, sliding out of his coat before taking a seat across from the synergist. It was a relief to see him up and about, no longer feverish and confined to a bed. Zacheus took a moment to carefully study the other man’s face, sharp eyes on the search for any lingering signs of illness: he looked healthy and whole, much better than the shade he’d visited at the Cathedral. There was no stopping the smile that blossomed on his face. “You’re looking much better.” Guy had nearly bound out of his chair at Zacheus’ hasty arrival. He shifted his chair forward with an audible creak, leaning forward with elbows on the table to get a better glimpse of the other man as well. A peculiar feeling sank in suddenly, and he recalled the departure of Cyclone not long ago and his own strange reaction after. Had he grown so genuinely attached to the presence of others without noticing? Although certainly, he thought, his student and his good friend Zacheus weren’t at all alike in many regards… He stopped his internal babbling in favor a cheery smile. “I do clean up from time to time,” he joked kindly. “And you’re not looking bad yourself. I’m glad you could make it out tonight, Zacheus.” While the mage tapped his fingers anxiously on the table and wondered on possible items of conversation, a waitress materialized from the crowd to take an order. Drinks and a plate of sausages were ordered (“I forgot to eat dinner,” Zacheus added apologetically), and the waitress scurried back to the bar after giving them what Zacheus thought was an amused smile. He wasn’t sure, but it looked disturbingly similar to the one Lille had given him after he’d told her he was meeting Guy for drinks. After their waitress scurried back to the bar, Zacheus visibly relaxed in his seat. His nerves weren’t completely gone (how was it possible to feel both at ease and an anxious mess with someone?), but his stomach was no longer doing cartwheels. It was progress. “I’m glad I could make it too,” he agreed, smiling. “I’ve had such awful luck lately, I was worried there might be another attack on the city or, I don’t know, Lille would fall and break half her bones.” Well, that wasn’t very smooth at all. Cringing, he reached for his glass of water and took a long swig. “Er, fortunately everything’s fine. She says hello, by the by.” “Well, I’m glad to hear it,” Guy said, practically sinking into his own mug soon after. He continued to lean across the table as he spoke, looking interested (and not a bit nervous, no) and keeping the mug between both hands to try to keep them still. Underneath the table, meanwhile, he dragged the bottom of his boots against the floor. “I know I’ve missed out on current news while,” his brow knit together uncharacteristically, “infirm. You wouldn’t care to fill me in on anything exciting that’s happened, would you?” He tried to perk up his expression with a smile again, his eyes wandering over this and that, the slope of Zacheus’ shoulders, his hand on the glass of water. Eventually, his gaze settled on the middle of the table. “There’s been mentions of some exciting mission around the Tower.” And some ghastly multi-limbed creature as well, but the mage had left the stranger part out. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been among those to catch a glimpse of it. “Exciting,” Zacheus echoed with a snort, settling back into his chair. “That’s one way to describe it.” He rubbed at his chin as he thought back on mission in the cavern. “Well, I’m sure you’ve heard the basics: one of the white mages discovered the location of an herb to cure the illness. It was located in a cave with a, erm,” and here the archer’s mouth pinched into a frown, “rather powerful guardian creature. Not that I was lucky enough to personally interact with it—but there were a few Tyranoroxes.” The waitress returned with their drinks, and Zacheus paused long enough to take a long swig of his ale before continuing. “There were limited amounts of the herb, but the creature—er, Asura—helped heal everyone. For which I’m very grateful,” he added, and he met the mage’s eyes in a level gaze. His expression flickered for a moment, his pleasantly neutral expression slipping into one of deep fondness. But it was gone a moment later, replaced by his usual inscrutable gaze as he hastily reached for his drink. “Sounds like quite the adventure!” Guy took in the news with a curious expression, scratching his beard absently as he listened to the tale. It was a strange thing, he decided, that Zacheus had volunteered to put himself through so much effort as he described. Had Lille or his father turned ill, the mage thought, surely he would’ve heard of it and thus all would have made more sense in his own mind. After all, who knew what Guy might’ve done when put in the same position (and it wasn’t something he thought wise to ponder on either). “And I can’t say that I’m not grateful, you know,” he added. After all, how could he not be? If not for Zacheus and the rest of the volunteers, Guy may have very well shuffled off the mortal coil. Guy smiled. “In fact, the least I can do tonight is pick up the tab. What do you say?” |