Meeting at Port

Meeting at Port
Date of Scene:	07 May 2013
Location:	Port Royal
Synopsis:	A chat between a warrior and bard on the pier.
Cast of Characters:	Ariel, Sydney Losstarot

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Ariel has posed:
Though Ariel is an adventuresome girl, she hasn't gotten so adventurous yet that she's strayed far away from areas near the sea. Something about it is still important to her. And she's still worried about home, though... she hasn't mentioned it to anyone in a long time.

Port Royal is a nice compromise. The pirates intrigue her a lot. Daddy always said to stay away from them, but she's so far had no real difficulty with exploring even the roughest of island towns. It's mostly luck, though the rumors that she has powerful magic may have something to do with the fact that she hasn't yet been kidnapped and taken off to some island for ransom.

This afternoon, she can be found singing sea shanties on the docks. She avoids going into the water, but she's picked herself up a little guitar.

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
Sydney is...impressed by Port Royal, to say the least. As Valendia never made it past the dark ages, so this world is an oddity. Its not blatantly futuristic, like Goug, and its technology remains the same, yet it has a sense of culture to it that Sydney admires.

Sydney walks alone by the docks, taking a moment to admire the seas. He'd never seen an ocean before, as he came from a world that was caught in a sea of darkness, the rest of Ivalice having succumb to the darkness. As he walks along the docks, he takes a moment to observe the woman he's come across. She doesn't strike him as too out of the ordinary, but that guitar... Sydney pulls out a few pieces of Gil, setting them on the ground at Ariels feet. "Play me a song, bard. 'Tis my wish to waste a few moments." He says, amused by her singing talent.

Ariel has posed:
Ariel likes to get money, since doing favors, brewing potions, and singing are her only way to get paid right now... and, well, she's still a bit materialistic. Any money means she can add to her growing Collections! So she grins when a coin drops into the hat at her feet.

She is a fast study and has learned quite a few new songs, though she prefers the less baudy ones naturally. She sings a verse of 'Down to Old Maui' for Syndey, attracting some more attentions from the dock as she does.

Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground
Rolling down to Old Maui.

After finishing, she smiles and also looks out at the sea. "Is your home out there too?"

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
Sydney listens intently, amused by the strange music the bard-ess plays. Its certainly not something you would hear in Valendia, or hear an orchestra playing, for sure. Still, it was entertaining enough to hold his attention long enough to justify the pay in his eyes. He claps his metallic arms together amusedly, making a soft "Plink...Plink...Plink..." noise.

"No." He responds bluntly, taking a few moments to admire the sea. "Not all are so lucky to have ever had such a place to lose." He says, frowning slightly.

Ariel has posed:
"Oh." Ariel frowns.

She doesn't really talk about her world much - for a reason - but is fascinated by other peoples'. So she leans forward a little. "If you don't mind, can you tell me about your world? You don't look like you're from around here, and... you seemed sad."

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
Sydney doesn't talk about his world much either. Not for any personal reasons, its just a place that few people would care to know about, and one even fewer would like to remember. "'Twas a dark place." He concludes, finally. "People hungered whilst barons reaped the profits of the lands for themselves. The masses dared not retaliate, for fear of being struck down by the church. Many worlds are cheerful places, frought with benevolent god-kings and animals. But not all can have such luck, hm?" He responds distantly, thinking back on Valendia. The frown he carries is not one of sadness. It is a face of masked rage, and a thirst for the life of those who wronged his world so.

Ariel has posed:
"Oh." Well, that's a bit of a downer. "Is it... gone, or is there something that someone can do?" Ariel mostly means, something she can do, but she tends to think big. She does have a better read on his emotions now after he's talked about it. "... I'm Ariel, by the way."

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
"I know not what becomes of a world once it has been consumed by those without hearts. But I cannot imagine it being a fixable fate. There is naught to be done but move on, and forget that such a wretched place marred the face of history." A /bit/ of a downer would be the understatement of the century. Every aspect of Sydneys life is a cinderella story with less princes and more "Stepsisters get what they have coming." He does not seem too keen to let the woman know his name. But then again, she's just a bard. Probably on the brink of starvation, and not a very liable source anyways. "...I am known as Sydney."

Ariel has posed:
"All right, Syndey, very pleased to meet you!" Ariel says, keeping cheerful given the conversation.

"So are you happier to be here?"

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
...Well, that caught Sydney by surprise, and the look on his face says it. "...A question I have not given much thought to. This world is wrought with inconveniences, murderers, and outright devils. ...But it is also filled with a great many of those who choose to fight against it. I am...conflicted on my feelings of this world. But I will admit, they are better than those I have for home, Ariel." He says, his clawed hand at his chin in thought. 'Am I happy here?' He thinks to himself, smirking.

Ariel has posed:
"I'm happier here," Ariel says, partially as if trying to convince herself. "My world was a little boring. Look at how much is happening! The children playing, the people shopping, the ... fishermen and their nets--" That last one makes her frown, as she catches sight of some fishermen in the distance unloading their wares. She looks vaugely haunted by it, but then looks away.

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
"It may all seem happy. But one must learn to look beneath the surface." He says distantly, as he turns to look at what Ariel was referencing. "Those children likely do not have a well off home to return to. And that fisherman will toil day in and day out for the rest of his life under the boot of a king, who wishes naught more than to take what is rightly his out from under him. He will work, and work, attempting to meet taxes. But it will only hold off reality for so long. ...And then he will return to the earth." Story time with Sydney: Depressing!

Ariel has posed:
Ariel looks away from Sydney now, too, and strums a little on her guitar. "Well, you aren't very much fun, are you."

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
Sydney smirks, shaking his head. "I guess not. There is little time to have "Fun" when there is so much suffering left to undo. No matter what worlds are visited, the truth remains the same. Some cruel leader lives in constant fear of something else, and is provoked into war because of it. ...Thats not to say evil is not a thing, of course. But nobility will never truly understand how the real world suffers. Have you not seen your fair share of reality, Bard? 'Tis a common truth that those who bring happiness to others with music, are those who have felt the worst of it all."

Ariel has posed:
"Maybe," Ariel says, playing a few quiet notes. Her eyes are liddled low as she tries not to meet Sydney's gaze now. She certainly hasn't seen the kind of things he's claimed to see, she thinks. "But without fun - without happiness or song - just living and surviving doesn't mean much."

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
"Perhaps you are right, Bard. But those who live by the blade are destined to die by the blade. Those who live by song...they are granted a much lighter reprieve. Perhaps it is wrong to seek happiness through despair, and to seek good through evil." Sydney flicks his daggerlike claws together absentmindedly, the noise helps him think. "...But this is a lesson I would never be so lucky to understand." He finally states, after a moment of introspection.

Ariel has posed:
Ariel looks up at the clicking, seeming to notice those claws for the first time. They're kind of neat, she thinks; they would be very useful for the guitar. "So you live by the sword?"

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
Sydney stops for a moment, and thinks. Technically he lives by the magic, but that doesn't sound as poetic. "I live by whatever path I must take to ensure the safety of those who won't." He finally decides, after a few moments. "Not all of us are so ready to make a different choice. ...I never was any good at a lute." He concludes, Sydneys version of a joke.

Ariel has posed:
Ariel noticed that he made a joke, and so she smiles.

She takes a risk, holding her little guitar out to him. "Well, do you want me to show you? You have good hands for it."

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
Sydney seems surprised by the offer. Even those that aren't immediately terrified by his appearance and don't know he's a right-about-everything terrorist usually don't go into conversations such as this with him. Its a pleasant experience, but one Sydney will have to learn to abandon later. He takes the guitar as its offered, remarking "...Alright." With a bit of confusion to his tone as he tries to play the instrument, producing the most unholy, grating sound the world has ever known.

Ariel has posed:
"Ohhh, no no, be gentle!" Ariel says, trying to reach for the guitar. She stands up and offers Sydney her seat. "Just be careful you don't cut the strings. And try putting your fingers like this--"

She reaches over to try to position his hand on the neck.

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
Sydney shuffles about a little as she tries to adjust his hand, in a way that says "Boundaries, dude." But eventually he concedes that she's likely to know far more about the instrument than he does, and concedes control. Once he's repositioned, he tries his hand at a much gentler strum, making a sound that sounds...better. There's a reason picks aren't made of steel, though.

Ariel has posed:
Ariel realizes the claws aren't as good a pick as she thought, but... it's improving, so she doesn't want to be discouraging. "See? It's not so hard."

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
Sydney strums again, clearly amused with himself for such a feat. "Hmph. Perhaps it is not so difficult as I once thought." He says, ignorant to how terrible he sounds.

Ariel has posed:
Ariel wrinkles up her mouth a little at a particularly bad chime, but... "Practice makes perfect! Though you'll probably have to get your own. If you're interested."

Sydney Losstarot has posed:
Sydney nods, offering the guitar back to Ariel. "I shall consider it." He says, thinking to himself for a moment. Of course, he could never truly abandon the path of the warrior. The Blood-Sin would never permit it. But its a nice thought... "I thank thee for your time, Ariel. But I only wished to waste a moment." He says with a sigh. Now he's behind schedule. Tossing a few more Gil onto the ground at Ariels feet, he continues "Farewell, Bard." As he begins to walk off, continuing along the pier.