The Vision of Light (IC) Continued

[Jade_Tarem]

Leaving her olfactory abilities a mystery, Locke spent much of the rest of the time negotiating her way down the line - a line that, perhaps disappointingly, featured absolutely no evidence of Caelia. Sunset had come and gone by the time Locke drove through the gates, spending part of the precious cash reserve on the entry fee. The guards, however, did not question or scrutinize Locke's tale of refugee woe closely, and the destruction of Emdar was apparently known to them, though not nearly the cause for alarm that it was further north.

Once inside the city, progress became reasonably swift again, though not as fast as it had been on the open road. Indeed, it was just as crowded, and the only appreciable difference was that everyone was moving faster. Despite the pace, Titus was able to get his first look at the architecture of Nexus - spanning the spectrum from ramshackle shanty towns to buildings that had to have been constructed with the mystical technology of the First Age, Nexus was just as much of an enigma inside as out.

Locke finally brings the wagon to a halt in a circular plaza-type area, named 'Monument Square' for reasons known only to the city planners. She nods at a monument in the middle of the zone, a massive statue of an armored figure. "That's our mark, by the way," she whispers.

[Astro_sol]

Titus had been zoned out staring at a particular lining of what seemed to be shops. At least, they had the necessary signs of them; it was just that they looked incredibly boxy, and made of some kind of metal. And then the next building was made of clay. It threw him off; some inner urge wanted to smash the poor-looking houses and make everything neat. But the boxes had to go; the next place looked exotic, with weird trapezoidal shapes and curved roofs and-

Locke interrupted his train of thought. He raised an eyebrow in response. "What?" he replied with a smirk, though not too loudly. "You want me to steal the statue?"

[Jade_Tarem]

"Noo..." Locke sounded annoyed at first, but then turned contemplative. "Unless... no." She pointed at the earth beneath them, "The statue sits over a First Age Solar's tomb, possibly my predecessor's. It's remained untapped so far because it's in a public space, making a major looting operation difficult, but more importantly because the defenses are still operational. That's where you come in."

"If that isn't an entry cue..." With a thump, the two Solars were suddenly made aware of a third presence in the back of the wagon. A look behind them revealed Red lounging among the wares in all his gear, scarf dangling merrily off the back and bow propped up against his shoulder. Locke blinked, then glanced at Titus. "I thought you were doing a bunch of awareness training with Nova."

"I just got here, and just in time, too." Though his posture didn't change, Red became more serious. "Locke, Titus, your Bronze friends have been made aware of your team-up. I don't know how. *We* caught your Essence surge west of Great Forks, but we were specifically looking for stuff like that."

"Maybe they just got lucky," Locke shrugged, "we're in Nexus now, so-"

"Do us all a favor and don't finish that sentence." Red cut in, finally sitting up straight. "The Wyld Hunt can't legally operate here, but they might be the least of your problems. Kejak, or one of his many lackeys, has tagged in Ahn-Aru."

That got a reaction from Locke. "What?!" She paled, notably. "I thought Ahn-Aru was dead."

"Everyone thought that. I mean, it sure looked like Lilith killed her, but apparently little miss Ivory had more tricks than expected."

[Astro_sol]

Titus half-raised a hand while looking a bit sheepish. "Uh, yeah. Who's Ahn-Aru? Is her name also Ivory?" He scratched his head. Sure, Locke looked scared, and he hadn't been exactly scared so much as pretty sure he was screwed when Kajak's twin guy had shown up. Surely Ahn-Aru wasn't so bad, unless she was just as ancient. Which she probably wasn't. And she was probably just as vulnerable to a suplex as anyone else.

So he leaned forward with only a hint of a grin. "You think she's a zombie?"

[Jade_Tarem]

"Ahn-Aru, a.k.a Sad Ivory, has been one of the Bronze Faction's top assassins for decades, now." Red rattled off the information as though reading it from a list in front of him, though it was unclear if he just had a good memory or if it was some Sidereal trick. "Originally Haltan - though after so long living in Yu Shan that probably isn't much of a factor - she's very familiar with pretty much the entire East and has a few dozen identities and hidey-holes and an unknown number of contacts, though you can bet there will be a bunch here in Nexus. She's a proficient archer - by our standards - and a fairly powerful practitioner of the Violet Bier of Sorrows style of martial arts."

Locke hesitated. "I never did ask last time... she's a Sidereal of Endings, isn't she?"

Red snapped his fingers, pointing at Locke in the same motion. "That's right. Also known as Reckoners, Saturn's Chosen, Heaven's Gardeners, and a few other things depending on where you are."

"I know."

"But Titus might not. You're part of a circle now, Locke, such as it is. Might be time to stop playing things so close to the chest." Red scratched at his head for a moment. "Ah, right. She's not a zombie, Titus, though if she was that would make things a lot easier. It's more likely that she ceased to exist and dropped out of Fate. I mean, she was pretty close to the edge of Creation... it wouldn't be that hard, but..." he shook his head. "Speculation is pointless. Her job is ending organizations, locations, and people, and now she's coming here to end you. I don't know how much direct assistance I can offer, but I'll do what I can. Any questions?"

[Astro_sol]

Titus couldn't help but wonder about Locke's chest, as well as the equally important thought of whether or not zombies actually existed. He had to assume so. He'd fought gentlemen bears.

"Well, not really." He shrugged. "I mean, so she's a sniper assassin, and she's a Siddie, so she's sneaky. And you tell me she's dropped out of Fate, and that implies a lot that I can't really wrap my head around, except that I don't think that makes her immune to a suplex. And she uses arrows, so I'll probably only know she's there when I get shafted in the gut. Unless you tell me she has a problem with men and just goes for crotch shots." He began to scratch his head. "Still, uh, what does she look like? Wait, no, that doesn't work, Nova was like ten years old for a while..." He shrugged. "Does she have some kind of tell? Some way of recognizing her? Anything? Because otherwise, thanks for the warning, I guess? I think I'm in just as much danger knowing this as I would be if I didn't."

[Jade_Tarem]

Red rubbed at his temples as if fighting off a headache. "Please don't be dense. Just knowing that she's after you is a benefit - you can take steps to avoid being easily ambushed, and you already know some of her gimmicks. After this long with Sidereals, though, you should know that her first attack almost certainly won't be an arrow from a rooftop or a sudden knife in the dark - it will be through layers of indirection, through pawns and cat's-paws, and that's the kind of thing you can detect."

He looked up and seemed to spot something through the crowd. "And speaking of detection, I've been here too long." With that, he tumbled off the back of the wagon and vanished as Locke brought the wagon to a halt, and Titus turned to discover that their progress had been barricaded by what looked like a couple dozen large men and one or two large women. They did not look like they were there to offer assistance in unloading the wagon, unless it was through some innovative new technique that involved using clubs, flails, and the occasional tonfa for leverage. "Locke..." the biggest one toyed with his weapon while turning her name into a lengthy, multisyllabic narrative. "The Admiral is pretty unhappy with you."

"The Admiral is pretty unhappy with a lot of things. There's really not that much that floats his boat." Locke's cheer was long gone, replaced with something else - something hard to define. "You should go put on a nice song and dance routine to cheer him up. It's bound to work out better than whatever this is."

"What this is, Locke, is a notice. Leave. And in the hopes that you'd listen, you'll notice we brought a whole bunch of people this time."

"Neat. I brought a Titus." Locke shot her companion a look.

[Astro_sol]

"Oi! I'm not dense, I already knew all that sh-" Titus tried to growl, but Red had jumped ship before he could finish. Damn. Slippery Sidereal ****-for-brains.

He turned around and kept a sullen face throughout the encounter, frowning further at the lack of familiarity with how Locke was feeling. When she gave him that look, he could only interpret it as, "Waste these schmucks." Which was probably just him projecting, because the second he mentioned his puny backup, Titus couldn't stand back.

"Ah, yes, hello," he greeted in a dull voice in that same angry face. He had dropped down next to the cart, but he had taken to leaning on it. "I gotta tell you guys, you don't want to go for the brute force routine. I normally like fighting, but fighting you guys would be like kicking around a bunch of puppies." He cracked a knuckle idly. "By all means, though, let's make a scene. I'd be happy to show you what happens when you use a human body as a club."

[Jade_Tarem]

"Weeellll, I was ready to let you off with a warning if you got out of our way, but after that line, how can I refuse?" The leader-man twirls his flail-like weapon while the group closes in, ready to let sheer numbers try to do the work. "Show me your club and I'll show you mine. Get him, everyone!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Going to use this light-battle opportunity to test the most basic mass combat rules, which will come in handy if Titus is going to Dynasty Warriors his way through a crowd of mooks from time to time. Looking things over, we can stat Titus as follows:

Titus: Solo Celestial Exalted Close-Combat Hero Unit (Drill 0)
Health boxes equivalent to nine extras, rounding up (Magnitude 1)
Composed entirely of young Celestial Exalted (Might 3)
With basic magical armament (Bonus 2)
Endurance (Solo Unit): Sta + Res = 10
CC Attack Rating: Dex + MA + Bonus = 12
CC Attack Damage: Str + Weapon Damage + Bonus/3 Rounded up = 4
Armor: Lethal Soak/3 Rounded up = 3
Hardness: Also 3
Morale = Valor = 5

With that... Join War, and we'll get the party started!

[Jade_Tarem]

Titus hesitated before pointing down. "Wait, do you mean-" he managed before the first man moved in. "Oh, you didn't. I was gonna say," he ducked, "I don't swing that way." His arm shot out, grabbing the man's wrist and squeezing until he felt it crack. The man started shrieking.

Titus let his face show how he really felt; his gaze darkened and his mouth contorted into a frown. He set his gaze on the ringleader as he casually tossed his prey aside, sending the man rolling. He didn't get up. "That's no way to speak to a lady. I don't give a-" he tried to say, but the ringleader's flail caught him in the face.

The flail fell, only to reveal and angry, unmarred glare. "-**** about your admiral, or what you have to say." He grabbed the man by the face as he was surrounded by the others and slammed him into the ground. He leaned down as the men - and unfortunately, and somewhat ironically, women - closed in. "Remember what I said about a human club?" He changed his grip to the man's legs and heaved, throwing him around with a roar. He clipped several of the attackers, sending them sprawling. "Run home to Admiral *******, and tell him to mind his own business!" With that, he tossed the man straight up into the air, not bothering to catch him on the way down.

He stepped forward, holding his arms out. "Had enough?"

And in point of fact, they had. With the band scattering, Locke simply pulled the wagon up to allow easier access. "Sorry about that... although it didn't seem to be much of a problem for you." She looked around - Titus's rampage had attracted a fair bit of attention. "We're about to get more company than we want. Company that you can't punch through. Let me know if you see anyone else headed our way."

[Astro_sol]

Titus "harrumph"-ed and pulled himself up next to his companion. You could punch your way through anything, as far as he was concerned. It was just a matter of the scale of the punches. He leaned back and put his hands behind his head as he casually scanned the surroundings, and to his dismay there seemed to be no one interested in them beyond a cursory glance, and the usual stares that Locke received for being pretty. He sighed.

"We seem fine, unless we're not and we get ambushed by Siddies or something." He turned his eyes to her. "So, mind telling me the story behind this Admiralwhoever? Or you can keep it secret. I really don't mind, I'm still in a good mood from getting to stretch my legs." He picked a small piece of mace out of his hair and flicked it onto the side of the road. He hadn't even noticed that the damn thing had broken on him. He didn't know if he'd ever get used to that happening. It certainly helped his self esteem from when Caelia had nearly shred him in one go.

[Jade_Tarem]

Locke maintained a frown, if a pretty one. At least, it seemed to be a frown, though it was hard to tell behind the half-mask. She seemed to be thinking something over. The time it took her to do so was enough to carry them out of the big square and down another several roads, though Locke showed no signs of stopping the wagon. Nexus seemed to go on forever.

Finally, she spoke. "You've run into the Guild before, right? Yes, you passed through Shadowholt and lived in Emdar, so you must have at least heard of them. I guarantee that you've worked for them if you ever were part of a street gang like the Jade Marks, though maybe not directly. They are an extranational mercantile organization interested in anything and everything that can make money. Profit is the first, last, and only thing that matters to them. They are not... not the most wicked group of all time, but they hurt countless innocent people from one end of Creation to the other. Many years ago... I was one of them, and that's all I'm going to say about that. After my Second Breath, I made it my mission to try to counter their influence in the East."

"It started well. You've seen my power at work, turning a bunch of desperate, recently-freed refugee/slaves into an orderly evacuation. It doesn't take me much longer to restructure a city-sized organization, and that's exactly what I did at first. I would go from town to village to major trade hub, find the Guild, or whatever front-businesses the Guild was using, and turn them into more honest and charitable enterprises. It was satisfying work, everyone loved me, because of course they do, and it was all so easy." The Zenith sighed. "Too easy, as it turned out."

Locke fiddled with the reins as she continued. "It started when I eventually, on a whim, doubled back to one of the earlier cities. The Guild was back in business, exactly as they were before. I started investigating, and that's when I found out that I wasn't the first person to try this stunt. The Realm has been attempting to gain direct control of the Guild for centuries, using less raw Essence, but more money and manpower, and the Guild has long had a way to compensate for Essence Users trying to interfere in their business. They don't fight back directly, because it won't work, so they just... let them win. Then, when the Essence User moves on, they move back in and rebuild using the resources they would have used uselessly fighting. They have a huge 'strategic reserve' for exactly that purpose." She took a deep breath. "At first I didn't want to believe it. I'm a Solar! I wasn't going to be beaten by a bunch of crooks and merchants. So I started up a circuit. Ten towns. At first, I was able to keep ten towns and cities free of the Guild influence. They stepped up their capital expenditure. Ten towns became too many. That was also when the attacks started - I'm not a fighter by Solar standards, but I'm still more than a match for any gang of thugs. I think they just wanted to keep me off balance and angry, and they mostly used their more 'disposable' slaves for it. Wanted to rub in the fact that I wasn't even hurting them when I killed their goons, I guess. Anyway, I shrank my circuit to seven towns. They stepped up operations again. Five towns. Three. Finally, I said 'screw it' and camped out in just one city. That was what they'd been waiting for. They called in the Wyld Hunt, and I've been on the run from that ever since."

The Zenith looked over at Titus as the wagon finally rolled to a stop outside the Wrong Note Inn. "That was when I knew I would need to change my game, gather more power, and try a different strategy. Hence, I started looking for people to help me plunder my old tomb. Well, what is probably my old tomb. Then I'll take on Boss Kaji... oh, that's right. I didn't answer your question. Boss Kaji, a.k.a. the Vice Admiral, is the leader of Guild Operations here in Nexus. I've never actually met him or, gosh, her, but he or she is the one setting policy for the Guild. If I can't beat them by fighting them at the fringes, I'll take apart their organization at its heart." She grinned for the first time since Titus last spoke, and hopped off the wagon. "I'll go take care of room and board for us. Why don't you take the wagon around to the lot? Anything you'd like to ask before I go in?"

[Astro_sol]

Titus gave a frown during her explanation. Slavery was...despicable, to say the least, and he found it troubling that he'd probably indirectly helped them in his past. But the past was the past. Locke was trying to do a cool thing. He just wished this was a problem he could punch his way out of. But he could always look at this as having to punch one man in a crowd of innocent people - sort of. The metaphor didn't work, since the crowd included a whole bunch of slavers. But there were still innocents in there, and at least Locke could tell him who to punch.

Maybe he should have thrashed those people a bit harder before.

"Naw, no questions," he smiled back. "Thanks for opening up." And for not treating me like a simple attack dog.

He took hold of the reins. "Giddiyup, or whatever."

[Jade_Tarem]

The horses were well trained indeed, responding to Titus's... command. He was able to stable them and secure the wagon. A pause just inside the door of the Wrong Note Inn reveals the difference between it and the flop-houses the Solars had stayed at outside the city to be like night and day. The Wrong Note Inn was messily, artfully 'dirty' in a way that suggested that they didn't stand much on ceremony but that you didn't need to worry about who or what had last cleaned your mug. It was noisy and crowded, but in a way that suggested that everyone was there and having a good time, rather than that space would be priced at a premium. The innkeeper, a surprisingly young-looking man with green hair, lightly tanned skin, and the kind of face that always seemed to be laughing just a little bit, looked a little harried, but hardly exhausted or desperate. Outside the city, the places available for the night were simply dingy, dirty, dark, cramped, and pestilent to the point that the bedbugs had fleas.

It was a marked improvement. A stark contrast. The haves and the have-nots. Nexus.

The Inn would have been a sight in its own right, though. The decor was a wild, hodgepodge mix of weaponry, artwork, and pelts. It was well lit in some places and dimly in others, though Titus can see in the walls the sort of architecture that Nero had once told him was designed to let as much light from outside in as possible while still not providing access to human-sized thieves. In addition, much of the interior walls and pillars was coated in what looked to be notices, warrants, bounties, judicial rulings, and other news, all of it surprisingly recent. Toward the fireplace and the lit fire within, a space was clear, though no clear reason for that was given.

Even across the crowded room, Locke was visible, apparently just finishing up a conversation with the innkeeper. Waving Titus over, the Dawn Caste was barely within audible range when she grinned to him. "I got the usual deal, Titus. I perform for the night and we get room and board for free. What do you think of the place, eh?"

[Astro_sol]

Titus waved a hand and smiled. "It's alright. Of course, I've only been able to compare it with staring at a horse's ass all day. Or a mace to the head." He shook his head, leaning against the counter and motioning for the innkeeper. "Naw, I could use a bit of relaxation. Good atmosphere. What's gonna be your routine this time? Oh, hey, what do you guys have to drink? I need something strong."

[Jade_Tarem]

The innkeeper rummaged around among the bottles on the back wall while Locke talked. "I could tell the story of the street rat Titus and his transformation into... no? Well, I'll probably stick to one of the classics then. Maybe some subtly Sol-positive ballads or the latest international gossip spun into sensationalism."

The innkeep returned quickly with a list, smile still evident. "We have Lookshyan Moonshine, Imperial Honey Wine, and I think I still have some unnamed ale from the Lap to round out the strong selection. Well, I also have Chayan Firewater, but you'll have to sign a waiver before I'll let you drink that."

[Astro_sol]

Titus smirked at Locke's lack of subtlety while turning to fully face the innkeeper. "Gimme that waiver thingy. I haven't had a good drink in a long time."

[Jade_Tarem]

The innkeeper actually did have a waiver to sign, and produced it on short notice. Locke, for her part, made her way to the clear space by the fire and produced a stringed instrument from nowhere.

All around the room, the patrons took notice right away, even beyond the 'let's watch the pretty girl' glances they were giving her before. Many of them visibly cheered, and before Locke even introduced herself, most of the room had gone quiet.

"Hello everyone! I'm Locke of Fables and, for those of you who haven't seen me before, you're in for a treat." A violet wink from behind the mask. "You may have noticed that I did not return with an army of loyal followers. It turns out that recruiting for a suicide mission is harder than it sounds." A small titter. "And so is campaigning to be named the next Empress." A slightly bigger laugh. "Still, I didn't get run out of town until I tried to get help with my taxes."

"It is fortunate that she was able to recruit you." The innkeeper said softly from where he leaned on the counter, yet it still sounded as though he was right in Titus's ear. If anyone else heard him, it would be an impressive feat. "Locke may be Nexus's most wanted, in more ways than one."

"But enough with the cheesy jokes, you wanted a show, right?" Affirmative shouts. "Well, I'm still cleaning the dust from my throat from all that time on the road, but while I do that..."

And she began to play.

Yoma's music had been hypnotic, even captivating, but Locke could match it, and on her warm-up, no less. The room wasn't well set up for music - at least, it had nothing in common with the amphitheater Emdar had boasted, the one time Titus had seen it - but the music resonated around the room leaving no dead spots and no reverb. It was music you could get lost in and find peace. It was also good cover for more of what the Innkeeper had to say.

"It isn't just the Vice-Admiral, or that Sidereal. No, rumor has it that the Wyld Hunt is lobbying the Emissary for extradition. Locke may think she's safe in Nexus, but that will only last as long as political expediency does. When that happens, where will you stand?"

[Astro_sol]

The liquid in the glass was a nice amber color, but a bit dark. It looked delicious, so he took the glass and drained it in one fell swoop.

Unfortunately, it didn't have quite the desired effect. It tasted a bit like cinnamon, and he would have asked if it had been watered down, but judging by the slight aftertaste and the widening eyes of the bartender, it was the real deal. Titus set the glass down and motioned for a refill.

The question didn't quite catch him off guard. He'd doubted they would have entered some place where Locke didn't have friends, but the news would have been worrisome had Titus not taken several blows earlier without feeling them. Still, if they had someone like Caelia to bolster their ranks...

"By Locke, of course. What did you think I was gonna say?"

[Jade_Tarem]

"Well, slightly more introspection couldn't have hurt. Your loyalty, confidence, and convictions are good, but I wonder if they are born of ignorance rather than true virtue. The Emissary, for instance, took on Dace of the Bronze Tigers - a man not unlike yourself - and won. And even though Dace survived, there are no guarantees in Nexus."

Locke's song apparently reached a point that normally had lyrics, as the crows in the inn began to sing along. The voices were untrained but enthusiastic, and the song apparently was well-known to them as they made few mistakes in the lyrics.

"Still, it's hardly fair of me to ask you how you'll react to events you've never experienced before, eh? I just wanted to bring up that you are quite likely to experience them in the near future. There are so few of your kind. I'm not asking you to abandon Locke, but you can compel her to flee. The time may come." The smiling man finally looked at Titus directly as he produced the refill. "I'm Yoshiko, by the way, though almost everyone just calls me the Wrong Note's Innkeep or by my old war nickname, Bedside Badinage. The place is far better known than I am."

[Astro_sol]

Titus downed the next cup, and still wasn't feeling anything. It was strange; he wasn't a stranger to alcohol, as he'd partaken once or twice back during the days with the Marks, but he should have had trouble sitting up straight by now, and that was if the stuff he'd been drinking was simply ale.

As well, he began to speculate what exactly Yoshiko was. He said "your kind", so he evidently wasn't a Solar. Hopefully not a Sidereal, either, because then he'd forget all about him. Maybe. Perhaps a Godblooded, then. Or a regular person in the know. But he couldn't be too careful.

"Titus," he mumbled, "and it's fair of you to ask," he continued, turning back to look at Locke as he absentmindedly stuck out a hand for the Bedside guy to shake. The voices would have spoiled anyone else's music, but Locke kept the tune so well that it kept its own kind of perfection. You couldn't soil that. "Perhaps it's born of both. I can't promise you what will happen to me, but I can assure you that Locke would only die over my dead body. I could always just toss her out of the city. Past that..."

Strange. He'd only known her for a short while, but it felt right. Just like when he'd been ready to die for a Sidereal and a Terrestrial, and he'd only been a mere...no, just a regular guy back then.

"Locke's a lot more compelling than I am. But I got a better arm, that's for sure." He frowned. "You sure you don't have anything stronger than this?"

[Jade_Tarem]

Yoshiko laughs easily. "It would have to be some First Age stuff, and if Locke is singing for your supper, then I'm fairly certain you couldn't afford it - if I had any."

[Astro_sol]

First Age stuff was going to be next on the to-do list, then, because Titus hadn't considered that super-powers included a super metabolism, even though it really made sense. At least he'd probably be super-resistant to poison, then, but he was already missing the ability to get drunk when he really wanted to.

"Count yourself lucky that I'm not offering to sing. I'm as good at singing as Locke is at...at...bad example, but that's one thing that hasn't changed. I could probably juggle or swallow a sword or something. I could always get people to slug me as hard as they can in the stomach, too. I dunno. I'm usually pretty bad at the money making thing. It doesn't help that I used to just steal it. Farming was never very lucrative."

[Jade_Tarem]

"Well, consider yourself fortunate. Nexus is all about lucre and the tive thereof." The man did his not-laughing face again. "Take a look around you. I keep the most up to date news around here. The most recent thing is in the entertainment sector, I'm afraid." He pointed at a new notice, one that read COME AND SEE THE HOTTEST NEW ACT: SATRAP! COMING SOON TO THE NEXUS OPERA HOUSE.

Other statements and notices showed more tantalizing possibilities, though none of them matched what Locke described. Still, it would be a good fallback plan if hers fell through...

The night passed in song and celebration. Locke and Yoshiko proved able to 'read' each other very well and pace the merriment to avoid burning anyone out. Eventually, though, energy ran down, purses ran light, and all those who weren't strictly supposed to be there ran home. Locke headed over to discuss something else with Yoshiko, and then bedtime arrived. Locke managed to get the two Celestials separate rooms, and stretched on her way up the stairs. "Goodnight, Titus. Rest well - tomorrow the real work begins."

[Astro_sol]

For the Dawn Caste who used to spend long nights scoping out potential marks, now armed with a stamina that had impressed a fire-y Dragonblood, there was still much to do. He'd been drinking that Firewater all night, and he still felt mildly warm.

"I will. At some point. No one told me I wouldn't be able to get drunk anymore." He was still sore about that. "I'm going to walk around town, see the sights. I'll try not to attract any undue attention, but I would like to get a good feel for town before we accidentally get ourselves into too much trouble."

That, and he still wasn't able to kill his urge to act as a lookout for the Jade Marks. Maybe it would never go away completely.

[Jade_Tarem]

The night air was still, but not too warm or humid, here at the end of the month of Resplendent Earth. The air was the only still thing about town, though. Nexus, it seemed, never actually went to sleep... it just got dark outside.

Titus didn't even bother to dodge the pickpockets and chiselers as he wended his way through the streets - what little money he and Locke had was with the Zenith back at the inn, and none of the would-be thieves seemed to realize that his handwraps held more intrinsic value than a city block's worth of real estate and everything built on it. Instead, he took the opportunity to drink in as much as he could about his new environment, putting Nova's training to use.

He noticed a few parallels to Emdar immediately. Gangs posted their own lookouts and ran their own jobs as they scrabbled for a bit of turf to call their own, regardless of whose name was on it. None of them seemed interested in picking a fight with the man made of muscles, unarmed or not. Businessmen, bold during the day and furtive at night, darted through the night with their guards on errands that couldn't be done during business hours. None of them wanted anything to do with Titus either.

There was an area that seemed brightly lit, down near the riverfront. And of course, other areas boasted indoor attractions - usually fancy paid events at this end of town. Before anything could be investigated in detail, though, Titus heard a small shriek, probably female, down an alley a few feet away, though it was suddenly cut off...

[Astro_sol]

It was almost a pity that no one seemed interested in a street fight, but he had promised Locke to avoid catching anyone's attention. Mostly, he'd just been curious as to how a city operated like this, and mostly it was like a bigger Emdar. He wondered if...well, he stopped wondering once he heard the shriek.

Where once he would have shouted and announced his arrival, a life was probably at stake here. He had to be cautious...so he simply bounded in the direction of the shriek, keeping on the balls of his feet to avoid the usual loud footsteps he seemed to have these days. He avoided using any of his powers, hoping that his stature and muscle would discourage whatever the hell was happening.

[Jade_Tarem]

Whatever impression Titus was hoping to make, it was lost on the denizens of that alley.

Really, it must have been a nearly comical sight. A young, relatively cute woman was held up by the throat against a crumbling brick and mortar wall by a large, large man, though the tone of his flesh betrayed some elemental blood. Next to him, three smaller but still intimidatingly large thugs, two men and a woman, acted as a perverse honor guard. Nor were they silent.

"This isn't helping, you know." The big man was saying. "Kaji expects returns on his investments."

"Takes... time..." The girl wheezed out.

"And yet here you are with brand new tools. And a bag of money. Now what am I supposed to say about that, huh?"

One of the smaller thugs was the first to spot the Solar. "Marb, trouble."

The bipedal mountain turned to look - and scowl - not putting the target of his ire down. "What now?"

[Astro_sol]

To be honest, all Titus really needed to get involved was the fact that a big man looked like he wanted to put the hurt on someone who honestly couldn't put up a fight. Well, she was also a girl, but that didn't ring nearly as true after he'd fought Kaizoku. Still, his farmer-boy/street-fighter instincts were screaming to get involved, and he was aiming to fulfill them.

That, and the fact that they said Kaji. The son of a bitch who'd tried to hurt his friend...through flunkies. The worst.

"Hullo, Marb, et al," he waved lazily, slipping in a few native Emdarian words. "My name is Trouble. Now, as much as the doctors here need the patronage, I'm sure they could use a night off. Now, if you would...why don't you put the nice lady down and come and have a chat with me? Or does a man like you feel he can only win arguments with people smaller than you are?"

[Jade_Tarem]

"Marb" stared at Titus for a moment, as though trying to judge how serious the Solar was. Then he cast his glance at the journeywoman, then back at Titus. Ultimately, he put her down, though the dark-haired girl only stood there. She didn't seem hurt, though she did rub at her neck. "Alright then. Talk, if you're so vitally interested."