A knight and a loner.

[Titus]

This man obviously didn't like Titus views on the subject. He seemed bothered by how little Titus cared for others. Since they didn't seem to care for him why should he bother. "That's a fair point I guess. Not falling to their level and all." he said crossing his arms. He closed his eyes as Ricky started talking about his reason for being a guard and about how it was his way of showing his care for others. "People must like you... You seem like a nice guy.." he said. He wondered what it felt like to have people care about you to a point where they actually come looking for you. "Do people look up to you? You personally, not as a guard, but as Ricky the human. Do people rely on you and do you rely on them? For support or whatever?" he asked. His mind racing about as he pondered trusting others and hoping that if he needed them they'd be there. It bothered him, made him feel uneasy. The only person he cared about, even for a short time and other then his mother, was taken from him and he'd probably never see her again. His smile faded into a frown of pain and sorrow. "This girls lucky" he said. "What's say I help you look for her?" he added looking the man in his face.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky didn't need to think on his answer at all when Titus asked that question, he knew from the deepest reaches of his heart what the answer truthfully was. "People look up to.me as a person, because even as a guard I put myself out there for the chance to protect those I care about. Even if I wasn't a guard I'd still protect them from any danger the face, and I'd always been the man to shoulder my own burdens. Always until Winter hit anyway, it was then I learned that so long as my friends care I'm never alone. 'Cause even when we're apart they rest here," He pointed to the middle right part of his chest, "They are always with me. So long as I hold them close to it." He admitted with a smile, the confidence he boasted now made his answer all the more genuine. Never before had he felt sure about his answer, as he strongly believed it true since his past dealings.

"She's lucky enough to have more than just me carin' for her, my best friend also wants her to come back as well. I want answers more then anythin, but I also want to show I still care. The fact ya want to help is fantastic but," Ricky gave a quizfull look Titus, "What about this knight ye're lookin for?" It was just a simple question out of the reflection of curiosity, as Ricky would be glad to have help anyway, he just had to know why Titus would give up searching for this knight.

[Titus]

Titus chuckled and patted Ricky on his shoulder with a smile. "Pretty sure I already found him, and if I didn't I'm more interested to here more about Zeltiva and being a guard." He said. He turned and moved his arms into an 'after you' motion. "Any idea where she might be here? What she into?" he asked kind of looking around. Titus was amused by Ricky awsner and the pride he had in being a guard. Even if he did think he was being a bit cheesy with his line about them always being with him. But what would he know, he was a loner by choice, or more so the fact that most people didn't pay him any mind since he looked like a thug. The idea of him being a thug stuck in his mind, he never really understood why people thought that but frankly he never really cared before. "Is there a lot to defend Zeltiva from? A lot of crime or anything?" he said looking over to Ricky. "Is there a lot of work? For someone... I don't know as big as me?" he asked looking away as to make it look like he was just wondering. He was starting to believe that leaving Nyka and visiting the rest of the world would be good for him, a good way to build his legend. Maybe Zeltiva would be a good place to start. Its not like he had anything to hold him here anyway. Titus groaned at the idea of being tied to one place. He had been here all his life because he didn't want to abandon his mother. He would have left along time ago if not for her. He sighed he loved his mother, but felt held back. Most people his age would have traveled or had a job by now. He however was still here, living in the hostel. Doing nothing with his life.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky allowed the warmth of the grin show in his expression, flattered that Titus referred to Ricky as his knight he's been looking to meet. Ironic as it was he was actually glad that someone wanted to seek him out, even though he didn't consider himself anywhere near "knight" material. Maybe he was maybe he wasn't, for Ricky it was only him being himself all the time. Following his heart and letting his nature handle the rest, that's how he's handled everything before. How things were when Odis was alive, and how things will always be now that he was getting his life together. "Not so sure really, I hardly believed I was her type at first. Ain't no tellin where she is in Nyka, s'why I've been searchin each day I've been here." He shrugged his slightly shoulders enough to express that he had no clue, while avoiding the possibility of induced pain because of body movements involved with his arms.

Titus asked him about Zeltiva and the type of work involved as a guard. Ricky glanced at him occasionally while they walked to show that he listened, but his eyes mainly searched out for the firered hair he sought out. "Believe me when I say bein a guard for Zeltiva can be quite eventful sometimes." He didn't sound enthusiastic about it now that he remembered the few events he had to take care of this season, things like them were the exact reason why he didn't want to leave. "It's a fine job though, I really couldn't be any happier doin anythin else." He assured Titus with a small grin, another glance went to the burly man. "Ye'd probably like it from to time, if ya ever went to join o' course. It's not the grandest job, but if ya can put the people before ye, then ye'll soon find yerself makin friends left and right." Ricky had a bit of enthusiasm when he mentioned that of course, during his time as a guard he's met quite the number of people. Being a guard had that kind of responsibility after all, good social skills and a friendly attitude to people can take a person a long ways. "I know I'm goin to enjoy my first day back when they put me on my post, Laviku's breath I miss knowin that the city is safe." He stared on ahead with a worried expression, the wonder at how his home was doing without him made him anxious. Anything could be happening now, and he wouldn't be there to make any difference.

"If bein a guard doesn't seem interestin though we have merchants, sailors, and fisherman there too. There's also the chance o' bein an- uh," He paused with a entertained grin as he tried to remember the right word, "an 'escort' so to speak, at Loveless. I stay usually away from there though." He waited for Titus to reply now, seeing as he gave a fair explanation of things to do in the city. Though thess were only business related things, the pleasurable things to see and do were far too numerous to really point out.

[Titus]

Titus shook his head and laughed. "This girl must be interesting" he said his grin growing. "What's she like? Aside from the red hair. It be helpful to know what I'm looking for. Also is she into religion? Cause there's a store around here that sells that kinda stuff. You know the candles and uh things. I don't know, never been in there myself to be honest." He stopped looking around, trying to spot a red haired female. He was thinking about the possibility of him being a guard, it made him laugh. He couldn't see himself defending anyone else, after years of being a loner opening to others would tear him apart. He never thought he could actually trust anyone else. He remembered the first person he had any contact with that didn't involve someone being mad that he bumped into them or that he was to big to be in a place. That bloody giant that had beaten him. He looked down at Ricky sighing and forgetting about him before he lost his cool. He listened to him as he talked about being a guard, he smiled a bit at the fact that Ricky thought that he had a chance. If he wanted to be a guard, he turned and keep walking. Slowly enough to not cause to much discomfort to his comrade in the search. "Right making friends really isn't my strong suit" he said with a bit of a frown. "Not that I mind to be truthful. But it is annoying at times" he mumbled. Titus stopped dead in his tracks and looked down at Ricky when he mentoned being an 'escort'. "Yeah blood right" he said before he started walking again.

[Ricky Maze]

"She's... kinda religious. Not very serious about it anyway." He chuckled a bit as he remembered her random comment to Tel. "She has georgous hazel eyes, fiery red hair like I told ya about. Amazin curves too." He admitted with a slight blush, his modest nature got the better of him there. If Titus closely observed the small flush of color that appeared, he could very well guess how Ricky could describe her. "She's very forward and very open, ya'd think she had no shame what so ever." He finished with a light chuckle again, relieved his ribs didn't resonate any pain when he did. The two of them continued on at a steady pace that Ricky could walk, so far he felt ok after the break he took earlier. Mainly his feet and legs were tired out from so much walking, but those could be easily overlooked compared to the injures he suffered from Sunberth.

"Makin friends is easy enough, He enthused with a friendly grin, "Just keep an open mind and an open heart with a positive attitude, and simply start a conversation with a random stranger. Sort like we're doin now." He looked around a bit more as they both turned a corner onto another street. Still not a sign of a ginger anywhere. "Simply talk about the things that makes ya ya, and listen as the other does the same. From there communication is made, and bond slowly forms the more ya know that person." It felt funny how Ricky could just ramble on at how easy it was to start making friends, really though that's all he has ever needed to do. Time was and still is the only thing that can.make or break a friend, and the friends that stick around you in the toughest of times are the real friends you're meant to have.

[Titus]

"Well guess she wont be there then." he said pausing as Ricky described her. He turned and looked at him with a sly smile and said "Amazing curves huh? Maybe I should take her for myself". He winked before laughing loudly, "Just messin with yeah. It must be nice having someone special". he said mumbling the last line. He stopped in place and looked around. "I don't come to the southern quarter much, not really my style. Only reason I'm here now is... Well you know why." Titus looked over to Ricky as he started talking about how easy it was to make friends. He turned so his body was facing him, arms crossed over his chest. "I really don't want to make to many friends. The idea of having a lot of people rely on me makes me uneasy. I don't want to let people I care about down. So its easier to just not get to close. If you know what I mean." he said in a serious tone. This wasn't exactly his favorite choice for a topic. But then again it had to happen sometime. Besides at some point, I want out of this city. Don't know where I want to go, but I guess Ill figure that out when the time comes" he said. Maybe he'd settle down someday, but that was a long way off and he'd have to stay alive to see it.

[Ricky Maze]

Ricky hardly found his joke amusing, nevertheless he gave a light warm chuckle when Titus laughed. When he mentioned the fact that having someone special must be nice, Ricky let his soft grin grow a bit as he nodded in agreement. "Honestly I dunno if I think o' 'er like that, I feel like I do but there's just somethin' else there. Somethin' I'm unsure of." He admittedly as he looked around for her even more, he even paused to check behind them in case they overlooked or missed that red hair by chance. 'Highly unlikely, there ain't been hide nore hair of 'er yet.'

When he heard Titus talk about not wanting too many friends, Ricky gave him a look that spelled curiosity. He could see though that Titus wasn't all that thrilled about the subject, thus he decided he'd ease off to another topic. "The biggest thing to remember is not the numbers that ya gain, but the numbers that stick around when yer in need as well." He assured Titus with a pat on the shoulder. "As for leavin' the city I can understand that. E'rybody comes to a point where they think the grass is greener elsewhere." He spoke with a humble attitude, light hearted to where his nature reflected the warmth he felt about life. "Believe me when I say this though; home is not where ya make it, but with who ya make it with. And that there is comin' from experience." He assured the muscular man as he slowed down. Ricky faces began to show discomfort again, as he crossed his arms to place his hands on his ribs. He barely applied pressure as small flares of pain pulsed from his injures, and finally he had to take a moment to breath.

"God's damn these injuries." He cursed under his breath, as he took slow deep breaths to try and ease the building tension.

[Titus]

Titus nodded and sighed. "I know how you feel. Well not really, but I can kind of understand it. You like her but don't know if shes the one, the one that will fill the void that everyone or alteast mostly everyone has. One that can only be filled by someone you deeply care about and who returns the feelings. Its complicated yet easy to understand" he said. He closed his eyes for a second then opened them looking around. He hadn't seen any sign of this girl that he had talked about. It was bothering him, normally he could tell if someone was from Nyka or not and he wasn't to sure she was even in this area. She could have done something stupid and been dealt with by the monks or she could be dead for all he really knew. But Ricky seemed to be in enough pain, so he wouldn't bother letting that information cross his mind. "Fair enough" he said. Ricky talking about how it wasn't about the number of friends just how close they were to you. "I guess I could deal with it. But eh. Im not going to rush anything" he mumbled. He stood there still scanning the area for what seemed like forever until he started speaking about where you make home. "Ive been here to long to really consider Nyka a home." he said. He was ready for a change, new people, new challenges. It would be nice. He looked at Ricky and said "You need to rest. I may not be a doctor or anything but even I can see that you're in pain".

[Ricky Maze]

"Yeah, I'll be ok. Just need to rest again." Ricky agreed as he leaned back on a nearby wall, steadily he slid down to where he would be seated, and then focus on keeping steady breaths. Though there was only small flares it was still enough to cripple his progress of searching, and Ricky hated it too knowing that Hannah could just as easily wound up elsewhere. It took a couple of chimes but he finally managed to relax as the discomfort slowly began to ease, and Ricky decided to pick back up on the topic they were cut off from. "Hannah and I, we weren't that close yet. She was someone I could see bein' with, but for the rest o' my life hadn't yet come. The only other person that's been 'round long enough is my friend Telion, though we ain't really connected on that level either." He admittedly noddes when he finished explaining this, the fact Telion still had been his friend for this long proved she was someone important to him.

Oddly enough when he thought about it, Telion did seem to fill that sort of hole in his life. He loved Telion but he wasn't in love with her, or so that's what he believed anyway. He loved how she would smart off to him, how they could tease each other, how they could talk about each others life and dreams; and not have to feel judged by the other. That was a true friendship for Ricky there, yet the possibility of it being more? That was unknown territory he felt uncomfortable with, mostly because the fear everybody gets when the wander too far.

"Zeltiva's been my home since I was a wee lad, my Pa raised me there all by 'emself. Taught me almost everythin' I know." Ricky was in fact proud to say that, the principles of life that Ricky followed were mostly things his dad raised. "What 'bout ya? I'm sure yer pa taught ya many good things." Ricky gave a friendly smile as he looked up to Titus, the man seemed like a giant to him now but only because Ricky had to sit. Still Ricky looked at him with curiosity, and waited to hear a possible life story.