[Lera/Malachai (Alt)] - Spellswords and Parties

[giltededge]

Who: Lera and Malachai (With Valentine cameo)
When: Tuesday, 21st
Where: Days' End league hall, solstice celebrations
Before/After: NA?
Warnings: Mention of fighting, booze, dancing druids

Lera worked through a lot of emotions after she arrived in the Nenakret. Wonder had turned into homesickness and worry after awhile, but a good night's sleep had changed all of that. She now had a healthy mix of them. When she heard about a festival within city bounds, she decided that she could see that before she went off to join the spellswords.

Once she did, she did not know how much free time she had. It would be less, though, and her actions would be constrained. The military was the military.

She had Marlene's advice and maps to go off of. The advice and descriptions proved much more useful than the maps, which had been altered by the merges. Paris was practically part of the Nenakret now; it made her want to get to a computer, input everything, and try to make an accurate map. She knew that was just a fanciful thought, though; she was not going to have a computer capable of that any time soon.

She still wore Earth clothing. Her jacket's arms were tied around her waist, leaving a dark green shirt visible. The blue jeans and shoes were also Earth-make. The only thing that stood out was the spellsword-style sword at her side, plus the knife Anais sent. She also had a pistol holstered at her side. She walked along until she saw the league hall -- and the new construction.

Her mouth opened, then closed, as she looked around, until she saw the bonfire. She felt the heat rolling off it, too, as she came closer. She had no idea what this Malachai Dominga would look like. The possible connection with another Malachai occurred to her, but she decided to wait and see. There might be only one Captain Malachai, but there had to be other people named Malachai.


Probably the most obvious person was the white-haired woman dancing around the bonfire, grabbing drinks to shove them into peoples' hands, and generally being the 'life of the party', as it were. Her and the few other league-druids that stuck around, though Malachai expected they'd all take off for their own festivities at some point.

Malachai stood off to the side, close enough to feel the heat of the fire but not so close as to get swept up in any dancing, more interested in making sure the fire didn't spread to any of the buildings nearby than joining in on the drunken revelry. Valentine had called him boring. He'd smirked and shrugged it off. She had plenty of people to keep her entertained.

Having forgone his armor, the only real indication that he was a Spellsword were his eyes, the fire's flames flickering off them. And possibly the twin swords that hung at his hips. Gold-coloured frames sat on his face, his clothing casual, blue tunic and tan pants with leather boots underneath.

He watched the celebrations with casual interest, lifting a drink to take a sip, eyes scanning the masses. A half-turn and he caught sight of another newcomer- there'd been a few, those his league's members had invited, or those who'd just shown up, drawn to the sounds of celebration. Not knowing which this was, he offered her a soft smile and a nod.


The white-haired woman got Lera's attention first. She had never seen a druid up close and personal before, unlike some classes. And, well, she knew the life of the party when she saw it. It brought a smile to Lera's face when she got a good look at her, before she turned her head and looked around.

She saw what felt a little like a ghost, then.

The differences between Jack "Captain Malachai" Brampton and Malachai Dominga were obvious, of course. But the similarity was there -- they could have been brothers. Lera opened her mouth and stared, until the gold eyes caught her attention, and she reminded herself to be polite. She returned the smile and waved, before she started over towards him. She helped herself to a drink on the way.

As she came up closer, Lera called out. "Nice party you have going here!"


He was used to being stared at by Earthers when they first met him, really. The gold eyes, combined with the white hair, unusually long by Earth-standards (so he'd been told), seemed to catch many by surprise, especially for those who'd never seen, or even heard of, a spellsword before.

He paid it no mind, though a soft chuckle escaped his lips, likely unheard over the noise.

As she approached, he tilted his head towards her to catch her words, offering a smile in reply. "Our resident party-planner would appreciate the sentiment," he said, casting a glance towards that white-haired druid. Not one to be rude, he offered her a hand and an introduction. "Malachai Dominga."


Lera debated how to tell a perfect stranger that she knew who made him, then realized that the answer was to not tell him. If she knew this Malachai better, perhaps it would be appropriate.

She shook his hand with a surprisingly firm grip. "The person I was looking for," she said, glancing at the white-haired woman briefly. She would have to give her compliment directly later. She looked back at him. "This, ah, this will sound rather strange, but we have a mutual friend. Do you know Marlene Reliace?"


One brow rose at the first part, but when the rest came, this woman suddenly had Malachai's full attention. He knew Marlene was on Earth, so running into an Earther that knew her, while surprising and unexpected, was perhaps a relief to him. "Of course," he answered immediately. "You've seen her? How is she?" He'd spoken to Marlene, surely, but hadn't actually seen her since.... Well, he wasn't sure.


"Well," Lera said immediately and with a smile. "She adjusted, I think. Had it not been for the sword and gold eyes when I first met her, I'd have never realized where she was from. We got to be good friends--"

Her eyes widened a little. She was being rude, she thought, and some of the eagerness in her tone quickly melted away.

"Ah, Lera Savinkov, sorry, I should have said earlier," she said. "From Earth." As if he could not have known that by simply looking at her. This woman had nothing of Zenderael beyond the sword at her side. She tapped it once. "She also taught me the basics with this."


It was good to hear about how Marlene was doing, even if he could just write her to ask. That just wasn't the same. Having a person in front of him who could tell him made it seem more... real? Closer, at any rate.

He didn't point out how obvious her origin was, since that would be rude, but he did give a low chuckle. "That's good," he said, though whether it was about how Marlene was or the sword practice was perhaps unclear. (It was to both.) "I'd heard Earth was... unused to the creatures we get here. A bit strange, I think, since many of your kind seemed to think you'd created them." He gave a shrug, then nodded down at her sword. "Will you continue training with it, now that you're here?"


"We weren't used to it, no," Lera said. "We got used to it, but we thought everything about Zenderael was just a story at first. We, um, we mostly know better, now..." And the evidence was overwhelmingly against that, now, thanks to the the merges and where she was standing.

"I plan to, yeah," she added, looking back down at the sword hilt. It had the mark of a Bastan swordsmith on it, from one of the smithies crossed over into Fall City. "I'm going to go join the spellswords after the festival."

She skipped a beat, before she smiled. "I was in the military back on Earth and talked to Marlene about it." She looked distant for a moment. "And I'd like to try to earn my keep here, so that seems like a good fit all around."


A story, a game. That's what he'd been hearing, from those who'd known what Zenderael was before things started to merge. Many had no clue, though, until after. Those who hadn't 'played', or who weren't 'gamers'.

"The spellswords, hmm?" He looked her over critically. She seemed in good shape, at least, and with previous military training... Though he wondered how different Earth military would be from any in his world.

But if Marlene thought she'd be suitable, Malachai wasn't going to question it.

"How long have you been here?" he inquired. Not long, he suspected.


Lera looked faintly embarrassed while Malachai sized her up. She was used to it, of course; soldiers did that, judging how tough someone looked, whether they thought they could make it. She had done so herself to a few recruits in her army days. It still felt a little strange, though, especially given the entirely different kind of military she would be joining.

"A little over twenty-four hours," Lera said. "So not very long at all. Enough to see some of the sights and find an inn--though, ah, Marlene sent me the key to her old place, so I went and found that earlier. Everything looked to be in one piece, still, so I'm sure she'll be relieved..."

She looked over at the bonfire again. Her lips pursed.

"What's the fire and the celebration for?" she asked. "I admit, um, I was never the best with your holidays. I'm sorry, I should have learned them..."


Not long, no. His brow creased, ponderous. "How certain are you that you wish to be a spellsword?" he asked. "It's not something to jump into lightly, and after only a day..." Not that he planned to stop her, but having been in the military for longer than the required two years, he wanted her to be sure it was what she wanted, even with prior experience.

Marlene again. Ah, she'd given this woman access to her home? He'd have to write for Marlene's opinion, perhaps, if only to verify...

"Ah." Malachai looked towards the bonfire as he explained. "The midsummer festival. It's three days of celebrating Jerala, the goddess of the harvest." As he watched, Valentine's white hair swirled as she pranced around the fire, laughing loud enough for it to carry over to them. He gave a chuckle before continuing. "The druid celebration is only one day, celebrating the Summer Solstice. They have their own ceremonies as well."


It was a fair question and Lera did not begrudge him for it. She knew people who joined the military that later regretted it; it rarely ended happily for the ones who did not think it through enough. She pursed her lips.

"Sure enough," she said. "I know a little about them -- I, ah, read up on them." Including a couple of the tie-in novels, but she did not specify that much. It sounded dismissive, now. "And I spent four years in my military. It sounds, um, challenging, but not bad at all."

And it was a way to protect herself.

"That one is a druid?" she asked, motioning at the white-haired, laughing woman with a hand. "It makes sense--we, uh, have some midsummer festivals back on Earth. None quite like this one, though." Lera looked back at Malachai and smiled. "We blow up fireworks for some of ours. I think your dances leave ours out in the cold, though."


Malachai wasn't going to ask. He'd learned early on that some Earthers acquired knowledge of Zenderael from strange place, such as novels, or a thing called 'the Internet' (which he'd had explained but still didn't understand).

If she was sure, he probably wouldn't be able to change her mind even if he wanted to.

He let it drop to focus on the other topic, looking where Lera motioned. "Ah, yes. Valentine." He wasn't even sure what to make of the woman now that she'd returned, easily brushing everyone off as 'boring', only seeming interested in throwing a party. He had trouble really remember how well they'd gotten along, if they had at all, and while he'd thought he understood her, he wasn't sure now.

The troubled look on his face vanished quickly as he turned back to Lera, smiling. "I've heard many of our celebrations coincide with those on Earth," he commented. It made him wonder just where those celebrations came from. Had they really originated on Zenderael...? And just how many other similarities were there? "The druids outdo everyone when it comes to celebrations, I think. At least for the Solstice."


"Judging by how much fun she's having, I'm inclined to agree," Lera said, returning the smile. "I guess it makes sense about festivals overlapping. A lot welcome in seasons, so they come with certain calendar events..."

She trailed off at that. Her expression looked thoughtful; she had no idea how Zenderael's astronomy compared to Earth's, save for the night sky being unfamiliar. She had never considered that before, but it definitely sent a wave of homesickness through her when she saw it last night. She folded her arms in front of her.

"Different Earth cultures have festivals at the same time, too," she said. She looked at Malachai. "Ah, Marlene also mentioned a league. Day's End, I believe?"


It made sense, he supposed. Especially with the druids, since celebrating seasons seemed to be pretty important to them. Though, with much of his 'experience' having been with Valentine, and how she'd likely use any excuse to throw a party, he wondered how much of that was assumption.

"Hmm?" He'd gotten distracted thinking, whoops. "Ah, yes. Our league," he nodded towards the main building, some distance away from the bonfire (at his insistence), with its blue gryphon crest on a banner to either side of the doorway. "I maintain it, for the most part, though my officers are most helpful with keeping things running smoothly. We're mostly mercenaries, though with recent events, we've been taking in those displaced by the merge."


Lera nodded. "That's good. A lot of people from Earth wouldn't know much about this place." The ones who were lucky enough -- as much as she hated to use that phrasing -- to play the game were probably the exception, rather than the rule. "I'm lucky I knew someone from here. I imagine a lot of them didn't."

And, of course, the number of French speakers in Zenderael was probably painfully low until recently.


"Many don't, no," he agreed. "There are those, like yourself, with some idea, but even those seem to not know what to expect without first-hand knowledge." Actually having someone who'd been to Zenderael probably made it easier to fill in whatever gaps there were in the knowledge of the place.

He considered Lera most fortunate for that.


Lera thought of some of the people from Zenderael who came to the other side; Rasmus shaking her television in confusion, Noelle admitting she preferred the quiet of the country to the noise of the city, and even Marlene not knowing any of the songs at karaoke. Her eyes turned down at the ground.

"It's a shock for everyone, I think, when they cross between worlds," she said. "How much changes can be hard to comprehend."

She used to make maps of how Fall City changed, so she had some firsthand idea of what it looked like. It was probably the same in Zenderael; if she had learned anything, it was that certain parts of the two worlds were more similar than different. "If you ever help with the league, um, I'd be willing. Whatever you need, you know?"


"Mm." That had Malachai thinking back to Marlene again. Adjusted, but how difficult had it been? He was thankful for people like Lera, people willing to make friends with those from Zenderael. How many of those were there? And how many blamed anyone from Zenderael for what was happening...?

"I think we have everything under control," he said with a smile. "Though I do appreciate it. You, however, may be in more need than us, so if there is anything we can help with, or if you want a space in the league..." She'd be in the military for two years after joining the Spellswords, but that didn't mean she couldn't have ties elsewhere.


Probably too many, now that New York, Washington, and Paris were gone. Lera was a little worried about it, but being here meant more immediate concerns had to rise to the forefront.

Like being alive next week.

"I won't say no to that," she said. She smiled back. "I could certainly use the support and help." And she had never been in a league before; Acher had ran around without one, even if she entertained the idea. "And maybe I'll find a way to help out in kind some day."


His smile grew, a grin threatening to take over. "We help you until you can help others, hmm? There will certainly be those who will need it in the future." Especially if the merge continued. He couldn't fathom how many had shown up already, nor how many were still there.

"I'm sure you'll have more to deal with than you'll want, but if you should ever wish some extra training..." His eyes fell to Lera's sword. "Or perhaps some better equipment." This time they scanned her clothing- hardly suitable for a spellsword, or anyone going into battle, really. "I'm sure they'll provide you with suitable armor, but we do have some items that may be of better use, depending on your focus."


Lera smiled at that, awkwardly. She was proud of her sword, but it was a weapon to learn with -- and made by a Bastan swordsmith that had no magical ingredients and little experience with spellswords. Back then, though, she never anticipated needing enchantments placed upon it. "I won't say no to any of that. Especially the training--I, ah, got some advice from another spellsword, Nadir Kahel, on the matter of focus. He recommended combat."

Her smile brightened a little at that. She always had a little bit of a competitive streak.


That wasn't a name he was familiar with. Should he ask Marlene about him...? Ah, well, no matter, if Lera understood the basic principles of the different specialties, as she likely did if she'd read up on it. "My own focus is combat," he explained, which meant he could offer some points in that regard. "Marlene is support, but she may have already mentioned that." His eyes went distant a moment, recalling how well the two worked together.

And that he missed it. That and having her pester him as she did.

He pulled himself back to the present, still smiling. "We'll take a look, hmm? After the celebrations. Tomorrow, perhaps- they'll continue for another day, but won't be as, ah, rambunctious." He could only hope.


"I'm glad to take pointers." Lera smiled at that. She could guess that Malachai knew more about it than she could; practical experience always trumped reading about something on the internet. "I heard that Marlene is support, too--ah, she actually used her abilities to help me. We met when some monsters attacked and she enhanced my own abilities with a gun."

She nodded. "Tomorrow, then--we should celebrate while there is a celebration on, I think!"


Fighting monsters- a good way to bond with someone, really. Malachai let out a chuckle.

It was followed by a soft laugh, his smile widening. "I prefer my celebrations seated in a bar with close friends, but by all means." His hand motioned towards the bonfire, and the drinking and dancing. "Enjoy yourself. No telling when you'll next get the chance, after all."


That reminded her of the Malachai back on Earth, at least a little. They had mostly run into each other in bars.

"You never do," Lera agreed. She waved a hand at him, before she started off towards the celebrating partygoers -- and picked up a new drink on her way into the crowd.