1. [open]

[kesi]

Who: Takame and You!
When: Throughout May
Where: All around Draega, but mostly around the ports.
What: Lots of Influence jobs
Warnings: Potential violence because It's Him


a. Palate Cleanser

[Exhaustion had no place where there was work to be done.

The residual energies from the webs weaved by those cursed women took their toll. Takame was able to absorb the instructions given by Abigail and Fauyra easily, it was just the part of him that made taking in a habit. The practice was much more difficult, not due to a lack of his own practice with Craft, but because every other moment still felt as though he was being pulled away into another memory even when he wasn’t.

It was a feeling he got used to as the Echo triggered regularly in the past two weeks. He anticipated being drawn elsewhere, causing some webs he weaved to dissipate as soon as they were created. The only inkling of frustration the one working with the Au Ra would catch was that he would occasionally stop and pinch the bridge of his nose or rub at his eyes before continuing as he was even as power from his Purple Dusk winded down.]

Damn…

b. Street Rats

[He owed this much to young Esso and her kin after an incorrect accusation. And Daylight proposed the idea of helping her, so here he was.

There was always a divide in the impoverished and the well-off, no matter where one would go. A simple observation Takame had in his travels, though he paid no mind to it if it was irrelevant to a job. Here would be no different had it not been for his intent to do something to rectify his error. The entire city was in shambles, but by the kami… how this lot managed to survive was a blessing by Them to be sure.

His partner would surely be handling most of the food distribution by his suggestion, his appearance didn’t necessarily scream friendly even as he was covered by a hood and cape. But in the times where he’s not clearing the streets of the vermin, he does make some attempts to share food as well. If only he had better social graces and a longer coat to accomodate for his height and tail…]

c. Trade Wars + Rumour has it

[Through most of the month, Takame will be found hovering around the docks. Several reasons for it, really. Docks are familiar to him, in the Far East and in Eorzea, he preferred to be in places where information circulated the most by force of habit as if you know nothing you’re more likely to be killed and of course one Prince Allairavar mentioned concern in the docks the prior moon. And it didn’t seem as though the trouble was going to cease any time soon.

He hangs around during the earliest hours possible, sometimes long into the day and evening, such has been his routine the past several weeks enough that sailors that have lingered in the area for a while started to recognize him. Not with a name, more with references to his appearance.

If someone else happens upon him to help with the same, he’ll always be unloading supplies and listening more than speaking himself to what the sailors have to say. Major conflicts have yet to break out, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he would have to slam someone to the ground.]

4. Wildcard

[[ Hit me up for plotting at bonpuns ! Also wow holy heck I finally figured out how to CODE my plurk instead of typing it wouldja lookit that!. ]]

Comments

a;

[sinistral]

[It's not the first time they've been paired together and like the last, they both seem given more to the work than to conversation. That suits Bucky just fine; it is important work, and it needs doing, and they're both hard workers. Simple.

Or, not exactly simple, but the theory is there. The practice however could certainly use more practice, at least on Bucky's part. Even with the instruction, webs are not his strong suit and he's fine with taking a break when he sees the other man rubbing his eyes.]

The fields were easier, [he offers softly. Physical labor is much more straightforward than this psychic Jewel stuff. And Bucky is very conscious of the color of his own Jewel and what it could mean if he really tried to tap into its depths.]

[kesi]

Hn... [He didn't respond immediately, trying first to readjust his sight. For a blessing, the webs the two tried to weave didn't outright trigger his inconvenient power despite the pervasive feeling that it would. Likely because of the staggering difference in the darkness of their respective Jewels.

He would prefer not to have anyone see him in such a state. Even though he was distracted he shook his head.]

... Indeed. [It was all he could muster before a pause and a deep breath. Work, Kesi. Continue your mission.] 'Tis no less necessary.

[sinistral]

Might be necessary, but that doesn't mean exhausting yourself doing it. That's only going to make things worse.

[It's not meant harshly, but it is a reprimand. This is the second time they've worked together, and the second time that the other man seems to push himself harder than he should. Bucky can empathize with it — he's very much the proverbial pot criticizing the blackness of the kettle — but there's still a decent amount of work to do and they have to last for a while longer.

He wonders, faintly, if it's the difference in their Jewels. Does that gap make this harder? He doesn't know.]

[kesi]

Yes... yes, you are right. [He knew it was true. He would be useful to no one if he exhausted himself anymore. Even if it was less exhaustion plaguing him and more of a baseless paranoia what what he would attribute to aether sickness. He was told to calm, so he would.

He took a long deep breath again, holding it in a moment, then exhaled slowly.]

We've more work ahead of us...

[sinistral]

Only because it's sometimes easier to hear it from someone other than yourself.

[Whether it's just a habit of pushing himself too hard or something else, Bucky doesn't know. He doesn't know the other man well enough to tell the difference. But he knows his own tendencies and how they run to the former, so it does have him thinking.]

We do. [A beat.] I wonder if we tried casting a web together, how that would go? You're better at them, but my Jewel is stronger. Be nice if we could combine that.

[kesi]

Mm. [He's heard it from people enough times at this point. He's thought he'd learned by now but he is a fool indeed.

It was more by force of habit that Takame tapped a finger to his chin at Bucky's proposal. He would agree to any idea, really, but the other man wore the Red, far more effective than his own Jewel. Takame was no Disciple of Magic, but it wasn't hard to see (literally) that Bucky had absolutely no magic capabilities beyond the Jewels. He nodded.]

It may prove more effective.

[sinistral]

What person isn't a fool, at least in some small part?

[But it's true; Bucky has no magical skill to speak of, save what he's managed to learn in his brief time here. It's not at all natural to him. But if the two of them could combine their strengths, it might be even better than their separate attempts. And it might prove useful in other situations as well. Certainly he thinks it's worth a try.]

I'm willing to try it if you are. I won't pretend to have anywhere near your skill with weaving these spells.

[kesi]

You have a point... [Takame just agreed mindlessly but it was true.

He did not have the training in magic back... "home". But he dedicated hours a day in his first few months and even to this day to perfecting his... well, Craft.

Picking up from the remains of a web that began to fade in his distraction, he looked to Bucky and nodded.]

... Shall we try it, then? [He was ready upon Bucky's order, waiting for him to lend what power he could before starting.]

I am so sorry for my slow

[sinistral]

Occasionally.

[No one can be right all the time, after all.

But since the idea seems sound and they're both on board, there's little reason to delay. He takes a deep breath, a little self preparation before answering the other man.]

Ready. Let's go. [It's still weird to use Craft, to use the power of his Jewel, but he imagines a cloud that he can push toward his companion. He's not sure that's actually what's happening, but the mental image helps. He thinks.]

c

[verstoned]

[Only fortunate that Takame is accompanied by none other than Rhus now, whom some of the foreign traders already recognize due to his continued persistent appearances to buy fresh jellyfish.

He volunteered to come along simply for this. Luckily he's mostly Seeker, otherwise such an early hour would have bothered him.

With Takame dealing with carrying supplies, Rhus busies himself with the knots and lines of the ship instead, showing just how familiar and comfortable he is with them. The sailors consider him a cat, albeit a possibly one-eyed one with the way he always comes along with a patch over the right eye, and don't mind him running up and down the ropes with ease, though he did take offense once when one jokingly asked him to mouse for them... And the man still is missing a tooth.

The moment Rhus spots Takame while working on the rigging, he balances himself in a precarious position, and pauses in his work.]

How goes things? [Though Takame should know by the expression on Rhus' face, expectant and curious, that he's not asking about how the work is. He's looking for information, if the Au Ra has it.]

[kesi]

Largely unchanged. [Said looking at Rhus through his peripheral vision, an easier feat with his hair out of his face tucked behind his horns, while unraveling a large net housing a bin of cargo. Takame proceeded under the assumption that Rhus wasn't asking how he was, but what the situation was.

He operated under that idea by default. But it was true that as of yet he had little information to share. As a precaution he gave the dock and its surrounding area a cautious scan, one of the many he's done and it would definitely not be the last as the day went on.] The mercenaries tend to hold their quarrels until after the sun has risen... ["Usually", the way he trailed off seemed to imply.]

[verstoned]

Mmm... [He crouches atop the rope now, unafraid of possibly slipping off and splattering the contents of his skull all across the deck.] Usually.

Meanin', those who start somethin' while the rest are still asleep are the wily ones.

But we don't 'ave to deal with those at the moment. All quiet here as well.

[kesi]

[To that Takame only nodded. The most wild people he's seen were the hungriest, kept awake through the midnight hours and into the early mornings by the pain it brought ripping what they could apart for the chance of a meal to take away from Draega.

He moved enough of the net that he could pull it to the side without looking and pry the box open to unload it. Instead he focused on the areas far ahead, searching for any sign of movement.]

It won't last much longer.

[verstoned]

Well... [Rhus shrugs. He cant refute that at all because he knows it's true. Sooner or later, someone is going to say or do something stupid and make tempers flare, because that's what people do. That's what mercenaries and sailors do, because there's nothing else for them to expend their energies and tempers on.]

Havin' bellies full o' some sorta food will do that for you, if not the drink.

Then again, people don' discriminate wha' time they reach for a bottle. [Grog for breakfast? Rhus has done that before.

Many, many times before.]

Seen any bottles since the sun's come up?

[kesi]

...Recent circumstances have seen the pub gain a fair number of early traffic.

[Today was no different as implied by how he turned his attention to said pub, watching as new sailors wandered into it. Residual negative energies from the tangled webs have caused more to stray to the bottle to subdue how high their stress was. The fact that he's already seen a few wander into the establishment for more than food was a portion of why he did not expect the silence to last.]

[verstoned]

Ah, to 'ave Baderon 'ere to put all those fools in their place... [But if wishes were chocobos, he'd have an entire forest of them.]

Where's this pub then? We best make sure they... [Rhus shrugs.

Takame knows where he's going with that.

Pubs and taverns are always the first place someone would make a mess in, because everyone is just far too drunk to give a flying godsdamn about what they're doing, and where they're doing it.]

[kesi]

Hm. It would be nice. [Baderon would have handled this lot masterfully to be sure. If only they were that lucky.

Takame did indeed know what Rhus meant. He'd spent enough time in Limsa and at these docks to know how quickly fights sparked while some poor sods were deep in their cups. From the crate he finished unloading what needed to be taken from it and with a nod he gestured for Rhus to follow him.] This way.

c trade wars

[burn_with_us]

( Katniss recognizes him both as a Stranger and as someone who's been haunting these docks the same as her listening for information. She knows that a bow isn't the most discreet weapon but it's her weapon and she doesn't feel comfortable going out without it. For the longest, a bow and a quiver of arrows have been the thing that keeps her from death and Katniss isn't giving them up now.

She draws closer to the other person, close enough to talk lowly. Since she's gotten a Jewel, she can hear a little better than she could back home and she keeps her voice low enough that she might not be overheard. )

You heard anything good yet? Anything we can use?

[kesi]

[If not for the fact that Takame occasionally passed the young lady on the docks, he would have gone on the offensive as she drew closer. She wasn't someone he knew much of, only that she too was a Stranger. It didn't stop him from reflexively reaching for his even less discreet katana, but he relented as soon as he sensed no hostility.

... From her at least while tensions during this time of day on the docks were thick enough to cut through with a dull blade.

Rather than an immediate whisper back, he shook his head. Not rude, but not as cordial as he could be.]

Little save for what you've heard already. [The mercenaries were what he was mostly referring to. They were a loud enough lot.]

[burn_with_us]

I'm not very good at spying on people. I'm better at taking actions, unfortunately.

( It's all right, though, because Katniss thinks she can at least hear enough to make sense of what the mercenaries want other than gold marks. If things get sideways, she can take things out from afar. )

My name's Katniss.

[kesi]

Hmm. We've that much in common. [Something worth noting about this one already as he saw the bow and quiver in her possession. While he was the same, he knew the difference between a chance to take action and the times he must lay low from times best forgotten.

He only gave her a sideways glance, having his attention set more firmly on a group making snide comments towards each other. Action may come soon at this rate.]

I am Takame. [Said with a bow of his head only rather than a half body one. He preferred not to forego his manners, but they were an afterthought while he patrolled.]

[burn_with_us]

Good to meet you. I'll let you take point. I'm better at taking things out from afar than close up - I can use a knife but I'm not as good at it.

( Katniss prefers not to have her enemies get close enough to her to have to worry about the knife. Her eyes flit back and forth between the mercenaries, trying to see where empty threats are becoming promises. )

Tell me when and where and I'll do it. Otherwise, I'm just here to listen.

[kesi]

Mm. Likewise. [He's worked with enough Archers and Bards to know the front of the line is not where they're suited. Still, he was not used to calling the shots but he would in this case.

Given one of the mercenaries took personal offense to a comment made about his family and asked the instigator to say it to his face, he saw that as an opportunity to move forward at the very least to threaten them. Among other Au Ra he had comparatively short stature, but among Hyur who were mostly shorter than his over six fulms and his rough looking horns and scales he had an intimidating air about him.

Enough for some in the group to turn their attention onto him. His tone was not loud and overbearing, there was a subtle bite to it.] Calm yourselves immediately.

[burn_with_us]

( Katniss keeps behind him, just over his left shoulder, and watches for any signs that the fight is going to escalate. She has an arrow nocked already, ready to take aim on anyone who looks like they're going to close in on Takame. )

I will shoot. Stop this squabbling and if you have a genuine dispute, we can sort it out as third parties.

[kesi]

[The groups quieted as they approached, some more than others when they saw Katinss readied an arrow aimed in their direction. It was a small mob, really, a combining of two groups ready to defend their comrade's honor (or fake like it). A fair few on both sides shrunk into themselves or shuffled away, Blood wary of Takame's draconic features. But some few remained if just to make themselves seem stronger.

"This is none o' your business", one spouted at him.]

It is my business to maintain peace within these docks. Should you disturb that peace, I cannot promise you will see the end of your day unscathed. [The threat only brought out whispered jeers among the group. He was no negotiator, but with people like this that was rarely how disputes were solved.]