[Nexus] The Black Dragon's Den VII

[AmberVael]

"Hey there." Says the newly formed woman in response to the drow's nod. Still grinning, she beckons to the other woman with a hand. "C'mere."

While she is doing this, Blackeye slides over a drink to her, then scoops up the spilled coins, which only gets the slightest attention from this strange person, who seems more focused on the part drow.

"You new here too?" She asks in a low whisper.

[The Bushranger]

The other new girl slides over to an adjacent seat, glad to have somebody to speak to. And nods in answer to her question, a smile spreading across her face.
"I am. Naethalee Halcyon," she introduces herself. "Just arrived in town yesterday. And yourself?"

[AmberVael]

"...oh, hm." The woman looks up at the ceiling, leaning against the bar as she thinks. "I guess I hadn't really thought about it. For now, I'll go by Genesis. Or maybe Jean. Jean's a nice name, right?" She shrugs, sending a thread of shadow spiraling down one of her arms to settle on her wrist as a bracelet.

"But yeah, I'm new. Been kind of wandering around between ideas and identities." She takes a sip of the Black Shadow, then gives it a critical look. "This is really cold."

[The Bushranger]

"Is it? I did notice the description stated it had a most pleasant chill. Perhaps I'll try it at some point." Naethalee ponders the drink for a moment before continuing. "And Jean is quite a nice name. Simple yet not simple. If that makes sense. You travel realities, then?"

[AmberVael]

"No. Well, yes. Maybe. Realities are so subjective, you know? Not quite sure what is a different reality and what is someone's viewpoint, if there is any difference between the two. I guess dreams are realities..." 'Jean' looks like she is trying to figure this out for a moment before she turns her eyes back to Nae.

"But hey, I'm new. I don't really have an identity yet, so there's not a whole lot to talk about. Who are you? How'd you end up here? Do we know each other?"

[The Bushranger]

Nae chuckles softly. "I've heard some sages suggest that everything is both dream and reality at once. I prefer to think I'm not somebody's dream though, myself."

Existential moment over, she smiles, sipping her drink. "I don't believe we've previously met - I'd like to think I'd remember somebody as distinctive as you. As for who I am and what I want, I'm a traveling swordswoman trying to make her way in the world, and also to prove herself equal to her siblings who have the power she knows not." There's a hint of bitterness in her tone at this last.

[AmberVael]

"Oh, a lone mercenary type. You seem like you put some thought and style into it, I like it." Jean pushes away her drink, apparently disinterested in the chilly alcohol, instead turning her full attention to Nae.

"So what power do you refer to? Sorcery, perhaps? A lot of people seem so interested in that form of magic, I can't imagine what they see in it." Her grin fades into an amused smile. "It's a little too structured for someone like me."

[The Bushranger]

"Thank you. I do try to put the best effort I can behind whatever I do. And I'd like to think I have some style, at least."

Jean might note that, under her cloak, Naethalee wears a rather expensive pair of boots/leggings that appear to double as scabbards for her swords.*
"Well, I suppose sorcery would be a good way of putting it simply. My older sister, though, is very powerful magically - in fact, she's told me she intends to become a goddess in time, and I don't doubt that she'll eventually get there. My younger sister, meanwhile, casts spells granted to her by Wee Jas herself."

The grey-skinned woman sips her drink, and chuckles sardonically. "As for myself, though? I struggle even to cast a simple darkness charm. Anything more complicated is absolutely out of the question."



* No, they're not scimitars.

[AmberVael]

"Granted spells by someone else?" That seems to be a fairly novel concept to Jean, who tilts her head as she considers it. "How peculiar. Very interesting implications though, I suppose."

"Of course, your feelings on the matter is obviously the much more interesting aspect. Wanting to prove yourself... but are you trying to prove it to them, or yourself? And do you really want to be skilled with the sword, or would you rather master something else?" Jean turns away from Nae for a moment, but then leans back suddenly, resting her head on Nae's shoulder as she grins up at her. "What an intriguing little complexity all knotted up in you."

[The Bushranger]

"From what she told me, she found a 'forbidden book' devoted to the goddess hidden away in the dojo she was attending."
Ninja school, to be precise...

Naethalee looks slightly uncomfortable at Jean's lack of comprehension of personal space. But chuckles. "You'll find most people are quite complex, I think. And....well, I think I want to prove to myself, primarly. That I can be just as capable as they are even without the mastry of magic they possess. As for what I would master, the swords are where my skills are." She grins. "Why would I deny what I'm naturally good at to pursue that which I'm not?"

[AmberVael]

"Because talents and dreams don't always coincide?" Suggests Jean, quite ignoring her knowledge of personal space. Social rules are so silly, after all. "And no, a lot of people are rather simple. Need to do a bit more work on their identities- their standards aren't nearly up to par, unfortunately."

"So what brings you here specifically? Looking for work, perhaps? Or something a little more interesting?"

[The Bushranger]

"Ah, but wouldn't it be better to perfect that which we are capable of perfecting, as opposed to pursuing that which we can never be better than 'fair' simply because we desire it more?" Naethalee asks with a raised eyebrow. "As for why I'm here, well, I happend to be being pursued by some folk who took exception to my ancestry. I found a magic mirror, and stepped through it - winding up here. So I suppose I'm looking for work. As for 'more interesting', that depends on how 'interesting' is defined..."

[ThirdEmperor]

Into the bar staggers a weedy looking man, struggling under the weight of an extremely heavy leather backpack inscribed with faintly luminescent runes. The man collapses into a chair, dropping his backpack next to him with a resounding thud.

The man is neither particularly tall nor short, although he is a little below average height and quite skinny. The young man uses a handkerchief to wipe the sweat of his forehead and his sandy brown hair, before ordering himself a mug of normal ale. He wears a dark green tunic and and plain black pants, as well as a belt adorned with six golden plates, each inscribed with a different symbol.

[AmberVael]

"Depends on whether you'd prefer to be enjoying yourself or being more skilled, I suppose." Jean replies with a grin. "As for interesting... I don't know. Chased through time by a ravening horde of monsters? Cursed to wander the realm, only capable of stopping in bars for a short time? Looking for the ultimate drinking contest?"

She lifts herself off Nae's shoulder and gives another shrug. "Magic mirror works though, I suppose. Hmm... magic mirror. Maybe I should try making that."

[The Bushranger]

"Why not do both?" Nae grins back, finishing her drink. "None of those three sound particularly interesting to me - but chasing a ravening horde of monsters through time might be good.

As for the mirror, it broke after I went through, unfortunatly."

[Beans]

In walks a young lady, steely hair glinting and eyes harsh yellow.
She looks behind her shoulder for her rather more odd companion...

[Rae Artemi]

... this guy. The weird eye thing floats in behind the lady, his wings flapping much less often than they should to keep him up. He spins his eye around to take in the surroundings. "Bit of a downer, isn't it?" He asks.

[Beans]

Seems fine to me.
And nobody's thrown stuff at us yet, so, like, one point for Team Us. She shrugs, scratching her neck.

[Rae Artemi]

"Eh, that is true, but all I'm saying is that some nice drapes would really liven the place up. And what is that now, one to six hundred and seventy-three?" The eye thing says, floating forward to get a better view of the things in front of the lady.

[Beans]

"Eh, that is true, but all I'm saying is that some nice drapes would really liven the place up. And what is that now, one to six hundred and seventy-three?" The eye thing says, floating forward to get a better view of the things in front of the lady.

Meh, you and your drapes.
And it's one to six-seventy-two. That one doesn't count twice just because I got stuff thrown at me twice in one night.

[Rae Artemi]

"What, they do liven up a place. And I remember that night. Wasn't it fruit, and then furniture after your second debacle?"

[Beans]

... Your mom was furniture.
She shrugs, checking her dirty nails.

[Rae Artemi]

"You are my mom, or the closest thing to it." He says, landing on her shoulder. "So, anyone alive here besides us? I've always had a hard time telling."

[Beans]

Wow, sucks for you if I'm your mom.
And... okay, this is that deadtime thing we heard about. They're alive, I think, but they can't have stuff happen to them.

[ThirdEmperor]

The weary looking man in the corner continues to sip at his ale, surveying the Den with a dull interest.

[Rae Artemi]

The fiend's eye swivels around again, looking for people. "Hey, there's a guy in the corner, so he's probably alive. Or at least not dead."

[Beans]

Oh, hey.
She nods to the cornerdude. Cornerdude, just dudin' in a corner.

[ThirdEmperor]

Hi. The cornerdude says, nodding back. Normally he'd be a bit more chatty, but he's been dimension hopping for three days straight now, and is more than a bit exhausted.

[Rae Artemi]

"Huh, he didn't immediately throw things at you either. All that extra effort of trying to clean out your fingernails must really be working." The eye thing says, well loud enough for the cornerdude to hear.

[Beans]

"Huh, he didn't immediately throw things at you either. All that extra effort of trying to clean out your fingernails must really be working." The eye thing says, well loud enough for the cornerdude to hear.

... Awesome!
Fist pump! She grins.