Closed Technical Midsummer (Tydus Tempest)

[Adelaide Sitai]

45th Summer 514AV
Two bells before Midnight

Lantern Square was the loveliest man-built space in Kenash, possibly sharing the title with the Playhouse, a venue seemingly carved into the rock by some higher force and home to the most beautiful views of the Sea. There was no better place to spend a Summer Evening and Adelaide had many happy memories of doing so since, after all, in the heat of the Summer, being outside during the day at all could only be judged a bad idea. Thus, the night was rendered a peak socialisation time for those who gathered in the Square, more at ease than they were at any other time since the night seemed to make certain barriers melt away and the Dynasts were more comfortable with letting their hair loose. Adelaide had on a Turquoise linen dress and turquoise fringed sandals and lying back, propped up on a divan under a red maple tree, looked very much part of the scenery - playing her role of benevolent Dynast to perfection - a lantern lighting up her pale face while her loose dark hair, streaming down her back, blended into the night. Yes, Lantern Square at Night was possibly where she felt most comfortable in the world, or rather most comfortable with the world for those two things were different. Lantern Square, to her, was the proof that things worked in Kenash, that they made sense... something which she sometimes doubted, for reasons beyond her control.

Having originally been on her own, happy in her solitude, she was joined by a towheaded woman with a sweet, doll-like face who was looking for a seat. The woman, who's name she had since forgotten, was free with her movement and easy to make small talk with, though Adelaide could not help but feel (rather cruelly, perhaps) that any deep conversation would be quite beyond her. In spite of this, or possibly because of this, she soon felt quite free to talk with someone with whom she had, on the surface at least, much in common. Even as she was informed that they had reached the tenth hour, she did not care that the next day, she would have to look her best for her cousin's wedding: none of it mattered.

"Do you know the one about the hungry Konti?"

"Yes. I think I've heard it before though I hardly remember how it goes," As her new companion seemed ready to launch into the 'joke' Adelaide put up her hand and made a twirling gesture, indicating that it did not matter to her, "Really. Do not feel you have to keep me entertained. You didn't say what you did?"

"I'm a dancer," the towheaded woman said with a grin, "I suppose I just can't stop myself from wanting to entertain."

"Well, I don't recall that joke being a particularly good one, if I am honest." replied Adelaide with a laugh, wondering again how it was that she always seemed to meet entertainers when she approached strangers. Surely there could not be that many of them in Kenash? Surely, she'd met them all by now? Still, always managing to hunt out those people who took enjoyment in putting on a show seemed to be a sixth sense of hers.

"Would you like a drink?"

"I've already had a few, but I could be tempted by another." Adelaide flipped a miza to the young woman, hardly caring if she ran off with it and never came back, "I'll have rum."

"Rum?"

"It's like a warm hug from the inside." Adelaide laughed again, this time a little longer than the situation merited, as the Dancer sped off. Maybe she had already drunk too much but, still completely aware of her surroundings and confident in her own ability to handle alcohol, she knew intrinsically that one more would do her no harm at all, asides from making her a little more talkative and convivial. She turned to look up at the sky, her mind still on warm hugs from the inside while starting to venture into the realms of the hypothetical. All those stars that seemingly went on forever... would it be possible to ever reach them? Maybe the gods lived there when they grew bored of the caprices of the earth-bound, nestled in their diamond palaces, enjoying the nectar of the Gods. And rum. Rum, without a doubt, was a happy alcohol. More than gin or whisky even, it caused a huge warmth to envelop the stomach and heart so that, even if she was feeling absolutely miserable or in the foulest temper, it never failed to cheer Adelaide up.

As she watched a loose lantern rise up and join the stars, a glowing orb in a glittering darkness, Adelaide was however struck by a sudden feeling of pain as she reminded herself that Naolom was not there to enjoy the spectacle with her, enjoy the buzz of Lantern Square. How she wished she'd been able to bring him back here, back to her home city, and show him all the sights. She felt sure that he would have been as moved as she was by the sheer grace of the lanterns and the divans, the unassuming salespeople peddling their wares under grand trees that looked as though they had existed since the beginning of time, then been moved in the last century to this spot, where they could watch kindly over the denizens of Kenash. Including her new friend, the towheaded woman who's name she could not remember, and maybe with whom she had exhausted conversation if they had reached the point where she was telling jokes. Adelaide didn't suppose it mattered though and, after all, it could do her no harm to spend a little more time with the pretty woman.

"I think," she said pensively, out loud but to herself in a sing song voice, "that tomorrow is a long way away." Too far to render thought on the subject necessary.

[Tydus Tempest]

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Sizzling flesh. How the sensation burned into his mind. The pain that accompanied the Freeborn brand was unbelievable, and though he was treated afterwards, he still felt the horrid, pulsing throb upon his wrist. He was branded, marked into a slate in life. The Tempest had originally had no intention of obtaining it, yet he had been persuaded otherwise. The wealth available of Adrienna Lynint, the words of his brother, Kel... And more importantly, further consideration.

A foothold. It was what a Hypnotist needed in any given conversation. In any particular notion, Tydus Tempest required a start in order to work upon the minds of those that could grant his desires. He had wasted his time and more importantly, his energy twice in his time in Kenash building a foothold. Conversation was the ultimate gateway with the magic. The penultimate source, but time was a factor. To mince words in order to even gain a foothold was becoming exhausting, and thus... he took the brand.

A throbbing pulse wore again upon the Tempest. He found himself needing a distraction. He found the desire to be an old one, yet... it was distinct. The brand had painted a vision before he had gotten it, a goal that forged the path that he wished to tread, but pain. Pain was a deterrent, it wavered resolved. But, Tydus could not look back. Pressing forward, Tydus rubbed his hand, his path taking him towards a most curious looking plaza of some sort.

Lanterns illuminated Kenash in the pits of night, humidity permeating upon the surface of his skin, a tinge of moisture upon his brow. However, Tydus knew for a fact that it was hotter inside. He had tested it out earlier in the Kenash Gazette, reveling in his newfound freedom. However, he found that he was again repelled from the place. Not due to his status as a foreigner, but because his attire was not of a high enough quality to stay. It encouraged him to move forward and invest. However, businesses were closed, and Tydus instead desired to soothe his pains. The frown pursed his lips as he cast his gaze about.

This place was sparsely populated in the midst of the night. What looked like a number of slaves with twisted snakes branded upon their faces were tending to the area. Some operated small stalls that served refreshments. One was tending to the lights. Brilliant flame cast over the rather pleasant looking plaza as amusement cast upon his features. It was then that Tydus decided to sit down. He was seated nearby a woman conversing with one of the slaves, a smirk cast upon his features as they recounted a joke. However, it was the mention of rum that truly gripped at him. A warm hug from the inside. An apt description. And one that the Tempest identified with.

When the slave walked away from the woman, he called her to him, a smile cast upon his lips as he reached for her hand,

"Please, make that two."

The slave nodded, offering a smile before leaving to fill the order as Tydus looked over to the lady. He looked to her arms and noted not bandage or visible brand, which meant she must be a Dynasty member. A smile cast upon Tydus' lips as he listened to her voice. He lay upon the couch, casting his gaze towards the dancer and her performance, noting that it was seemingly set for the Dynasty member. So lovely it must be to have the power to have others want to please.

He wondered how they did it.

Fratava | Common | Vani
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[Adelaide Sitai]

Adelaide leant back slightly further on the divan, propping herself up on one elbow and would have closed her eyes, had she not heard the voice close to her.

"Please, make that two."

The voice, or rather the person to whom it belonged, had not been there a moment ago and, with her usual unabashed curiosity, Adelaide started leaning her head backwards and tilting it slightly to the side so as to put a face to a sound. Naturally, she could have simply sat up and turned around but there was something quite novel about seeing someone for the first time from that angle. Not to mention that if he didn't look interesting, it was easier to disguise leaning back as simply stretching and thus not cause offence. Turning around necessitated conversation.

The sight of the man she saw, looking up through her eyelashes, didn't displease her. He stood out distinctly in the Square - that made him a foreigner and, though foreigners (she had been taught) were to be regarded with an element of suspicion, they did tend to be more interesting. Or rather, being from elsewhere gave them a leg up to reach those esteemed heights of what she considered interesting - that is, surprising.

"Good Evening." her lips curled into an urchin-like grin, "Something tells me you're not from around here."

Well, now she had started a conversation, she felt herself duty-bound to continue with it - at least for a couple of chimes, before she could be allowed a discreet exit - unless of course, he didn't wish to converse, which wouldn't bother her... she had a knack at finding people to talk to. Noting that she must look a little odd, head back at that angle, and with the realisation that she was risking giving herself a torticollis in her current position, she sat up and spun around so that she would be able to face the man, crossing her legs under her as she did so. She clapped the dancer, who had finished her performance, before turning back to the foreigner. He had a symmetrical face crowned by hair the colour of freshly cut wheat. Adelaide took a moment to wonder where he came from, hoping it would prove to be somewhere she'd never heard of before, though she could easily settle for somewhere she'd never been.

"You have the air of a gambler or a mercenary." she paused and grinned before adding, "Or perhaps an entrepreneur since, after all, that is merely gambling professionally on what other people will buy rather than what on the cards will show."

Maybe she really had had too many rums already, for that seemed the only excuse for the rashness of her speech. Her eyes settled momentarily on the man's bandaged wrist, the mark of someone new to the city if ever there was one, and she frowned for a tick, wishing there was a manner less crude to mark apart those of different status. Just like she disapproved of those who branded a slave on the forehead when the cheek or, better still, the neck showed proof of better taste. Such obvious marks always seemed ostentations and self-indulgent to the young woman. Still, she supposed that anything less than burnt flesh would be too easy to tamper with.

"I think you're going to need more than a single rum." she said lightly, holding back herself from laughing awkwardly at her own wry comment.

[Tydus Tempest]

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The Dynast's, for plainly that was what she was, were strange and rather drawn out in nature, but that in it of itself was interesting to Tydus.

How amusing it was to listen to the woman's 'analysis' of him. She clearly carried with her a cadence to her speech, a rather easily rolled nuance in her voice. It was neither judgmental, as Adrienna's had been, or stiff, as Edmund's was rife with. It seemed to the Tempest that the Dynasties were as varied as the common folk, the same. And it was that very thing that compelled him to continue to wonder what set them apart so. History? Blood? But, in retrospect, it didn't matter. T'is was life in the city of decadence, and Tydus was content to be a part of it. As Tydus went back to her question of what he was, the term mercenary to apply to him was an amusing one. Tydus knew the rawest of basics of what it was to fight, learned firsthand from his podbrother, but past the point of being senseless in a bout of combat, there was little more to pull him to that particular profession.

Gambler fit far better, as Tydus took a distinct pleasure in gambling with his most valuable of assets, his very life, but to consider himself a gambler was to limit himself purely to the table. Tydus considered the mathematics behind gambling. The numbers games, the screening of the mind. Tydus found himself heavily considering the answer, truly reflecting upon it before he turned to the word entrepreneur. This word was more difficult still. The Tempest scion could hear his mentor's words bubble into the forefront of his mind as the word mapped out its definition.

An entrepreneur is a businessman in the what I consider to be the most thrilling sense of the word. He seeks out ideas, invents them, invests in them, but to be an entrepreneur... it requires some sort of capital in order to press forward. To pay wages if one creates their own business, to act as an investor in other ideas... It plays purely in the game of numbers and monetization of a business... I can't consider myself that. Or a gambler. And certainly not a mercenary.

Tydus allowed an easy grin to materialize upon his features as he looked to the strange Dynasty woman.

"I? I'm merely a Svefra, dear lady. I can't call myself a gambler, but I enjoy it in sport. I'm certainly not a mercenary. And I can't quite label myself as an entrepreneur. Rather, I am a sailor. A speaker. A lover. A trader. Whatever titles you wish to bestow upon me, please feel free to do so. But, first and foremost, I am Tydus Tempest."

The words were spoken slowly, the Tempest clearly intent on articulating himself properly, for the lovely Dynast who had taken to showing him such a lovely attitude deserved to be treated with respect. And so, he continued to speak to address her first concern,

"You're right, of course. I came in to Kenash in order to find something for an employer of mine, and though I have found it, I don't quite see myself wanting to leave just yet. Riverfall has its allure, but it is in Kenash that I find something far more... interesting."

Women, for one. Riverfall was rife with large, freakish males. It was certainly not a place Tydus considered to be his home.

Fratava | Common | Vani
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[Adelaide Sitai]

"A Svefra?" Adelaide raised her eyebrows with mock seriousness and smiled good-naturedly, "How novel!"

Of course it wasn't really - not in a city by the sea with its own Svefra family in the form of the Draer, but it was the first thing the young woman thought of saying, and she was not in the right set of mind to think of a more relevant comment. It was believed by most that the right amount of alcohol could reveal a lot about the true nature of people. Stripped of her inhibitions, Adelaide was open to the point of being reckless and keen to share every thought that crossed her mind, talking even more quickly than usual.

"A sailor, a speaker, a lover, a trader?" she echoed thoughtfully, her voice playful, "Like all Svefras then. Not that I'm saying that one can not be entirely unique and individual within those areas, within each of them." she flourished her wrist slightly as she considered each of the roles he claimed to play, "For example, a rousing speaker, a thrill-seeking sailor, a pioneering trader or, of course, an exceptional lover. I wonder if any of those would apply to you? I wouldn't like to bestow titles, as you put it, which do not fit. I dislike being wrong in my assessment of someone's character. It puts me ill at ease."

At that point, the slave came back with the two rums. Adelaide smiled at the young woman, though naturally did not feel it necessary to thank her verbally. She picked up her drink and took a swig with as much elegance as she could muster in spite of the fact that she had gulped the drink down rather than sipping at is, as she had been told was proper so many times during her childhood. After a tick, she turned back to her new Svefran acquaintance with a light smile.

"Tydus Tempest... with such a name, how could you not be a Svefra? I shall follow your lead and introduce myself." she cleared her throat and said with feigned expression of pompousness, "My name is Adelaide. Adelaide Sitai."

Riverfall - she had been to the city a few times before, twice as a child with memories of tall, blue men seemingly taller from a child's perspective. There were the Konrath in Kenash, but their comparatively much smaller number did not make them feel so oppressively omnipresent. With a sigh, Adelaide bit her lip and looked pensively at the Riverfall-ian. It was not a city she had never been to and certainly not one which she had never heard of before, part of the trio of cities outside of Kenash that she had crossed, but it would do well enough.

"Why Riverfall?" then, as an afterthought, "Oh but, then again, you have the good taste to find Kenash, I quote, far more interesting. I heartily approve."

She leant forward freely and shifted out of her cross-legged position, bringing her knee up so she could rest her chin on it.

"Will you expand on 'interesting' for me, please? I like to know what an outsider makes of this city." her voice was innocent and even sweet but, even if perhaps she personally believed that the truth was what she wanted, there was a note to her voice that indicated that she might not react positively to anything too critical of the city which had offered her both a pleasing position of power and a wealth of memories.

[Tydus Tempest]

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"All three could apply, Ms. Sitai. I could show you, if you'd like."

The Tempest did not offer her a wink, but a coy smile marked his features as he responded to her. A moment in passing before he continued to listen to her line of questioning.

Why Riverfall, indeed.

The Tempest scion hated the place. It was filled with men, and with the location of Kenash, there was very little that kept him going back to the city. A misplaced loyalty, a desire to earn his coin. A want to better himself, perhaps? It was in Riverfall that he had met Caelum, and it was there that he would continue to go back to until the day came that he could support himself. Piracy had been the trade of the Tempest pod before their destruction, but it was not the existence that Tydus himself could support. Piracy implied aggressiveness and pillaging the possessions of those who had earned them. It did not appeal to him nearly as much as bridging a contact and turning an investment of his time into an outlet of income that could replenish Tydus' wealth as needed.

Tydus didn't want everything. He wanted an easy existence.

Adelaide Sitai was absolutely right to assume that Tydus was nothing more than an ordinary Svefra. At least, he'd have others believe in that lie. In truth, he was more. And it was in his best interest for everyone to continue to believe in the lie. Even his family, when they had existed, did not know. Tydus Tempest and the person who had taught him, a Vantha merchant presumably in Avanthal, were the only people left that knew of his power. And he meant to perpetuate that exclusivity of information.

Rather than focus unnecessarily on the secrecy of things, Tydus managed a laugh when he heard Adelaide speak further. Uninhibited by what Tydus knew to be Kenash's lovely elixir, she had also gone on about how one could be unique even in their common conditions. Which Tydus agreed with. He took great amusement in hearing this from the lips of a Dynast, and he took an immediate liking to her. When the glass was finally held in his own hand, he raised it in toast to Adelaide before pausing to consider her question once again,

"Circumstance kept me in Riverfall for a time, and now I have found an employer there that sent me here in search of the very drink I'm having now, as I mentioned earlier.

What makes Kenash so interesting is how everything is at the palm of one's hands. Slaves are hardly so numerous or active in other cities. Slaves in service much like the lovely young ladies who dance and serve drinks here. Slaves at the forefront of business assisting their master in the day to day running of their business. Never have I seen a place so openly celebrate slavery. Nor have I seen a place that shuns the common pretext of society in favour of a higher standard."

In essence, the Tempest loved Kenash because it was different. It was decadent, it was beautiful. It was, in all manners of the word, a paradise. So long as one wasn't the slave in service. It was only once Tydus was finished speaking that he took a sip of rum, reveling in the distinct, sharp flavour of it. He wasn't used to the step up in terms of quality, but had fallen in love with it all the same.

They definitely keep the best to themselves here.

Fratava | Common | Vani
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[Adelaide Sitai]

Adelaide did not fail to notice the coy smile he gave her and responded merely with ambiguously raised eyebrows and a grin of amusement which did not, however, hide her curiosity as she wondered how he could go about proving the description apt. Observing the blond sailor as he recounted his reasoning for living in Riverfall but for preferring Kenash, as though trying to construct a perfect memory of every line on his face for posterity, she almost missed the beginning of what he was saying. She blinked then nodded slowly, musing over his words.

"This very drink, yes... Well, Rum is an important economic asset." Naturally, though, it was not so much the Rum she was thinking of as his assessment of Kenash. It hadn't been anything close to what she had expected and seemed quite odd coming from a foreigner. After a tick, in which she took a few more swigs of the Rum and licked her lips, she raised her eyes and let her knee slip back into the cross-legged position she had adopted earlier. Of course, it would probably seem to an observer like she was merely fidgeting, but in reality it was more a sign that the conversation had reached an interesting point for her. Naturally, nothing he said was entirely new, but rather the way he expressed it so forwardly was. With a smile, the young woman let her head fall back slightly, still making light comments as she mused over his words, "And yes, there are a lot of slaves. I wouldn't be surprised if they had developed a sort of culture of their own within their communities, so to speak. In fact, I'm not sure that it wouldn't disappoint me if it turned out they hadn't, though I hardly know why. Either way, it would have no bearing on me unless their work suffered as a result."

Adelaide realised that, her mind more occupied with considering the true crux of what he seemed to be saying, she was rambling slightly. Slaves were the backbone to the Kenashian system, a system that had been proven to work. Of course, slaves had few rights and were literally at the mercy of their respective owners (some of which were unnecessarily heavy-handed when dealing with them) but they could acquire some influence unofficially. It had happened many times in the past and slaves could prove to be the most loyal and constant of aides, even companions, a necessity to any good business. And, by making sure that everyone knew their place and knew the boundaries of their place within the city of Kenash, the system of slavery and the carefully micromanaged hierarchy ensured that civilisation could function at its highest level. Exactly the 'higher standard' which Tydus referred to. In a city built on wealth and decadence, where people could feel able to have fun or explore the arts at their leisure, a strict social order was needed so that the city didn't descend into anarchy.

"I respect slavery, perhaps, because it is the single, most honest truth of the human condition. A city supposedly without slavery is the worst hypocrisy. There's no way of escaping the fact that some people are born lucky and have been blessed by fate while others have not. That some people are intelligent or beautiful while the great majority of people are not. Of course, that doesn't make them any less human, any less capable of emotional depth, complexity and kindness. It just proves equality, as I've heard of it being promoted in cities like Syliras, is impossible." Adelaide measured her next words carefully, as though she were letting Tydus into a great personal secret, "I used to think that, for all that the critics of slavery have to say, stuck in their limited vision of the world, there was always one overarching positive about being a slave - that, at least, you knew where you stood with things. It seems like everyone else in the world is a slave to something or other but in a different way, a more intrinsic way: less stable and often self-inflicted, as though freedom were dangerous. All it did was to give people leave to live in a cage of their own design rather than someone else's, someone who might very probably know better. Only, I think now that you can be a slave to multiple things."

Adelaide did not like the sober tone she had taken and physically shook her head before shrugging and taking another swig of rum.

"Sometimes, I feel like I think too much and that that might be dangerous. It's all very silly, really." the young woman laughed off her last comment, "Ignorance is bliss and there are plenty of theories to suggest that the whole concept of education is radically unsound. Even when it concerns those supposedly able to cope with the consequences of it."

The Sitai racked her brains for a change of topic, realising that she was talking too much and had said far too much to a practical stranger. She was not in the right set of mind for anything serious since the natural frivolity deeply engrained within her was roaring to be heard. Finally, for want of anything else, she pointed to the rum and said, with a grin, "It's good, isn't it?"

[Tydus Tempest]

Of course it was. Rum was an asset because of how... exclusive it was. In all of the world that Tydus Tempest had visited, Kenash was unique in that it had rum. Not only the rum, but the glass in his hand was by far the best rum he had ever tasted. This led Tydus to assume that not only was rum an export in the city, but it was exclusive to the area. Thinking back to his encounter with Edmund Morealis, it also led the Tempest to assume that the process to create rum was also kept a secret from the world. It was part of the reason why he was so infatuated with Kenash.

It had what he wanted, what he needed, and catered to what he desired to become. Ambition was alight in the Tempest's mind, a clear goal set in his mind. And it was because of that goal that he continued the conversation. Or rather, it was a proponent of the continuation of the discussion. Meeting Dynasts was key to raising his status in the city. And it did not hurt that the Dynast in his presence seemed to like talking as much as she did. Her words were insightful, perhaps even philosophical. They spoke of desires to see a culture in what most probably assumed to be uncultured.

Adelaide clearly knew the place of slaves in society, her belief that some were fortunate and others unfortunate in their lot in life was rather similar to his own.

Some are born lucky. Others are lucky to be born. Svefra culture tells us this more than most. If were are not exactly right in our eye colour, we are cast into the sea. If we are not born with Laviku's favour, our brothers despise us.

Prejudice was common in the world of the Svefra, but just as much, knowing one's place was essential. While the pod had lacked the politics of Kenashian lifestyle, it had taught him that beyond a doubt, fortune's favour was essential to survival. However, the woman let on quite a bit more than perhaps even she intended. She spoke of a world without slavery. The savage hypocrisy of it all. She alluded to the belief that all men were slaves, and though Tydus disagreed at this point, it was not his place to care what the other woman thought about her own smug, self-righteous superiority.

It was his place, instead, to encourage it. To agree and sway the woman into thinking that he fit perfectly into the mould of her society. An ally was more important than an opinion. If a lie led into a relationship, then it was worth the lie being cast. It was a beautiful hypocrisy that the lies that Tydus told led to others being more trusting towards him. But, it was a fabrication of his own design and merit. Tydus lubricated his throat with a second and third swig of delicious rum, the burn permeating within his throat just before he welled the djed from the depths of his soul.

Pleasure from both taste and manipulation welled through his senses, his throat burning with the liquor as chills cast along the weave of his spinal column. He grinned at the young woman in front of him before shaking his head. An emotional response flared within his words as his voice took a soothing, slow meter,

"Oh no, Adelaide. You speak your mind. It's a very valuable trait. To fear speaking too much is to fear one's personality being manifested. I doubt you want to be so crass as to allow the world to wash you away, right? Then, you would be no better than the slaves that work in this city. Stripped of self, broken of identity. But, you're better than that. You're a very interesting sort, Adelaide."

The Tempest scion tempered his words with a single emotional response bidden on the realm of trust. He sought to flatter her, for to flatter was to open a door to the flattered person's arrogance. He sought to have her trust him, for she certainly had more secrets to reveal. He sought to befriend her, for she was of use to him. Within the emotional response there was a woven suggestion, a single thought inflected into the Sitai woman's mind just before he began to speak again,

I can speak candidly with Tydus.

He raised the glass in toast a second time,

"It's a pleasure to know such a lovely person."

[Adelaide Sitai]

"A very valuable trait?"

The young woman sighed and frowned slightly, taking her glass to her lips and letting it hover there for a moment, as though both the glass and her slightly parted lips were frozen in mild consternation. She was conscious of the fact that she was saying rather too much to the stranger, but there was something that she thought to be very honest in his blue eyes. Surely, it wouldn't matter if she opened up a little?

"I'm not worried about my personality being manifested. Not at all. Rather, I worry that it's ultimately only going to make me unhappy. I don't want the world to 'wash me away' as you put it... I really, really don't but, somehow, I'm worried that sometimes, in my thoughtlessness, I'm giving them the tools to use against me. That's why I worry. Maybe I am a little paranoid but, perhaps by being too frank, I'm giving my enemies the ability to 'wash me away' for good. And that's paranoid in itself, because I'm not certain that I have any enemies."

It was incredible how much she could find ways to make a whole discussion out of comparatively few words uttered by Tydus. In spite of her endeavours not to be, she was starting to feel a little dour.

"I should be above such feelings. You're certainly right to say that. And you're right to infer that, as a Dynast, I have a voice that I can use - unlike a slave. That's not to say slaves are stripped of self or broken of identity. In fact, nothing bores me more than a broken slave without identity. Not that that happens very often. I never fail to be surprised, and indeed impressed though I should definitely not be, by how much sheer guts some of them have. That probably makes me some sort of self-destructive masochist because, ultimately, a gutsy, independent slave is a dangerous one."

In spite of half-raising her glass in acknowledgement of Tydus raising his, Adelaide was now hardly looking at him at all. Her voice had gone quite quiet, taking on a slightly vulnerable tone that had eluded her voice up until then, and if the Svefra was still interested in listening, he would have to strain to hear what she further said.

"I don't know that I'm particularly interesting. Well, perhaps interesting to most people but most people are normal. Personally, I consider myself too predictable, too comfortable with stability and too fearful of change. Oh, I'm not saying that you can't be interesting if you're normal, especially as I sometimes find the most domestic and average of things perfectly fascinating, but it doesn't make you special. Not interesting enough to be worth commenting on."

Adelaide then laughed slightly and shook her head, turning back to look at Tydus with raised eyebrows and a smile, a smile that revealed her decidedly reckless confidence in the man. Then she blushed slightly as she realised that he wasn't interrupting her. She wondered if he was being polite, if he just did not want to interrupt a Dynast, or if he was genuinely interested. Somehow, everything about him seemed to indicate the latter to her.

"I'm sensible to the compliment, but I suggest we get to know each other better before you judge me 'lovely'. I'm not a lovely person either. Could you believe that I once cried over the fact that I didn't cry when a childhood friend died? I was sad about the fact that I should have been sadder about what was, essentially, someone dying tragically young. I didn't like the idea that I'd become that sort of person. What I mean is, I was sad for myself. Selfish at a time when I ought to be selfless. That's screwed up, isn't it?"

This was all too serious. As much as Adelaide wanted to open up and reveal everything that was on her mind, and there was so much more than she'd already revealed, she had come to Lantern Square with the intention of having fun and she wasn't sure that the sort of conversation they were having was putting her at ease. With a superhuman effort to stop talking about herself, she licked her lips tentatively and flickered her eyes back up to Tydus. After all, she was keen to learn more of the mysterious blond foreigner.

"How long have you lived in Riverfall?"

[Tydus Tempest]

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It was astounding just how well Tydus' push could go. A single inclination, a desire, an extension of trust. At times, the Tempest forgot just how powerfully it could go, and he was for a moment tempted to regret the push he had implemented, for it had sent the Sitai off on tangents and into a monologue, but he would not. A smile continued to grace the Tempest's lips as he listened to her. Key phrases stuck in his mind as the Svefra opted to commit to memory the knowledge that Adelaide Sitai was giving him about her.

There's no problem in being someone's confidant if that is what they wish for. I can listen, I can be this woman's friend if she needs it.

Rather, I worry that it's ultimately only going to make me unhappy. I don't want the world to 'wash me away' as you put it... I really, really don't but, somehow, I'm worried that sometimes, in my thoughtlessness, I'm giving them the tools to use against me.

A rather bitter irony, for she had just done it quite willingly to the Tempest scion. Of course, it was best that she armed him with the knowledge, where he would only use it to benefit himself in dealing with her. if Tydus cared to ruin Adelaide Sitai's reputation, he easily could.

There's no point in it, though.

Well, perhaps interesting to most people but most people are normal. Personally, I consider myself too predictable, too comfortable with stability and too fearful of change. Oh, I'm not saying that you can't be interesting if you're normal, especially as I sometimes find the most domestic and average of things perfectly fascinating, but it doesn't make you special. Not interesting enough to be worth commenting on.

Opinions a person had, in relation to themselves and in relations to others was just as important as uncovering an outlet of their paranoia. Tydus had sought to learn what Adelaide was, and his opinion was beginning to form, his smile turning gentler in nature as a flicker of pity crossed the threshold of his thoughts. It was tragic to have so much yet be so paranoid about it. So self-conscious. It was a weakness that the Tempest forsook in favour of a better life.

At least, he hoped it was better now.

The rest of Ms. Sitai's words were just as interesting, but it was those two points that would stick, committed to memory as he inched forward to take her hands in his own. The Tempest wove his djed once again, welling into the reaches of his soul and bringing the djed to his hands. Warm to the touch, flowing with djed, Tydus cast an emotional response through his touch, weaving his words with djed for a second time as he sought to assuage her of her concerns,

"You share concerns that others possess, as well. It's unfortunate, dear Adelaide, that you see yourself not as you should, but it's not by any means abnormal. I see you as much more interesting than you see yourself as, for I have never known the life that you have. Branded as a Freeborn is a new life, but I lived all of my existence at sea.

I never lived in Riverfall. It's a strange, foreign place to me. Unsuitable to dwell within permanently. I was stranded there in the Spring. I managed to assemble what was needed to leave the place, but not before I conjured a business agreement with my current employer. It's for him that I go back to that wretched place, but in truth, the northern Suvan calls for me once again. I long to return to Laviku's blessed seas, but I rely on the jobs that others give me to continue on."

The Tempest wore a saddened smile upon his features, but it was a farce. Constructed, fabricated. The feelings that once surged through the Tempest. Regret, sadness, anger at his situation. They were all too real, but buried in the past. Overcome in the present and the realization of what he could become. And when he thought back to it, Tydus Tempest berated himself for being so... weak. The emotional responses washed upon the woman's mind. Compassion, curiosity. He sought both to weave into the Dynast's mind, operated and driven by a sudden thought written into her with his stare.

He relies on Riverfall to survive? He could just as easily rely on Kenash.

The thought was not guided, for Tydus did not wish to expend additional djed and risk himself being discovered as a manipulator. She could most likely form her own conclusions.

Fratava | Common | Vani
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