Completed The Purview of Strangers

[Aren]

The akalak could tell that Rabbit now felt much more comfortable around him, a laugh here or there making that fact apparent. The traveler's maxim, it seemed, had been proved right before their very eyes. Sitting back against his chair, the pycon's acclimation to his presence made Aren himself more comfortable, in turn. That's just how relationships were forged, and how acquaintances became friends. Waiting on more drinks with eager anticipation, the akalak eyed their server with piqued interest. His attention was diverted, however, when Rabbit decided to asked the warrior about his sightseeing schedule. Aren could only smile, as the answer to that question was both very simple, and extremely complicated. "I don't know," He answered, flatly, with about the same level of concern as someone might have for an ant living in the sole of their boot. Because Aren went where his feet took him and left when his heart told him to, he generally didn't know where he was going, or how long he was going to be there. That was the whole point of wandering, he thought. If you had to maintain some itinerary, or plan, or something like that... well, that just took the whole fun out of it. This was actually one of the rare topics the akalak approached with such reckless abandon, but he wouldn't have it any other way. "I won't be leaving for a least ten days, as I'm already paid up for that long where I'm staying... but after that, who can say?" Aren explained, shrugging off the matter as if it held absolutely no importance in the grand scheme of things. He'd stay for as long as he stayed, and leave when he left.

[Rabbit]

This carelessness of travel surprised Rabbit, but it appealed to him as well. Most of the people had carefully planned trips, often knowing a season in advance when and how they were leaving, and where they were going. This organization had slightly dampened the feel of adventuring for the Pycon, as it, well, didn't seem like adventuring to him. Rabbit was glad that his friend would be staying for at least ten days, since quite a bit could happen during that time frame... Thinking up another question to ask the Akalak, the rabbity creature asked "And do you have any plans in Nyka at all?" He was curious if the blue warrior would share the same philosophy on day planning as he did on trip planning, or if there was anything specific he had come to the city for. Or maybe he just wanted to visit as many places as possible, and Nyka happened to be on the way? Rabbit clasped his paws together and slightly twitched his ears. He downed the last chunk of clay after his statement, and felt slightly disappointed that it was all gone. He glanced at the server and raised a small paw, to notify them that he wanted more clay, as well as the drink Aren had requested. Once the man had nodded his understanding, the Pycon turned his attention back to his companion. The little creature was feeling quite content by now, and actually slightly sleepy, but ignored the feeling to focus on their conversation, in hope that it would lead interesting places. He wondered what the Akalak did for a living, what a wanderer could do to make money. He knew merchants obviously made their money off their goods, but someone who traveled purely for travelling? He wasn't so sure what they did. As such, he formed his next question. "Also, not to intrude, but what do you do for a living? What is there for a traveler to do?" He voiced his thoughts, barely a few seconds after his previous question and waited patiently for both the replies .

[Aren]

"Plans? Of course I have plans. Many, multiple, manifold plans," Aren exclaimed, his amusement at the question eliciting a similar response in kind. "Unfortunately, they generally consist of getting in trouble and making an all-around nuisance of myself," He continued, admitting these latter facts with neither reservation nor shame. In fact, there was a rather jovial grin threatening to break loose at the mere mention of getting himself in trouble, but it was swiftly suppressed. Realizing that he was in no shape to be getting up to any mischief, Aren was forced to remember the escapades of the day before, his mind wincing at the thought. Grounding himself, the akalak's attention swiftly returned to his new pycon friend, who seemed to be endlessly curious about him. Although, the curiosity was likely more properly directed at the warrior's chosen lifestyle, now that he thought about it. "Living?" Aren mused, assuming that Rabbit was asking how he made the coin necessary to eat and rent lodging. "W-well, that's a- uh, that's a very good question," He said, uncertainty and hesitation gripping his voice like a vice. What could the akalak say? That your typical "wanderer" was often almost as destitute as the wretched poor who walked the streets begging for coin? That, sometimes, the only difference between these two groups was that the former possessed the skills to not generally have to fall into beggary? That he himself was threatening to walk that line at this very moment? Aren really didn't want to dampen Rabbit's enthusiasm for the profession of wandering traveler, but he nevertheless felt obligated to caution him as to it's perils. Taking a deep breath, the akalak's gaze centered on the pycon's eyes, "Sadly, nobody is likely ever going to pay me for gallivanting around, doing whatever I please," he admitted, finding himself wishing that if such a person existed, he had the good fortune of running into them some day. "One generally has to make ends meet however one can, which will usually translate into parlaying whatever skills you might have into coin," Aren explained, his conclusion reminding him that, unfortunately, the only skills he had involved hurting people.

[Rabbit]

Rabbit nodded, understanding slightly. He could tell, by the man’s scythe, that he was a warrior, and warriors often had a hard time getting jobs. Sure, you could work as a solider, a guard or a mercenary, but someone who either was unable to join such groups, or just travelled constantly had a hard time making money. He found that both him and Aren fell into both those categories, with Rabbit in the former and the Akalak in the latter. Luckily, there was a decent solution the Pycon had discovered, the one which he used now to make money. It generally wasn’t that profitable, but the little creature didn’t need that much money in the first place, so it was alright. “Hm… Well, I do know a relatively simple way to make money around here, pertaining to your skills.” He eyed the scythe to imply that he was talking about his fighting skills. Rabbit had decided that he would tell Aren about his ‘trade’, something he rarely did with those he met. The Pycon usually was very reserved around new people, asking much about them, but in turn telling little about himself. If asked a direct question, he usually avoided it slightly, and had found he was pretty good at this. “Well… would you like me to show you?” Rabbit stood up on the table, paws behind his back. If the Akalak agreed, he would simply start a fight in the tavern. He had spotted one of the patrons eyeing him, usually a sign that they wanted to compete. Rabbit would find an empty spot, ask for a battle, and he was almost certain that man would stand. Observing the person out of the corner of his eye, the Pycon also asserted that his to-be opponent was weak, and so easy to defeat. It would put up a nice presentation, give him a little more cash, and give Aren a little demonstration about a way to make money almost anywhere (though especially in Nyka).

[Aren]

As the akalak explained the situation to Rabbit, he realized that he did have a skill that didn't involve hurting people; he could always teach. The problem was that the only thing Aren could teach anyone was how to hurt someone else. The distinction here was slight, and he didn't much care for it at all. In addition, teaching was not exactly something the warrior was too fond of, memories of days long gone tainting the concept in his mind. Though Aren didn't always like to admit it, he had never really been taught how to do anything other than fight. From the day he could hold a stick, training and discipline had been his most constant companions. Attack, defend, parry, block, lunge, roll, pirouette. These words had seemed to haunt his dreams as a boy. The sound of his father telling him to breath and exhale while maintaining some posture or another, his stern voice always followed by a smack to the head whenever he failed to do so, was like a childhood friend to Aren. His mother's lessons were not any better, but at least she would baby him afterwards. Perhaps it was because of his upbringing that the akalak had sort of rebelled against staying in Riverfall, during his younger days. Maybe he had grown tired of the endless training, and longed for something more, but he honestly didn't know if that was the reason he had left. Aren still trained, though. Those words still went through his head almost every day, so it seemed he hadn't managed to escape in the end. Or maybe, that hadn't been the reason he had left at all. The truth was that, after a hundred years, it was hard to say either way. When the pycon mentioned knowing a way to make money with his particular skill set, Aren's ears immediately pricked up, his thoughts swiftly returning to the present moment in time. Of course, Rabbit couldn't really know exactly what kind of skills he, as a fighter, might have had, but some simple observations would have certainly allowed him to make an educated guess. After all, one didn't usually carry around a huge scythe for no particular reason at all. Aren was certainly intrigued by what the pycon had to say, remembering his initial suspicion that the little creature was a merchant. Perhaps, the akalak thought, Rabbit had a job for him after all. "Please," The akalak simply stated, gesturing for the clay construct to proceed with his proposition. The azure warrior didn't know what his new friend had in mind, but he didn't think it could hurt his prospects to see what he was talking about.

[Rabbit]

Hearing Aren's response, Rabbit gave a small nod and grin. He hopped lightly off the table straight, cushioning his fall easily. Jumping from such heights, proportionally, might be slightly awkward for most, but the Pycon didn't have much of a problem with it. He slowly made his way, upright, towards a convenient empty area. Turning around to face the people before him, keeping an eye on the Akalak's face, he raised a paw a little, turning his attention to the man he had noticed before. "Raaaabbit!" The man called, not seeming as drunk at Rabbit had hoped. Maybe he was good at controlling it. But anyways, it didn't seem like this would be as easy a battle. Oh well. The little creature looked more obviously at the caller, raising both his eyebrows. "I don't believe you could beat my friend here. I say you're cheating!" The man narrowed his eyes, pointing briefly at a slightly embarrassed person next to him. He stood up and moved towards the Pycon, walking quite well balanced, and looking like he fought well. This would be even harder than expected... but Rabbit's confidence didn't drop, and he continued to watch his new-found adversary. "The bet?" He replied, casually and calmly, as if this was something he every day. Truthfully, it was something he did often, but only once a week or so... he didn't need to fight that often, and generally trained alone. The occupation was as much a source of entertainment as money, and the Pycon rarely took challenges he wasn't so sure about. Luckily so far, he hadn't been beaten, and hoped to keep that streak as long as possible. "I bet you, Rabbit, one gold miza that I'll win!" Was the answer, a usual amount. Most people didn't know that 'Rabbit' was the creature's real name, they just called him that because of his strange shape. Really, most people weren't even sure what he was, just that he was sentient and a decent adversary. The Pycon had picked up his name from this in general, but much longer ago. He'd been called Rabbit almost since birth, since that had always been his natural shape. He hadn't really changed much, which made him slightly sad, but he always hoped for something new, and to learn more and have proof for it. Returning his attention to his opponent, the creature nodded and backed up several feet, until they stood about six feet apart. Some, who hadn't seen the Pycon fight, would think that this was a good distance to begin at, neither starting with the advantage. This was of course, untrue, since with a little stretch Rabbit would be able to wrap his whip around his adversary's leg, then throw them to the ground. Sadly, it appeared that the figure before him was too sturdy to fall as easily, so all the Pycon could hope for was to put him off balance. Or maybe another tactic today... the other was so predictable. The man approached, his movement showing his adeptness at fighting. He seemed to be very steady, obviously having seen the Pycon's way of fighting. Dragging his foot wouldn't work today, annoyingly. Rabbit sighed lightly, then jumped forward a foot, and having already pulled his whip from it's place on his back, flicked it with both paws towards his adversary. The opponent had predicted the attack, and jumped slightly to the side, where his ankles would have avoided the Pycon's whip. If he had been aiming there. Much to the man's surprise, the py-whip wrapped around his right upper arm. Since he'd jumped to the left, and now was slightly off balance, the force directed to that side of his body sent him crashing to the floor heavily. Rabbit quickly sprinted the last few feet between them, then aimed a hard kick at the man's nose. True to his fighting skills though, an arm whipped up to block the foot, as he slowly lifted himself up. Slightly annoyed at this failed attack, the Pycon moved himself under the man's rising head, which was slightly turned to the side. The human's sight was blocked by his arm, so the man wasn't quite sure where Rabbit was, a fact which the creature used to his advantage. Putting his weight on his fore paws, he executed a challenging kick straight up to the man's temple, intending to knock him out. This attack his straight on, sending the man crashing to the ground again, groaning. Put off balance, Rabbit toppled fore ward, falling out of his strange handstand. Luckily, this fall put him out of the range of the falling head, and the Pycon barely avoided being squished. He could recover from this, but found it irritating to do so anyways. Hopping a few feet backwards, now avoiding Aren's gaze, he watched his adversary closely, watching for his awakening.It didn't take long, and the figure slowly arose into a crouching position facing Rabbit. His expression turned to confused, then angry, then, amazingly, a massive grin appeared on his face. "Excellent fight!" He laughed, and held out a hand to be shaken. His good humor surprised the Pycon, but was appreciated. Most opponents would try to attack again, or get grumpy at being beaten. It was a nice change. Returning the smile, Rabbit placed his paw in the man's hand to shake it, though he wasn't really the one moving it. This was funny, and he had to suppress a laugh. The Pycon almost never shook hands with anyone, and found it an... interesting experience. "Well, your money has been well earned!" The human continued with a laugh, and pulled a gold miza out of his pocket. He stood, raised a hand to the little creature, and returned to his table still smiling. Rabbit returned to his seat, still holding his money, and looked at Aren expectantly. He wasn't quite sure how the Akalak would react to the situation and the idea...

[Aren]

Aren watched with growing amusement as Rabbit's scheme got underway. Apparently, it consisted of letting people underestimate him, so that he could trounce them and win some amount of money they bet on the outcome. It was clever, certainly, but the akalak immediately spotted the flaw in this design. "An inventive idea," Aren stated, inching across their table opposite the re-seated pycon so that the details of their conversation were not readily apparent to all and sundry. "But, unfortunately, one uniquely suited to your talents," He continued, gesturing to indicate Rabbit's diminutive body. "Many an inexperienced fighter or common brawler would surely not think much of an opponent your size, inviting them to make questionable assumptions," The akalak reiterated the gambit, as best he interpreted it, but here lay the issue. "Do you really think, however, that there are many such men who would make those same assumptions of an opponent twice their size?" Aren queried, knowing that the answer was all too obvious. Rabbit's idea worked well for Rabbit, because most people where idiots who figured he didn't stand a chance against them. On the other hand, even the most foolhardy drunks in this tavern were simply unlikely to willingly tangle with Aren, much less put money on the notion that they could best him at any kind of physical contest. Maybe he was just a merchant, or a poet, or a farmer with absolutely no combat skill whatsoever... but he was also tended to be taller than even large humans by a head, and even the greatest fool was only foolish up to a point. Additionally, any man who was confident enough to put money on the line when facing an adversary who towered over him was likely more trouble than he was worth. "I appreciate the gesture, but I'm afraid your pl-" Aren was about to thank Rabbit for his noble attempt to help him with his financial situation, when something occurred to him. Remembering the moment they met, the akalak found himself suspecting the pycon of attempting to work his scheme on him, "Wait, did you try to size me up to see if I was one of these idiots?" He questioned, clearly not appreciating the idea that he might have been one of Rabbit's marks, even if they had been strangers at the time.

[Rabbit]

Rabbit smiled at his friend, understanding his comments. It did make sense that people would be... less likely to bet against Aren, considering his size and weaponry. He looked more like trouble, rather than easy fodder like the Pycon did. He nodded, taking in the information, realizing his slight mistake. It was too bad that Aren would be hopeless at this... occupation, not because of his fighting skills but just because of his sheer size. "Too bad really...." He replied to the Akalak, still smiling. Then, hearing the man's last comment winced slightly in guilt. It was true... slightly. "Um... well, yes, at first... but I gave up on that right at the start... I was really more interested in trying to fight against a scythe, which is something I'd never done before..." Rabbit said, hoping his excuse was believable. It was mostly true, just with a little more exaggeration on the scythe part. He had been quite thoughtful about the subject if Aren would be a good fight or not, but decided to skim over that. The man probably wouldn't entirely approve of it, and he didn't want to ruin their friendship now. The Pycon gave an apologetic smile, and tapped his paws slightly on the table, feeling uncomfortable. He hated being in the worse of a situation, and right now it definitely felt like that. The next course of action would be decided by Aren, and his reaction would probably set up the rest of their conversation. If he got annoyed, and left... it would be pretty sad, since Rabbit had grown to like the warrior. Maybe he would laugh, and find it funny, and not be offended at all. That was the best the Pycon could hope for, but was still annoyed that it all relied on the Akalak. He didn't like responsibility that much, but he liked to control the situation, and felt awkward otherwise. "Well... I'm sorry about it... I realize now you are most certainly not that type..." Rabbit continued, hoping this statement would help. It probably increased the chance of the blue warrior being ok with it, but you could never be sure.

[Aren]

Aren frowned as he saw the pycon tap-dancing his way around explaining the pair's first meeting, doing his best to convey a feeling of betrayal and disappointment. In truth, however, he was neither insulted nor offended by Rabbit's estimation of him prior to knowing absolutely anything about what kind of person he was. Internally, Aren thought that Rabbit's display of contrition was extremely entertaining, but he also believed it was a little cruel to let him squirm much longer. As such, after he judged a reasonable amount of suffering had be inflicted, the akalak revealed a surreptitious smile of his own. "Maybe you'll get your chance, one day soon," Aren commented, looking mighty wicked as he glanced at his scythe leaning against the table. Honestly, he had never fought someone like Rabbit, and his warrior's blood rose to imagine the confrontation. One bigger and stronger, by far, the other faster and more maneuverable; both clearly experienced fighters in their own right. Unfortunately, today wasn't a good day for that, as his body was still recovering from a variety of detrimental effects. "Say, would you die if I were to cut you in half?" Aren suddenly asked, the question seemingly coming out of nowhere. It had just occurred to him that if pycon weren't actually made of flesh and blood, the kind of wounds that would likely kill normal people wouldn't necessarily have the same effect on them.

[Rabbit]

As Aren looked disapprovingly at Rabbit, he felt even more squeamish than before, but once he finally said something, the Pycon calmed down. He didn't mind. Well, that was a weight off his back... he smiled back at the Akalak, feeling a lot more relaxed about the whole situation. When he heard the warrior's question, Rabbit's grin grew even wider. The answer to this was hilarious, since it was so... cool, was the best word he could think of. Pycons only really 'died' from old age, or if their head was destroyed. This meant a cut through the stomach could be easily mended. As small as they seemed, they were pretty resiliant. "Nope!" He said, a huge smile on his face. "I could really just stick myself back together with few problems, and as long as I eat enough clay, I can regrow limbs!" It was really cheating almost how easily Pycons could recover from wounds and damage, though of course Rabbit didn't view it as 'cheating'. He never saw anything he did as that, anyways. It was always using things to his advantage, which might happen to be outside of the norm. Other people cheated, but he himself never did so. It was ...well... cheating. As a simple demonstration, Rabbit held up one of his paws. Feeling slightly awkward doing it, and exerting some concentration, he shifted the shape of his paw into a flat disk. It neither grew nor shrank, just changed shape. He wondered how Aren would react to the strange change, especially since the man had never met a Pycon before.