Dinner and a Talk

Dinner and a Talk
Date of Scene:	15 March 2013
Location:	Fluorgis - Shard Seekers HQ
Synopsis:	Skoll and Zia have a brief chat over bacon sandwiches.
Cast of Characters:	Skoll Ulfang, Zia

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Zia has posed:
It's night in Fluorgis.

Near sunset, Zia had set out with Percival without much explination, and she hadn't returned until now. With a sound like cloth, her wings cape as she settles onto the rooftop, her expression somber.

Managing to foil a God only goes so far, especially when the fate of their world still hangs in the balance, and they had made a truly powerful enemy. The evens of that trip into the underworld linger with her, though. Her father and mother had been with her during the wind ceremony tonight, as much as their memories had been with her then.

Things seem quiet enough as she hops down into the garden. It's late enough to almost be early, but after having been busy most of the night, her stomach is growling something fierce. With the kitchen being close enough to the gardens, she decides to take the back way in, not wanting to wake anyone up.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Since the events of the Underworld, Skoll has had some time to think and wander the lands. He'd decided to take the long way the Fluorgis, to walk the entire path, and take the boat where needed. It was a long journey, that much was certain. But when he finally arrived, the youth put his mind to the one thing that always cleared his mind.

Cooking.

The werewolf is his usual quiet self as he opens the refridgerator and sets out to making some bacon related food. Well... just bacon at the moment really. He's not done any shopping lately himself, so the refridgerator doesn't contain any of what he'd call the 'good stuff'.

That's when Zia wanders in, with Skoll holding the frying pan, the sizzling of bacon quite audible, and the delightful scent of its fatty body reaching for the air. "Hey Zia." He whispers to the girl, looking at her with those yellow eyes of his. "How goes." His tail is at rest, and his ears are most of the way up. Seems he's at least somewhat happy to see the gargess, rather than being on his own making food.

"Want some?"

Zia has posed:
Seeing Skoll in the Shard Seekers headquarters is a bit of a surprise, and it stops the white gargoyle in the doorway. It takes a moment for her brain to catch up with what she's seeing. Maybe her thoughts had been elsewhere, but soon enough a slow smile forms. "Hey. Look wha the wolf dragged in." She teases, but it doesn't have the same playful quality as before. With his wanderings as of late, she's seen less and less of him, and her own search for a way to help him had only a few leads.

The smell of bacon sets her stomach to growling again, and she chuckles. "Please. Ah didnae get a chance te have any breakfast before Ah left this 'eve." Unlike Skoll, she subsists on more than just bacon and other meat products, so the girl goes to the frige and pulls out a few things to make a BLT sandwich, probably with a few extras thrown in.

Bread, lettuce, tomato, mayo, cheese. She lays out the ingredients one by one and just waits for the bacon to be done. In the mean time, she steps a little closer, reaching one taloned hand out to touch his shoulder, "How're ye holdin up?" The question is left open. Maybe she means the collar and the Guadium Lords. Maybe she means recent events with his sister. Maybe she even means what happened with Avira. It's left vague enough to give him the opportunity to share what he wants, and keep what he doesn't.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Yup. Wolf dragged himself in." Skoll answers Zia, a small smile creeping onto his expression. The smile doesn't falter like one might expect it, just remaining plastered there as the girl's stomach growls for food. "Sure. You know I don't mind sharing." He points out, scooping some of the bacon onto a plate and making use of Zia's opening of the fridge to grab a little more.

"Mind making me one of those too?" He asks her - knowing what she intends to make. "Unlike what people think, I /do/ actually eat things other than bacons sometimes." Well, unless he's in his werewolf form, in which case he can't really stomach non-meaty-things that well.

The youth then grows a little quieter when she touches his shoulder. The werewolf looks away for a moment, his ears lowering closer to his skull. Still, he reaches his free hand up to touch her talon. "I'm quite fine." He answers her then, and even turns to look at her - showing a weak little smile.

"I'm just glad that Avira is safe and found someone like 'that'." He explains.

Zia has posed:
At first, Zia doesn't say anything else, but just nods her head. It's a strange thing, the quiet sort of calming presence. She doesn't go out of her way to console, but instead just silently gives that comfort by letting him know that he isn't alone. Her hand squeezes his shoulder then, and she steps away to start on another round of sandwiches.

"Well ye certainly are a wolf of many surprises then. Ah figured it'd be bacon wrapped bacon w' bacon mayo and bacon bits." She's probably trying to quote something off of the maid-cafe's menu, offering a small laugh to lighten the mood. Zia had participated that night, as much as dressing up and getting out among humans and other strangers had been hard for her. She's made huge progress in that, especially lately.

She doesn't mention anything else about Avira just yet, not wanting to push that particular issue, as that's clearly the thing hurting him right now. "So... ye know Ah went te talk te Merlin. Tha batty old wizard in Traverse..." She looks at him as she starts arranging the sandwich, her tail hanging loosely behind her. "He said tha the only way we could get rid of tha collar of yers is te get rid of the one who made it." Which isn't exactly an easy task. "Ah've been tryin te track her down for ye. Easier said than done, though."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Bacon Mayo? Who has ever heard of something that preposterous?" Skoll jokes, showing another one of those smiles at Zia's little shoulder-touch. The lightheartedness of the conversation is appreciated, as well as her very presence. He waits for her to finish the second sandwich, giving her the last of the fried bacon, and then moves to clean off the hot pan - running it under hot water.

"Oh? Merlin? I hear he's a bit... well... as you said - batty." Skoll points out. The youth continues to listen, and calmly nods his head when Zia mentions that the best way to get rid of his collar is to get rid of the one who made it. His hand subconsciously moves to touch the collar, reminded of it. "They're hard to find. And even harder to defeat, from what I know." Skoll points out, keeping his back facing Zia for a little.

"When you go to face them - if you find them - please, bring me along. I don't want you to face them on your own." He points out. "And Zia...? Thank you. For doing this for me."

Zia has posed:
"Aye. Did ye know they make bacon flavored snow cones, too?" The gargoyle doesn't bother mentioning that such things are for dogs. He'd probably eat it anyways, she has little doubt of that. "If we do ever manage te bring back m'world, Ah'll take ye down te this little cart near the Cathedral. Best bacon burgers in New York." She'd eaten them out of a nearby trash can, but that's besides the point.

With a nervous laugh, she gathers up her sandwich, taking a bite out of it and chewing. "Well, maybe Ah'll have te have ye buy the burgers." As much as New Yorkers probably were more used to strange beings by now, they probably still would flinch away from a creature that looks like a rooftop demon, whereas Skoll could at least pass for human.

"Ah wouldnae dream of goin te face them alone. Seein what one did against three of us was more than enough te make me wise on that front. But... Ah have a lead tha Ah've been meanin te follow up on, ye know. After all this Manhattan mess is over wi." She eats a bit more, already hunting in one of the cabinets for something to go with her sandwiches. This will likely be her only meal for the evening, and she needs to make the most of it. "So, whomever ye think would come wi us." She leaves that open, but thus far hasn't told him exactly where she thinks the Gaudium Lords' servant might be hiding.

Maybe she's just worried he might go off alone, again.

Rather than sitting own, she leans against the counter, watching him. "It's the least Ah could do. Ye were the one who pulled m'tail out of New York, and ye've saved me enough times." In her mind, she can remember being somewhere else one minute, and in his arms the next, and it raises a hint of color on her cheeks. "Thank ye fer tha. Otherwise, Ah would have probably ended up lost in the Underworld. Ah wasnae prepared for tha."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"It does?" Skoll sounds surprised. "But... how do they~... /oh/. Bacon /flavored/." The werewolf lashes his tail impatiently. "Well... I'd try it anyhow. If it tastes like bacon - it's gotta be good. Right?" Right? Right? The werewolf finishes cleaning off the pan and sits down at the small table in the kitchen, having grabbed the plate for 'his' sandwich and biting into it. After the first bite or two, he finally speaks up again.

"I think I've had burgers before. They're pretty decent. Adding bacon though - that might be a good addition." He realizes that all this talk of bacon is a bit silly though. He just nods however, not really interceding with Zia's point on the Gaia sisters. Indeed, they'd harmed both Avira and Zia. And the others were stronger. But then, so were they now, he feels. But what's more important, is the point Zia makes by not telling him where they might be.

"No need to tell me where they are. But... I think I've learned not to go off on my own." He'd now seen, by Avira doing that very thing, the pain it caused those around him - and the danger it put them in because they were... well... friends. "I'll think about it." Skoll admits. "But Manhattan does come first. A large world is more important than little 'ol me. And besides..." He touches his collar again. "I can wait."

The youth takes another bite out of his sandwich, calming down, and listens to Zia's words. He shakes his head. "You're important to me, Zia. I could see the things in that world. I saw the things. It's so easy to get lost in moments like that. I knew I had to draw you out of there." Indeed, he'd taken her into his arms. To protect her. To support her. "Besides, I loaned a bit of your power too... your support." He glances at her, noticing the blush... and smiles.

Zia has posed:
"Ah wouldnae imagine it's very good, m'self. Ah've never really cared for all the fake flavorings they put in things these days." Zia's tail twitches at her ankles, seeming to relax a little as she eats. "Nae as if Ah had any great choice in the matter, but back in the day, ye didnae need a special dictionary te figure out wha was in yer food." Contrary to what many might believe in talking to this girl, she's lived a lot longer than most of those that surround her, and can still remember the way things used to be.

She quiets though, ears tucking down slightly when he comments about her lead on the Gaia sister. "Ye know, Ah can understand sometimes why people are the way they are. Seein how ye were treated, it's nae great wonder why ye'd want te face everythin yerself." She shakes her head, though. "Yer strong, but yer nae tha strong. The strength we have tha the Shadow Lords will never have is tha we stand together. Ye saw tha back in the underworld. Ah dinnae think any Shadow Lord would muster tha kind of strength fer one of their own."

Letting out a breath, she shrugs, "Ah isnae a matter of just trust alone. Ah trust ye, but..." She props herself up so she's sitting on the counter, "Everywhere Ah look, people Ah care aboot are endin up hurt. Faruja's always runnin off tryin te save the world. Percival's carryin so much more weight on his shoulders than he should. 'N then there's ye. Ye go missin, and I find ye half dead in the woods 'n..." She hesitates, "... it scared me, alright?" It's not as if this is really new news. He could have figured that much out from her reactions at the time.

Still...

Zia blows some hair out of her eyes, "Och aye. Ye can claim tha if ye like, but ye know tha if it came down te it, there isnae any way Ah could have stopped ye from takein a bath in the river Styx if ye really wanted te." It's a helpless feeling, and the look in her eyes in that moment is the same as that day in the woods when she'd clung to his leg and begged him not to run.

Luckily, her mind doesn't dwell on it too long, as she pops the piece of sandwich into her mouth and chews. Her hand dismisses him as she grabs for a granola bar and adds that to her meal for the evening. "We all needed te get through te the end, for her sake. Ah think, were Ah in her shoes, it wouldnae have sat well te lose a friend in exchange for m'life. So it's glad tidings tha we all made it out alright." she pauses, "Well, mostly alright." Some wounds were physical, others, not so much so.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll understands that feeling, though his life certainly has not been as long lived. He's seen many different cultures, and knows he prefers the more natural things in life. "Well, you won't find that kind of thing here." He explains. "Unless I get something from Manhattan - when it returns." When, not if. It's obvious that no matter what, Skoll has a lot of trust in certain people involved with that whole mess.

The youth grows a little bit more quiet when Zia explain that she can understand his reasons for wanting to take things on his own. She'd probably seen the suffering he'd inflicted by proxy, simply by being around certain people. "You're right though. But... I think no matter what, we would not have been able to dethrone Hades even if we wanted to. We were weakened by forces far beyond even what I can deal with." The youth continues to eat his sandwich as an excuse to be quiet for a litlte bit, nodding now and again.

After all, he knows how much it sucks when someone else goes off on their own now. "I'm sorry." He whispers, staring at his plate and sandwich, after her statement that his 'state' had scared her. He glances aside, his ear twitching first upon the sound of her breathing out at her hair. "I feel... you have that power, Zia." He rejects that statement that she could not have stopped him from drowning in his misery.

He touches his collar. "You make this thing easier to wear, every time I see you." He tells her, and then finishes up the last bit of that sandwich. "But you're right. But I knew that. I would not have let myself die. Nor you for that matter." He doesn't comment on that whole 'being mostly alright' thing.

Zia has posed:
While Skoll might speak in certain terms, Zia doesn't seem to have any for the situation. Losing her world had caused her to have to live and react much more in the moment, and while she certainly works toawrds a goal, that doesn't mean it will definitely happen. There had been too many things standing in their way, so far, and she had already een the true might of the Shadow Lords when it came to the fall of Manhattan in the first place.

"Well, there's a lot of things Ah prefer here te m'own world. Nae havin te eat out of dumpsters would be one of 'em. Though Ah'm hopin tha if our world returns, tha we'll be able te forgo tha." It would be hard to imagine this girl going back to a life of scrounging to get by, especially not after having found something of a place here. She might not be an adventurer at heart, but she had friends, and a purpose now.

The girl shakes her head as she eats, knowing well enough that he feels guilty for running off. That hadn't really been the point. She's about to say so when he mentions 'power'. That stops her in her tracks and leaves the gargoyle looking at him. "Have ye... ever said tha before?" Her ears tilt back slightly, "Ah dinnae know why, but tha gave me the most wicked case of deja vu."

Trying to shake the feeling, she continues to sit there, crossing her taloned feet and watching him with those blue eyes. "Yer a friend, and Ah care aboot ye. It's wha friends do fer one another. Ah'm seein tha more and more every day." At that, she finally does decide to move, hopping down and leting her talons click on the tiles as she goes to claim a drink from the ice box. Without asking, she grabs up a soda for him and brings it back to the table. "Ah just hope ye'll feel better soon enough." She'd hurt Faruja, watched Percival go through mourning, and now Skoll. It's a never ending mess of male drama around her.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Well, that would certainly be a good thing. Those dumpsters can't be good for your health." Skoll points out, smirking. "And I assume you'll need my help to move your stuff back in when it happens." Yep, he still speaks in definite terms. Maybe it's easier for him to see life like that.

"Hrrm?" Then Zia goes and says something odd, and the werewolf just tilts his head and folds one ear down. Adorable confused puppy look, go! "I... I dunno? Maybe?" He's not sure why the girl has a sense of deja-vu. Mostly because he's not feeling it himself.

His ears tilt back up into their standard 'upright position', and the youth leans back on the chair, tilting it onto its hind two legs and balances the thing - hands at the back of his head. Skoll is doing his best to relax. "I'm glad you think so. You're a great friend to me too after all. As for feeling better - don't you worry. I'll be okay." Smirk. Smile. It's a bit artificial, but... not fully fake.

Zia has posed:
At the prospect of moving back into her old apartment, Zia hesitates. "Uh..." As much as she had lived alone for many years, gargoyles thrive on clan and family. Going back to that empty room in that run down building really seemed more like a punishment now than some reward for a hard fought battle. "Well, Ah'll probably keep the place so Ah have somewehre te stay but... Ah'm thinkin of just keepin on here fer the most part. Ah know the way back and forth now, so..." She shrugs, not really wanting to admit that she'd grown accustomed to being here among the Shard Seekers.

Letting the feeling of deja vu pass, "Well, ye better be. There's too much trouble in the world te be mopin aboot." She takes a swig of soda, "Anyways, ah've got a mission te get ready fer. Gettin together with Reize on a treasure map. Should be back sometime after tha, although Ah may make a pit stop in the old city 'n see how things are. Ah'll keep in touch." She taps at her phone, which has a neat little pouch at her waist.

"Then, Ah'll be needin a word wi' ye, Avira, 'n whomever else ye think can help. We need te track down tha which 'n get ye uncollared as our next highest priority." She fans her wings a little, clearly readying to go.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll notices that hesitation, but doesn't comment on it. "You know you're always welcome here. And I'm sure the Shard Seekers will love to know that you are sticking around. This place has kind of become a home to me as well." Obviously, with 'the Shard Seekers', he also means himself.

The youth then finally opens that can of soda she'd handed him earlier and opens it, drinking some of it, before putting it down. "Ah, you gotta go?" His ears twitch down a little. The youth leans the seat back forwards into its proper position. "Well, keep the little leader safe." Skoll comments. "I have some stuff to do myself." Wandering mostly. And do some shopping.

The youth then gets up and takes the can with him, and ends up leaning against the kitchen's counter. "I wish you luck. Tell me what Avira says when you meet 'er."

Zia has posed:
With that, Zia nods her head and heads out. So much to do, so little time.