Meetings and Partings

Meetings and Partings
Date of Scene:	11 March 2013
Location:	The Cross Roads
Synopsis:	Several wandering sorts each from a different world meet while on the road much to the surprise of each other.
Cast of Characters:	Deelel, Zeke, Riku, Ramza Beoulve

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Riku has posed:
Time for Reruns! (No. Wait.. Narrator skips the track) This is actually NEW episodes? Huh. Go figure.

The beautiful crossroads, home to monsters, heartless, ambivalent forces and the occasional wish granting portal, now completely defunct. There is a small herd of chocobo wandering the plain (probably lost from the next world over, or perhaps a transient illusion much like a moose) and it seems like a day in which anything is possible. Even bears with picnic baskets.

Riku wanders down a pathway along the crossroads with a paper in his hands. He looks down the list every so often and then occasionally he will write something down on it with a short pencil. He takes a seat on a nearby rock, taking a moment to figure out where to go next and also keeping an eye out in case any more of those portals showed up so he could make the Mirror Master eat his tophat.

Zeke has posed:
Zeke wasn't quite sure what to make of this place. He'd found his way here from a randomish portal on the opposite end of the island Tortuga was on and so figured best ot check it out in case his current plans would be derailed by SUDDENLY ARMY OF DARKNESS eating the scenery and people.

That would be bad.

Fortunately or not. He was treated to a somewhat boring if pleasent set of surroundings.

After much wandering he saw Riku about. He didn't know Riku's involvement in the doings of Manhatten's disappearance. He simply remembered the lad was looking for someone. "Oi." He sounded pleasent enough. Riku would smell the sea and sun and possibly a hint of rum. "Long time no see lad."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel didn't think abotu this place much really she doesn't she just comes and goes as she nees to about the world and today she's riding on her light cycle. It's light wall is off for the moment as she proceeds onwards. There seem to be some people ahead and she starts to slow down a little what are people doing here...?

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
Ramza Beoulve was still shaken by what he saw in the Hall of Mirrors, but after he'd left, he wouldn't allow himself to show it. All of the Braves had chewed his ear off off course. He'd tried to assuage them that it was nothing that all of them couldn't handle. Eventually he'd smoothed it over.

They hadn't yet noticed that his desire for solitude had only grown. He took more walks without telling them. Typically he was back before they noticed. As of late, he'd been wandering farther and farther afield, trying to make sense of this strange land that was so different from the Ivalice that he'd known. The wondrous crossroads, filled with sights that even he had never imagined assuaged his curiosity more than most places.

Wandering from location to location, he stopped himself to stare at a coyote being menaced by a lightning fast bird. An anvil landed on the coyote. He began to wonder if these illusions came from the world that irritating Negaduck came from.

Eventually he would come upon the two figures in the Crossroads. Deciding that they were not some sort of mirage, he addressed them cordially, with a smile of good cheer upon his lips. "Captain Ezekiel Fawkes, Riku. It lifts my spirits to see two friendly faces in such a peculiar place. All is well, I trust?" He would step forward, offering each of them his hand, before staring at the woman on some sort of mount. Deciding that she too was not an illusion, he called out to her. "Pray approach us M'lady. More company would be welcome."

Riku has posed:
Riku doesn't remember Zeke other than there was something vague ship related to the conversation. He nevertheless shakes his head slightly and gestures to the territory around him as somewhere to sit should the man be of a mind to do it.

He digs out the journal, flipping through the pages and setting it to a drawing that is half finished. "That's.. often sort of a complicated question." he looks around at the pleasant surroundings and shrugs. "..good?" he thinks about that for a moment and then nods.

"Yeah. Considering yesterday, I'm in fact a lot better than expected. Yourself? I'm.." he pauses then goes through with it. "..I'm sorry, I can't remember your name." he then looks towards Ramza and nods to the warrior. He tries to remember if he heard their name spoken before and decides not to mangle it by risking it, seeing Deelel approach and being somewhat put on his guard and a little more cautious.

"Peculiar places for strange times, I think. It's good to see you in one piece. I'm idly looking for that creature with the top hat again. I think I have a few unpleasant words to share with him over tea."

Zeke has posed:
Zeke turned to face Ramza and smiled wide. "Ah. Ser Knight pleasent day." Headscratch as he pause.d "At least it looks like Day around here. Found an odd portal of some sort on the island i happened to be setting up for and figure inspect the other side make sure I don't have. Well. intrusions." There was laughter, soft and well meaning laughter. "Dealing with pirates is bad enough as is. Having to keep my other eye on this place would give me fits."

Pause. Deelel located. He stared at the cycle. He's never seen one. "Hello there..." So very sleek. So very glowing. He oved as if he was in a trance. "A thing from your home lass?"

Deelel has posed:
The Light cycle slows now at this point it's strange craft to be sure as it comes to a half. There's no weld lines, no seams not even for what would be the canopy.. It's engine if you could call it that makes a strange noise from the sounds of it. It takes a moment as the canopy opens up with almost no sound as she looks over to Ramza for a moment tiling her head a little bit. She know Zeke, she knows Ramza from the battle the other day but Riku gets her eyes narrowed a little bit as she looks at him, right right at him.

"So, your still alive?"

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
Attempting to use a pseudonym here would avail him not. Zeke already knew whom he was, and Riku had earned enough of his respect in the hall of mirrors that he decided not to even make an attempt to deceive him. "Its Ramza. Ramza Beoulve." He'd drop his hand eventually, unoffended and unperturbed. He'd already encountered many strange customs in this myriad of lands, and he didn't know the proper way to greet either of them. Given his little outbursts in the hall, he decided to be honest on his feelings as well. "It was harrowing, but I'll be fine. Fortune has been kind to me, and I'm better with each passing day." He'd address Zeke next. "More a sellsword now than anything, good Ser. Though often I marry my sword to a cause without any promise of pecuniary reward. Pray tell me, Captain Fawkes, did your venture give your mother succor?"

Turning once again to Deelel, she'd watch the interaction between Deelel and Riku. Not exactly knowing what sort of history the two had, he'd reply awkwardly. "I take it the two of you are already acquainted with each other."

Riku has posed:
Riku nods. "Those are pretty frequent around here. The Crossroads usually connects to a lot of places." he adds a few lines to the drawing before looking up again. "And sometimes they move around." he snorts faintly. "..portal magic." he says this with a significant amount of distain, as if the concept were more aggrivating than a thorn in the foot.

He smiles as Zeke stares at the lightcycle, having had much the same first impression of the sleek vehicles. Eventually he was going to have to con someone into teaching him how to actually ride of those those things instead of.. well, cheating.

He looks right back at Deelel with such a look of flat unrepentance that his entire face is a blank mask. Riku smiles pleasantly at her, inclining his head. "Yes. The last time I checked. Are you here to deny it?" he flicks his eyes away from Deelel to Ramza and a note of chagrin appears on his otherwise blank face. He chuckles humorlessly. "Yes. We've met before.

Zeke has posed:
Zeke rubbed his face with his palm. "I... get the feeling at least two of you." He gestured from Deelel to Riku, "Do not get along. ARe we going to fight? I'd rather not even if there's good cause. I just got done with some fairly elaborate and hairy legwork and I about got me leg bit off by a bloomin shark." Obviously he's fine but still. "Mum's fine fer now. thanks."

He looked to Ramza and doffed his cap. "Sounds 'bout like me. Work for money but. well. If the cause is good enough if i can get by with it toss the fees back where reasonable... which for awhile I won't be able to."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel will answer Zeke's question in a moment as the bike starts to seem to turns transparent, and just vanish in cirmentts of small cubes forming into a rod which she takes and slaps to her hip as she looks over Riku a moment longer. She doesn't go for her disc that might be mistakenf or a charkham of other throwing weapon on her back. She just looks at Ramza and thent to Riku.

"No, I'm not. So no I'm not here to dispurte it you have to live with what happened. It would be pointless to fight." She shrugs she also isn't revealing what Riku did either to the two strangers ither she seems to relax a bit before she adds "So long as you don't want to dispute it with me, I will not. User."

She looks over to Ramza and nods a little bit. "We do know eachother." She looks back to Zeke now and nods "Yes a Lightcycle I stole the command rod when I escaped the the death games a run by a man named SARK on my home world." She seems to have fallen back into more user comprtable speak at this point.

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
The news of Zeke's mother being safe put him in even better spirits. "That's excellent news, Ser." He would pause, consider his statement, then chuckle. "Such reward is infrequent. And as of late we've been in our own employ, as you've doubtless guessed."

Ramza would watch the proceedings, his eyes upon Deelel's weapon, to see if she would make a grab for it. He relaxed when she did not. "Then we have no quarrel here. Good. Might I have the pleasure of your acquaintance M'lady?" The rest of her statements puzzled him. He decided to wait and see if the others would inquire.

Riku has posed:
"Not if she doesn't start it. I have no quarrel except with that shark, which probably required a good punch to the nose." He looks down at what he's doing, absorbing himself in his drawing for a few more moments.

"People say that to me, yes." he smiles at Deelel cynically. "I'm beginning to believe it's a stock phrase, program." he shakes his head and turns away from the program completely.

Riku looks at Ramza's confusion and supplies.

"Her world is torn between sides. Many of those caught in the crossfire are forced to compete like gladiators."

Zeke has posed:
Zeke frowned at the talk of Death Games. "Is there anything I can do for ya lass?" NEvermind he had his own problems. The way she was talking sh'ed broken out of a gladitorial pit and made hell for the horizon..

Then at seeing Ramza's puzzlement. "Miss Deelel here claims to be of a race made by the humanity of her home world. I feel it has more going on but I dunna know what to make outside of she is as good as a person to me. Also a friend of sorts so yea. Good people. Pity I can't get her to go for a swim but. well. When the wter back home KILLS you... not in the cards."

Deelel has posed:
Deelel says "Sure the name's Deelel." She seems to be just letting things pass with Riku and she settlles in to be more social she's going to less it pass with Riku. She's prehaps focused on trying to undo the mess with it.

"It's true, we were rounded up for beliving in our creators and todld to recant or fight to the death in the gaming grid. I had to fight to stay alive. I was rescued with others by a data thief of all things who didn't like where it was going."

She looks to Zekek for a moment and she listens "Yes, contact with water is fatal due to how much energy there is." She makes a look at Zeke. "It just makes me uncomfotable."

Riku has posed:
Riku shakes his head and picks up his things. Even if Deelel is willing to let things go, he was beginning to feel distinctly uncomfortable. He closed his eys staying very still for a few moments before looking off into the distance to the west.

Riku nods politely to Zeke and to Ramza, he chuckles faintly at Ramza. "Thank you, ser Beoulve" ..He's a quick study, this one. "But I think it's for the best if I withdraw for now. I've got someone I've got to find again." he tucks the journal under his arm, waving in silent goodbye as he turns towards a road cutting to the west and moves along it.

After the first hill or two, he does not reappear.

Zeke has posed:
"OK lass but... uh I"m going to go make sure the portal back isn't gonna suddenly snap shut. I apologize in advance," Zeke inclined his head to Deelel, "If I do not return. If you need me I intend on opening a shop for my parents to tend in traverse. Jus leave word wit hthem an I do check in. They are family after all. Dunna want t'leave 'em worrying."

Then ot Ramza he laughed. "As I said. Do believe there is more going on than anyone knows rightly. Mayhap Men found her world and their doings influinced it. Mayhap she's right and her kind were originally crafted, unintentionally, by men but they knew not the extent of their work. Lord works in strange ways to our eyes but there do be a plan in there somewhere. Just gotta keep movin an trust it'll come out right in the end." A sentement Deelel herself might... actually find strange. AFter all here is a User having a very Programe-like view of how things are.

Then to Riku he doffed his cap and tossed a power bar. "Take care of yourself lad. The worlds to be gettin stranger and stranger by the day. I dunna want t'see ya lost affore yer time's done." And... well he found Riku hadn't bothered to stay so instead wandered off himself.

Ramza Beoulve has posed:
"Made by humanity?" He would look her up, and down. She looked quite human to him. Her mannerisms may have been peculiar, her attire was strange, and he didn't understand all of her slang, but she was quite human to him. "It is said that long ago in Ivalice, that the machinists of Goug once crafted mechanical creations in the image of man. But she doesn't look artificial." All Ramza saw was a serious young lady, and he treated her as such. "It is a distinct pleasure to make your acquaintance M'lady. I wish I could say that I was suprised that such contests are still held, but the one constant I have found in every world is that there will always be vile men who profit on the misery of others. If there is aught that I can do for the people of your world in the future, you need only ask."

He would look back at Riku, deciding to address the two elephants in the room at once given Deelel's initial hostility. "Ser, your reputation precedes you, but I don't tend to let that sway me. After all, if everyone based their knowledge of me on reputation alone, I'd be considered naught but a heretic, and a murderer."