Closed Oh, the colors that blind (Crylon)

[Crylon Stonecraft]

As Cleon dismissed what Crylon was asking about, the Isur was starting to believe the man was not understanding what he was asking about. Did he think there was some other aspect to the curse? One he did not any longer want to speak on? That seemed to be the most logical case, that or the man had truly misspoken to Crylon and it had not been an issue in translation but him confusing his words to the Isur... Tide waved to Cleon as he was greeted, a grand and jovial personality being his standard response. While he was quite tiny even compared to the Isur, he had a habit of seeming larger than life. However he playfully frowned at the man and shook a tiny finger before responding. "Haven't seen my kind? No no no, I am a unique being, one of a kind, there is no other like Tideon Wavemoon! No more than there is another you wandering around!" Crylon, not upset that Cleon was talking to Tide looked at the living statue when the topic of boat building came up. Since the tiny man was the one who had instructed him in the bit he knew about building boats, he knew the statue knew some things about the topic. "I know this and that about building a ship, so perhaps I could assist. In fact I'm the one who taught Crylon here when he first tried his hand. Maybe the next one he does will actually float... " Shrugging mutely Crylon looked at Cleon in such a way as to try to convey agreement while also saying -'well what can you do'- or as much as such a thing could be conveyed in a look. Tide however did not seem to be done, and once more put in his 2 copper mizas. "If you don't have a boat, surely people still fish, right? Why not try the docks or something, all we need is a rod and some bait and I can show you how its done easy enough." While the tiny man did not outright fight against other things or argue, he did seem more keenly focused on things related to Laviku's domain than anything else. Fishing, boat building, sailing, and such. Of course since he knew Crylon had little to no interest in sailing or going out on a boat... That left building boats and fishing from shore, something he often brought up. At the query on the wood Crylon shook his head. “Ah, no... I keep tools for build, but not material for build. Though have hammer, axe, saw, thing like.” While the greater bit of his tools were in a large trunk, he still kept his simpler building tools and kit in his bag which meant he usually had at least the most basic tools needed for building. Crylon was a bit confused as to the mans intent. From what he said earlier it seemed Cleon wanted to use driftwood, but now he seemed intent on purchasing it. Had he changed his mind, or simply forgotten? When he saw Cleon trying to work something off of the ground he pitched in with his arms, hefting up the weight with a surprising amount of strength compared to the weaker humans normal muscle. If course being an Isur his blessed limb was at least twice as strong as a normal mans, though only in that single limb. When it seemed the man wanted to hear Crylon's thoughts on it the Isur shrugged, not sure how this related to their earlier plans. Was the man just bad at planning? Or was he shifting ideas and going from bit to bit? “Uh... Well, maybe carve, but say want case, box, thing? Not sure how do this. Sculpture, carve, maybe. Box, no. Need... Processed wood, planks, nails, make that.” Did the man just not understand wood? Perhaps that was it... Driftwood was perhaps good for certain things, but for this? A box? No. In the end Crylon followed along, noting their path as they did. They moved in this direction going from the commons... Out this way... By this... And ended up here, where the mill was. Noting this mentally he set this aside, sure he would end up going there again some day. Then he was surprised once more when the man put him on the spot, asking him how much would they needed. Crylon tried to do some quick math, but was unsure on the size and so ended up with a very rough estimate... A square about the size of his torso... So perhaps two feet by two feet... Four square feet... Times six since a box had six sides, was twenty four square feet. They like would not need that much wood, but without more info he could not estimate much better. “Uh, not sure... Rough estimate on... That... But... Say... Box, twenty four square feet each? Each box. Also need nails. Hinge, things, if want open. Otherwise make crate. Hard be closer, not have more information.” Seeing as he had seen fully built chests before of varying sizes, including ones larger than that, and they had been much cheaper, he was fairly certain this was not the most effective method of doing things, but was unsure how to broach the topic. WC: 887

[Cleon]

Waving back at the little man, Cleon puzzled over his response as he smiled tentatively. “Oh no, I meant I’ve never met one of your race. Like I’m Cleon, but I am also a human, y’know?” Cleon added, hopeful that he had helped to dismiss any sort of understanding between him and this little statue man. As the conversation continued, he found himself having a hard time following even though he hadn’t done any smoking or drinking that morning. Although perhaps that was the reason behind it, and perhaps that was the remedy. He hadn’t done either because he planned on being around his sister for most of the morning, but he had found out quickly this season that a little went a long way towards helping him keep on task. That and it kept his trembling down to a minimum.

As it was he couldn’t keep his hands from shaking a little bit at his sides, and refrained from raising them too often because the trembling became more pronounced. That however wasn’t even the worst side effect in Cleon’s opinion. It was all the sweating, which while some of it could be explained by the change in weather, he still tended to sweat more than anyone he knew. Already his shirt had a dark v forming down the front of his shirt, and he could only imagine how his back looked. He resisted the urge to run a hand through his long, lanky hair because it would certainly end up plastering parts of it against the side of his sweaty head.

Scratching his chin, he considered his words slowly for a moment before responding, not wanting his words misconstrued this time. “Oh we’ve got plenty of places for fishing, but no vessel specifically dedicated to it. I suppose it would be quicker if we decorated the dock to honor Laviku.” Cleon mused, filing away the fact about the boat for later. He wondered how it compared to building a surf board. If he had to guess, there was probably some overlap there though how much he couldn’t say. He had yet to work on one of Randal’s paddle boats but once he got competent at crafting a surfboard, he would broach the subject with Randal.

“Have you ever used a surfboard Tide?” Cleon asked following the tangent in his thoughts, and not fully realizing how he was detracting from the conversation at hand.

When they eventually got back on task, he considered what Crylon had to say about his tools with his features drawn, and lips pursed. Half of his energy was concentrated on not chewing on his fingernails, a nasty habit of his when he wanted to do any sort of heavy thinking. Not that this normally should need such a consideration, but because of current circumstances it took more of an effort than usual.

His resistance took the form of his hands fidgeting at his sides, his four fingers alternating at scratching the along the underside of his thumb as he considered what he himself had on hand. To work on the surfboards he had acquired a basic set of carvers tools, and what he lacked he could find at the shop to make up for it, although for his intentions for the driftwood, his carver’s tools would work.

“Oh. No, I agree we will need processed wood for the boxes. The driftwood is for figurines, and other sorts of things to decorate the box with. I’m sorry, I thought I mentioned that earlier.” Cleon said, pausing for a few moments to make sure Crylon heard him right before continuing. “It’s hard y’know, with this curse and all. Difficult to keep everything straight.” His jaw worked slightly as he said that, clenching and unclenching as his eyes became unfocused for a moment. An empty wine bottle and the sprinkle of tobacco he had left in his pack did not bode well for his chances of alleviating any of these symptoms. He would just have to do without. At least, when they got underway it would help focus his thoughts somewhat as moving at least gave him a sense of momentum.

Cleon touched a finger to his forehead at the mention of the metal they would need for fasteners, nails and the like. He hadn’t quite thought about that, and felt a bit chagrined about not considering that initially.

“Where do you think we should go to get the bits of metal we need? The outpost? I know Syka has a forge, but I haven’t seen anyone working it and I’m not so sure if they’ve got anything stocked with all of these curses about.” Cleon reasoned aloud, and when he tried to think about it logistically he found himself quietly overwhelmed. Perhaps he had been rash in sending his sister off so soon because it sounded to him a lot like they would need more hands than were between the two of them and the little man by Crylon’s feet. That or they would need something to carry it all it. Petch this curse really was the worst.

WC - 851

[Crylon Stonecraft]

Crylon was, as most people learned about him quickly, not someone to be in a rush. He did things at the appropriate time, or tried to, rather than rushing or going too slow. He was a thinker and a planner, and so he had no issues with others interceding or putting in their two copper mizas when they wished to. But on the other hand once he had thought things through he was not afraid to poke holes in someones faulty concept. Some people, he found, needed this more than others. The more Crylon spoke to Cleon, the more he had a feeling this man was of the latter sort, not a planner at all. He had a vague idea he launched into, but the more Crylon asked him about it the more both realized how unprepared he was to do so. He was also even more unclear now why the man was searching for driftwood if his intent the entire time had been to acquire some processed wood... Had he not considered that at all? And as for metal, while scrap driftwood might wash up on shore, metal was an entirely different story. People would not just leave that lying about, it would be reworked, reused, and kept in circulation. As Cleon spoke to Tide the small statue man seemed to ignore the topic of his race, playing deaf for the moment as he focused on other things. Perhaps it was an aspect of what he was, or perhaps it was something related to his particular personality, but he seemed to avoid the topic of what he was or how he came into being quite adroitly. Though his outright ignoring and avoidance of the topic might be noticeable to Cleon if he was paying attention, Crylon would not bring attention to it as he had known Tide for awhile and was not overly concerned about his method of being. And while Cleon seemed intent on talking about other things, Tide seemed focused on only those seems related to his Divine's domain. In fact the more Cleon tried to bring up other things, the less interested Tide seemed to become and the more he tried to right the foundering ship so to speak. "Hmmm... A box, seems like it'd be a better idea to build a boat. Kind of a boring thing to build... Or to go fishing, at least with that you end up with a meal at the end. Doing is better than looking at. I've never gone surfing before, I suppose I usually go on ships, vessels, the like." Crylon got what Tide was trying to say, but it seemed Tide didn't really get the concept of what Cleon was aiming for or trying to say, which left it close to them having two totally different conversations. As they spoke Crylon got the impression that Cleon was nervous, or perhaps had to use the bathroom and was fighting the urge... Although he could not imagine why he would be nervous, the current situation being pretty low stake. “Ugh... I don't think... You say before. Seemed indicate... Was using drift. Might want work on be more clear. Only mention finish wood now, for use. Do you have a... Plan? Or just sort, as go? Maybe plan, steps, help keep straight.” As he heard Cleon asking about metal and things made of it Crylon nearly let out a sigh, realizing even more how half prepared and unplanned the man was. “Ugh... Not sure... Nail, probably buy shop if metal. Hinge, might need forge self. I smith, forge, if need, nail easy, though not make hinge afore. So might need... Example, work from, hinge. But... Not sure if forge hot, if not... Take time, while, to get up. Might not be worth, just forge one, two, things. And not free metal, so either or, need get metal. Actually...” Pausing to think, Crylon tried to work out what the mans actual goal was, but found from the past it seemed a bit confused and all over the place. Did he just want a chest? “Is import of you, you make self? If not, maybe just buy chest, and add paint, design, stuff? Might be easier. And cheaper. Since not made afore, either us.” WC: 712

[Cleon]

Perhaps he needed that drink more than he wanted to admit. He was having a hard enough time keeping track of his own thoughts, much less balancing a conversation between two very distinct individuals. His head was starting to pound just behind his eyes as he realized just how he had petched up. Crylon was just as confused as he was, and rightly so. He had come to the Isur with a half baked idea hoping that he could just make it work because his people were supposed to be craftsmen. However with the language barrier, and after he had produced the little man he kept in his backpack, Cleon had lost what little control he had over the idea as he kept rambling about making the one he had started with more elaborate. It wasn’t like him at all.

Cleon was a simple enough sort to please, and really didn’t put much stock into the business of gods before he met Laviku. So really this was just him playing catch up. Long overdue alms he felt he owed to these gods and goddesses he never knew. Especially after Eywaat had practically put this bracelet on his wrist. Alright, that was an exaggeration, but it certainly felt a bit ordained the way it all happened.

Flexing the fingers of his right hand, he gave Crylon’s words a bit of thought before responding and decided that rather than to try explain all of that, a different approach was needed. One that might garner him a drink or two along the way.

“Actually, I don’t think we need a box or a chest.” Cleon said, holding up a hand for a moment as he put his thoughts together. “I’m sorry. My curse has me a bit scattered even on my good days, and they’re seldom ever good. What I think is we can save a good deal of time, effort and miza if we just stick to the bit I was going to do initially in the first place.”

“Which is to say we forget the bit about making a permanent altar, and perhaps we make small totems instead. We can keep them all in one place so Sykan’s can come borrow them as they please to say their prayers or make offerings. You don’t have to join me, I know it has to have been confusing trying to listen to me explain it all and then going back on what we initially talk about but there is not much I can do or say about that now.” Cleon said with a shrug, scratching the side of his face as he wondered if they should even go that far. Maybe he should just make his offerings and leave it at that. Petch, this day was really letting him have it he thought as a massive wave of a headache washed over him.

He winced until he was through the worst of it, and put on a weak smile.

“If you just wanted to do offerings with me, that would be fine as well. We could start with the forge since you said Izurdin would approve of that. I could offer some prayers and do anything else you think might help before we move on to making the other offerings.” Cleon reasoned as he took in several deep breaths in quick succession trying to chase back another headache that was just beginning to peek over the horizon.

When that didn’t work he contorted his face, gritting his teeth as his eyes started to water.

“First though, I’m going to need a drink.”

WC - 599

[Crylon Stonecraft]

The longer he and Cleon interacted, the more Crylon was left wondering if the man was going to continue standing. Was he ill? He did mention something about his curse, but this seemed something else entirely... Perhaps he needed some medical attention? He was vaguely aware of some in Syka, but he did not know the place well enough to be able to point there on the top of his lungs. Learning over while looking at Crylon Tide elbowed him lightly in the leg, before turning to look at Cleon. "Either this sailor hasn't regained his sea legs... Or he's hung over. or I suppose the opposite... And he wants to work tools like that?" Smiling at the comment that was likely too low for Cleon to hear the Isur simply shrugged, thinking some of the same things but unsure really what to do with it. When Cleon finally did try to explain he seemed to go back to where he had begun, but even further, once more changing his entire story and intent for the endeavor though admittedly into one a bit more simple and achievable. Totems? He sort of understood his common from the context, some kind of small statuette not to unlike Tide, but perhaps a bit different. As for making one for Izurdin... “Ah, for Izurdin... Action of make, build, create, is his domain. All industry. So even act of... Use tools and make thing for other god, is sign worship for Izurdin. In do for other, how do, is do for him.” Looking at the man Crylon considered him, picking up Tide and trying to hand him the small statue, before offering the man his hand to Cleon's free hand. “Is think... Maybe other day, when feel better, do. Today, think maybe go lie, or get drink. But not look like walking, how bout lift?” If Cleon accepted his terms of a lift, and took the offered free hand, Crylon would yank the man toward him and over his back with a surprising amount of strength, half pulling and half tackling by bending down a bit as he yanked the larger man at him, his intent was to sort of carry the man across his back in a U shape, with his legs on one side and arms on the other, using his one hand to continue holding his one free hand while also gripping the mans leg with that same hand. This would leave his other hand free, and mean all Cleon had to do was carry Tide in his other hand not being gripped by the Isur. While he was shorter than the human as an Isur he was also strong and sturdy, and despite the man having around a foot or so on the Isur, they both weighed around the same or perhaps Crylon weighed a bit more. Dense did not quite put it when it came to an Isur, no more than wet described the ocean. With that in mind and his strength hauling the man about like that would not be too tricky or burdensome. Realizing he did not know which way the bar was Crylon would ask for directions, before silently heading off in that direction, assuming the man allowed him to haul him over him and give him a short lift while he was feeling a bit... Under the weather. WC: 562

[Cleon]

It took a moment to realize what Crylon was doing holding out Tide to him, but eventually he caught on that he should extend his hand, allowing the tiny man to climb into his palm.

“Sure.” He commented absentmindedly with a grin, his mind taken with the sheer novelty of how odd it felt to be holding this person. His smile was short lived however as he suddenly found himself being picked up as easily as he might a child, and thrown over the Isur’s shoulders like a sack of rice.

Cleon was so caught off guard by this maneuver that he didn’t know quite what to say when Crylon asked for directions. He hadn’t thought that this was what he meant by lift at all, and he found himself caught between making sure he didn’t drop tide or fall off himself although Crylon seemed to have a very good hold on him.

Still it wasn’t exactly comfortable laying across those brawny shoulders that dug into his midsection as he used his free hand to point in the direction of the Tidepool bar which wasn’t far from where they had encountered each other on the beach fortunately.

In fact it took less than five chimes to reach the dock at which point Crylon blessedly set him back onto the ground. Twisting about to face the Isur with Tide still balanced in one hand, he rubbed the back of his neck with the other as he gave Crylon a confused look.

“Is carrying people another part of your curse, or is that more of an Isurian tradition that I have yet to hear about.” Cleon asked, extending his hand so Crylon could take Tide back if he wanted to before turning to walk down the dock to the bar.

He really was keen on that drink, and it was all he could not to run up to the bar to get his fix. As he approached, he gave Stu a small wave and lopsided grin as he held up a hand.

“Can I get a drink please. Something strong that you can fix quickly. Thank you.” Cleon said as he hastily took a seat while trying not to tremble too much by leaning against the counter.

Stu’s smile didn’t drop, but his face did shift between appraisal to something more sympathetic as he reached behind the counter to start putting a drink together.

“Sure thing Cleon. How did that thing between you and Lexi work out?” Stu asked as he cleaned out a glass before setting it on top of the bar. He didn’t quite follow what the man did next because he was looking over at what Crylon was doing before he even registered Stu’s question.

“Do what? What do you mean?” Cleon asked confused, wondering if it was worse than he realized. Could he be forgetting things because of his curse?

“She came by earlier. Was asking about prices for platters and what you liked to drink. Said she was going to meet with you later.” Stu said, arching an eyebrow as he bared a slight grin.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Cleon shook his head as he looked over his shoulder, almost expecting to see her there.

“No, I might have promised surfing lessons to a few of those kids. She’s probably trying to butter me up for that.” Cleon reasoned, not really in the mood to entertain such fancies after the thoughts he had read. Knowing how people truly thought of you in the moment was a lot more difficult to take than he realized and he still hadn’t gotten over their last interaction.

Stu simply just nodded, but he kept the smirk and Cleon had to inwardly roll his eyes at that. He’d really didn’t care what the man thought was going on, he just wanted that drink.

When Stu put a glass in front of him, he barely took the time to appreciate what it looked like before he hastily started downing it. Stu took the moment to walk away to attend to something else as Cleon worked his way down till half the glass was empty before looking at Crylon.

“Well this is a lot better than some of the stuff I’ve tried to sate this curse. Are you much of a drinker Crylon?” Cleon asked curious before taking another gulp of his drink. Before he could swallow though, he felt something hard on the tip of his tongue, swirling about his mouth before he caught it against the side of his teeth.

Concerned he held it there while he cautiously swallowed his drink down before reaching into his mouth to pull out a small silver wine bottle. When Stu came back to their spot on the bar, Cleon held it up questioningly and it was Stu’s turn to be confused as he walked up to pick it up gently, studying it in the light briefly before handing it back to him with a shrug.

“You must have caught Sivah’s attention somehow. I can’t think of what else it could be. You saw me make that drink. That glass was empty and unless it fell in while you weren’t looking I can’t really see any other explanation. Given that it looks a lot like those other charms on your wrist, I’d say its one of those.” Stu reasoned.

Cleon stared at the small wine bottle curiously, turning it between his fingers briefly before he tried putting it onto his bracelet. Just like the others had it snapped on immediately, and once on he couldn’t pull it off.

“Your his priest right?” Cleon asked thoughtfully, able to think a bit more clearly now with a little drink in him to ease the ache in his head. Twisting his wrist this way and that, he watched it briefly bounce.

“That is correct, and that is just the sort of sign he would send. You should see what it does.” Stu suggested, and Cleon considered the charm for a moment as he tried reaching out mentally towards it like he had with the others. However that didn’t quite work how he expected it to because it seemed a part of the puzzle was missing.

Flipping his wrist, he caught the charm between his thumb and forefinger as it swung forwards then tapped it against his lips. Nothing. He tapped it against the table, then finally the glass when it did something spectacular. As it touched the rim of the glass it stuck fast as tiny bottle started to pour a clear liquid into the glass, stopping when the glass was filled to the brim. Then it felt inert in his fingers.

Releasing the charm, Cleon cautiously picked up the glass and took a sip. Immediately he pulled back with a wince as the bitter drink burned its way down his throat. Its unfortunately familiar aftertaste reminded him faintly of how the slag heap smelled at the end of a hot summer day.

Curious Stu took a swig and managed to hide his reaction as he pushed the glass back towards Cleon. “You must have been thinking about something strong. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted something quite like that before. Almost like fermented paint.” Stu said removing a bottle from behind the counter to take a swig from before offering them both a finger if Crylon also took a drink.

“I was thinking about asking for something stronger and I guess I might have been thinking back to the old days.” Cleon said, taking another cautious sip before shrugging. He didn’t make quite a face the second time and kind of secretly enjoyed familiarity.

As he was nursing his drink he looked down occasionally at his new charm wondering what it all of this meant for him.

WC - 1, 301

[Crylon Stonecraft]

Crylon had not really taken long to decide to help Cleon in his journey. He saw a need, a man who was having trouble moving or walking who needed to get somewhere. He saw himself, a firm and strong man who could carry a good weight. And with that the logic of the solution seemed pretty clear in his mind. He did not really consider if it might come off as odd, or weird, he simply worked the solution that would achieve the desired result, which he felt this was, and took the needed steps to take that route. With Tide stowed with Cleon, and then with a pull and some maneuvering Cleon stowed atop him with his pack or just above it, the Isur waited for some directions before heading off at a steady pace. He was not in a rush, not wanting to overly toss the man about or jostle him, but neither was he slow in his moving, just keeping an even stride he could maintain. As he moved he could feel the pressure on his body of the mans weight, feeling the muscles working harder in his legs and shoulders, but it was a somewhat strenuous but not impossible load. It was only a few chimes walk to get there, and by the time they arrived Crylon was starting to feel the burn in his legs as he took each step, but he kept his stride firm and consistent as best he could. For some reason this gave Crylon the image of an overburdened pack pony crossing the Kalean mountains, which made him smile somewhat at random. Regardless he kept going. One more step. Then another. Then after that another one, slowly but steadily taking up the route step by step. He did not focus on the total length, rather he focused only on the next step of the trip and addressing it. And once it was made he went on to the next. Mentally he felt this was easier, thinking of something as one step at a time was much more achievable than one long journey. Once they finally arrived and Cleon finished pointing the Isur settled the man back on his legs, holding him for a few moments to make sure he kept his footing and did not fall down or over the moment he was resettled on the terrain. Somewhat confused at Cleon's comment and confusion Crylon shook his head, confused in turn. How would a hugging curse cause someone to carry another? And it certainly was not an Isur custom. “No. You need lift, so gave lift. Problem. Solution. Logic.” Perhaps this was not enough of an explanation for the man, but the Isur felt it summed things up nicely. Once Tide was returned to him Crylon settled the tiny statue to sit on his shoulder where he could see from well, before walking along after Cleon to the bar a short distance away. Crylon for his part also took a seat once they returned, wanting to rest his legs for a bit after their exertions. Somehow though sitting seemed to make the Isur even shorter, perhaps because of his small stature and how the legs of the seat were leveled. Or perhaps it was just in comparison to the much larger human near him. While the Isur did not recognize most of the names being discussed he silently listened, waiting for when it was a good time to talk, nodding at the bar man as he finished taking his seat and they met their gazes for a moment. Since he was busy making Cleon's drink he did not do anything more at the moment. When Cleon finally seemed disposed to talk to Crylon, namely after he had quaffed a decent bit of his drink, he finally turned and addressed the man. “Ah... Sometimes. Can take, or leave. But general, only drink if not more work for day. Not good idea, drunk in forge, yes?” While perhaps the man did not know exactly what he meant, he hoped the general notion was clear enough. When Cleon suddenly stopped and pulled out a small metal object from his drink, showing it to the bar keep in a moment, Crylon looked up and down trying to see if he could spot where the item had come from. Had it fallen from the sky? Or been dropped by something or someone on the ground? When offered a drink Crylon took a sip before setting it aside for a moment, not overly reacting much as he was still focused on finding the item in question. However as he did a cloud shifted just right and a bit of light came down, hitting a small metal bracelet on the ground and making it noticeable. Reaching down Crylon picked it up, finding it was a odd almost gold color but not quite, perhaps a bit silvery? Or something in between? Currently it had just one thing on it, a small charm that vaguely looked like a pair of arms crossing or some such thing. As he picked it up it accidentally slipped onto his wrist, but once it did he could not get it off. Even after squeezing and pulling it with his other special Isurian arm. Getting the other twos attention Crylon pointed at the thing on his wrist. “Uh, maybe fell off this? Found floor, near seats... But, uh... Now not able remove.” Looking up Crylon wondered if perhaps they had all missed a bird flying by which had dropped it, and the charm thing in Cleon's drink had landed there that way. WC: 937

[Cleon]

After being set down on the ground, Cleon gave Crylon an incredulous look at what he had just said. “I’m not an invalid. I can still walk.” He said a bit testily before heading to the bar without waiting for a response. His thirst being fairly mighty, he didn’t waste anytime getting to business even though it was still rather young in the day.

An he supposed it was a rather good thing he came here, for he certainly wouldn’t have found the wine bottle charm if he hadn’t. Though as he was musing how it fit along with the rest of what he had gathered along his wrist, he looked over to see that Crylon had just found a bracelet that he said he couldn’t take off.

“That makes two of us. I bribed a jungle crow for this one, although I didn’t know what it was when I put it on. I have a sneaking suspicion that they are meant to prepare us for something but I couldn’t tell you what.” Cleon said, feeling a lot more talkative now that he had a bit of drink to steady him. Though what he had just swigged from was potent enough to have him slightly slurring the edges of his words so he made sure he was extra careful about picking up and setting down his glass. He didn’t want to cause any more of a scene than they already were after all.

Holding out his wrist towards Crylon, he let the isur inspect his bracelet if he wanted to. With the addition of the wine bottle charm, there were two others currently attached. A bent armed cross, and a figure head with a spiral crown that dangled evenly spaced across the bracelet which was thick around with several links of silver binding it all together.

“I’ve been trying to figure out what they all do.” Cleon would admit and if Crylon showed him his bracelet in closer detail he would point out something he could easily notice along the gold and silver band. “That looks a bit like this one. If they are the same thing, then it should be able to refresh you, although I’ve only been able to use it once so I’m not sure how long it has between uses.” Unlike his other charm, this one had yet to wake up from its dormancy. It was odd if he thought about how he knew that exactly, a sort of tingling intuition at the back of his mind that just told him it was but unfortunately it didn’t enlighten him about how long it would stay that way.

He wondered how often this wine bottle on his wrist activated. Just by touching it he could tell it was spent for today, but he would check again tomorrow around the same time to see if that changed. Cleon suspected it would given the nature of the other charm but you could never be completely certain when it came to magical gifts that sometimes quite literally found their way to you.

“You want to try some of this? Its a Sunberth special.” Cleon said with a little grin, sliding the drink towards Crylon if he wanted to take a sip. Though now that he saw it at an angle he saw a familiar yellowish tint to the clear liquor that he hadn’t seen before. “You don’t have to though.” He added with a little nervous laugh.

WC - 577

[Crylon Stonecraft]

Interested to hear what Cleon had to say about the bracelet, the found the man in deep need of a drink oddly well informed about the item. But then he supposed if something had adhered itself to him before and he could not remove it, he would have taken the time to work out what was going on with it beyond just general magic being the cause... While he had not always worked things out in the end, he generally knew that magic in and of itself was not a cause. Generally it was a person. Or perhaps a specific magic. Or a divine messing about with things. Those in his experience were the most common, though he left himself open to other reasons. Closing himself off and limiting avenues of reasoning and working things out just did not make much sense to him. The bit about bribing a bird seemed like an odd boast from a drunk, or at least it would anywhere other than Syka. Being as they were in Syka, well it seemed less impossible and actually somewhat likely. Checking out the other mans bracelet he saw quickly enough it did not come off just like his, though this one had more charms than the singular one on Crylon's. He was also interested to hear the effect of the one he had just found already on his bracelet, the arm one, which Cleon explained was one that refreshed the bearer. Though he himself did not feel too tired at the moment from the days exertions, and so perhaps that was the reason nothing had happened. It also, though the man seemed less certain on this, had a delayed use or a time limit before it could be used again. After the short lesson on the charms ended Cleon moved back to drinking, offering some to Crylon. Having spent time in Sunberth however, he did not think imbibing something locals of the place considered to be alcohol would be a good idea. Perhaps if he wanted to clean some rusty metal... “Ah, no thank. Have spent time Sunberth, afore. Lived, time. Know what local call house. Not what I call house, or most other place. If local call drink, this, not think want know what think drink.” Moving back to the drink Stu had earlier got him he quickly finished what was left, before turning back to Cleon. “Thank, for info have. Is good know more, always. Maybe other day, help on make thing if still want. Though, think not today, maybe work other things. But is good work, glad try help.” Not feeling like he had overly gotten much done over the course of the day Crylon was keen to do some more stuff before getting drunk, even if his house was on a beach or right off it. At the moment he felt Cleon and his day of adventure was done, and so began to move to head out and leave the man to his drinking. WC: 500

[Cleon]

Cleon shrugged, having half expected the refusal and reached across the table to pick up the drink. After taking a particularly pungent sip, he wondered why even he was still drinking it.

“I can’t blame you there, though I suppose it has to do with a little nostalgia in my case. Though I could probably use this to strip paint back at the surfshop.” He mused as he swirled the contents of his glass about. It felt as if things were wrapping up between them although Cleon still had a question he wanted to ask before they parted company. With his race having a reputation of being makers as Cleon framed it, he had been reminded of something he had meant to ask Ialari about if they ran into each other again. However with Crylon also being an isur and taking the appearance of the magical bracelets remarkably well, Cleon had a thought that he might be able to help him understand this item a little better.

“Wait a moment before you leave. I wanted to see if you know anything about a book I have come into possession of. I know you’re race has an affinity for magical things so perhaps you could better help enlighten me about some questions I have.” Cleon said, making a deliberate point about picking up his glass and setting it down at the opposite end of the table before rifling through his pack. It took about a chime longer than it should have but eventually he produced a faded brown leather book with the words The Guide Book engraved in gold ink across its cover.

Setting it gently down on the table, he took extra care about opening it up to its first page before turning the book around so Crylon could get a good look at it. “I borrowed this book sometime ago. It only ever has the first page filled out, but that page changes in content every day though it always is on the subject of surviving out in the jungle. So the book is clearly magical, but my question is, are there any side effects I should be worried about?” Cleon asked as he leaned over to get a good look at what was written on the page.












As he had come to expect it to, it detailed a different page to any he had seen before, this one touching on certain methods used to help with finding water in the jungle. Parts of it he felt an odd sense of familiarity for though he could quite place the feeling so he dismissed it in favor of paying attention to Crylon’s reaction which was of particular interest to him in that moment.

He didn’t think the book would have any negative effects, but then again he knew almost nothing about magic so he would like to hear the Isur’s thoughts on the subject. After all, the place he had borrowed this book from wasn’t exactly the most normal place, although Cleon’s memory of that time was fragmented at best.

WC - 510