zenderael_mmo | [Victor/Ashtaroth/Chisaki]

[Drinking isn't Victor's favorite way to pass the time, but it was true what he said: he didn't want Chisaki out alone after the war. They had saved each others lives more than a few times on the field. It was the least he could do, but he wouldn't have felt right leaving Ash to do it. He was glad she had agreed to come along, and he promised to buy her something fancy and mixed. Something classy.]

[He almost doesn't recognize Chisaki out of her gear, and lacks his own: just a dark, laced vest over dark clothing. It's the cleanest he felt in weeks. Victor smiles and raises his hand in greeting.]

Chisaki.

[He turned to Ash with a soft gesture to introduce them.]

Ash, this is Chisaki. Chisaki, Ashtaroth.

[ hope chisaki didn't mind clerics, because ashtaroth's casual dress was still cleric robes. black and sleek, with a built-in hood about her shoulders and wide sleeves, her shoes just barely poking out from under the hem. there weren't many order clerics left after the initial invasion, most of them being older and less prone to travel, unlike ashtaroth had been. it was a somber reminder that she could have been among those departed.

what irony.

she'd been elated that victor had asked her to join him- she wouldn't begrudge him time to himself with others, but it had been especially difficult to hide just how happy she'd been with the offer. the promise to buy her something to drink was something she'd just agreed to in order to lessen how quickly she otherwise would have agreed to go in. he's going to meet someone? oh, who? a friend he made out on the battlefield? curiousity piqued, she had no reason to refuse.

seeing that the other person was a girl, however, made her pause, hovering at victor's elbow for just a moment before she offered a small smile. it brightens up an otherwise gloomy(-seeming?) expression. ]

Nice to meet you.

[ it wasn't bad to not mention she'd never drank before, right? ]

Victor says you two did a lot of fighting out in the field. I'm glad to hear it.

Hey, Victor.

[Chisaki gives Victor a small wave. It's nice seeing him in a context that doesn't involve the war. She grins, looking the paladin over, and then she looks in Ashtaroth's direction. The cleric doesn't quite give her a start, but she looks her over before deciding that, in fact, she's probably fine. Victor knows what she is and drinking doesn't mean healing.]

[Usually. She grins at the (very slightly younger woman.]

Yeah, you too. We worked together and shit. I got messed up and he carried me back to camp once once. [Leave off the exact details.] It was some real war story stuff, y'know?

[She opens the door to the bar for them.] How'd you two meet?

It wasn't anything a comrade wouldn't do.

[He nods his thanks and gestures for Ash to go first before he'll follow her in. Victor starts to open his mouth again and promptly shuts it.]

[~~in Bastan's cemetery~~]

[~~at his parents' graves~~]

[~~under false pretenses~~]

[~~while Ash was still being played~~]

[Victor looks helplessly toward Ash, not even sure he should try to voice anything, and a little stunned by his own realization of exactly how complicated that answer is.]

[ she hesitates as she turns to look back to them, from victor to chisaki and back to victor.

that look isn't helping victor why aren't you helping.

sheepishly she looks back ahead, waiting for them both to come in and choose a spot. the question's made her self-conscious, though, so she doesn't stay too close to victor. ]

Mm, well- I was still being played at the time, so that part, I don't think, is very important... but Victor was there when I became my own and helped with communicating with my player afterwards. He was really the only friend I had. I can't imagine how strange it must have been for him, though.

[ her smile seems less, a little nervous now, and she looks away from both to watch the others in the bar. she has never been in a bar. what does she do victor help. ]

Ohhhhh. Awkward.

[Actually, it makes sense to Chisaki real fast. When Nova was her first really good explanation of what it felt like, the idea that anything before they became self-aware doesn't count makes perfect sense. She nods her head, even if there's an awkward glance in Victor's direction. She never discussed players in a lot of depth with him.]

Sorry. I shoulda thought about that before I asked.

[She starts walking towards the bar. It looks like a basic tavern, with a few patrons off at tables. She looks over her shoulder and back at them.]

I'm from Earth, but I didn't know anything about Zenderael 'til I got here.

[The explanation catches him off guard. He didn't expect Ash to go there with it, and was never fully cognizant that he might have been all she had.]

[Now's not the time. He pushes that away.]

It rarely isn't strange with them. [...] Or awkward.

[Not half as awkward as it would be if Ash started that story sooner.]

[He catches Ash's lost look and pulls a bar stool out for her, which conveniently looks more like an offer than a direction. He takes his own seat next to hers.]

So no creations of your own? [There's surprise in his voice. He just assumed...]

Edited 2013-05-11 07:31 (UTC)

[ there was artemis but... not really artemis? without players, they'd drifted apart, with her left to wonder how duncan and theresa had ever made it work to begin with.

well, if there was a will, there'd be a way, she supposes. ]

Ahaha... yeah, there are some things... I wonder, sometimes. But it's not like I think I'd have been able to do any better, writing someone else's story.

[ oh, they're sitting here? she takes the seat, looking up to him as he sits down out of habit, before she can stop herself. she looks over to chisaki, somewhat surprised herself, but it's much milder. she's worked with a few earthers now in the infirmaries and similar stories have cropped up. ]

With the way things are going, it seems almost funny to think there would be people that don't.

Nope. I'd never even played it, when I thought it was just a game.

[Chisaki waves a hand at the bartender. And then loudly places her her order.] Whiskey! For all of us! [Hey she should be nice! Pick up the first round!]

Most people from Earth never did, really. I'm shit at writing stories and stuff, too, so it's good I never tried.

[He turns to Ashtaroth, voice lowered in that small moment Chisaki needs to confirm the bartender heard her.] You can try it. We'll get something else if it doesn't work.

[Which he expects to be after the first sip. Sorry Ash. But nothing ventured, right? He's good with whiskey himself... if he's not being expected to take it as a shot.]

I wonder how much a difference skill level would make. We tend to reflect our players.

[Or so he's observed.]

Edited 2013-05-11 17:34 (UTC)

Oh... oh. Okay. [ ah, but chisaki looks so enthusiastic... maybe it won't be so bad? and it isn't like they'll be drinking much, right?

she leans in a little to hear the conversation between the two of them. it's different between the two of them. victor had been played longer, for one, but also knew his player personally and knew, hopefully, how much his player did care about him, as a creation and as a person on his own.

ashtaroth did not have any of those experiences.

she remains silent, awkwardly so, for just a moment, before she offers up ] Well, it's true of Victor, at least. [ it's meant to be funny, but out comes more awkward.

she takes her glass as the bartender sets it down with barely a glance and takes a drink.

oh wow this is terrible wow

she covers her mouth to keep from coughing, blinking back tears. and people drink it willingly? all she'll allow is a small throat clearing. ]

[Chisaki drinks her whiskey in one shot. This is what happens when you become drinking buddies with construction workers. You learn to slam back shots of some really awful, noxious liquors.]

I love whiskey.

[She nods her head cheerfully, before she looks back at the two of them. Especially Victor.]

I dunno, really... my experiences are, uh, limited. Oh, hey-- [Sorry, Ash, but you look... young. Seems possible that she's never gone drinking before!] Is this your first time drinking?

[Victor starts to sip, but stops before he ends up spitting it back out. He set himself up for it and pretty much admitted it.]

At least I--

[--have more self preservation instincts. The thought slips from him. That was definitely not true the first time he died. Being unable to think it means he's mercifully unable to be sobered by it.]

He's--

[He reddens a little and returns to sipping his drink, giving up. The truth is, all the things he wants to complain about are the ones that reflect too close, and no appropriate difference can come to mind.]

[He's not too surprised by either one of them. Chisaki downing it with gusto, and Ash... well. He smiles, a little, hoping she doesn't assume it's mocking.]

I'll get you something sweeter.

[He waves down the bartender to do just that if someone doesn't stop him first.]

[ she watches victor patiently as he tries to sort himself out, eyebrows raised as though in challenge. it's come up before and she will always defend how much alike victor and rhys are. not always a bad thing, but in terms of not going out headfirst into danger, they've both been working on giving her a bad heart.

his sigh prompts a rueful smile from her and she doesn't prod him anymore.

her expression, however, is troubled as they turn their attention on her ]

No, no, it's- [ another small cough and she swallows to try and get the tickle out of her throat ] -it's fine. It would be a shame to waste it. I'll finish this first.

[ she looks a little embarrassed, which just leads to her becoming stubborn. that should be familiar enough for victor. ]

It's hard to say, though- there are so many different experiences a person can have when it comes to players. Unfortunately, it seems most of them are bad experiences...

[ maybe she and victor so far had just been lucky? both of them have reason to be angry, she supposes, but neither have decided to be angry about it, finding better purpose in leading their own lives.

she watches victor a moment and sips her whiskey this time instead of just taking a drink of it. still no good but she's got her pride. and a barely suppressed coughing fit. ]

[Chisaki raises an eyebrow. Boy, she is stubborn. Whiskey's awful until you realize the reason it's good is that it's so awful. It's supposed to burn and taste like soured battery acid! Sigh.]

I don't like 'em much. Players, I mean. Some seem okay, like, they don't mess with you guys that much? But I knew one guy who got all screwed up by stuff his player did for funsies and she just didn't even seem regretful, maybe like bothered?

[She sighs, then looks at the bartender, and orders some rum. A shot gets slid over to her, which Chisaki begins contemplating.]

You know, for the longest time, I assumed all the players were chronic masturbators and unemployed people, though?

[She takes the shot.]

Every time I say that, I think immediately afterward, "I should keep that to myself."

[Oh Ash. Victor lowers his hand to the bar and watches her, not sure if it's appropriate to find this endearing. It's so... her at this point, and this situation isn't a dangerous one.]

You don't need to force it.

[For his part, he plans to keep sipping his whiskey for a good, long while. Victor does not handle his alcohol well, and he is the most boring of drunks: a lethargic, sleepy drunk.]

[He shoots Chisaki a look of shock, scandalized.]

Listen to those thoughts.

[Though... Rhys might have been unemployed. He couldn't have had the job Victor knows he had prior.]

There are a lot of factors, I suppose. Mine had the advantage of knowing I would wake. We were able to handle some unfinished business.

["We." He still thinks of it like that. There's other business Rhys couldn't fix, but Victor finds himself oddly thankful. It's not redemption if someone can force it to be okay.]

I think it's rather unfair to hate players, or dislike them, just because they were players... [ another sip. it really is awful, but she's determined to finish it. she'll know not to get anything like it next time.

but she means what she says. players have caused a lot of trouble, it's true, but it isn't wholly their fault, and many of the ones she's known have been doing what they can to right what they can. some things you just can't fix. and talking to other medics in the infirmary that were from earth, it just wasn't something that was supposed to happen. at all. ever. a world without magic, without even visible gods, how could a person blame them for something like this happening? all the magic and natural disasters and gods have been because of zenderael, not earth...

she nearly chokes again at chisaki's choice of words, flushing a dark red and refusing to look up, though she glances in victor's general direction in a sort of 'where did you find this person' sort of way. she covers her mouth and swallows properly, looking somewhat uncomfortable. ]

W-well... well. [ she covers up her lack of response with another sip. ]

[Well, damn, it feels a little assholish to argue with them, Chisaki realizes. She doesn't like Jordan's role in making molavvas, but that isn't the same as having your life fabricated. She sighs and nods; she doesn't let it go that easily, but she concedes it just the same.]

Sure... that's fair. I didn't really have to go through it.

[Maybe a different topic! She looks between them again. Something less heavy.]

I never really asked, since, y'know... war. What kinda hobbies do you guys have? Sports?

[Sports, as a whole, is a hobby, damn it.]

[He'll take that subject change. It's a little heavy. And complicated, though Victor is realizing his feelings are simpler than he thought. It's the belief he has to have perfect defense of those feelings that makes it complicated.]

Music?

[It comes out a question. When was the last time he had free time to spend?] I can play a lute. [What else...?]

... I miss the peryton.

[ having no idea of chisaki's situation makes it difficult to sympathize. she doesn't understand why she has the opinions she does, but assumes it's something victor's up to date on, if she's talking about it at all.

the question catches her off guard. she looks to victor as he answers it for himself, turning the question on herself. hobbies? ] He's very good. [ that doesn't help her at all, though. hobbies. does she have any hobbies? she can keep herself busy easily, but there's nothing she can think of that she does that isn't borne of necessity.

she avoids the question instead of trying to answer it out loud. ] The peryton?

Oh, hey, you play? What kinda stuff?

[All Zenderean music? It seems likely. She hasn't even heard that much of it. It reminds her of when she plotted to get Alex into Johnny Cash... which, well, is a kinda depressing thought.]

[Sigh.]

[Chisaki looks over at Ash and nods at that. She doesn't know what a peryton is, either. But now she's sort of curious, because it sounds like a monster. But it's related to music? Maybe?]

[He tries not to react to Ash's praise, but there might be some red there.]

Trobar leu, usually, but I can't sing as much now.

[Literally cannot because of the lyrics.]

[He glances between them both, not answering until he's got his glass out of his mouth.]

It's, ah-- They're like Saftan deer, but more muscular and slender, and with wings and tail feathers. I used to go riding, but I lost my ability to call him when I stopped being a hunter.

Oh- oh!

[ she remembers it now. she didn't know what it was called, and she looks a little dejected that he can't do it now. usually she can swat those thoughts away, but she lingers on it a moment. something else she's taken from him? the peryton, singing- what else could she have ruined for him, she wonders.

she stops thinking about it. there are probably a lot of answers. it almost feels right to have the alcohol burn as she finishes it off, having at first been looking at it before simply knocking what was left back and putting the cup down, shuddering a little. awful, but not as awful as her. ]

I don't do anything. I used to study, but there's nothing to look up anymore. [ she resurrected victor and screwed it up so there goes that. it's not even really a fail, just a very, very bad pass. ] Everything since has just been work. This is the first time I've had almost nothing to do. [ even in the undertow, she'd taken over being something of a nurse... she wouldn't have called any of it a hobby.

of course, it also makes her realize she has no idea what she's going to do with herself. ]

Oh--oh, yeah. I never learned that ability...

[And she never would, now. She's almost sad about it; she used to imagine what it would be like, calling a skeletal monster to her aid. C'est la vie, though.]

You play any instruments or something, too?

[Maybe he doesn't like to sing now? But Ash said he's good. Hm... She looks at the cleric, too, and nods her head.]

Yeah, it's hard to find time for stuff. I used to go to games a lot on Earth, but I've only had the one I saw with a friend here, thanks to Mianeh having a stadium and a couple teams.

[He stares thoughtfully into his drink again, oblivious to Ash's worries.]

I used to see him lingering around the Undertow. Maybe with enough apples...

[Victor you're supposed to use enchanted bridles otherwise. But to be fair, that deer was a glutton.]

Just the lute. [To Ash.] Maybe I should teach you. [It's the first time any of them have had free time in a while, it sounds like.]

I haven't seen Earth sports before. The last event I remember was the tournament. [Which is suddenly a heavy topic itself. Sigh, war.] Next year's should be less of a mess.

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